Dubai, July 22, 2008 – A delegation from The Executive Council, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, and the University of St Joseph – Dubai has travelled to Beirut to finalise the curriculum to be taught at the university’s new campus from September.
The mission of the delegation was to agree on the details of the courses to be offered at USJ-Dubai, the first branch of the prestigious university to be opened outside Lebanon. The new college will have Arabic as the language of instruction, saving students time as it eliminates the need for the foundation year.
Moreover, the students will have the opportunity to improve their use of Arabic throughout the four-year degree course. French and English will also be used, to produce a well-rounded graduate who can serve the varied linguistic and legal needs of Dubai.
The course will enhance the national identity by focusing on UAE law, which depends on Islam as its main source. The student will also be taught law from other Arab countries, international law, and law regulating socio-economic issues, such as property, ownership, taxes, damage estimation, aviation and maritime matters, achieving the objectives of DSP 2015.
One of the main advantages of the curriculum set by the group is the huge interest in the Arabic language, which is a pillar of the national identity. Another advantage is preparing graduates who are capable of understanding the existing law, and contributing to setting new laws required in different aspects of the fast-paced life in Dubai. The graduates will also be schooled in the needs of the diversity of ethnic groups who live in Dubai.
The new curriculum was produced after studying courses in local and regional law schools, to achieve a new course that is complementary to what other universities offer. The curriculum will also focus on social sciences to help students understand the attitudes and behaviour of different ethnic groups.
The delegation discussed a system in which students will be placed in groups according to their abilities, then given equal opportunities and academic support to fulfil their potential. It is hoped that this system will ensure that all groups are capable of reaching and maintaining the best local and international standards.
The law programme has been designed to suit the law system in Dubai and the UAE, and has additional courses that focus on the role of Islam as a main source of legislation in UAE. The curriculum will also include IT courses that will help students in their professional lives and enable them to become up-to-date lawyers able to use all new technologies. This is in line with HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice-President of UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s directive of establishing Judicial City, an area where court houses, legal offices and support services will be based.
Chief Justice of Dubai Judge Mohamed Yusuf, and Director of the Department of Legal Strategy Affairs at The Executive Council, Mohamed Al Mehairi, worked with the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Fayez Hajj Chahine, and Vice-President for nternational Affairs, Professor Antoine Hokayem, on the curriculum details.
EDAAD, a scholarship programme initiated by Sheikh Mohammed in 2001, is giving 40 scholarships to UAE National male and female students to start their law studies at USJ-Dubai.
Open House at Dubai Courts
Young people thinking of taking up law will have a chance to meet lawmakers at an Open House to be held at Dubai Courts tomorrow (Wednesday, July 23). Students will attend hearings at the court before a question-and-answer session with the panel of experts. They will also have the chance to speak one-to-one with representatives from the legal profession.