This is an introductory course on Astronomy which discusses the physical basis of our understanding of our place in the Cosmos.

The course will begin with the immediate surroundings to understand important questions about the phases of the moon, eclipses and how we use them to compute the distance scale of the solar system. It will then talk about the processes that power our sun and stars in general. The next step would be understanding the structure of the Universe as a whole, as we know it from astronomical observations.. An illuminating feature of this course is understanding the skies around us whose detailed observational study has informed our understanding of the Universe and some of its fundamental physical principles. The course will also take a historical tour of our understanding of Cosmology beginning with the Greek models. The clear night skies of Gilgit-Baltistan will offer us observational evidence of what we will study. We will attempt to photograph the night sky, understand Astrology (and why it has nothing to do with science), and focus our telescope on various objects in the solar system.

FACULTY

• Dr. Rizwan Khalid (LUMS)
• Dr. M Sabieh Anwar (LUMS) 
• Dr. Atarad Ali (UOBS)

COURSE OUTLINE

AST 104 - PHY 106 - The Universe Around Us

The planned experiential learning course will explore the business of hospitality and tourism in the context of the legal and constitutional status of Gilgit-Baltistan. 

This course aims to address legal issues in the tourism business and the environment to make tourism sustainable. It is divided into four themes: the legal and judicial structure of Gilgit-Baltistan, business law, tourism and hospitality law, and environmental issues. It will comprise numerous visits to courts, judges, bureaucracy, hotels, and tourist destinations to experience what locals experience in terms of hospitality, law, and environment. 

FACULTY

• Dr. Faiza Ismail (LUMS)
• Dr. Ibrahim Hussain (UOBS)

COURSE OUTLINE

GSL 212 - Law Tourism and Environment

The experiential learning course is an introduction to the key aspects of tourism that include a description and analysis of the tourism industry, its management across countries and the economic analysis, importance, and impact of tourism particularly with reference to Gilgit Baltistan.

This course will be covering the following topics: 

1. An overview of the tourism sector covering its global economic importance and impact at present. 
2. A description and analysis of the organisation and management of tourism in the public sector; 
3. This section will describe and analyse the various private sector industries and services which fall under tourism such as transportation, hospitality, travel agents and different types of tourist activities, sites, and attractions;
4. An analysis of the economics of tourism, policy, and planning. It will look at tourism policy and planning across both developed and developing countries, the environmental impact of tourism and sustainable eco-tourism. Focus will be given to tourism polices and strategies developed for the Gilgit-Baltistan region; 
5. The final section would be focused on methods of tourism research and tourism marketing. The course includes weekly site visits within the Skardu-Baltistan region. These site visits would be mandatory and form an integral part of the course. Students would be required to write a comprehensive field report (group project) of a selected site at the end of the course. 

FACULTY

• Dr. Syed Turab Hassan (LUMS)
• Ms. Shireen Waheed (LUMS) 
• Dr. Mir Alam  (UOBS)

COURSE OUTLINE

MGMT 282 - ECON 2402 -Tourism - Economics, Industry and Management

This experiential learning course has been developed iteratively through multiple executions with undergraduate students and built around frameworks to guide effective living.

The premise is that individuals vary in their attitudes, capacities, and ideologies; these unique preferences warrant a variety of frameworks for living fulfilled lives. Through multiple assignments and discussions on self reflection, the course will help students match a framework or combination of frameworks to their personality, and constraints. It is inspired by courses on wellness that are increasingly becoming a prominent feature of some of the best universities in the world. The orientation is practical, and strategic in nature. We will draw from the rich literature in management and positive psychology to address these questions at a plane that encourages action. Considering the nature of the course and geographical advantage we will try to have discussions in smaller groups in outdoor settings whenever possible.

FACULTY

• Dr. Adnan Zahid  (LUMS) 
• Ashfaque Ahmad Shah, PhD (UOBS)

COURSE OUTLINE

MGMT 373 - Personal Effectiveness

This course is an experiential learning course enabling the participants to understand and create digital marketing and sales channels across geographical boundaries.

The participants, working in teams, will be exposed to local business opportunities where they will collaborate with local entrepreneurs in developing and scaling up an e-commerce platform, opening gates to the world for produces from Pakistan. The course is designed to be a mix of in person sessions and field work to understand and implement the intricacies of digital selling, media engagement, pricing, and legal strategies for a global future.

FACULTY

• Dr. Aman Abid (LUMS)
• Dr. Suleman Shahid (LUMS) 
• Dr. Wajid Khan (UOBS)

COURSE OUTLINE

 MGMT 349 - E- Commerce

This course introduces students to energy sources for generating and harnessing electricity, demand and supply analysis, energy and storage technologies, basic energy economics, green loads, and lifecycle emissions analysis.

The course is divided into four modules: 

1. Energy Landscape Assessment of Gilgit-Baltistan communities;
2. Green Energy Resource Mapping and Provisioning; 
3. Load Assessment and Demand-side Management  
4. Energy Economics and Feasibility Analysis.

FACULTY

• Dr. Naveed Arshad (LUMS)
• Ms. Kiran Siraj (Post Doc) (LUMS) 
• Dr. Zakir Hussain Qamar  (UOBS)
• Dr. Munawar Abbas (UOBS)
• Dr. Mehdi Hassan (UOBS)

COURSE OUTLINE

ENGG 253 - Green Energy

The overarching theme of this course is to explore how life is organised; how living organisms develop through interaction with their healthy environment.

Students will be introduced to a wide range of topics from basics of molecular and cell biology to organismal development; they will also visualise life under the microscope from bacterial to higher eukaryotic cells isolated from the local environment. The course will comprise lectures, and fieldwork, culminating in weekly labs. Fieldwork will result in documentation of flora and fauna of the Baltistan region and health and nutritional information of local population. This will stimulate conversation and a voyage of discovery linked to how the environment around us contributes to our health, how diseases are developed and how treatments and remedies for various diseases can be found from the indigenous environment.

FACULTY

• Dr. Zaigham Shahzad (LUMS)
• Dr. Amir Faisal (LUMS)
• Dr. Alamdar Hussain (UOBS)
• Dr. Muhamamd Askari (UOBS)

COURSE OUTLINE

BIO 102 - Introduction to Life and Biosciences