The Booklist and Rationale

The main focus of the colloquium is a discussion of the works on the student's book list. This list consists of twenty to twenty-five books, representing several academic disciplines and historical periods, related to the theme or themes described in the rationale--- a three-to-five page paper that describes the main theme or themes you plan to talk about in the colloquium. The rationale also refers to several of the books on the book list. Usually these are books you have read in your courses, but you may also read some of the books on your own.

Book List

As you put together your list, you should think about the books that have had a significant impact on your thinking, and the books that were important to your classroom work. Most important, you should talk both to your adviser and other members of the faculty about books that may be relevant to the topics you plan to discuss in your colloquium.

The books should be of high quality-the kind of books you read in your courses-but they do not have to be part of a recognized canon of "great books." Avoid pop fiction, how-to manuals, self-help books, and textbooks unless you plan to engage critically with these genres.

Book list forms are available at the Gallatin offices on the 5th and 8th floors of 715 Broadway and can also be downloaded as a PDF file. Students should use this form to prepare their bibliographies. The book list should consist of twenty to twenty-five books, arranged according to the following four sections:

  1. Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Classics
    At least seven works written before the mid-1600s;
  2. Modernity-The Humanities
    At least four works, written after the mid-1600s, in Humanities disciplines such as Literature, Philosophy, History, the Arts, Critical Theory, and Religion;
  3. Modernity-The Social and Natural Sciences
    At least four non-fiction works, written after the mid-1600s, in the Natural Sciences and Social Science disciplines such as Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology.
  4. Area of Concentration
    At least five works representing the student's area or areas of concentration; students whose area of concentration already appears among the above categories may simply choose five additional works from these categories.

    5. Suggested Authors

    Rationale and Book List form

Rationale

Students are required to submit a three-to-five page rationale (typed and double spaced) about the topic or topics they plan to discuss in the colloquium. The rationale may focus on a central theme that unifies the entire book list, or it can discuss several different themes. In describing the main theme or themes you plan to talk about in the colloquium, the rationale should refer to several of the books on the book list, particularly those that may not be very well known. It can also include a discussion of your intellectual development, area of concentration, internships, independent studies, courses, and extracurricular projects, but the rationale should place primary focus on explaining the topics you want to discuss in the colloquium.

Colloquium title

Students may have their colloquium topic printed on their official NYU transcript. The title should accurately reflect the theme of the colloquium and should be no more than 40 characters. The adviser must approve the student's choice of title. Students may also choose not to have the title printed on the transcript, but they will not be able to change their minds later.