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Bachelor of Arts in Global Liberal Arts

Program Details

Program Code
GLA
Degree Type
BA
Duration
4 years
Credits
240 ECTS
Language Taught
English
Faculty
Faculty of Arts and Sciences

About the Program

Mission

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Global Liberal Arts (GLA) is an interdisciplinary program that offers students the knowledge, critical perspectives, and intellectual practices they need to engage ethically with the most pressing global challenges of our time.

Centered on human and social values, and focused on critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and the ability to view ideas from multiple perspectives, the program brings together the humanities, social sciences, and science to give students the skills that the quickly changing global market demands and values most today.

Students learn not only how society works but also how to engage and intervene with innovative solutions for a sustainable future. Given its commitment to equity and social justice, the program adopts a critical stance towards disciplinary knowledge and knowledge-making.

The program is one of a few but quickly growing number of liberal arts programs based on the traditional American model in Europe that emphasize interdisciplinarity as a central feature of contemporary, timely, and relevant modern pedagogy. Located in Pafos, Cyprus, at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, the program adopts a place-based approach that is grounded in Cyprus, even as it nurtures students, faculty, and staff to cultivate broad connections and to study movements and exchanges across cultures, geographical boundaries, and fields of knowledge.

Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the BA in GLA program will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate broad cultural knowledge focused on big questions, significant historical texts, and current critiques of humanistic knowledge.
  2. Develop a level of critical thinking, reading, and analysis that will support advanced academic study and lifelong learning.
  3. Communicate information and ideas to academic audiences and to the public orally, in writing, and through images, using different media.
  4. Demonstrate a sense of personal and social responsibility at local and global levels.

These learning outcomes align with the European Qualifications Framework.

What Can I Do With A GLA Degree?

A Global Liberal Arts degree prepares graduates for a wide range of career pathways across media, public service, education, international organizations, and the creative and cultural sectors. Potential directions include law and legal studies (often requiring further postgraduate study), media, communication and cultural production, NGOs and international organizations, public service and advocacy, education and research, as well as health-related and pre-med pathways.

Across these fields, Global Liberal Arts graduates are valued for their ability to analyze complex issues from multiple perspectives, communicate clearly across different formats and audiences, and conduct independent research. They bring a combination of critical and creative thinking, adaptability across disciplines and professional contexts, and the ability to engage thoughtfully and ethically with global challenges.

Academic Profile

Program Requirements

The Program Requirements outline what needs to be fulfilled for a student to graduate from this program.

Code Course Title ECTS
Compulsory Core GLA Courses
GLAS 100 Introduction to Global Liberal Arts  6
GLAS 101 Great Texts Revisited I  6
GLAS 102 Great Texts Revisited II  6
GLAS 103 Crossroads of Thought: Ancient, Late Antiquity, and Medieval  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 104 Crossroads of Thought: Modern and Postmodern  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 105 Modern Cyprus: Politics and Society  Social Inequalities 6
GLAS 200 Global Liberal Arts Research I  6
GLAS 201 Global Liberal Arts Research II  6
GLAS 203 Multimedia Workshop  6
GLAS 204 Elective Pathways Advising Session  0
GLAS 300 Global Liberal Arts Individual Inquiry Project  6
GLAS 301 Internship and Career Preparation Workshop  0
GLAS 302 Digital Culture: Introduction to Digital Humanities  6
GLAS 400 Senior Thesis/Project Seminar  12
GLAS 401 Senior Thesis/Project  12
Subtotal 90
Elective GLA Courses (Students Choose 10)
— Elective GLA Courses (47) 6
— Elective GLA Courses (47) 6
— Elective GLA Courses (47) 6
— Elective GLA Courses (47) 6
— Elective GLA Courses (47) 6
— Elective GLA Courses (47) 6
— Elective GLA Courses (47) 6
— Elective GLA Courses (47) 6
— Elective GLA Courses (47) 6
— Elective GLA Courses (47) 6
Subtotal 60
Understanding Our Communication
ENGL 100 Academic English  6
ENGL 101 Advanced Academic English  6
— Understanding Our Communication - Foreign Language Communication in Arabic or Greek 6
Writing in the Discipline  0
Subtotal 18
Understanding The World
— Understanding the World - The Earth and Planetary Systems or the Living World (11) 6
— Understanding the World - The Earth and Planetary Systems or the Living World (11) orUnderstanding the World - Quantitative Reasoning(1) 6
— Understanding the World - The Earth and Planetary Systems or the Living World (11) orUnderstanding the World - Quantitative Reasoning(1) 6
— Understanding the World - Quantitative Reasoning (1) 6
Subtotal 24
Understanding Ourselves (at least two from each category)
— Understanding Ourselves - Cultures and Histories (41) 6
— Understanding Ourselves - Cultures and Histories (41) 6
— Understanding Ourselves - Cultures and Histories (41) orUnderstanding Ourselves - Societies and Individuals(14) 6
— Understanding Ourselves - Societies and Individuals (14) 6
— Understanding Ourselves - Societies and Individuals (14) 6
Subtotal 30
Understanding our Role in the World
— Understanding Our Role in the World - Our Values 6
PSPA 300 Introduction to Global Citizenship  6
Subtotal 12
General Education Free Elective
— General Education Elective 6
Subtotal 6
Thematic Requirements
First-Year Student Experience
Beirut Residency
— History of Ideas (28) —
— Social Inequalities (22) —
Total ECTS 240
Sample Study Plan

The Sample Study Plan is an indicative plan showing how a student may fulfil the requirements for this program across their years of study.

Term 1 (Fall)

Type Code Course Title ECTS
Compulsory GLAS 100 Introduction to Global Liberal Arts  6
Compulsory GLAS 101 Great Texts Revisited I  6
Compulsory GLAS 103 Crossroads of Thought: Ancient, Late Antiquity, and Medieval  History of Ideas 6
Compulsory (Gen Ed) ENGL 100 Academic English  6
Elective — General Education Elective 6
Term Total 30

Term 2 (Spring)

Type Code Course Title ECTS
Compulsory GLAS 102 Great Texts Revisited II  6
Compulsory GLAS 104 Crossroads of Thought: Modern and Postmodern  History of Ideas 6
Compulsory GLAS 105 Modern Cyprus: Politics and Society  Social Inequalities 6
Compulsory (Gen Ed) ENGL 101 Advanced Academic English  6
Elective — General Education Elective 6
Term Total 30
Courses

The full catalogue of courses offered in this program, grouped by category.

Code Course Title ECTS
Compulsory Core GLA Courses
GLAS 100 Introduction to Global Liberal Arts  6
GLAS 101 Great Texts Revisited I  6
GLAS 102 Great Texts Revisited II  6
GLAS 103 Crossroads of Thought: Ancient, Late Antiquity, and Medieval  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 104 Crossroads of Thought: Modern and Postmodern  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 105 Modern Cyprus: Politics and Society  Social Inequalities 6
GLAS 200 Global Liberal Arts Research I  6
GLAS 201 Global Liberal Arts Research II  6
GLAS 203 Multimedia Workshop  6
GLAS 204 Elective Pathways Advising Session  0
GLAS 300 Global Liberal Arts Individual Inquiry Project  6
GLAS 301 Internship and Career Preparation Workshop  0
GLAS 302 Digital Culture: Introduction to Digital Humanities  6
GLAS 400 Senior Thesis/Project Seminar  12
GLAS 401 Senior Thesis/Project  12
Elective GLA Courses
Elective GLA Courses / Science, Society and the Environment
BIOL 101 Human Biology  6
BIOL 220 Introduction to Biochemistry  6
CHEM 100 Chemical Principles  6
CHEM 101 Introduction to Environmental Chemistry  6
CHEM 102 Introductory Chemical Techniques  4
CHEM 303 Brief Survey of Organic Chemistry  6
CHEM 305 Introductory Organic Laboratory  4
CHLA 256 Imagining Nature  History of Ideas 6
CHLA 257 Apocalypse and Extinction  History of Ideas 6
CHLA 258 The Normal and the Pathological  History of IdeasSocial Inequalities 6
CMPS 108 Computing for Business  6
GLAS 270 Science and Ethics  6
GLAS 271 History of Science  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 272 Science, Technology, and Society  Social Inequalities 6
GLAS 273 Science, Fiction, and Society  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 280 Special Topics in Science, Society, and the Environment  6
HPCH 100 Introduction to Public Health  Social Inequalities 6
PHYS 106 Applied Physics for the Life Sciences  6
PHYS 107 Applied Physics for the Life Sciences Lab  2
PHYS 200 Introduction to Astronomy  6
Elective GLA Courses / Space, Place, and Identity
AROL 222 Introduction to Greek Archaeology  6
AROL 223 The Archaeology of the Hellenistic World  6
AROL 224 Introduction to the Roman World  6
AROL 291 Mobility, Migration, and Diaspora  6
AROL 292 Landscape Archaeology  6
AROL 321 Conflict, Heritage, and Archeology  History of IdeasSocial Inequalities 0
ENGL 230 Language in Society  6
ENGL 254 Writing Identity  6
GLAS 202A Social Inequalities: Social, Economic, Political  Social Inequalities 6
GLAS 202B Social Inequalities: Gender, Sexuality, Race, Class  Social Inequalities 6
GLAS 250 Space, Place, and Identity  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 251 Homecomings in the Ancient World and Literature  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 257 Maps and Mapping for Global Liberal Arts  6
GLAS 260 Special Topics in Space, Place, and Identity  6
HIST 227 Cultures in Contact: The Crusades  6
SOAN 216 Hands-on Anthropology  6
SOAN 225 Gender and Culture  Social Inequalities 6
SOAN 227 Cultural Boundaries and Identities  Social Inequalities 6
SOAN 242 Globalization and Migration  Social Inequalities 6
Elective GLA Courses / Texts, Contexts, and Concepts
ENGL 217 Literary Genres  History of Ideas 6
ENGL 217A Literary Genres: The Novel  History of Ideas 6
ENGL 217B Literary Genres: Poetry  History of Ideas 6
ENGL 219 Film as Text  History of Ideas 6
ENGL 220 Literature, Technology, and the Environment  Social Inequalities 6
ENGL 243 Postcolonial Literature and Film  History of IdeasSocial Inequalities 6
ENGL 262 Topics in Translation  6
GLAS 215 Rhetorical Genre in Theory and Practice  6
GLAS 221 Copyright Culture  6
GLAS 222 Writing and Writing Systems  6
GLAS 224 Life Writing  6
GLAS 224A Life Writing: Classical Antiquity  6
GLAS 230 Seminar in Art, Power, and Society  Social Inequalities 6
GLAS 231 Contemporary Art and Theory  6
GLAS 240 Special Topics in Texts, Contexts, and Concepts  History of Ideas 6
HIST 224 Historical Writing and Interpretation  6
MCOM 206 Introduction to Cinema  History of Ideas 6
MCOM 218 Media Activism  Social Inequalities 6
MCOM 220 Popular Culture  Social Inequalities 6
MCOM 221 War and Media  Social Inequalities 0
MCOM 222 Introduction to Visual Culture  6
Elective PPE Courses
SOAN 225 Gender and Culture  Social Inequalities 6
SOAN 242 Globalization and Migration  Social Inequalities 6
Understanding Ourselves - Societies and Individuals
SOAN 216 Hands-on Anthropology  6
SOAN 225 Gender and Culture  Social Inequalities 6
SOAN 227 Cultural Boundaries and Identities  Social Inequalities 6
SOAN 242 Globalization and Migration  Social Inequalities 6
Understanding the World - The Earth and Planetary Systems or the Living World
PHYS 106 Applied Physics for the Life Sciences  6
PHYS 107 Applied Physics for the Life Sciences Lab  2
PHYS 200 Introduction to Astronomy  6
General Education
General Education / Understanding Our Communication - Academic Communication in English I and II
ENGL 100 Academic English  6
ENGL 101 Advanced Academic English  6
ENGL 102 Technical English  6
General Education / Understanding Our Communication - Foreign Language Communication in Arabic or Greek
ARAB 100 Beginners’ Arabic as a Foreign Language I  6
ARAB 101 Beginners’ Arabic as a Foreign Language II  6
ARAB 102 Traces and Ruins  6
GRLG 100 Greek as a Foreign Language I  6
GRLG 101 Greek as a Foreign Language II  6
General Education / Understanding Our Role in the World - Our Engagement
BBAB 310 Social Entrepreneurship  6
CECS 200 Community-based Learning  6
PSPA 300 Introduction to Global Citizenship  6
General Education / Understanding Our Role in the World - Our Values
PHIL 130 Ethics  6
PHPE 430 Ethics and Public Affairs  History of IdeasSocial Inequalities 6
General Education / Understanding Ourselves - Cultures and Histories
CHLA 101 Ancient Near East and Classical Civilizations  History of Ideas 6
CHLA 102 Medieval, Islamic, and Renaissance Civilizations  History of Ideas 6
CHLA 103 Enlightenment and Modernity  History of Ideas 6
CHLA 104 Contemporary Studies  History of Ideas 6
CHLA 105 Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Civilizations  History of Ideas 6
CHLA 107 Modern and Contemporary Studies  History of Ideas 6
CLAS 100 Gods and Heroes: Homer’s Odyssey  History of Ideas 6
CLAS 101 (ENGL 104) Gods and Heroes: Homer’s Iliad  History of Ideas 6
ENGL 103 Shakespeare  6
ENGL 217 Literary Genres  History of Ideas 6
ENGL 217A Literary Genres: The Novel  History of Ideas 6
ENGL 217B Literary Genres: Poetry  History of Ideas 6
ENGL 243 Postcolonial Literature and Film  History of IdeasSocial Inequalities 6
HIST 100 History of the Arab East and Egypt Since 1920  History of IdeasSocial Inequalities 6
MCOM 222 Introduction to Visual Culture  6
PHIL 100 Political Philosophy  Social Inequalities 6
PHIL 101 History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy  History of Ideas 6
PHIL 102 Introduction to Philosophy  6
PSPA 200 Introduction to Political Thought  Social Inequalities 6
AROL 222 Introduction to Greek Archaeology  6
AROL 223 The Archaeology of the Hellenistic World  6
AROL 224 Introduction to the Roman World  6
AROL 291 Mobility, Migration, and Diaspora  6
AROL 292 Landscape Archaeology  6
CHLA 256 Imagining Nature  History of Ideas 6
CHLA 257 Apocalypse and Extinction  History of Ideas 6
CHLA 258 The Normal and the Pathological  History of IdeasSocial Inequalities 6
ENGL 219 Film as Text  History of Ideas 6
ENGL 220 Literature, Technology, and the Environment  Social Inequalities 6
ENGL 262 Topics in Translation  6
GLAS 101 Great Texts Revisited I  6
GLAS 102 Great Texts Revisited II  6
GLAS 103 Crossroads of Thought: Ancient, Late Antiquity, and Medieval  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 104 Crossroads of Thought: Modern and Postmodern  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 202A Social Inequalities: Social, Economic, Political  Social Inequalities 6
GLAS 202B Social Inequalities: Gender, Sexuality, Race, Class  Social Inequalities 6
GLAS 203 Multimedia Workshop  6
GLAS 215 Rhetorical Genre in Theory and Practice  6
GLAS 221 Copyright Culture  6
GLAS 222 Writing and Writing Systems  6
GLAS 224 Life Writing  6
GLAS 224A Life Writing: Classical Antiquity  6
GLAS 230 Seminar in Art, Power, and Society  Social Inequalities 6
GLAS 231 Contemporary Art and Theory  6
GLAS 240 Special Topics in Texts, Contexts, and Concepts  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 251 Homecomings in the Ancient World and Literature  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 270 Science and Ethics  6
GLAS 271 History of Science  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 273 Science, Fiction, and Society  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 302 Digital Culture: Introduction to Digital Humanities  6
HIST 224 Historical Writing and Interpretation  6
HIST 227 Cultures in Contact: The Crusades  6
MCOM 206 Introduction to Cinema  History of Ideas 6
MCOM 220 Popular Culture  Social Inequalities 6
MCOM 221 War and Media  Social Inequalities 0
General Education / Understanding Ourselves - Societies and Individuals
ECON 100 Survey of Economics  6
ECON 101 Principles of Microeconomics  6
ECON 102 Principles of Macroeconomics  6
INTD 100 AI Literacy: Understanding Ourselves, Technology, and Society  6
PHPE 201 Conflict, Peace, and Justice  Social Inequalities 6
PSPA 100 Introduction to Politics  6
PSYC 101 Introduction to Psychological Science  6
QUAL 110 Qualitative Research Methods for Social-Political Sciences and Humanities  6
SOAN 101 Introduction to Sociology  6
AROL 321 Conflict, Heritage, and Archeology  History of IdeasSocial Inequalities 0
ENGL 230 Language in Society  6
ENGL 254 Writing Identity  6
GLAS 105 Modern Cyprus: Politics and Society  Social Inequalities 6
GLAS 250 Space, Place, and Identity  History of Ideas 6
GLAS 257 Maps and Mapping for Global Liberal Arts  6
GLAS 260 Special Topics in Space, Place, and Identity  6
GLAS 272 Science, Technology, and Society  Social Inequalities 6
GLAS 280 Special Topics in Science, Society, and the Environment  6
MCOM 218 Media Activism  Social Inequalities 6
General Education / Understanding the World - Quantitative Reasoning
CMPS 108 Computing for Business  6
CSEN 101 Introduction to Programming  6
CSEN 111 Discrete Math  6
MATH 100 Calculus and Analytic Geometry III  6
MATH 101 Differential Equations  6
MATH 102 Mathematics for Social Sciences I  6
MATH 103 Mathematics for Social Sciences II  6
MATH 201 Elementary Linear Algebra with Applications  6
MATH 202 Linear Algebra I  6
MATH 203 Numerical Computing  6
PHIL 200 Introduction to Logic  6
STAT 100 Elementary Statistics for the Social Sciences  6
STAT 101 Introduction to Probability and Random Variables  6
General Education / Understanding the World - The Earth and Planetary Systems or the Living World
BIOL 100 General Biology I  6
BIOL 101 Human Biology  6
CHEM 100 Chemical Principles  6
CHEM 101 Introduction to Environmental Chemistry  6
CHEM 101L Introduction to Environmental Chemistry Lab  4
CHEM 102 Introductory Chemical Techniques  4
CHEM 301 Organic Chemistry I  6
CHEM 302 Organic Chemistry II  6
GEOL 227 Climate and Earth Sciences for Engineers  6
HPCH 100 Introduction to Public Health  Social Inequalities 6
PHYS 100L Introductory Physics II Lab  2
PHYS 101 Introduction to Classical Physics  6
PHYS 102 Introduction to Modern Physics  6
PHYS 104 Electricity and Magnetism  6
BIOL 220 Introduction to Biochemistry  6
CHEM 303 Brief Survey of Organic Chemistry  6
CHEM 305 Introductory Organic Laboratory  4
Program Instructors
Name
Full-time Professors
Dr Anthi Chrysanthou Special Scientist – Lecturer
Dr Ana Ilievska Assistant Professor
Dr Malek Tabbal Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences & Professor of Physics
Dr Hanan Toukan Associate Professor
Dr Diana Abbani Assistant Professor and Director of the Institute for the Liberal Arts
Part-time Professors
Dr Bernadett Jani-Demetriou Special Scientist-Lecturer
Dr Rafaela Vasiliadou Special Scientist-Lecturer
Seconded Professors
N
Nadia Bou Ali Associate Professor, Director of Critical Humanities for the Liberal Arts, American University of Beirut
L
Lyall Armstrong Associate Professor, Chair of the Department of History and Archaeology, American University of Beirut
B
Blake Atwood Associate Professor, Chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Media Studies, American University of Beirut
P
Paul Newson Associate Professor, American University of Beirut

Accreditation

  • The Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (CYQAA - ΔΙΠΑΕ) The Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (CYQAA - ΔΙΠΑΕ)
  • New York State Education Department (NYSED) New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Accreditation and Quality Assurance

This program is officially accredited and approved by the Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (CYQAA). For detailed information, you can view the official approval report on the CYQAA website.

Visit CYQAA Website

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