The Bachelor of Arts in Journalism – Media and Digital Communication is a program carefully designed to prepare graduates for successful careers in journalism public relations, corporate and governmental communication, and other communication arts. The program is committed to producing working journalists, public relations practitioners and other communicators with a broad background in the liberal arts and sciences. Reporting, writing, editing and production skills are emphasized in all phases of the degree program.
The program prepares graduates to pursue successful careers in a wide variety of firms and organizations including: newspapers, TV stations, social media outlets, marketing and public relations departments in all types of organizations and institutions, online media organizations, corporations, government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It also prepares them to work independently as freelance journalists and professional communicators.
Every RHU student must take 30 – 33 credit hours of general education courses distributed over six domains as described below. Twenty one mandatory credits are selected from domains 1, 4, 5 and 6 and 9-12 elective credit hours selected from domains 2 and 3 .
This course reviews the fundamentals of good academic writing in English, teaches essay writing essentials and research skills in two rhetorical modes (persuasion and argumentation), and provides practice in writing essays in these modes, research papers and oral presentations.
Prerequisite: ENGL 101 or TOEFL 550+ (paper) or 80+ (computer).
This course is designed to help students develop effective professional communication skills, both orally and in writing. In this course, students learn how to write emails, memos, letters, proposals, reports, and other forms of employment correspondence. In addition, this course helps students sharpen their presentation skills. Broadly, this course enables students to behave professionally and effectively in their prospective jobs.
Prerequisite: ENGL 210.
This course introduces students to contemporary business principles of ethics and social responsibility. Students learn to make ethical judgments on important ethical issues they face daily by relating them to a framework of ethical principles, including utilitarianism, justice, moral rights, ethics of care, and vices and virtues. Ethical dilemmas related to conflict of interest, sustainability in business strategy, and corporate governance are examples of issues discussed in this course.
Prerequisite: Junior Standing.
This course addresses the ethical problems in journalism, public relations, and advertising, particularly in today’s digital media environment.
Prerequisite: CMNS 301.
This course surveys some of the key figures, movements, and texts in cultural studies from the birth of civilization through the Middle Ages. The concentration will be on the historical, political, religious, cultural, and institutional aspects during this period. Students will read, analyze, and interpret certain primary works to gain insight into the contexts in which they originated.
Co-requisite: ENGL 210.
This course surveys some key figures, movements, and texts in cultural studies from the 14th through the 18th centuries. The concentration will be on the historical, political, religious, cultural, and institutional aspects during this period. Students will read, analyze, and interpret certain primary works to gain insight into the contexts in which they originated.
This course surveys some key figures, movements, and texts in cultural studies from the 19th century to the present. The concentration will be on the historical, political, religious, cultural, and institutional aspects during this period. Students will read, analyze, and interpret certain primary works to gain insight into the contexts in which they originated.
The course surveys selected works in English or translation from non-Anglo-American cultural traditions. Texts can be drawn from African, Asian, European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern literature focusing on their historical and cultural contexts.
This course will survey language acquisition theories. It will deal with human language processing, learners’ motivational factors, and contextual factors influencing language learning. It will uncover the principles of first and second language acquisition.
This course considers major works of literature, specifically in the context of twentieth-century cultural theory, including Marxism, post-colonialism, national literature, ethnic writings, and feminist theory. The primary intention of this course is to explore how various texts interact with their societies or how those societies influence the construction of literary works.
Prerequisite: Consent of the instructor.
This course covers the evolution of graphic communication from prehistory through postmodern design and the digital revolution. This course provides graphic design students with the knowledge and understanding of the places, people, and events, as well as historical and cultural factors and technological innovations that have influenced the development of graphic design into the practice known today. Historical awareness provides a meaningful context for young designers to evolve and contribute positively to the cultures in which they live and work.
Prerequisite: FADR 215.
This course introduces freshman students to poets with intrinsic literary merit. In addition to broadening the student’s understanding and appreciation of literature, the chief aim of the course is to develop the student’s critical thinking and analysis and to encourage original responses to literary expression in well-developed oral and written criticism.
This course introduces literature through works of fiction, poetry, and drama. It introduces students to the pleasures of reading literature and to interpretative approaches to literature. It aims to provide students with competence in critical thinking and practice in close reading and analysis, knowledge of the formal characteristics of each genre, and appreciation of literary excellence. Readings include a variety of short stories, poems, and plays selected from a wide range of British, American, and World literature.
Students study Shakespeare's representative comedies, histories, and tragedies in this course. The plays are read intensively and understood in the context of the period's theatrical conventions, the culture of play in early modern England, and the social, cultural, religious, and intellectual history of the period.
This broad survey course provides a narrative of British history from 1066, including political, social, and cultural developments.
This is an elective course whose major objectives are to familiarize students with contemporary issues to enhance their level from historical and cultural points of view.
This course examines the ties between Europe and the Middle East in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on the reaction of Middle Eastern societies to European intervention and influence.
This elective course aims to familiarize students with various events that shaped the evolution of social and economic developments in the Middle East to enhance their level from the historical and economic dimensions.
This is a study of some major topics in philosophy. The course emphasizes theory of knowledge, theory of mind, determinism and free will, and morality and ethical values. Along with some assigned readings, students will watch movies, the analysis of which will help them comprehend the content of the course better.
People often wonder about what makes good ways to live and the right ways to act. They also speculate about the best way of life, what action is right, and what authority moral claims have over us. The course introduces students to the major moral theories and thinkers addressing these questions.
This course introduces contemporary philosophical thinking on ethical issues in business. Students will be exposed to important ethical issues they might face, asked to give sound ethical judgment to problems they might face in their line of work, helped become armed with a set of codes that will prepare them to confront and resolve ethical dilemmas they might encounter at work, and enabled to apply the techniques for analyzing and resolving ethical problems when they arise.
This course introduces students to peace building and conflict prevention by examining the main theories on peace and security. It examines the ideas of Thucydides, Aristotle, Erasmus Grotius, Kant, Gandhi, and other thinkers who believed that the whole peace was of high value. It develops students’ critical skills and understanding necessary to translate their academic learning to specific practical situations, such as those posed by peace building either with the UN, governments, or NGOs. It helps understand the complex and interconnected challenges to peace and provides knowledge to meet them.
This course explores the theoretical and practical ethical questions about communication in four contexts: interpersonal, workplace, communication in one’s community and society, and mass and digital communication. Discussion of ethical theories in communication studies will provide a basis to explore case studies and contemporary communication dilemmas, heightening personal sensitivity to the underlying ethical implications of human communication.
This course provides a survey of the development of thought about education by studying major philosophical writings considered in a historical context.
Prerequisite: EDUC 210.
The primary objective of this course is for educational practitioners to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the inter-relatedness of language and literacy learning and to apply this knowledge in the design and evaluation of effective literacy instruction.
This course introduces students to managerial decision analysis using quantitative tools. The course will introduce students to using and building mathematical models to help managers make informed decisions. The focus is on the applied aspects of statistics and math. As such, the course will cover the basics of probabilistic and statistical techniques, decision analysis, linear programming, optimization, forecasting, and waiting-line theory.
Prerequisite: BADM 250 or MATH 351.
This course introduces statistical techniques used to analyze social science research data. Topics include frequency distribution, central tendency, variability, probability theory, Bayes’ rule, mathematical expectation, variance and covariance, binomial, Poisson, hypergeometric and normal distributions, sampling distributions, estimation problems, and hypothesis testing.
Prerequisite: None.
Probability and conditional probability, Discrete and continuous random variables, marginal distributions, expectation, variance-mean-median-covariance and correlation, conditional expectation, Normal distribution, Sampling distribution, Prediction and confidence intervals, Hypothesis testing, and regression line and correlation coefficients.
Prerequisite: MATH 211.
This course is a standard introduction to the formal techniques of argument analysis. Formal logic was invented to mirror and evaluate mathematical reasoning; however, this course will concentrate on the relationship between formal logic and everyday reasoning and language usage in general.
This course is designed for psychology, sociology, communications, and other social sciences students. It introduces them to advanced research design and methodology, including statistical analysis.
Prerequisite: MATH 220.
The main goal of the Introduction to Environmental Science (ENVS201) course is to provide students (except engineering) with the scientific principles and concepts required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems, both natural and man-made; to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems; and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and preventing environmental problems.
This course aims to teach the general principles of food microbiology and food safety. It covers the biology and epidemiology of foodborne microorganisms of public health significance, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses, and food spoilage microorganisms; chemical pollution of foodstuffs; safety and preservation of food commodities; Principal methods for examination of foods; food quality control and implementation of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) scheme. The course also offers a set of experiments to deal with the laboratory methods used in the microbiological analysis of foods and identifying characteristics of the major groups of microorganisms associated with food spoilage, foodborne disease, and food fermentations.
This course will take a holistic approach to the topic from most major areas of psychology to explore the study of environmental sustainability from a psychological perspective. We will use psychological principles, theories, and methods to examine the reciprocal relationship between human beings and the natural world, discuss the complex nature of environmental problems, and review important psychological and social factors that underlie sustainable and non-sustainable behaviors.
This course introduces students to childcare facilities and environmental health concepts about children’s health and well-being. It examines current policies and practices of environmental health. It covers indoor and outdoor safety concerns, safe food handling, Universal Precautions, and other aspects of disease prevention, as well as the recognition and reporting of child abuse. It includes specific strategies to strengthen families to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect.
Co-requisite ENGL 210.
This course provides students with advanced study on selected topics or emerging issues in Arab or international education. It is designed for seminar format, multimedia presentation, experiential learning activities, interactive assignments, and cooperative group work.
Prerequisite: EDUC 201 or consent of advisor.
Venture and innovation opportunities; concept and strategy; the Technopreneur; planning; resource acquisition and organization; financing, marketing and sustainability of enterprise. Prerequisite: ENGR 300. Annually.
This course prepares students to become leading agents of social change through community engagement. It aims to promote collaborative work between computer science and graphic design students to design effective solutions to existing community issues. The course is structured on a balance between classroom theory learning, extensive field research, and implementation of a real-world solution using both expertise.
This course aims to allow the student to develop the necessary skills and conceptual tools to understand and deal effectively with human behavior in organizations. Special emphasis will be placed on employee motivation, teamwork, leadership, communication, conflict, negotiation, and an overview of attitudes, values, personality, and perception.
Prerequisite: BMGT 200.
Students will study the general principles of microeconomics. Included are the theoretical constructs of consumer behavior, cost structure, and the operations of business firms in the market economy under conditions of perfect competition, oligopoly, monopoly, and monopolistic competition.
Students will study the general principles of macroeconomics. This course presents the formal Keynesian theory of income determination and its contemporary critiques, including the study of the possible causes and solutions to unemployment and inflation and the importance of the international economy. Government fiscal and monetary policies are examined in detail.
Given the constraints firms face, this course applies microeconomics theory to various management and planning decisions, such as output maximization and cost minimization. Demand analysis, cost analysis, and different market structures are studied.
Prerequisite: BECN 301.
Through reading, writing, and speech, students will become familiar with the persuasive strategy described in Aristotle’s Rhetoric and consider how that strategy can be employed in professional and personal situations in writing, public speaking, and negotiation.
This course integrates methods, perspectives, and concepts of Peace Studies, Culture Communication, and Peace Journalism to explain contemporary debates in the global public sphere. It considers how cultural stereotypes about ideology, religion, and culture frame Arabs and Americans in the mass media. RHU students will engage with students from collaborating universities in the United States in online, asynchronous conversation and participate in shared projects that explore the role of the media in influencing Arab and American relations.
This course is designed to provide a practical introduction to the fundamental principles of public speaking and a forum for practicing public speaking skills. Students will learn how effective speeches are conceived, prepared, and delivered through various instructional strategies (discussion, class workshops, readings, lectures, and presentations).
This course examines the strategic uses, impacts, and implications of emerging social media and how social media impacts the daily lives of our society and its members. It expands the student’s knowledge of social media applications in business, advertising, and public relations, as well as its use in political movements and the development of communities.
This course draws on the study of psychological principles, cognitive development, and learning theories applicable to teaching/learning situations. Focus areas include human growth and development, specifically on adolescent development and developmentally appropriate practices, learning theory, motivation theory, instructional and college practices, individual differences, student interpersonal and group behavior, classroom management, and organization.
This course will examine motivational factors that influence children’s learning. Topics include attribution theory, teacher influences (expectancy effects), learning structures (competitive vs. cooperative learning), family influences (the socialization of achievement), cultural influences (how cultural background impacts college performance), and individual differences (intrinsic motivation and sex differences in learning).
This course emphasizes defining news and its importance in a democratic society, the news-gathering process, news elements, introduction to basic news reporting and writing for print and broadcast, use of the Internet as a reporting and research tool, accuracy and fairness as journalistic imperatives. Outside community research and reporting time is required.
This introductory-level course is designed to help students learn the formats and conventions of media and public relations writing, including newspapers, magazines, web and interactive media, advertising copy, public relations writing, and social media. It also addresses ethical issues related to writing in these fields.
This course familiarizes students with concepts and terminology used in various communication fields and helps them understand the development of mass communication in political, economic, social, and cultural contexts.
This course aims to provide students with the theory and development of news stories, with special emphasis on interviewing, observation, document research, source development, and other standard reporting techniques. Students cover community beats, report, and write news stories from those beats, primarily in public affairs reporting.
This course examines the relationship between the media and society, considering how each impacts the other. Students will be introduced to various theories that consider this relationship and its implications.
This course introduces the psychology discipline's theories, concepts, and viewpoints. The course is directed toward understanding human behavior by dealing with topics such as the history of psychology, learning, personality, behavior, motivation, perception, social psychology, mental health, and other areas.
This course studies the dynamics and effects of social influences on individual human behavior. In this course, students will explore topics such as attitude changes, social beliefs, roles, conformity to group processes, and prejudices, with special attention given to the Middle Eastern perspective.
This course presents the theories of personality, including psychoanalytic, behaviorist, humanist, and others, while considering different factors that shape personality and behavior. The study includes methods of assessing personality.
This course examines the biological, sociological, and cultural influences on the psychology of women. It includes such topics as gender stereotypes, the development of gender roles, gender comparisons, women and work, love relations, women’s physical and mental health, violence against women, and women in later adulthood.
This course examines scientific research on happiness and its practical application in three main areas: positive emotions, positive individual traits, and positive institutions. This course also presents practical ways to promote and maintain a sense of well-being and happiness in all aspects of one’s life.
This course is intended to help students be aware of the consequences of war and conflicts on children's mental health and well-being. The course will examine a variety of effects, emphasizing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological conditions that result from war. The course will empower the students with the techniques of working with children affected by war.
This course explores practical theories for understanding congregational conflict and various perspectives on conflict transformation. Students will reflect on their styles of dealing with conflict and learn new ways of responding. They will explore practices of dialogue and mediation for addressing conflict in interpersonal, small group, and congregational settings to develop an approach to addressing inevitable situations of difference, change, and conflict in various situations.
An introduction to the theories of abnormal behaviors, including addiction and substance abuse, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, depression, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, phobias, schizophrenia, and sexual disorders. Students will consider the theoretical implications and treatments for various abnormal behaviors.
This course explores a variety of sociological theories and approaches to understanding society. The student will learn about human social life, groups, and societies and be helped to detect the social influences shaping our lives. The approach used in this course is a self-exploratory process that develops individual and social awareness. A secondary objective is discussing methods common to sociology, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and feminism.
This course deals with cultural issues like cultural awareness, enculturation, acculturation, and cultural shocks. It involves hands-on activities to promote cultural awareness and equip students with skills for dealing with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. It includes team-oriented research and presentation that reflects all the cultural aspects and some minute details of the culture they choose to work on.
Students in this course examine communication theory and case studies to gain insight into the factors that affect human communications. It aims to improve students’ communication skills and equip them with techniques to enhance the quality of their relationships. The course also offers strategies for managing interpersonal conflicts.
This course examines contemporary Arab society, considering its social structures and groups, cultural patterns, and other aspects of the society. Students consider current issues related to Arab culture and society.
This course analyzes the role of culture in an individual’s sense of identity, emphasizing how it manifests in the Middle East.
The course addresses class, status, and gender inequalities, examining how they affect individuals and society.
This course tackles the social issues of various political ideologies' historical and contemporary evolution. It aims to develop students’ understanding of the social bases of politics and political ideologies, along with the recent changes in the socio-political world. Different economic and political philosophies are considered, and their effects on the fate of nations and their citizens are detected.
This course provides an in-depth look into selected issues related to psychology and individuals. Current psychology-related issues are thoroughly explored through readings, research, discussion, and guest lectures.
Understanding of the basic principles of programming and computer systems; Applications of programming to the solution of engineering problems; Control structures, functions, arrays, pointers, and structures. Laboratory experiments of programming for concepts.
Equivalent to COSC 214.
This course emphasizes the fundamental principles of chemistry, including stressing atomic structure, bonding, stoichiometry, gases, solutions, acids and bases, and solution equilibria.
This course provides an opportunity to develop an understanding of several basic environmental functions, the complicated nature of environmental systems, and the need for multidisciplinary solutions to environmental problems. Topics covered include the hydrosphere, water quantity and quality, soil and the soil ecosystem, biological resources, waste disposal, air pollution, ozone depletion, acid rain, and global warming. The course also includes a set of experiments that offer students practical experience in different environmental analysis settings, including air and water quality.
In this course, students will develop an understanding of the “process flow” in contemporary methods of print production. The course covers the entire production timeline: Prepress-Press-Post Press. In addition to printing technologies, students will learn about various types of ink and paper, binding, varnishes, finishing techniques, and the effect of the printing process on the product. Students will also learn how to handle projects and deal with clients as freelance designers or as designers working for companies.
Prerequisite: GRDS 222.
This course covers fundamental topics in Electricity and Magnetism: Electric forces and Electric Fields for discrete and continuous charge distribution, Gauss’s Law, Electric Potential, Capacitance and Dielectrics, Kirchhoff’s rules, Magnetic Fields and Forces, Biot-Savart Law, Ampere’s Law, Magnetic Flux and Gauss’s Law in Magnetism. It also includes a laboratory component that introduces students to the “real world” by offering a set of experiments in electricity and magnetism.
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to information systems and their application. It explains how to use and manage information technologies to revitalize business processes, conduct electronic commerce, improve business decision-making, and gain competitive advantage.
Prerequisite: BITM 200
This course presents the fundamentals of structured and modular programming concepts. It covers primitive data types, expressions, control statements, functions, arrays, basic searching/sorting algorithms, and an introduction to pointers.
Prerequisite: None. Equivalent to CCEE 214.
A general overview deals with cell structure, function, physiology, anatomy, and physiology of the human body systems. These include cardiovascular, central nervous, respiratory, urinary, digestive, immune, and musculoskeletal systems. The course also offers a set of experiments that deal with basic biological processes and advanced biological assessments.
This course aims to familiarize students with the basic concepts and disciplines in the study of political science. It focuses on the nature of politics as a science, political ideologies, state and state-society relations, political parties, electoral systems, democracy, and international organizations. A significant emphasis is placed on the ability of students to utilize these concepts in the analysis of current political issues, disputes, and trends. The course combines lectures and class discussions, debates, and presentations.
This course offers students a comparative survey of international media, examining the basic principles and concepts of news and media developed in the West, as applied primarily in Arab countries.
If you have a query about a specific major or application, please contact the relevant Administrative Assistant.
Administrative Assistant Tel: +961 5 60 30 90 Ext. 701
E-mail: da_cas@rhu.edu.lb