Students choose to begin Global Liberal Studies in New York, or at NYU in Florence, London, or Paris.* During the freshman year, students examine the world’s major cultural traditions and the ways in which they are connected through eight core courses: Writing I and II; Cultural Foundations I and II; Social Foundations I and II; Global Cultures and a laboratory science course.  Students participate in small, in-class discussions that encourage them to think in new and different ways. Students advance their communication and writing skills, which are emphasized in all courses.

*GLS’s programs abroad fit in seamlessly with the academic program at Washington Square so that course requirements are met on time for graduation in four years.

GLS Freshmen may choose to spend a year living and studying at La Pietra, NYU’s breathtaking 57-acre estate in Florence, Italy. Sir Harold Acton, a patron of the arts, bequeathed the amazing property that overlooks the city from a hillside to the University in 1994. On the grounds are five villas, containing residences for students and faculty, classrooms, computer labs, study lounges, and dining and exercise facilities. Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, is a unique place in which to begin a humanistic education, and the experience of living and learning in Italy is an exciting way to start an undergraduate degree program. La Pietra is the home of a major international student community. Students from all over the world and from NYU’s campus in New York are engaged in learning at all levels. The academic program in Florence includes visits to many important museums and historic sites in the region.

As a world capital of banking, insurance, commerce, design, and theatre, London is a cosmopolitan city, home to institutions of global importance, including the London Stock Exchange, the Tate Modern, and the British Museum. GLS Freshmen who select the London program have the opportunity to begin their liberal arts education while exploring the city’s centuries-old historic landmarks and its contemporary wonders.

Incoming freshmen to the Global Liberal Studies Program have the  opportunity to study at NYU in Paris. Known as the City of Light, Paris is one of the most captivating cities in Europe. The Eiffel Tower, the symbol of the city, dominates the skyline. On the north bank of the Seine, the Right Bank (Rive Droite) is home to monumental buildings, grand boulevards, and major museums, including the Louvre, Beaubourg, and the Centre Georges Pompidou. The Left Bank (Rive Gauche) evokes a Bohemian and intellectual atmosphere with its artist communities, cafés, restaurants, jazz clubs, and hip boutiques.

In the sophomore year, students pursue the study of world culture. In Cultural and Social Foundations III, students continue their foundation courses and advance to Twentieth Century great works. In their sophomore seminars, students learn sophisticated methods of cultural analysis and explore issues facing a particular sector of the globe.  The seminars are discussion-based, writing intensive, and interdisciplinary, and require the completion of a significant research project.  In addition to the seminars, sophomores also take a second science course, advisor-approved elective, an intensive language course in preparation for the junior year of international study, and a Quantitative Reasoning course.

GLS has a language study requirement as well as a language proficiency requirement. Students must both attain proficiency through at least the intermediate level and study in the language of their junior year site during each semester at the site; in addition, students must have proficiency through the beginning level (normally courses I/II in a sequence, which may be taught in a single intensive semester) before studying at an international site. Thus, a student who does not speak the language of the junior year site host country will be expected to take at least one semester of the appropriate intensive language course before the junior year; one year of the language if it is not offered in intensive format. But regardless of the level of prior fluency, study of the site language must continue in each semester of the junior year as well. Students who already have some level of proficiency in the language of the junior year site will take a placement test and either continue language study at a higher level (for example, in an advanced grammar class and one conversation class) or take one higher level language instruction class and one class taught in the language of the host country. Student who already have advanced or near-native proficiency will take two classes during the junior year taught in the language of the host country. Fluency is established by testing out of the intermediate level (normally, level IV) in the language department's placement test.

Junior Year promotes active engagement with the culture of the international site;
•    training in methods of site-specific cultural observation; and
•    an important site-based complement to the spring online Junior Independent Research Seminar (“Junior Seminar”) that prepares students to undertake the senior thesis or project.

These goals will be met holistically in three classes:  Experiential Learning I in the fall; and Experiential Learning II and the Junior Seminar in the spring.  The experiential learning sequence in toto is expected to meet the same broad objectives for GLS students at all of the global sites.  However, each international site is in some ways unique in its character and, thus, the means by which any particular site will meet the expectations identified for GLS Experiential Learning will differ.  Whatever the local instantiation, students will have independent opportunities to pursue community-based participation and their particular research interests, while producing a substantial independent research essay for the Junior Seminar.

The senior year provides students with both appropriate course work and opportunities for guided independent research and writing as part of the thesis project.  The senior year consists of four major elements: the Senior Thesis; Senior Colloquia that emphasize great works related to the thesis topic; Capstone Seminars that use a selection of great works drawn from both traditional and modern global canons to provide a coherent overview of the four years of the program; and Electives specially chosen to complement each student’s individual program and career goals.  Students will also have the chance to represent their educational achievements in an innovative and reflective electronic format that they can maintain throughout their four years in the Global Liberal Studies program and then take with them when they graduate.

Throughout each student’s academic career, a distinct thread will emerge based largely on where she has chosen to study abroad. The senior year thesis requires in-depth exploration of a subject that is related to both international study and to the body of work already completed in the program. Faculty work closely with each student to integrate all the major elements of the senior year, ensuring an educational experience uniquely tailored to the individual student’s needs and interests. Senior electives may include upper-level courses in the College of Arts and Science, including courses that are cross-listed with the Graduate School of Arts and Science.