To offer an honours degree programme in the field of Political Science. At the end of the programme, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate enhanced critical and analytical skills, look for underlying principles, and identify and analyse key concepts;
• Demonstrate the skills of independent thinking, good writing, and independent learning and investigation;
• Present their own critical understanding of the issues studied to tutors and peers, and to engage in dialogue with them;
• Identify key theoretical and methodological issues involved in the study of regional and international politics, and to be able to distinguish between a variety of methods of enquiry;
• Analyse key topics related to the discipline on the basis of directed and independent reading, and to produce good quality essays while meeting deadlines;
• Understand and use the main concepts, approaches and theories of the discipline;
• Analyse, interpret and evaluate political events, ideas and institutions; and to relate the academic study of politics to questions of public concern which are transferable to a wide range of employment contexts;
• Place questions of political and international order and decision-making at the centre of analysis;
• Understand elements of continuity and change in the study of politics and to be able to apply knowledge to specific case studies;
• Work within a supportive and responsive learning environment that is enriched by research and in which the academic development and career opportunities of students are enhanced;
• Acquire key transferable skills including analysis of opinions, arguments and facts; evaluation of evidence and hypothesis; synthesis of debate; appropriate use of communication and information technology; and clear communication – all of which lead to students becoming productive and interactive members of society.

• University of Exeter – School of Humanities and Social Sciences – Department of Politics – Undergraduate Study Programme Specifications.
• University of Oxford – Department of Politics and International Relations – Specifications for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Programme.
• The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education – The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland – Subject Benchmark Statements – Politics and International Relations.
• The National Authority for Quality and Accreditation of Education in Egypt (NAQAAE), NARS Statements.
  SEEC Credit Level Descriptors for Higher Education. Southern England Consortium for Credit Accumulation and Transfer.

 A. Knowledge and Understanding

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

1. Selected concepts and methods related to the academic discipline of Political Science;
2. Political Science as a comprehensive discipline that deals with international and regional relations, political economy, international law, foreign policy, political economy and political theory;
3. Political phenomena, which are explored using general theories and on which students should reflect both normatively and positively;
4. The workings of political institutions and actors, foreign policy, political processes and the policy outputs of governance and regulatory structures;
5. Different political systems operating at the national, Middle Eastern, and international level;
6. The interaction between national, regional, and international levels and the links between inputs, processes, and outcomes;
7. Middle Eastern and international politics framed in terms of political theory, national political systems, international relations, political economy, law,  ideology, state-society relations, and foreign policy analysis;
8. The nature and significance of politics as a human activity.

B. Subject-Specific Cognitive Skills

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

1. Use multiple sources and critically evaluate research strategies and methods;
2. Apply concepts and theories used in the study of politics to the analysis of political ideologies, institutions, and practices;

C.  Subject Specific Practical Skills

On successful completion of this programme students should be able to:

1. Compare, contrast, and evaluate different interpretations of political issues and events in a logical, systematic manner;
2. Identify, investigate, analyse, formulate and advocate solutions to problems.

D.  Transferable Skills
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

1. Gather, organise and utilize evidence and information from a variety of secondary and some primary sources;
2. Think critically and analytically about the subject matter;
3. Construct reasoned arguments based on theoretical and empirical foundations;
4. Recognise the importance of explicit referencing and the ethical requirements of research requires, with special emphasis on critical and reflective use of information and communications technology in the learning process;
5. Communicate effectively and fluently in speech and writing;
6. Use communication and information technology, including audiovisual technology, for retrieval and presentation of information, including, where appropriate, statistical or numerical data;
7. Work independently, and demonstrate initiative, self-organisation and time management, progressing through the degree programme to become a mature, independent learner.

The Political Science programme is an honours programme studied over four years. It comprises a preparatory year and a three-year degree programme. Students are required to pass 120 credits in each of the four years of the programme. The programme is divided into units called modules. Each module studied successfully contributes by 10, 20, or 30 credits toward the degree. The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload. One credit is nominally equivalent to 10 hours of student effort. The ‘level’ of a module indicates its position in the progressive development of academic abilities and/or practical skills. In addition to presenting students with introductory modules in their discipline, the preparatory year provides students with English, Research Methods, History, Economics, Information Technology and Statistics modules. The remaining three years in the degree programme contain compulsory and optional modules all focused on Political Science.

Preparatory Year; 120 credits at level P

Year 1 – 120 credits at Level 4 (Certificate); 

Year 2 – 120 credits at Level 5 (Intermediate);

Year 3 – 120 credits at Level 6 (Honours);

In accordance with the University’s regulations as defined in Section 1 of the General Academic Regulations. There is a minimum academic requirement in the high school degree, in addition to an English minimum level.

In accordance with the University’s regulations on assessment and progression, as defined in the General Academic Regulations (GAR) and the Examination and Assessment Regulations (EAR), with the following exceptions: General Academic Regulations, regulation 7.2 “Structure of University Awards”.

The three-year Honours Degree Programme shall be structured as follows:

• 120 credits in Certificate Level (Degree Year 1) with all 120 credits at Level C; and
• 120 credits in Intermediate Level (Degree Year 2) with all 120 credits at level I; and
• 120 credits in Honours Level (Degree Year 3) with all 120 credits at level H.

The BUE delivers its programmes based on a British philosophy of education. This results in programmes that are very much focused on the student rather than those who deliver the material. Graduates from UK programmes typically exhibit:

• the ability to think creatively and solve problems;
• high level key and transferable skill sets;
• the ability to maintain independently a high level of professional and subject specific competence;
• technical competence;
• the ability to conceptualise problems at a high level (i.e. to see the big picture);
• diligent and ethical working practices; and
• the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

Furthermore, this programme is delivered in both a local and UK context giving students the opportunity to gain an appreciation of national and international perspectives on many aspects of professional life.

In addition to these attributes, the BUE has obtained institutional re-validation (in line with QAA and professional body subject benchmark statements) from UK Partner. The continuous successful completion of this exercise will continue making the BUE the only university in Egypt whose entire internal structure is externally verified as being in line with UK standards. Built on top of institutional quality assurance will be subject level re-validation. That is, we seek for UK Partner to externally re-confirm that this particular degree programme is in line with UK standards.

Programme Rational

The major features of the programme are as follows:

First, providing unique programme components, the programme is designed to compete nationally as well as internationally.

Second, the dissertation module in the honours level in semester two is offered as a core module. In semester 1 all honours students are required to take the Final Year Project module which includes taking:

1. Research Methodology
2. Write a proposal in an academic research format

Dissertation is offered to students who wish to pursue an academic career, and have proven through their overall academic performance that they do have the potential research skills but need to be developed.

Third, enabling BUE graduates to meet the requirements of the current market

The BUE has its e-learning system which provides information and enables interactive communication between students and module teams.  It supports the learning process of the students and enriches their developmental experience.  It is accessed either directly through http://learn.bue.edu.eg/  or through   http://www.bue.edu.eg/ and choose e-Learning.

In accordance with the University’s Quality Assurance procedures, as defined in the Academic Quality and Standards Manual.

The BUE Political Science Outreach team is delighted to host Prof. Sally Khalifa Isaac, professor of Political Science at Cairo University and the BUE, as the speaker for this week’s live event. 

The session focused on the extent to which COVID-19 may impact international political and economic relations. Prof. Isaac focused on three key points: The features of the international response to the pandemic, the impact of the crisis on the roles of the superpowers and international multilateralism, and the debate about the pandemic effects on the global balance of power. As this topic touches on many different disciplines, more than 100 attendees from various backgrounds and affiliations, including faculty, researchers and students, participated. To accommodate the diversity of the audience and to engage with the public, the session was delivered in Arabic. 

The Live Session took place on Wednesday July 22^nd, at 2:00 p.m. via Microsoft Teams platform.

The insightful talk generated a dynamic and diverse discussion through a Q&A session. Discussions tackled the rise of Asia versus the West from an economic point of view in addition to the response of Russia, the European Union, and the international organizations to the pandemic. Attendees also discussed the impact of the pandemic on the tensions between the USA and China, international trade, mask diplomacy, and the future structure of the international system. The questions touched upon diverse aspects ranging from the role of culture in the rise of China as a superpower to the impact of COVID-19 on the international environmental security. 

The BUE Political Science Outreach team is thrilled to host the prominent Prof. Nabil Helmy as the speaker for this week’s live event.

As the Legal Dimensions to the Renaissance Dam Crisis is a hot and timely topic, audience from various backgrounds and affiliations, including central management, academic staff, undergraduate students, and researchers from the British University in Egypt, attended. We were also pleased to have audience from Academic staff and researchers from Mansoura University, Helwan University, Alexandria University, Zagazig University, American University in the Emirates, The American University in Cairo, and Cairo University, among others. In addition, lawyers, social workers, and negotiators, among others, from different entities attended the session. To accommodate the diversity of the audience and to engage with the public, the session was delivered in Arabic.

The Live Session took place on Wednesday July 15th, at 2:00 p.m. via the Microsoft Teams platform.

The insightful talk generated a dynamic and diverse discussion Q&A session. Questions touched upon aspects such as the role of the international organizations and entities namely the African Union, the United Nations Security Council, and the International Court of Justice. The discussions tackled the legal, political, regional, and military perspectives of the issue. These perspectives highlighted Egypt’s right of self-defense as the Renaissance Dam threatens Egypt’s national security, the strategy of Ethiopia to impede negotiation efforts, national interest and security of the Arab world not just Egypt as it is an assault on the natural resources, and the effect of foreign states on the region.

The discussion session concluded that the political leadership is believed to be studying the situation from legal, political and military dimensions to protect the 150 million Egyptians and Sudanese, and that the Egyptian government is exhausting all legal and political avenues to negotiate a settlement before resorting to a strategy of self-defense.

As a continuation of the BUE Political Science Research Forum series, the Research Team has held its online seminar “Populism, Democracy, and Political Parties in Europe and Beyond” on Thursday, July 16^th, 2020. This seminar was conducted by one of our department’s prestigious Lecturer Dr Nikolaos Nikolakakis.

The seminar incorporated a presentation that was quite clear, precise, and insightful. We were honoured to have different lecturers from different departments amidst our participants as well as other prestigious attendees varying in position and affiliation. We were also honoured to have Prof Sally Isaac help facilitate the session through her fruitful contribution and engaging discussion.

As part of the BUE Political Science Research Forum Series, the department’s Research Team has successfully held its seminar on “Egyptian Foreign Policy and the Political Doctrine of President Sisi” on Thursday, July 9^th, 2020. During which, the department was honoured to host Dr Mohamed Fayez Farahat – the expert on International Relations and Head of the International Relations Unit at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies- to talk about the current trends of Egyptian foreign policy from President Sisi’s perspective and in respect to his political doctrine. This seminar was also administered by Dr Gamal Selim (Assistant Professor of Political Science at BUE) who acted as the discussant and commentator on Dr Farahat’s presentation.

The seminar witnessed a fruitful and constructive discussion over the main determinants of Egyptian foreign policy components after June 30, 2013 in terms of continuity and change at the level of political leadership, regional environment, and the international system. We were delighted to have Prof Wadouda Badran (Dean of BAEPS), and Prof Amany Khodair (Political Science HoD), as well as several other members of the department and researchers from Al-Ahram Center to have participated in this seminar.

The BUE Political Science Outreach team was honoured to host the WHO’s Covid 19 Response Coordinator, Dr. Omar Abo El Ata and the UNHCR’s Assistant Public Health Officer, Dr. Ashraf Azer to run and administer this week’s live discussion. The live discussion, held on Wednesday, July 8^th  at 2:00 p.m. via the Microsoft Teams platform, attracted a diverse audience, among which were academic staff members, undergraduate students and researchers from the British University in Egypt, Alexandria University, and Cairo University in addition to medical staff members from private medical entities had attended the session. To accommodate the diversity of the audience and to engage with the public, the session was delivered in Arabic.

The Q&A was very dynamic and encouraged a diverse discussion that tackled issues such as Egypt’s response to Covid-19 and the evaluation of the WHO of such a response, the impact of the American-Chinese tension on the WHO funding, the possible future lockdown and the estimated timeframe of an approved vaccine for the Corona virus, the future of job-market post Covid-19. The discussion was also extended to include the role of the UNHCR in regards to foreign workers/refugees in different regional states; the process of local partners’ selection and their roles in supporting the United Nation’s body; the impact of Covid-19 on the workplace and the refugees.

The Political Science Department’s Research Team, pleasurably assisted by Professor Sally Isaac, successfully held its third online research seminar on July 7^th at 12:00 pm. In this seminar, we were delighted to host another prestigious scholar Dr Antonio Zotti – lecturer of European Institutions and Research Fellow at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. Dr. Zotti has enriched us with his presentation on “Populists of Europe: The Challenge of ‘Illiberal’ Democracy”, a current topic that is quite relevant and important.

Such an intriguing seminar added profound perspectives to how populism is currently impacting international politics, and its effect on democracies specifically those in Europe. The presentation was followed by many interesting questions raised by our attendees, creating an engaging and fruitful discussion between our guest speaker and our respectful attendees.

The Political Science Department Research Team successfully held its second online research forum on July 6^th at 12:00 pm. In this seminar, we were honoured to host Dr. Erzsebet Rozsa from National University of Public Service in Hungary (NUPS), and had her present a very interesting paper on “Iran’s Challenges: The Corona Crisis, the Oil Price War, and the Arms Embargo”.

The seminar was very insightful and was followed by several engaging questions from our attendees, leading to a thorough discussion with our presenter about the current situation in Iran and its future prospects, foreign policy orientation changes, possibilities of policy changes due to the upcoming American presidential elections, and the role of other international powers regarding the Iran Nuclear deal.

The BUE Political Science Department would like to thank our guest speakers, Dr. Raafat Abbas and Dr. Mahmoud Zein Al-Abidin from Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA) for the enriching session they delivered today, 5th of July 2020.

The session touched on the services offered by the agency to guide and support young entrepreneurs and university students as well as the different accredited strategies and methods employed to help them develop their business ideas and proposals and market them. Both speakers emphasised on the importance of youth participation and the agency’s keenness to support, encourage and protect business ideas. In light of the discussion, a cooperation protocol has been activated between the department and the agency offering our students training opportunities within the coming period.

As the job market is changing rapidly and the world is witnessing unusual developments that impact all aspects of life including employment, political science students were invited to attend a virtual session on employment.

The virtual Job Market session was delivered by Dr. Nora Maher on Thursday, July 2nd, 2020 on Zoom, during which the students were oriented on the challenges and opportunities of the employment market. The session covered various topics: interviews, interview preparation, the main errors undermining an interview, the form and content of a Professional resume, and the impact of Covid-19 on the future of the job market.

The students, being extremely engaged and interested, discussed related topics and raised relevant questions. We wish all our senior students and graduates would get through this semester successfully and have a  very bright future ahead.

The BUE Political Science Outreach team is delighted to have Prof. Gamal Zahran, former Head of Political Science Department at Faculty of Commerce, Port Said University, Egypt, as the presenter of this week’s live session.

The session was given in Arabic and was open to the public, attempting to engage with a wide and diverse audience. The live session took place on Wednesday July 1^st, at 2:00 p.m. The session attracted attendees from different educational backgrounds and distinctive affiliations. They ranged from high school students to heads of departments of political science at different universities. Their affiliations varied to include a wide range of students, university management, and faculty staff members from different faculties at the British University in Egypt, among which are the Faculty of Business Administration, Economics, and Political Science and Faculty of Engineering. The BUE Political Science Outreach was overwhelmed by the turnout from the Future British International Schools, Summits International School, Cairo University, Helwan University, Misr University for Science & Technology, Port Said University, Beirut University, among others.

The Q&A was very fruitful and motivated a rich discussion that tackled issues such as the impact of the rise of socialism on the presidential elections in the United States, the consequences of COVID-19 and Brexit on the voting trends in the European Union, the future of globalisation after the pandemic along with other interesting comments and questions.

This week’s live outreach session was presented by Dr. Noha Bakr, an Advisory Board Member at the Egyptian Council of Strategic Studies. It was titled The Future of Multilateralism after COVID – 19/ مستقبل التعددية بعد أزمة كورونا. The session was in Arabic. It took place on Wednesday June 24^th at 2:00 p.m. The session was open to the public. Attendees included researchers and high school and university students from the British University in Egypt,Università degli Studi di Napoli L’Orientale, the American University in Cairo, Alexandria University, Misr University for Science and Technology, and Future British International School.

A very fruitful and rich Q&A session followed the presentation. The questions tackled different subtopics including the prospective role of international/regional intergovernmental organizations in after COVID – 19, the means of the recovery of the World Health Organization, Brexit and the rise of nationalism impact on the future of the European Union in the aftermath of the Corona pandemic, the possible ‘new world’ order after COVID – 19, the re-evaluation of globalization, among others.

Dr. Bakr applauded the BUE Political Science students and highlighted their expected role in establishing the new theories in the near future.

The Political Science Outreach Team is organising a series of live events to engage with our students, the BUE community, and the Egyptian society at large. A live event on Microsoft Teams will take place every week from May 27th till July 29th.

This week’s live session was presented by Dr. Hossam Farouk, the Vice Editor of El-Gomhouria newspaper and the anchor of one of the important political T.V. programs بالبنط العريض ( The Bold Font ) aired on الفضائية المصرية ( The Egyptian Satellite Channel ) . It was titled International Media Coverage on Corona Virus Pandemic with special Emphasis on Egypt – تناول الإعلام الدولي لجائحة كورونا عالميا وبشكل خاص عن مصر.

The session was in Arabic. It took place on Wednesday, June 17th at 15.00. The session was open to the public. Attendees included students and researchers from the British University in Egypt, Alexandria University, and The Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport.

A Q&A session had very fruitful discussions on different subtopics such as; neutrality and professionalism of the mass media, the role of caricature during the pandemic, and the bilateral relations between countries.

The Political Science Department’s Research Team held its first online research seminar, titled BUE Political Science Research Forum, on June 14th at 12:00. The department speaker, Assistant Lecturer Moatamer Amin, presented his topic on “The impact of 3+1 Pipeline Diplomacy on Eastern Mediterranean”. The topic involved discussions over Pipeline diplomacy and the vital part it plays in shaping the Eastern Mediterranean, following the competing projects from the region and projects passing through the region to the markets. It also highlighted how various regional and global players are involved directly in the competition are a further complication that escalates current & future challenges. Accordingly, the newly emerging regional order reflects the alignment between different regional and global players, who are in most cases at odds.

The seminar was very successful as it tackled a current hot topic. A fruitful discussion was followed by several engaging questions from our attendees who varied from both faculty members and students.

The Political Science Outreach Team is organising a series of live events to engage with our students, BUE community, and the Egyptian society at large. An online session on Microsoft Teams will take place every week from May 27th till July 29th.

The first session, titled Success Story: Results of the SPSS of the Research Methods II, took place on Wednesday May 27th at 2:00 during which Dr. Moataz Abdel Fattah presented his reflections on the results of the SPSS surveys, conducted by the Degree 2 after Prep students. The target audience were students of DY1 and DY2.

Live sessions require pre-registration and certificate of attendance is provided. Announcements are sent out via email and on the department’s Facebook page.

On the 10th of March, the Staff Development team organised a workshop offered by the DAAD titled University Exams and Digital Question Banks. The aim of the workshop was to provide teaching staff with methods of designing exam questions that reflect course ILOs, and that accurately assess students’ performance and monitors the effectiveness of the module delivery and learning environment.

The latter half of the workshop was conducted in a computer lab to familiarise the staff with the facilities of the Moodle system and practice developing a digital question bank. The trainer introduced to the teaching staff how to create online exams and presented a wide variety of exam questions and different questioning techniques to assess students with different learning styles.

As part of the Political Science department’s staff development strategy, Eng. Alaa Sami, from the DAAD, conducted a fundraising session for MA and PhD students  in addition to module leaders on Wednesday 11th of March. The session tackled the reasons why we need to conduct research, fundraising mindset, methods of writing the fundraising proposal and the stages of fundraising. It was very informative especially for PhD staff whose fundraising proposal has been rejected.

As part of an Erasmus mobility exchange program between BAEPS and the National University of Public Service (NUPS) in Hungary, two public lectures have been delivered this week at the political Science Department by Dr. Erzsébet Rózsa. The first lecture was entitled “The development of the European Union’s policy towards its southern neighbourhood: any lessons?” and took place Monday, March 9. The following day, Tuesday 10^th of March, Dr. Erzsébet Rózsa, delivered her second lecture which discussed the “Asymmetries in the WMD programs in the Middle East”.

Dr. Rózsa is an Associate Professor of International Relations at NUPS. She has been lecturing and conducting research on a wide variety of subjects related to the Middle East, WMD arms control and non-proliferation, Hungarian foreign policy, EU studies, and migration. She has been also a member in several academic organisations, including the Committee of International and Development Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the Steering Committee of EuroMeSCo, the network of some 100 research institutions in Europe and the Mediterranean.

As an integral activity of the module on the lessons of the October War 1973, the Arab-Israeli Conflict team organized a field trip to Panorama 6 of October on Sunday 8^th of March 2020, for the second year, The trip is an integral activity of the module on the lessons of the October War 1973. The purpose is to enrich the students’ learning experience and refute allegations about the victor and the defeated. Students enjoyed the visit while they toured the Panoramic hall, the Persistence and Challenge hall and the Crossing hall. They were escorted in an organized tour by experts who gladly and openly accommodated their toughest questions and elaborated further on the different phases and outcomes of October War 1973.

On Tuesday 3rd of March 2020, the Political Science Department successfully inaugurated its first Political Science Conference Model (PSCM).

It was the first undergraduate conference at the British University in Egypt where a great opportunity was given to all its students and presenters to showcase their ideas and receive feedback through presentations, discussions, and Q&A sessions.

The whole department joined and supported the conference throughout displaying high spirit and brilliant teamwork. Prof. Hamad, president of the BUE, joined the department and inaugurated the conference.

The papers presented will be edited and collected in a volume.

One of a series of development sessions that the Political Science Department offers to its students was devoted to “Time Management”. It has been organised based on the need of top students, as expressed in their annual self-assessment. All students were invited to attend the session delivered by the HOD, Professor Amany Ismail, on Sunday February 23rd, during the blocked hours.

Registration was required before attendance. The invitation was also extended to the department’s teaching assistants as post-graduate students. The session started with an activity, whereby attendees were divided into two groups to discuss “time wasters”. Each person had to specify and write down one thing that he/she believes wastes time most. After the problem diagnosis, Professor Ismail suggested a number of tips and tricks to best manage one’s time, especially through the weeks of deadlines and submissions that students struggle with.

Techniques like the Pomodora, the two-minute rule and prioritisation were suggested. Several questions were raised from students about specific problems they face. The session was followed by an online evaluation questionnaire, whereby students were asked to evaluate the session’s organisation and content. Students were also asked about their wishes for similar future sessions.

On the 11^th February, 2020, Dr. Lawrie Phillips conducted a session on interactive teaching and learning methods with module teaching teams in the Political Science Department. The session targeted tutorials and e-learning activities. The initial debate explored the pedagogical rationale behind lectures, tutorials and e-learning and their connection to transmission, co-operative and learner-centred educational goals. Dr. Phillips used a jigsaw method of classroom organisation to highlight the benefits of promoting purposeful academic interaction and debate in the tutorial or online, dividing participants into pairs to match pieces of texts to structural elements in academic papers (introduction/purpose/theoretical insights/evidence/conclusion) and re-organising participants in order to produce meaningful contributions to the settler colonialism – genocide/cultural genocide debate in indigenous studies in the United States. Based on this encounter, Dr. Phillips has produced an initiative/template to promote and reward the most successful/insightful interactive activities that teaching teams produce each semester.

On Sunday 15^th of December 2019, the Political Science department hosted a roundtable discussion on the occasion of the 30^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  The roundtable was chaired by honorary department member, Prof. Aley El Din Hillah, who shared his own experience in travelling to East Berlin during the division of the city.  Each presentation tackled a different dimension of the wall. Themes, discussed during the discussion, included memories, the meaning and role of the wall as an object in society, media representation, energy, system structure, and the fall of Socialism. At the end of the roundtable, lunch was served, as courtesy of head of department, Prof. Amany Ismail. See the agenda below.

On Monday 10^th of December, the Political Science department hosted former Home Secretary of the United Kingdom H.E. Charles Clarke. He delivered a lecture titled “Is the populism of Donald Trump and BREXIT the best way to meet the global economic and security challenges of our time?”

Mr. Clarke discussed the polarity of international system, the rise of China, Iran, and the spread of nuclear weapons; in addition, he asserted that isolationism is not the solution. H.E Mr. Clarke argued that it is essential to get the international system to function again, which requires two main elements: clear policy measures and commitment from government officials. The three case studies H.E put forward were Catalonia, Scotland, and Palestine, arguing for more institutional cooperation at the international level.

The lecture was followed by a very engaging discussion between H.E, the faculty, and the students.

As a part of the Faculty Community Service plan to integrate the female support staff in serving community activities and cancer prevention awareness, the Political Science department, in collaboration with the Business Administration department, held a session on the 1st of December 2019 from 1:00 pm to 3: 00 pm aided by Baheya foundation for treatment of breast cancer in Lecture Hall 1 at the faculty of Mass Communication. The purpose of this session was to raise and spread awareness among the female support staff on the importance of early detection and diagnosis. The invitation was open to all administrative staff, students and whoever wished to attend.

It is an honour and pleasure for the Political Science department to announce that on the 25^th of November 2019, Omar Aboubaker, was awarded his MSc in International Relations of the Middle East from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. His journey began with the award of one of the most prestigious scholarships in academia, Chevening. Omar has always excelled in both academic and non-academic fields, and his achievements have brought the department great pride.

Below are photos from his graduation and Chevening award ceremonies.

On Monday 25^th of November, as part of the Political Science department’s staff development strategy, Dr. Rehab Bahy. from the DAAD, conducted a proposal writing session for MA and PhD students.

The session tackled the purpose of proposals, different scholarship entities, the six main techniques used to write a proposal. It was very informative especially for MA and PhD staff who are currently writing their proposals especially because methodology, plagiarism, and question formulation were examined.

On Sunday 24^th of November, Dr. Zoltan Egeresi from the National University of Public Service (Hungary) gave a public lecture on Turkish Foreign Policy in the Balkans during the AKP’s era.

Students and staff attended and showed much interest in the topic. Dr. Egeresi gave a comprehensive overview of the history, identity, and migration in the region, excellently showcased with maps.

Public lectures are part of the long-standing tradition of cooperation between the Political Science Department at the BUE and NUPS.

On Tuesday 19^th of November 2019, as a part of an established cooperation between the Staff Development team of the Political Science department and the DAAD in Cairo, the academic staff enjoyed a session on Self- Marketing.

The session, delivered by Dr. Heba Salama, extended over the whole day and taught academics various essential skills to the new emerging markets, including skills like: introducing oneself in an interview,  a speech, and/or a seminar besides the dos and don’ts of interviews and writing a motivation/cover letter and much more.

The Political Science department, in cooperation with the BUE Centre for Egypt and Middle East Studies, invited HE Sir Geoffrey Adams, British Ambassador to Egypt on Tuesday 19th of November. Sir Adams gave a talk to the Political Science students on his diplomatic journey. He presented the British role in Palestinian-Israeli relations as well as the British impact on South African democratization process. His Excellency also discussed the sanctions on Iran.

The talk was followed by a questions and answers session were students had the chance to interact with Sir. Adams.

The Political Science Department has held its first research seminar this year on Sunday 17th of November 2019. This event held three speakers; Dr. Ahmed Mahdi, Ms. Jasmin Makhlouf, and Serene Elhefnawi. Before commencing with the speakers’ presentations, Prof Wadouda presented the Research Competition Award to student Serene for her remarkable work in the competition. This was followed by the student’s presentation of her paper and the other two speakers’ presentations of their work in progress. The presentations covered various topics ranging from phenomenology, water security, and neo-mercantilist policies. The seminar ended with fruitful discussions between the participants and the respective speakers.

7-10th November

Dr. Nikolaos Nikolakakis presented a paper titled “The Party of the European Left and the Question of Popular Sovereignty within the EU” at the very prestigious conference hosted by SOAS “Claps of Thunder: Disaster Communism, Extinction Capitalism and How to Survive Tomorrow” on Friday 8th of November. He gave his presentation via video call. The abstract of the paper can be found below.

Abstract:

In the midst of the financial crisis, the party of the European left (EL) and its key member parties, in their attempt to counter-balance the dominant Europeanist discourse, constructed a narrative that revolved around the concept of the ‘domino effect’ that a ‘government of the left’ would bring about inside the EU. In January 2015 the electoral triumph of the Greek Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) presented with a significant opportunity to test this hypothesis. By the end of the summer of 2015, the SYRIZA-led government capitulated, despite having won a heated referendum with a very wide margin of votes just a week before. This presented the party members of the EL with a series of very significant dilemmas with regards to their stance towards the EU. On one hand, these parties have historically, ever since the Eurocommunist movement, critically supported the process of integration that presents an opportunity for transcending the national divisions of the working classes of Europe. On the other hand, the capitulation of SYRIZA, which was seen by the EL saw as a crude financial coup d’état, brought the question of the respect of popular sovereignty in the spotlight of the European radical left. Indeed, during the EL’s 6th Conference, held in the aftermath of SYRIZA’s capitulation the question of sovereignty was amongst the most debated ones. The present paper aims to shed light to the question of national sovereignty within the EL and its most important party members. The paper attempts, thus, to reconstruct the discourse that the EL attempted to construct that places national sovereignty in the centre of its alternative vision of a Europe of the peoples. The paper is based on empirical findings taken from a comparative study of the EL’s most important party members and the role of the EL in constructive a coherent discourse aimed at challenging the hegemony of mainstream Europeanism.

Dr. Bassant Hassib participated in the “2019 Conference on Cyber Norm: Dealing with Uncertainty”, which took place in The Hague, Netherlands from 5-6 November 2019. Dr. Hassib was invited as a panelist during this academic conference, which was organized by The Hague Program for Cyber Norms, a research program embedded within Leiden University’s Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs and fully funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Hassib presented her co-authored work on “Cybersecurity Uncertainties during Rapid Political Changes: The Case of Egypt” with Dr. James Shires (Institute of Security and Global Affairs, University of Leiden, and a non-resident research fellow with the Cyber Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School)

A link to the full conference programme: https://www.thehaguecybernorms.nl/news-and-events-posts/2019-conference-on-cyber-norms

The Political Science department is proud to announce that students Sarah Hisham, Haidy El Kasaby, and Moustafa Ghazy, year two after prep, have organised and participated in the Arab Sustainable Development Week 2019, as members of the Sustainable Development team.

They had the chance to intern at the League of Arab states (LAS) through the opportunities network offered by the department. During the internship period, their outstanding performance paved their way to take part in this very prestigious event.

The League of Arab States was the main organiser of the week in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Planning, World Bank, United Nations, and European Union.

The main themes of the event revolved around integration of partners in development, health, education, women empowerment and a look at the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Prof. Amany Masood visited the University of Technology in Liberec and delivered two lectures on the modernization of Egypt. The lectures covered many essential points such as; how Mohamed Ali built modern Egypt, how he and his successors made economic modernization possible. Prof. Masood also covered the citizens’ role during Nasser’s epoch in relation to the premises of social contract theory along with those of Sadat (social modernization) and Mubarak (with the demands of the people and the traps of the IMF) and finally Egypt’s perseverance to survive after the two revolutions.

Prof. Masood also delivered a third public lecture tackling Egypt and the security issues in the Red Sea more generally. In her lectures, she provided a critical and objective approach to the issues, breaking the typical stereotypes portrayed in the media.