For our students, studying abroad is a consistently enriching experience, pushing you to move outside your comfort zones and learn about the world and yourself. 

On February 11-12, AUCA hosted an international conference for learning support centers within the Bard HESP Network. The conference was organized jointly by AUCA’s Writing and Support Center (WARC) and the Bard Institute for Writing and Thinking

Nilofar Ehrari, NGA student from Herat Afghanistan, shared her experience of studying at AUCA

This week (January 24-27) will be filled with unforgettable performances of delegations, memorable national outfits, different dishes and many other things.

"Young Life" is a club created for students living in the dorm in order to make them feel united as a family. Non-dorm students are more than welcome to join as well.

Course descriptionPolitical Theory is a distinct sub-field within the academic discipline of Political Science. Political theorists tend to focus on philosophical side of the investigation of the nature of politics rather than make empirical claims. This course will prepare you to start reading, thinking and writing like political theorists by urging you to consider why, how and for whom such texts are produced. You will engage in Socratic critique of the classical texts in political theory and will learn the principles of the ‘art’ of rhetoric as once outlined by Aristotle. The course also gives you some ‘nuts and bolts’ of writing in English language thus enabling you to write on political theory in different formats for various audiences and purposes.

Course Description
The course is designed to introduce students to main policy processes and issues, and familiarize them with basic policy analysis instruments. The course is divided into three parts – conceptual, contextual and instrumental parts of policy and policy analysis. Reading assigned literature and discussing them in the class would constitute the major part of the course, writing and presenting papers – another part. One of each week’s class would be conducted in the form of lecture with discussions of presented materials, while the second day (seminar) would be devoted to discussing the assigned materials and exploring discussed concepts through the lenses of specific policy cases. Although instructors would bring these cases to the class students are expected to come prepared with their own practical examples. Students have to get acquainted with required readings, and those wishing to deepen their understanding of the subject may familiarize themselves with suggested readings (available either at AUCA library) in the syllabus.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Why do international organizations exist?  What role do they play in solving global problems? Traditional international relations theories characterize the international system as anarchic and focus on interactions between nation-states. Since WWII, international organizations have become more prominent players in the international system. Debate continues in academic and policy communities over why international organizations exist, whether they matter in global politics, and when they can help alleviate global problems. Both in their practical and theoretical aspects, international organizations (IOs) are a dynamic and increasingly important element in the functioning of modern world politics.
                                                    

Course description
This course combines International Relations theory and Middle East case studies to provide an overview of the international politics of the region. It will provide students with both theoretical and concrete information, organised around major topics and illustrated with case studies of key issues and events in regional politics. Topics include the place of the Middle East in the wider global system; the role of Arabism and Islam in regional politics; the impact of state formation in the region on its international relations; comparative foreign policy making looking at pivotal country cases, including Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Turkey; major regional wars and efforts at order building; the role of US hegemony and the two Iraq wars; the impact of the Arab Uprising on regional politics, and the on-going crisis in Syria.

Course Description
Kyrgyzstan is an interesting example of a relatively weak state, which for its brief period of independence has already ousted two presidents, experienced two revolutions, survived two interethnic conflicts and yet remained intact. This book explores this apparent paradox and argues that the schism between domestic and international dimensions of state and regime security is key to understanding the nature of Kyrgyz politics. The book shows how the foreign policy links to the Manas Air Base, used by the US military and essential for supplying their forces in Afghanistan, the economic arrangements necessary for sustaining the base, both inside and outside Kyrgyzstan, and the myriad of different actors involved in all this, combined to overshadow points of friction to ensure stable continuance of the status quo. Overall, the book shows how broad geopolitical forces and complex local factors together have a huge impact on the formation of Kyrgyz foreign policy.