On the occasion of launching the Women’s Studies Diploma at the Faculty of Arts and under the patronage of Her Excellency Mrs. Bahia Hariri, the faculty organized a workshop on “Women’s Studies” on Wednesday June 16, 2010 at Hotel Riviera Beirut at 9 am. The workshop came as part of Beirut Arab University’s celebration of its Golden Anniversary and was attended by a large number of researchers in women and gender issues, women’s activists, academics, NGO’s representatives, and media presenters.

The workshop comprised two sessions and introduced various issues related to women. Her Excellency Mrs. Hariri spoke in the first session about the importance of the diploma and the significance of the role of women in developmental efforts. She also expressed her wish to enroll at the diploma and to be among the first who would earn this diploma in Lebanon. Professor Amr El-Adawi also emphasized the importance of the diploma and mentioned that it celebrated interdisciplinarity and would contribute to the cultural diversity of the Lebanese society. Along the same lines, Mr. Mohamed Barakat, the general director of social welfare institutions in Lebanon, highlighted the role of different social institutions in propagating women’s issues and in dealing with women’s problems. In her word introducing the diploma, Professor Mayssah El-Nayal mentioned that the diploma would cover topics from the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Health Sciences. Then Dr. Aman Shaarany, Mrs. Sawsan Husseiny, and Dr. Zoulfokkar Hashash presented valuable contributions on the legal and social position of women in Lebanon, women and the media, and women’s health respectively.

The Women's Studies Diploma (WSD) is a one-year program that falls into two semesters. The diploma consists of 24 credit hours, which upon successful completion, grants the candidate a BAU Diploma in Women's Studies.

Women’s Studies is the most recent instrument of consciousness raising. Personal lives have been affected, and the role of the university in the society has changed. In a span of decade or so, this new discipline has transformed the concepts and tools of social sciences and humanities. It is believed that long-term changes in society could be achieved through Women’s Studies programs and courses.

Women’s Studies brings together a wide range of disciplines, including, Sociology, Psychology, Mass Media, History, Literature, Health and Law. The women studies program creates new opportunities for students to understand the experiences of women and to connect these experiences to those of other groups both locally and globally.