The study of political science helps develop an  understanding of the contemporary world and appreciation of the complex processes, institutions, and value allocation systems that characterize human communities. Students strengthen their analytical abilities and become adept at making oral and written presentations, increasing their capacity to compete in today's rapidly changing world.


Why Study Political Science at AUC?

Message from the Chair

Among the joys of studying political science at AUC is practicing what you study and meeting with your politically engaged classmates and professors.  We blend theory and practice in tasty mixes that we hope you will enjoy.

Our department leads all others not only in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences but across all of AUC in the productivity of its faculty.  In 2010 we collectively published six books, 5 edited books, and 19 book chapters, twice the output of any other department on campus. While 2010 was a banner year, 2011 should also be a fruitful one.  With the Revolution of January 25, some of us were the participating subjects of our research, with numerous articles in the press.  Two books about the Arab Spring are currently in press, with contributions from a good number of our professors.

Political Science at AUC is taught as a humanistic discipline in the tradition of American liberal arts education and of life-long learning, seeking to prepare students for good citizenship in a democratic polity. As freedom of academic expression is fundamental to this effort, the Department encourages the free exchange of ideas and promotes open and on-going interaction with scholarly institutions throughout Egypt and other parts of the world.

The mission of the Political Science Department is to equip you with the necessary skills to develop understanding of the contemporary world and appreciation of the complex processes, institutions, and value allocation systems that characterize human communities. You are expected to be able to analyze political processes and phenomena in your own country, and to compare them to developments in other countries. You are also expected to acquire analytical and critical abilities, and to become adept at making oral and written presentations, exercising independence of thought, initiative, and creativity in solving problems. Research is an essential ingredient in the academic training of undergraduate and graduate students in the various fields of specialization. The Department encourages you to further your self-development and participation in local and global contexts.

We actively encourage the exchange of ideas across the world through distance learning with other classrooms in Europe and North America as well as by attracting a critical mass of foreign and Arab students to engage in learning with Egyptian students. The numbers of foreign undergraduate and graduate students diminished in the spring of 2011 but will pick up once Egypt consolidates its January 25 Revolution. Our department is a veritable laboratory of political change and as more surveys of public opinion become available in the wake of newfound freedoms, we will also be acquiring greater capacities to analyze the data and to train you in analytic techniques.  You will thus become better equipped for future managerial, professional, or academic careers.  As political science majors you ride on the cusp of political change in Egypt and prepare to be the wave of the future.

We look forward to meeting you. Our door is always open to new faces and fresh ideas.

Clement M. Henry 
Professor and Chair