Preparing for the Colloquium
It is never too early to begin thinking about the colloquium. As you work through the process of defining your concentration, your colloquium topic should start to become clearer. When choosing courses, you should keep in mind the general requirements of the book list; you will need to select texts representing a variety of disciplines and historical periods. If you have an idea of what your colloquium topic will be, you might think of ways to develop that topic in papers for your courses. In preparing for the colloquium, you may find it helpful to think of yourself as a Gallatin teacher designing an interdisciplinary course. Your book list is like the reading list for the course, and the rationale is like the course description. The faculty committee plays the role of students-and, like all good students, they will ask tough, thought-provoking questions. Although preparing for the colloquium is essentially a solitary activity of reading and studying, there are several ways you can make it a more collaborative process involving your adviser, your teachers, and other students. All of these activities are optional: you should prepare for the colloquium in the ways that work best for you.
Role of Your Adviser
Conversations you have with your adviser are an important part of your education, and an important part of preparing for the colloquium itself. Your adviser must approve your book list and rationale, so he or she will play an important role in helping you prepare the list and write the rationale. Your adviser can explain the procedures for the colloquium, help you focus on unifying themes, make suggestions for your book list, and offer helpful advice as you write your rationale. Your adviser will also play a significant part in the colloquium itself as one of the committee members.
Other Ways to Prepare
- A Gallatin Interdisciplinary Seminar:
- Consulting with Your Teachers
- Independent Study
- Study Group
All of the Gallatin interdisciplinary courses can help you prepare for the colloquium by providing books for the book list, but if you are taking a particular course that is relevant to your colloquium topic(s), you may ask the instructor to allow you to incorporate writing the rationale into the course assignments.
You should feel free to consult with any member of the Gallatin faculty or any of your NYU professors. They can help by suggesting books, commenting on your rationale, and discussing the ideas you want to explore in the colloquium.
Some students choose to design an independent study around their colloquium topic(s); usually such projects are for two to four credits, depending on the number of books and writing assignments. You may work on such an independent study with your adviser or another NYU faculty member, so long as the instructor has sufficient expertise on the themes and the books you want to include in the independent study.
Some students have found that one of the most effective ways to prepare for the colloquium is by forming a study group with other students.
