According to your four-year degree plan, you will be required to take different type of courses throughout your four years which include following categories of courses
- Habib Liberal Core Courses: These are mandatory courses of Habib Liberal Core Curriculum for all University students
- Core/Required Courses related to your focused degree program: These are core/mandatory courses by your degree program. They differ for each Program.
- Elective Courses related to your Program: These are the courses pertaining to your degree program and you need to select them from the given options.
- Free Electives – These are university wide open courses and you can take them as per your interest and eligibility. These do not necessarily be from your degree program.
For each program, all the above courses have been distributed in eight semesters (four year) and documented in the form of Four-year gird of your program. We will introduce this Four-year Grid to you during enrolment advising sessions.
As a starting point, you may start with your semester 1 courses. Following sections will help you learn about your semester 1 course Plan and the description of the courses. First try to understand your semester 1 course plan and then read the description of various courses.
You can explore the full syllabi of your courses at https://syllabus.habib.edu.pk/. Identify the relevant details from the following sections about various courses in order to search them at the above link.
Development and Social Change (4 credits) Liberal Core Course University Requirement (Mandatory) Any two of the following courses Liberal Core Course University Requirement (Mandatory) Liberal Core Courses University Requirement (Mandatory) Following table presents the summary of courses you need to take in semester 1. In order to read the description of courses and the details of electives, see Courses Description Sections CS Requirement Liberal Core Course University Requirement (Mandatory) Math Requirement Computing Requirement Liberal Core Requirement Design Requirement University Requirement Math Requirement Computing Requirement Liberal Core Requirement Design Requirement University Requirement (Students have already been enrolled in these courses by the Registrar’s Office) Course title: Rhetoric and Communication (CORE 101) – 4 Credit Hours Brief description of the course: The need for civic engagement, for well-reasoned debate in the public sphere, is still of course very much with us, but the study of rhetoric today covers a far wider field of expression. Argument and persuasion are not simply matters for politics and the university, but find cultural resonance in a number of symbolic forms. There is a rhetorical dimension, for instance, in pop songs, video games, memes, advertisements, jokes, graffiti, images, public monuments, photographs, films, podcasts, blogs, memos, op-eds, poems, tweets, stories, plays, and so on. Whether verbal, visual, or physical, all these forms of expression carry a certain rhetorical charge. They also imply a distinct relationship between the speaker and their audience, between a text and its context. A rhetorically informed analysis will highlight the intricacies of this complicated social relationship, and thus deepen our understanding of the powerful effects language can have on the structures that frame our everyday lives. In their respective seminars, students will analyze a selection of texts from multiple perspectives, argue critically about plausible interpretations of those texts, and debate with each other about the pressing social issues they raise. The primary aim in doing so, and the overarching goal for RhetComm this year, is to practice and develop analytical writing skills. Students will learn to read, write, and think critically about a variety of texts, arguments, and forms of expression. They will also learn to advance a compelling line of argument by linking a series of interrelated texts using close reading and analysis. The larger goal here is not only to increase academic literacy, but to stimulate that spirit of critical inquiry which is the heart and soul of a liberal arts education. In the first 10 weeks of this course sessions will introduce students to fundamental skills and knowledge required for producing successful academic writing: systems of documentation, proper citation practices, text incorporation, use of Turnitin and plagiarism, and sessions on database navigation and the fundamentals of research. The aim of this course is to provide students with a shared intellectual vocabulary to help them articulate some of the issues they will grapple with as their undergraduate journey begins. Course title: Logical Problem Solving (CORE 111) – 4 Credit Hours Brief description of the course: Logic is fundamental to the way humans communicate. Our public debates and private reasoning are shaped by our intuitive sense of what is rational and what is not. Yet, that “sense” also serves to fool us more often than we would like to think. “Logical Problem Solving” will help you understand the distinction between what seems sensible and what actually is. By learning the essential elements, the language, and the formal tools of logic, you will learn to deconstruct and analyze different types of natural language arguments. You will also learn how to how to avoid common mistakes in reasoning. Combined, these tools and learning will help you develop a better sense of truth and the ability to argue and opine rationally. This course introduces basic methods for representing and assessing the logical form of various arguments at an undergraduate level. Students will learn to differentiate between both inductive and deductive arguments in natural language in terms of their structure and content. Further, students will learn to identify and avoid common mistakes in reasoning based on content (informal reasoning). The majority of the course will focus on imparting formal reasoning (structure-based) skills to students. Students will study various forms of deductive arguments based on form, and learn to identify these forms in natural language arguments. Students will also learn to represent natural language statements and arguments in formal symbolic and graphic notations. They will further learn various tools to analyze the validity, truth, and soundness of deductive statements and arguments, to build a better understanding of the nature of truth and sensibility. And students will learn to identify and avoid common mistakes in reasoning based on argumentation structure (formal reasoning). Course Title: Design your Habib Experience (PLAY 113) – 1 Credit Hour Brief Description of the Course: Course Title: First Year Fundamentals (FYE 1011) – 0 Credit Hour Brief Description of the Course: Course title: Development and Social Change (SDP 101) – 4 Credit Hours Brief description of the course: This course provides an introduction to development and social change. It is a required course for SDP majors but can be taken as an elective for other students interested in the field. The course provides an overview of ideas, theories and concepts as well as a discussion on critical development challenges. This includes issues of urbanization; food security; migration; intersectionality and gender; as well as wars disasters and conflict. For those planning to take SDP as a major this course provides a foundation that will be further expanded on and interrogated in the next four years in the different courses you will take. Development is one of the principal ideas of our time. The stated purpose of national and international development programs is to improve the wellbeing of people, whether through training, construction of roads and water supply schemes, or the improvement of health services, or in management of disasters such as the current pandemic. At the same time, the distribution of the benefits of development policies and projects are becoming more skewed, and the harmful effects of large-scale development projects are becoming more prominent. This situation leads us to ask what counts as development and for whom? How have modern societies sought to realize their visions of progress? The purpose of this foundational course is to get you as students to think about these questions by introducing you to the history, theory, and the contemporary practice of development. First, we will explore the concept of ‘development’ within the broader field of social sciences and see how it works as a social category, institutional practice, and political technology. This will be followed by an analysis of the assumptions and effects of development programs and policies in specific areas of concern such as poverty, gender, health, education, and disaster preparedness. Course title: Materials and Practices (CND 101) – 4 Credit Hours Brief description of the course: Fundamental to practice in the creative art and design disciplines is the ability to see phenomenon in the real world differently, to be able to use observation as the basis for imagination and creative insight, and to materialize both observed and imaginary phenomenon into basic material and visual artifacts, or prototypes. This studio course aims to give incoming freshmen students the foundational skills, tools, and techniques in creative observation, ideation, and prototyping that they will build on in subsequent semesters in more advanced courses. Students will be introduced to a range of drawing and prototyping techniques through a range of mediums. The course will start from basic 2D drawing and will transition after mid-semester towards technical drawing and crafting 3D models from various materials. Students will also cover foundational concepts and frameworks in working with gestalt relations, perspective, light, texture, color, framing etc., and engage with readings and important critical texts that introduce them to discourses in design around these concepts. This course will ensure that the students have a firm grasp of core principles in creative expression through sketching, drawing and working with physical materials on aspects such as figure/ground, color theory, composition etc. The students will also develop sharper observational skills in being able to perceive real form phenomenon and abstract them into visual and material representations. They will also appreciate the importance of prototyping as a systematic process of materializing and refining ideas and will have learned to value the necessity of developing technical skills and craftsmanship working across a range of media commonly used in design prototyping. Course title: Ideation and Processes(CND 102) – 4 Credit Hours Brief description of the course: In this class, we will investigate and explore the creative process in order to generate ideas for art, tech and design projects and more. The course will show how different concepts, techniques, and methods can inspire, inform, and bring depth to what one ultimately creates and prototypes. Students will expand their arsenal of design and research skills, learn how to think critically about their audience, content, form, and processes, as well as, understand the importance of utilizing more than one research and design strategy. The course will introduce a number of tools and techniques through hands-on exercises and assignments to really drive home how iterative, messy and exciting the creative process can be! This course aims for students to develop conceptual thinking skills to generate ideas and content in order to create something new, turn problems into opportunities and express one’s point of view through making. They learn to use their imagination to create something entirely new & innovative OR to reinvent an old idea into something new and improved. This learning also helps the students to start developing their research and studio practice through inquiry, experimentation and iteration. Their critical thinking skills are also enhanced that will for analysis of creative work within cultural, historical, and technological contexts. Their collaboration skills are also put in practice in the course to teach them to effectively work in a team or group setting; and the students also develop a habit of reflecting, writing, documenting and showcasing their work. Course title: Critical Inquiry and the Humanities: Love and Desire (HCI 101) – 4 credit hours Brief description of the course: This is the first course in the core sequence of the new Comparative Humanities major. The course is team-taught and consists of four units, one for each of the major concentration areas in the program: History, Literature, Philosophy and Religious Studies. Using the central organizing theme for this course, which is love and desire, we will explore how each of these disciplines frames and examines some aspect of a broad complex issue that transcends a single academic discipline. We will consider what sorts of questions historians, scholars of literature, philosophers and religious studies scholars ask about love and desire, and how they analyze the topic and pursue answers to the questions they ask. By bringing together these four major disciplinary fields in the humanities, you will both learn something about how each discipline works and also about how intellectual discourse crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries. This facility for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary inquiry is an important outcome for this major and yields the distinctive abilities in critical thinking for which the graduates of humanities programs have long been distinguished and valued. Through this course you will also develop a deeper appreciation for differing perspectives. Course title: Introduction to Western Philosophy (PHIL 122) – 3 Credit Hours Brief description of the course: This course aims to provide a systematic introduction to the main problems of metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and aesthetics, as addressed in the Western philosophical tradition. It familiarises students with central debates in Western philosophy and permits them an overview of the works of some of the discipline’s most pertinent thinkers. It does so by pointing out long term traditions of Western philosophical thought as well as their implications for contemporary intellectual discourse. This course aims to provide a systematic introduction to the main problems of metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and aesthetics, as addressed in the Western philosophical tradition. Students will study fundamental questions that have been significant to Western philosophy from its beginning. Course title: Rhetoric and Communication (CORE 101) – 4 Credit Hours Brief Description of the Course: This course will introduce students to the study of writing and the liberal arts at Habib. As the first class in the liberal core, RhetComm aims to cultivate the foundational skills and habits of mind students will need to be successful throughout the core and, ultimately, throughout their time as undergraduates at Habib. The study of rhetoric stretches back to classical Greece where it was intimately tied to the rise of the Greek city-states and early forms of democratic governance. The link between rhetoric, communication, and rigorous civic debate has been integral to a liberal arts education ever since. The need for civic engagement, for well-reasoned debate in the public sphere, is still of course very much with us, but the study of rhetoric today covers a far wider field of expression. Argument and persuasion are not simply matters for politics and the university, but find cultural resonance in a number of symbolic forms. There is a rhetorical dimension, for instance, in pop songs, video games, memes, advertisements, jokes, graffiti, images, public monuments, photographs, films, podcasts, blogs, memos, op-eds, poems, tweets, stories, plays, and so on. Whether verbal, visual, or physical, all these forms of expression carry a certain rhetorical charge. They also imply a distinct relationship between the speaker and their audience, between a text and its context. A rhetorically informed analysis will highlight the intricacies of this complicated social relationship, and thus deepen our understanding of the powerful effects language can have on the structures that frame our everyday lives. In their respective seminars, students will analyze a selection of texts from multiple perspectives, argue critically about plausible interpretations of those texts, and debate with each other about the pressing social issues they raise. The primary aim in doing so, and the overarching goal for RhetComm this year, is to practice and develop analytical writing skills. Students will learn to read, write, and think critically about a variety of texts, arguments, and forms of expression. They will also learn to advance a compelling line of argument by linking a series of interrelated texts using close reading and analysis. The larger goal here is not only to increase academic literacy, but to stimulate that spirit of critical inquiry which is the heart and soul of a liberal arts education. In the first 10 weeks of this course sessions will introduce students to fundamental skills and knowledge required for producing successful academic writing: systems of documentation, proper citation practices, text incorporation, use of Turnitin and plagiarism, and sessions on database navigation and the fundamentals of research. The aim of this course is to provide students with a shared intellectual vocabulary to help them articulate some of the issues they will grapple with as their undergraduate journey begins. Course title: Algorithmic Problem Solving (CS 101/CS101L) – 4 Credit Hours Brief description of the course: Computer science is the art of solving problems using computers. An “algorithm” is a sequence of steps that a computer can execute in order to solve a problem. This course applies your creativity to devise solutions to given problems, express the solutions as algorithms, and communicate the algorithms to a computer using a high-level programming language so that the computer may execute it. We will look at problems from various subdomains of computing, e.g., AI, vision, cryptography, and graphics. We will also learn some formalisms required to express our solutions as algorithms: variables, loops, conditionals, functions, data types. And we will use python as the programming language which will instruct the computer to execute our solutions. Course Title: Design your Habib Experience (PLAY 113) – 1 Credit Hour Brief Description of the Course: Course Title: First Year Fundamentals (FYE 1011) – 0 Credit Hour Brief Description of the Course: Course title: Calculus I (Math 101) – 3 Credit Hours Brief Description of the Course: The course covers important pre-requisite content related to functions, their behavior, and multiple contexts for which they serve as an important modelling tool. This course lays the foundations for students to think visually, symbolically and numerically on the two overarching concepts of Differentiation and Integration. The course seeks to pave the way for students to develop the necessary computational and analytical skills (both in context and abstract terms) required in higher mathematics courses. Course title: Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering (EE 102/CE 102 ) – 2 Credit Hours Brief description of the course: Through a series of hands-on projects, this course aims to expose the students, having little or no prior exposure, to the fascinating world of electrical and computer engineering. We’re surrounded by creations of electrical and computer engineers in our daily lives. These range from fans, cars, clocks, phones, cameras to power grids and communication networks. If one were to open any of these devices, they would not only find electronics inside but in most cases some kind of processor as well to add the power of computing to these devices. Our goal in this class is exactly to open up some of these devices, at times literally but most of times figuratively, to gain an understanding of how they function. As such, students will spend some time on theoretical analysis of circuits and practice those skills on homework assignments. But most of their time will be spent in the lab, constructing and debugging electronic systems identified for them. The experiential learning model allows the students to build exciting ECE systems on their own in their first semester, exposing them to the fun and rewarding aspects of engineering. The course not only presents a comprehensive picture of EE and CE curricula at Habib University, but also highlights the scope of ECE globally thus equipping the students (any student, not just EE or CE) for their own personal voyage into Electrical and Computer Engineering. Course title: Electric Circuit I (EE 112 and CE 112 ) – 2 Credit Hours Brief description of the course: Course Title: Cell Biology and Public Health (Lecture and Lab) (BIO 101/BIO 101L) – 4 credits Brief Description of the Course: Provides an introduction to cellular and molecular biology and builds its connection with human biological processes, and public health concerns; will also focus on communication surrounding complex biological concepts, and the role of design in translating that for a non-scientific audience. Topics include: Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, structure and function of cellular organelles, cells, tissues and organ systems, movement across cell membranes, cellular reproduction, DNA replication, transcription and translation, Mendelian genetics, blood groups, introduction to the immune system and vaccines, dengue viral infection, cancer development, case studies in public health, and the role of communication in science. Course Title: Introduction to Public Health (BIO 105) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: Introduction to Public Health is an undergraduate-level course that provides students with two essential themes: the foundational knowledge of public health and the social aspects associated with it. The course will highlight historical contributions of public health knowledge; the ethical bases; basic vocabulary and concepts; system organization; and the biological, social, behavioral, and environmental determinants of health outcomes. In doing so, the course will look at the history and impact of public health using an intersectional lens, and how access to public health has been intertwined with histories of racism globally. In addition, through lectures, exercises, and field assignments, the student will learn about strategies and the application and integration of concepts to understand and prevent current public health problems in the society with limited health resources. CLOs 1. Demonstrate an understanding of critical public health concepts, processes, methods, and data essential in understanding a public health problem and the approaches necessary to public health practice. 2. Describe how biological, environmental, social, economic, behavioral, and cultural factors impact human health, influence the global and societal burden of disease, and contribute to health disparities and specific individual and community health outcomes. 3. Illustrate the interdisciplinary character of public health and the contributions of a range of disciplines and professions to advancing public health goals. 4. Characterize Pakistan’s public health system in terms of its organizational structure, policies, and objectives and compare it to other countries’ public health systems. Course Title: Food and Nutrition (lecture and lab) (BIO 111/BIO 111L) – 4 credits Brief Description of the Course: We all have heard “we are what we eat”. Let’s see if this is true, and if so, to what extent? How many of the world’s problems are due to food, and how if at all, can we use food to solve them? How can you use food to solve your problems? Let’s understand the breadth of knowledge and some depth of Nutrition Science. Let’s critique the validity of nutrition claims and identify the fundamental principles underlying such claims. Let’s relate diet to health and disease outcomes and explore if food can indeed be used as medicine. In this course, you will learn about the nutrients in foods, their functions in the body. You will get a chance to improve your health by choosing the right kind of foods. You will see how processed foods differ from real, whole foods and how processing influences health. You will be able to comprehend food labels, debunk claims and decipher nutrition research. You will design a meal plans with balanced calorie and macronutrients. To get the full taste of the course, we recommend taking both theory and lab, but either (alone) will also work. The theory and lab sessions will embrace active learning strategies for audio and visual learners, including but not limited to flip classes, pair-discussions, gamified sessions, movies-, documentaries- and video-based learning. Lab will include topics such as finding calories, detecting macronutrients, designing meal plans, assessing dietary patterns using several tools etc. Course Title: Introduction to Bioinformatics (BIO 115) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: Bioinformatics can loosely be defined as the intersection of Molecular and Computational Biology. Bioinformatics is an intellectually challenging field that enhances quantitative reasoning and introduces students to the “New Biology” needed in the 21st century. Bioinformatics meets an urgent demand in Biology. We live in a world that is flooded by data and information from multiple data streams ranging from social, print, and electronic media to data directly generated by experimental scientists. How do we integrate these varied, complex, and multiple data steams? Perhaps, more importantly, how do we take advantage of the unprecedented rise in data volume to extract information that is both scientifically novel and valuable? In this course, you will learn how bioinformatics can accelerate biological research by rapidly scanning large public data repositories and by generating informed hypotheses that can lead to actionable insights. You will learn the theoretical foundations of molecular biology and bioinformatics and gain a unique perspective on applying this knowledge to problems of global significance. Course Title: Bioscience in Cinema (BIO 152) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: “Science helps us solve problems, and art helps us cope with the problems. This is good because science often takes a long time to solve, and in the meantime, we have to cope” – David Zinn. Are you interested in the art of movies? Are you interested in the science of life? Perhaps both of them. This course intends to mitigate the dichotomy between the two fields and offers an integrated experience. The underlying theme of the course is to comprehend a variety of biological concepts via a popular medium of creative expression, in this case selected films on scientific topics. The course will provide insights into a myriad of biological processes governing our world. You will appreciate the power of movies in developing an understanding of various biological phenomena. The central focus will be on the following themes: 1) Infections, 2) Human/animal experimentation and ethics, and 3) Plant biology. Within these themes, you will learn about the scientific method, evolution and survival of the fittest, ecological sustainability, genetic engineering, disease infections and immunity, plant’s defense mechanisms, plants communication, exobiology and much more. While inspecting the subject matter in these films, you will develop critical thinking and analytical reasoning, which will help develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world around you. You will learn to express your thoughts through blogs and vlogs, and to communicate efficiently in written and verbal discussions. Course Title: Introduction to Environmental Systems (ENVS 102) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: Environmental change as a result of human activities has emerged as the most pressing global challenge of our times, one with profound ecological, social and political implications and dire consequences. Addressing this challenge requires a rigorous understanding how natural systems operate and how human societies interact with these natural systems. This survey course is designed to introduce students to the various environmental systems that enable life on earth and their linkages with human society. It is intended to be useful for both a broad-based introductory class on environmental science and as a useful supplement to specialist courses which wish to review the environmental systems dimensions of their areas of study. By covering a wide range of topics, review questions, case studies, and links to further resources, students will become conversant in the language and concepts of sustainability, and will be equipped for further study in sustainable management, planning, policy, economics, climate, ecology, infrastructure, and more. Course Title: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (ANT 101) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: The course introduces students to the intricacies of human cultures and highlights the interlacing of cultural patterns with the forces of modernity. For instance, how do gift-exchange practices of local communities help us understand the politics of international aid? How do rituals of magic explain the commodity fetishism of capitalism? Does understanding cultural theories of identity help us rethink notions of the modern developmental subject? Does tribal social organization undergird or conflict with the modern nation-state? Addressing questions like these will provoke students to think critically of culture as an important tool for making sense of patterns of contemporary social development. Course Title: Principles of Microeconomics (ECON 101) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: This course introduces students to fundamental economic concepts and theory, including demand, supply, and the formation of equilibrium prices in product and resource markets. In addition, the course offers an introduction to applied fields such as industrial organization (market structures), labor economics, unionism, international trade, and market failure. Additional topics will include market power, behavioral economics, deviations from rational behavior, alternative pricing strategies, and the role of institutions, power, and history in shaping economic behavior and performance. Course Title: Introduction to Political Science (POLI 102) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: This module aims to introduce students to the study of politics. It seeks to provide them with the basic tools to address the theme of social development and policy from the domain of politics. As such, this class will first present how we are to study politics; and then it will explore social power, and how it manifests. It will also introduce key concepts of comparative politics (such as ‘state’, ‘regime’, ‘institutions’, ‘democracy’, ‘rule of law’, ‘political culture’, ‘revolution’, ‘interest groups’, etc.) which are crucial to understand political outcomes and dynamics in different settings and across different countries. A diverse, vast and complex subject, the students will learn how to approach political science, developing in particular the appropriate and basic vocabulary when it comes to its concepts, ideas and sub-fields of inquiry. Moreover, this course aims to serve as a preparatory exercise for more advanced courses in the social sciences. Furthermore, this module intends to encourage students to appreciate the complexity of political dynamics which represent such a relevant part of the world in which they live. Course Title: Women and Sufism: A Theology of Servitude (HIST/LIT 211) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: Islam as new religion turned out to be popular in many ways. Along with so many features including universal brotherhood, indiscrimination towards racial or ethnic origin, it also provided hope to the women. Islam was stretched over vast areas and over time an elite religious community named Ulema emerged by the 9th century. Just like the Clergy in Europe, the Ulemas made the religion not only rigid and difficult but also molded it according to the whims of aristocracy, so as to benefit them. In such a situation, Sufis emerged and provided a softer and popular side of religion which helped people belonging to lower classes to understand the essentials of Islam without indulging them into learning Arabic or Persian (languages of the elite). Present-day Iraq and its neighboring countries are believed to be the home of early Sufis. It was the region that provided an impetus to spreading Islam’s message to rest of the world. In the course of time, these Sufis started dividing into various silsilahs/orders. Each of them was led by a spiritual leader/pīr/murshid, who accepted both male and female disciples under their mentorship. The Quran stresses the equality of both men and women; so do the Sufis. Throughout their lifetime, those women, from early sufi period, played a significant role in the expansion of Islam. The present course will help students understand the status of women as to being an important fragment of this world. It will highlight the early pious women of Islam in the life of the Prophet of Islam i.e., Khadijah, Fatimah and Aishah. It will also emphasize on the roles of those women in the lives of early mystics and their own roles as pious women saints of the time who would remain exemplary for the times to come. The women during medieval ages were either venerated so much that they were not needed to be highlighted in the texts or they were considered less knowledgeable than Sufi men. They were mentioned very less as compared to their male counterparts. While talking about women and Sufism and Sufi literature in South Asia, we can find a number of examples where male Sufis speak in feminine voice in order to present women, their marginalization, grace, elegance, loyalty and submissiveness, and so on. Those male Sufis used the metaphors related to women; they adopted their attire as well as their feminine features such as virāhīnī. The course will help understand all these concepts through the Punjabi and Sindhi poetical compositions. It will expound in detail how those women Sufis were highly revered by their contemporary male Sufis. Course Title: Speculative Fiction: A Global Perspective (LIT 235) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: The course will provide an introduction to speculative fiction, broadly defined to include horror, science fiction, speculative surrealism, etc. The course will take a global view of speculative fiction and explore various literary texts situated in Europe, Africa, and Asia Course Title: Modern Arabic Literature (In Translation): An Introduction (LIT 236) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: The course will serve as an introduction to modern Arabic literature in translation. It explores key movements and moments that came to define modern Arabic literature, like the Arab awakening or renaissance, as well as pivotal historical moments that turned away from tradition and its literary and generic conventions. Students will read a variety of novels, poetry, and essays from various national literatures situated in the Arab world. Course Title: Reading the Horror Film: Intro to Film Studies (COM 214) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: Students will develop a working understanding of the language of cinema, including basic technological and theoretical concepts in order to appreciate film as a unique form of literature. Class will examine how films are shot, tell stories, develop characters, and depict physical reality through the combined, constructed medium of sound and image as viewed through the genre of horror movies. While often viewed as “low-brow”, horror films are fertile ground for both the development of technical approaches in film and as a medium to explore questions of isolation, racism, gender, feminism, queerness, and disability, among other themes. In addition to learning film theory, students will also be introduced to theoretical approaches to the horror genre and be exposed to prominent sub-genres within the field. The course will culminate in a creative project where students will self-select a work of fiction to be adapted into a film, proposing how their movie would look, sound, and “read” to their intended audience. Course Title: Folk Music – The Indigenous Sound of Pakistan (MUS 228) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: This course will explore indigenous music of Pakistan and provide a foundation to appreciate folk music of South Asia. Course Title: Thumri ki Kahani (MUS 227) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: Thumri is a popular style of singing in South Asia where importance is given to eloquence rather than purity of a Raag. Course Title: Sound and Subjectivity: Thinking World Music (MUS 222) – 4 credits Brief Description of the Course: Every known human culture and community has produced music or exhibited sonic practices that can be classified as ‘music’. Music is immensely meaningful and moving for the communities that it belongs to. However, the experience of listening to sound and music from cultures and contexts that are unfamiliar to us, can be both blissful and elating, as well as bizarre and alienating. The affect produced by strange sounds and foreign musical structures is determined by the subjectivities that constitute our own ways of listening. What then, is the nature of listening? How should we listen to, engage with, and understand music from other cultures, contexts, and traditions? How have disciplines like anthropology, musicology, and ethnomusicology historically addressed and understood non-western music? What are the variety of meanings- social, cultural, religious, and political- that music continues to be imbued with? What does our experience of listening to the Other tell us about ourselves? These questions form the core basis of inquiry in this course. This is a survey course of selected musical cultures and traditions of the world that is organized through an aural geography that takes the subjectivity of our listening as its point of departure Course Title: What is World Literature (LIT 104) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: This course is an introduction to literary study that develops students’ critical reading skills through the analysis of poetry, prose, drama, and/or film. The idea of world literature implies the existence of a global circulation of texts, a circulation that, by definition, defies national borders. The growing concept of world literature has replaced the idea of national canons with a supposedly universal library. But who decides what makes up this universal library? How does a text appeal to a seemingly global audience? How does it circulate beyond its intended audience? Or has this intended audience, also, become increasingly global in nature? Does this audience employ similar or disparate modes of reading? And how do these apparently universal texts negotiate physical, linguistic and metaphorical borders? This course is centered around these major questions. Through an in-depth study of texts typically labelled world literature, we will explore the life and afterlife of a global text. The class combines a close reading of prose and poetry with some excerpts of literary criticism to engage in some of the major debates surrounding world literature. Students will walk away from this course with a deeper understanding of the possibilities and problematics associated with this category, as well as with an introductory understanding of literary analysis, criticism, and writing. Some of the authors we will read include Joseph Conrad, David Damrosch, Aamir Mufti, Frances Pritchett, Tayeb Salih, and Agha Shahid Ali. Course Title: World Religions (REL 122) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: This is the required foundational course for both the primary and secondary concentrations in Religious Studies for majors in the Comparative Humanities (CH) program. It is also the required gateway course for students in any other major at Habib who wish to complete a minor in Religious Studies. Finally, this course may also be taken as a lower level elective by any student who is simply curious to learn something about the major world religions. The course is designed to fulfill two critical objectives. The first objective is to develop a sound introductory level understanding of five great world religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism). Collectively, these five religions account for 6.1 billion of the world’s 7.79 billion people. Of the 1.69 billion people not covered by these five major world religions, 1.19 billion people are classified as “secular,” “nonreligious” or “agnostic/atheist.” It’s important to emphasize the word “introduction” in the title of this course. It would be easy to spend a lifetime studying each of these religions, so no one course can do more than scratch the surface. It’s also important to stress that no religion can be distilled down to some essential core, and one of the recurring themes of this course will be the tension between unifying aspects of the tradition and the tremendous diversity that exists within all religions. Similarly, religions don’t exist in the abstract, they exist in the context of specific times and cultures, which both shape and are shaped by religion. Course Title: Global Histories: The Cold War in South Asia (HIST 135) – 4 credits Brief Description of the Course: The purpose of this course is to critically assess how the Cold War unfolded in South Asia by understanding how local actors influenced and were influenced by power disputes between Soviets and Americans, as well as the importance of the region for the Soviet-American conflicts. Through readings and discussions we will strive to understand how the two main local actors (Pakistan and India) reacted to the bipolar configuration that was established after 1945, to which extent they tried to take advantage of that bipolarity, and how both countries contributed to the emergence of a multipolar world from the 1970s onwards. Special emphasis will be given to Pakistan and its relations with both the communist and the capitalist blocs. Course Title: Music of South Asia: Styles and Structures (MUS 101) – 3 credits Brief Description of the Course: This course will introduce students to the rudiments of South Asian music; its melodic and rhythmic bases and the various existing styles of performance. From understanding structural differences between genres such as folk, ghazal, thumri and khayal to recognizing stylistic differences between practitioner groups, this course will be an immersion into a musical realm that is largely unfamiliar to young listeners. With a mandatory practice component through the Khawaja Mashooqullah Music Room, audio-visual resources, and readings to provide context, the course will serve as a foundation for pursuing more advanced studies in music Course Title: Renewable Energy: Why, What, and How? (Lecture and lab) (ENER 104/ENER 104L) – 4 credits Brief Description of the Course: The larger aim of the course is to understand the current situation of energy production and consumption and focusing on alternates that can fuel our energy needs. Students are expected to learn the fundamental natural scientific principles that are put in use in the production and usage of renewable energy systems. Students will also be taught how to speculate the future of energy utilization by studying the current patterns of energy consumption. First Semester Course Plan for the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS)
Following table presents the summary of courses you need to take in semester 1. In order to read the description of courses and the details of electives, see Courses Description sections
Major
Total Credits Required
Required Courses for Semester 1
Requirement of Electives for Semester 1
Social Development and Policy (SDP)
17 to 19
SDP Core Course
Communication and Design (CND)
16
CND Core Courses
Not required in semester 1
Comparative Humanities
18 to 19
CH Core Courses
First Semester Course Plan for Dhanani School of Science and Engineering (DSSE)
Major
Total Credits Required
Required Courses for Semester 1
Requirement of Electives for Semester 1
Computer Science (CS)
15 to 16
CS Foundation Course
(lecture + lab) (4 credits)
Electrical Engineer (EE)
16 credits
Circuits and Electronics Courses
(lecture + lab) (4 credits)
Computer Engineer (CE)
16 credits
Circuits and Electronics Courses
(lecture + lab) (4 credits)
Read the Course Description of All Core/Mandatory Courses
Course Descriptions for the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Habib Liberal Core Courses for All AHSS Students
Type of course: Liberal Core Course
Open for: All Students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
This course will introduce students to the study of writing and the liberal arts at Habib. As the first class in the liberal core, RhetComm aims to cultivate the foundational skills and habits of mind students will need to be successful throughout the core and, ultimately, throughout their time as undergraduates at Habib. The study of rhetoric stretches back to classical Greece where it was intimately tied to the rise of the Greek city-states and early forms of democratic governance. The link between rhetoric, communication, and rigorous civic debate has been integral to a liberal arts education ever since.
Type of course: Liberal Core Course
Open for: All Students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Type of the Course: Required
Open for: All Students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: PG
This course will take you through the basics of Human-Centered Design: an approach to problem-solving that involves empathizing with people; defining problems; generating ideas; prototyping solutions; and testing to learn what works and what doesn’t. The first twelve weeks of the course will take students through the design process, practically applying key methods and mindsets to tackle problems around us at Habib. For example, this could be redesigning the university food experience, or designing a new student governance model. In the last three weeks of the course, students will apply their skills and knowledge to a more personal challenge: designing their own Habib experience.
Students will leave this course having understood how Human-Centered Design can be used for creative problem-solving. Through practice-based learning they will be able to apply core concepts, tools and methodologies to any problem faced: on an individual level; in any industry; or as a global citizen. Moreover, the Design Your Habib Experience part of this course will help students to navigate their university experience on a personal and professional level, with a lot more clarity and purpose.
Type of the Course: Required
Open for: All Students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: University Requirement
The first year of college/university is an important milestone in a student’s academic life. Whether it’s developing effective study habits or fostering relationships with professors and peers, the first-year experience (FYE) impacts academic success and community relations. A good FYE is critical for student success and retention. It is relevant to all students irrespective of their educational background and the Major in which they are enrolled.
FYE becomes more critical in light of the issues students face while transitioning from a High School to a University. To address issues pertaining to student transition as well as to provide a strong foundation to the students for their success, Habib University has designed ‘HU First-Year Experience’ (HU FYE) Program in light of the general as well as very specific issues faced by the first-year students at Habib University.
First-Year Fundamentals (FYF), being part of the FYE, is one of the special programs designed to address some of the first-year challenges and improve students’ first-year experience. It will focus on three key elements
1. Knowledge and Understanding – Helping first year students to know and understand all key academic and non-academic policies and processes critical for their success at HU
2. Skills and Values – Engaging first year students to understand and refine their skills and values which play key role for their success at Habib
3. Community Building – Engaging first year students in building relationships with HU community (students, staff, faculty, alumni, leadership etc.)
Social Development and Policy Core Courses
Type of course: SDP Required Course
Open for: SDP Students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Communication and Design Core Courses
Type of course: Liberal Core Course
Open for: CND students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Type of course: Liberal Core Course
Open for: CND students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Comparative Humanities Core Courses
Type of course: Comparative Humanities Core Course
Open for: All Comparative Humanities Students
Type of course: Comparative Humanities Core Course
Open for: All Comparative Humanities students
Course Descriptions for Dhanani School of Science and Engineering
Habib Liberal Core Courses for All DSSE Students
Type of the Course: Liberal Core Course
Open for: All DSSE Students (CS, EE and CE)
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Type of course: Liberal Core Course, , CS Foundation Course and Computing Course
Open for: All students – Mandatory for all DSSE students of CS, EE and CE
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Type of the Course: Required
Open for: All Students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: PG
This course will take you through the basics of Human-Centered Design: an approach to problem-solving that involves empathizing with people; defining problems; generating ideas; prototyping solutions; and testing to learn what works and what doesn’t. The first twelve weeks of the course will take students through the design process, practically applying key methods and mindsets to tackle problems around us at Habib. For example, this could be redesigning the university food experience, or designing a new student governance model. In the last three weeks of the course, students will apply their skills and knowledge to a more personal challenge: designing their own Habib experience.
Students will leave this course having understood how Human-Centered Design can be used for creative problem-solving. Through practice-based learning they will be able to apply core concepts, tools and methodologies to any problem faced: on an individual level; in any industry; or as a global citizen. Moreover, the Design Your Habib Experience part of this course will help students to navigate their university experience on a personal and professional level, with a lot more clarity and purpose.
Type of the Course: Required
Open for: All Students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: University Requirement
The first year of college/university is an important milestone in a student’s academic life. Whether it’s developing effective study habits or fostering relationships with professors and peers, the first-year experience (FYE) impacts academic success and community relations. A good FYE is critical for student success and retention. It is relevant to all students irrespective of their educational background and the Major in which they are enrolled.
FYE becomes more critical in light of the issues students face while transitioning from a High School to a University. To address issues pertaining to student transition as well as to provide a strong foundation to the students for their success, Habib University has designed ‘HU First-Year Experience’ (HU FYE) Program in light of the general as well as very specific issues faced by the first-year students at Habib University.
First-Year Fundamentals (FYF), being part of the FYE, is one of the special programs designed to address some of the first-year challenges and improve students’ first-year experience. It will focus on three key elements
1. Knowledge and Understanding – Helping first year students to know and understand all key academic and non-academic policies and processes critical for their success at HU
2. Skills and Values – Engaging first year students to understand and refine their skills and values which play key role for their success at Habib
3. Community Building – Engaging first year students in building relationships with HU community (students, staff, faculty, alumni, leadership etc.)
Type of the Course: DSSE Required Math Course
Open for: All DSSE Students (CS, EE and CE)
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Type of course: Electrical, and Computer Engineering Core Course
Open for: All Electrical, and Computer Engineering students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Type of course: Electrical, and Computer Engineering Core Course
Open for: All Electrical, and Computer Engineering students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Electric Circuit I is a course designed for first semester students of Dhanani School of Science & Engineering. In this course, students will learn about the main components of electric circuits, measuring entities, laws and techniques to analyze different types of electric circuits. Course Description of All Elective Courses of DSSE and AHSS
Type of the Course: Natural Science Elective, Free Elective
Open for: Primarily for CS students, and for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: ISCIM
Type of the Course: Natural Science Elective
Open for: Primarily for CS students, and for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: ISCIM
Type of the Course: Natural Science Elective
Open for: Primarily for CS students, and for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: ISCIM
Type of the Course: Natural Science Elective
Open for: Primarily for CS students, and for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None required. Basic understanding of Biology is preferred
Program: ISCIM
Type of the Course: Natural Science Elective
Open for: Primarily for CS students, and for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: ISCIM
Type of the Course: Natural Science Elective
Open for: Primarily for CS students, and for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: ISCIM
Type of the Course: SDP lower-level elective
Open for: Only Social Development and Policy Students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: SDP
Type of the Course: SDP lower-level elective, Free Elective
Open for: For SDP students, and if seats available, for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: SDP
Type of the Course: SDP lower-level elective, Free Elective
Open for: For SDP students, and if seats available, for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: SDP
Type of the Course: History Elective, Literature Elective, CH Elective
Open for: CH Students
Pre-requisite (if any): There are no specific prerequisites except at least a general understanding of Punjabi and Sindhi languages and keen interest of the students in the Mystical traditions of Islam
Program: CH
Type of the Course: Literature Elective, CH Elective
Open for: CH Students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: CH
Type of the Course: Literature Elective, CH Elective
Open for: CH Students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: CH
Type of the Course: CND Elective, Communication Elective
Open for: CND Students
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: CND
Type of the Course: CH Elective, Music Minor Elective, Free Elective
Open for: For CH students, and if seats available, for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): Basic knowledge of music theory
Program: CH
Type of the Course: CH Elective, Creative Practise Elective, Free Elective
Open for: For CH students, and if seats available, for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): Basic knowledge of music theory
Program: CH
Type of the Course: CH Elective, Music Minor Elective, Free Elective
Open for: For CH students, and if seats available, for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: CH
Type of the Course: Literature Elective, CH Elective, Free Elective
Open for: For CH students, and if seats available, for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: CH
Type of the Course: Religion Elective, CH Elective, Free Elective
Open for: For CH students, and if seats available, for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: CH
Type of the Course: History Elective, CH Elective, Free Elective
Open for: For CH students, and if seats available, for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program: CH
Type of the Course: CH Elective, Free Elective, AHSS Elective, Music Minor Elective, Creative Practise Elective
Open for: For CH and SDP students, and if seats remain, then for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None, however, there is a co-requisite which is that all students taking this course will be required to enroll in the Music Lessons offered by the Centre for South Asian Music via the Khawaja Mashooqullah Music Room.
Program: CH
Type of the Course: Natural Science Elective
Open for: Primarily for CS students, and for other students as a free elective
Pre-requisite (if any): None
Program ISCIM
