Sharjah, Thursday, March 22, 2012

Dr. Shaheen Mozaffar, a professor of political science at Bridgewater State University, Massachusetts, USA, lectured on the challenges and opportunities of democratic transitions in the MENA Region at American University of Sharjah (AUS) on Wednesday, March 21, 2012.

Dr. Mozaffar is an internationally recognized expert on elections and democracy. The author of numerous articles, his current work focuses on the dynamics of political transitions.He is currently developing a grant proposal on Islam and democracy.

In his lecture, Dr. Mozaffar explored the similarities and differences between the current wave of uneven democratic transitions in the MENA region with the uneven democratic transitions in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. He discussed the lessons these earlier transitions have for the challenges and opportunities that confront democratic transitions in the MENA region.

"Transitions do not produce answers. Good transitions only produce opportunities and successful transitions takes advantage of these opportunities to make meaningful changes in response to the needs of the people," said Dr. Mozaffar.

His lecture touched on four key areas: the empirical foundations of political transitions; how to understand current transitions; lessons, challenges and opportunities presented by political transitions;and conclusions and implications of these transitions.

Dr. Mozaffar will spend about a week as a scholar in residenceat AUS, meeting with numerous faculty and administrators as part of the development of his research project on Islam and democracy. 

Before the lecture, Dr. Mozaffar spoke to two international studiesclasses at the AUS College of Arts and Sciences.

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About AUS
American University of Sharjah (AUS) was founded in 1997 by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The university was envisaged by His Highness as a leading educational institution in the Gulf region. Located in University City, Sharjah, AUS is a not-for-profit, independent, institution of higher education formed on the American model.

It offers 25 majors and 52 minors at the undergraduate level, and 14 master's degrees through the College of Architecture, Art and Design; the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Engineering; and the School of Business and Management. These programs are designed to meet the challenges of a competitive and dynamic business and industrial environment.

As a provider of quality higher education in the Gulf, AUS has full approval in the United States by the Department of Education of the State of Delaware. It is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. AUS is also accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and all undergraduate and graduate programs are recognized by the ministry. All six of the bachelor's degree programs in the AUS College of Engineering are accredited by ABET, http://www.abet.org, of the United States. The Bachelor of Architecture program of the College of Architecture, Art and Design is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) of the United States. The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) as well as the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degrees offered by the School of Business and Management are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

For more information, please contact:
Nazzal Yousef
Director of Media Relations
+971 6 515 2157
nyousuf@aus.edu

© Press Release 2012