Please note that all course offerings are subject to change. Changes in faculty availability and student enrollment can occasionally result in course cancellations.
A list of all courses offered at the Global Academic Centers, organized by department, can be found here.
Guidelines and Requirements
Wait-listing? Don't Forget to SWAP!!!!
Please be aware that being on the wait list for a class does not guarantee you a spot in the class. Students can’t attend wait listed classes. It’s your responsibility to check your status via Albert.
Albert allows you to wait list for several classes at a time, including those that meet at the same time as a course you are currently enrolled in. However, in order to be enrolled off a wait list you MUST use the SWAP function. For more information on using the SWAP function, please view pages 10-12 of the NYU Registrar’s Albert Registration Help Guide.
Please note that Albert WILL NOT enroll you in more than 18 units without prior approval. This means that unless you told the system to swap your wait listed course for an enrolled course (by using the SWAP function), you will not be enrolled in the wait listed class despite it being your turn to roll in off of the wait list.
Even if you have space in your schedule (e.g. you are enrolled in 14 units and on the wait list for a 4 units course), the system will not enroll you in a course if you have a time conflict. The system will move further down the wait list until it finds a wait listed student that it can enroll in the open spot in the class.
When do I register for classes?
How do I register?
All students register for courses using Albert (NYU’s Student Information System). Albert can be accessed through NYU Home, or by going directly to Albert.nyu.edu. When using the Albert course search – accessed via the student center on Albert or by going directly to albert.nyu.edu/course-search – find your program’s courses by selecting the appropriate term and your site from the drop down to the right under Study Away Programs. Not sure how to use Albert? View the NYU Registrar’s Student Help guide here.
All students are required to take a Chinese language for graded credit. (This course cannot be taken Pass/Fail).
Prof. TBA
Chinese language at first-year level. Designed to develop language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing as it relates to everyday life situations. Objectives are: to master the Chinese phonetic system (pinyin and tones) with satisfactory pronunciation; to understand the construction of commonly used Chinese characters (both simplified and traditional) and learn to write them correctly; to understand and use correctly basic Chinese grammar and sentence structures; to build up essential vocabulary; to read and write level-appropriate passages (100 to 150 characters long).
Prof. TBA
Continuation of Chinese language at first-year level. Objectives are: to continue mastering the Chinese phonetic system (pinyin and tones); to become further familiar with the construction of commonly used Chinese characters (both simplified and traditional); to understand and use correctly basic Chinese grammar and sentence structures; to continue building up essential vocabulary; to read and write level-appropriate passages (150 to 200 characters long).
Prof. TBA
Chinese language at second-year level. Designed to consolidate and develop overall aural-oral proficiency. Objectives are: to obtain information from more extended conversation; to express and expound on, at greater length, feelings and opinions on common topics; to develop vocabulary needed to discuss common topics and begin learning to decipher meaning of compound words; to develop reading comprehension of more extended narrative and expository passages; to write at greater length (200 to 250 characters long) personal narratives, informational narratives, and comparison and discussion of viewpoints with level-appropriate vocabulary and grammatical accuracy, as well as basic syntactical cohesion.
Prof. TBA
Continuation of Chinese language at second-year level. Designed to continue consolidating and developing overall aural-oral proficiency, gradually focusing more on semi-formal or formal linguistic expressions. Objectives are: to further develop competence in obtaining information from more extended conversation; to express and expound on, at more extended length, feelings and opinions on socio-culturally flavored topics; to develop more specialized vocabulary needed to discuss these topics; to improve ability to decipher meaning of compound words; to further develop reading comprehension of extended narrative, expository, and simple argumentative passages; to learn to solve syntactical problems independently; to write at greater length (250 to 300 characters long) informational narratives and expository and simple argumentative passages with level-appropriate vocabulary and grammatical accuracy, as well as with basic syntactical cohesion.
Prof. TBA
Chinese language at third-year level. Designed to further consolidate and develop overall language proficiency through studying articles on socio-cultural topics relevant to today’s China. Objectives are: to learn to apply formal linguistic expressions in speaking and writing; to acquire specialized vocabulary and patterns necessary for conducting formal discussions of socio-cultural topics; to develop reading comprehension of texts with more advanced syntax; to learn to make context-based guesses about the meanings of new words; to further enhance ability to analyze as well as produce sentences with more complex syntactical features; to learn to write expository and argumentative passages at greater length; to learn to employ basic rhetorical devices in writing.
Prof. TBA
Continuation of Chinese language at third-year level. Designed to further enhance oral and written communicative competence using formal linguistic expressions; to further expand specialized vocabulary and patterns necessary for conducting formal discussions of socio-cultural topics relevant to today’s China; to further improve reading comprehension of texts with more advanced syntax; to further develop competence in making context-based guesses about the meaning of new words; to further enhance ability to analyze as well as produce sentences with more complex syntactical features; to further improve ability to write expository and argumentative passages at greater length; to improve ability to effectively employ basic rhetoric devices in writing.
This course is designed for students who have Chinese-speaking background and who can understand and speak conversational Chinese related to daily life situations. It aims to develop students' correct pronunciation, grammatical accuracy and overall competence in reading and writing.
Professor Francesca Tarocco
The contemporary art scene in China has fast over the past three decades. The massive political, economic, and social changes the country has undergone since the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976 have dramatically altered the country’s cultural landscape. In this seminar course, the course will survey the main development areas in Chinese contemporary art from the end of the 1920s to the present day. Dedicated to responding to the new textures of China’s metropolitan culture, it will look at the relationship between visual arts, new media, architecture, and performance in the mega-city of Shanghai, often regarded as the cradle of Chinese modernity. The class will be complemented by guest lectures and visits to public museums, galleries and artists’ studios in and around Shanghai. Students will have the opportunity to meet leading figures from the art world in China as well as the international art community, including artists, museum directors, curators, art critics, and art dealers.
Professor Jian-Jun Zhang
Students will work with traditional and digital photographic practices to engage with the people, art, and traditions of China. The class will include field trips to museums, galleries and studios, allowing students to interact with outstanding local photographers, media based artists, and the city's creative community. Assigned readings will help students understand the historical and theoretical context of photographic work, and deepen the meaning of critiques and discussions. Experimentation will be encouraged, and students will respond to the experiences, ideas, and influences they encounter abroad through the work they create. Projects may range from classical photographs to digital prints, performance, and installation.
Professor Frank Mulligan
In this course, students learn how to increase their communication effectiveness for business and professional goals. During the semester, students focus on the strategic implications of communication for modern organizations. A variety of assignments are given to stress the following communication competencies: written, spoken and nonverbal communication basics for business; effective team communication strategies; informative, persuasive and collaborative presentations; communication techniques for required junior and senior year projects. Students regularly receive personal feedback about their writing and their oral presentations from instructors and staff.
Professor Raymond Ro
Every professional business person must be aware of how legal systems work and effect business decisions. Furthermore, the interaction between Law and Business is multidimensional involving international, ethical, and technological considerations. In this course, students examine how key areas of business law, including contracts, torts, and business organizations, influence the structure of domestic and international business relationships. Students actively participate in legal studies designed to enhance business skills such as analytical thinking, written communication, oral presentation, conflict resolution, and team work problem-solving.
Professor Jack Marr
This course explores the field of marketing by introducing and developing central concepts and philosophies of marketing, and exploring the relationship of marketing with other business disciplines. Keeping in mind the perspectives of both producer and consumer, the course examines the planning required for the efficient use of marketing tools in the development and expansion of markets. The course concentrates on the principles, functions, and tools of marketing, including quantitative methods. Ethical issues in marketing are also addressed. In addition to lecture, the course uses case studies and student projects as methods for student learning.
Professor Frank Mulligan
This course investigates the nature, functions, and responsibilities of the management of organizations. The course develops an analytical approach to the identification, structuring, analysis, and solution of organizational problems, and introduces students to organizational policies and structures, functional areas, and production processes (including resource allocation, measurement and evaluation, and control), leadership style, and organizational adaptation and evolution. Teaching methodologies include lectures, case analysis and class discussion.
Prerequisites: STAT-UB 103 Statistics for Business Control and Regression/Forecasting Analysis (also accepted: ECON-UA 18, ECON-UA 20, or BOTH STAT-UB 1 and STAT-UB 3)
Professor Guohua Wan
Designed to give students a better understanding of how firms can gain competitive advantage from their operations function. Typically this requires the firm to achieve, at a minimum, cost, quality, and ecological parity; responsiveness and adaptability to customer needs and desires; rapid time to market; process technology leadership; and sufficient and responsive capacity. A problem-solving framework is developed that enables students to undertake managerial and technical analysis that should result in the desired comparative advantage. Both service and manufacturing case examples are utilized.
Professor Xu Mingqi
This course focuses on China’s political and economic development over the last century and a half with particular attention to the last 33 years, the so-called Reform Period. Our three primary objectives are to (1) understand the historical trajectory of China’s development path; (2) consider in what ways and to what degree the growth experiences of East Asia’s high-performing economies helped inform China’s economic policymakers decisions and shed light on the prospects for the long-term success of reforms in China; (3) assess the state of China’s contemporary political economy and the current role of the government in generating or inhibiting economic activity.
Professor David Perry
Shanghai is a city in radical flux, an historical East-West hybrid that is reinventing itself daily on an epic scale in the 21st century. Home now to some 18 million, counting the “floating population” of migrants, it is an easy place to “lose” oneself. Our exploration of Shanghai’s contemporary self-reinvention sets the scene for a visceral encounter with our rapidly changing world, selves, and places in it. If, like Shanghai, we reinvent ourselves in our season here—as writer, traveler, critic, perhaps even as cultural voyeur—what might we find? In this course, we will explore what it means to “lose” and then “find” oneself anew in this city—primarily as a writer, but also as a traveler from the West, an outsider inhabiting, and shifting among, different cultural identities. This investigation will bring us to look closely at Chinese and West¬ern writers’ works—fiction, creative nonfiction, travel writing, poetry, film and other genres—that use the city, and the experience of being “alien” or “other,” as a vital site of exploration of self, culture, identity and society.
Professor Shaoyi Sun
This course examines Chinese films in their social, cultural and political context. Spanning the history of Chinese film, from “Street Angel” to “Cell Phone,” this course traces the stylistic development of Chinese cinema, and the political and social movements that shaped film content and aesthetics as well as the structure of film production.
Prof. TBA
In this course we will select a number of critical issues in modern Chinese history to examine the political, social and cultural transformations of modern China. Topics of lectures include Confucianism and its modern fate, popular movements, the Great Leap Forward Movement, the role of Shanghai in modern China, Tiananmen Movement and the prospect of Chinese political reforms. The course will be approached through lectures, guest lectures, site visits, class discussions, and a number of small group projects.
Professor Dan Guttman
This course explores the environmental situation in China by examining both the very serious environmental challenges that China faces and the governance system(s) that exist in China for dealing with those challenges. In order to assess these challenges and systems, the course introduces a comparative dimension – looking at not only the Chinese system, but the American system as well, examining the environmental challenges and governance system of the United States, as well as the broader context within which China and the U.S. together constitute the two primary sources of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Is it possible to compare the American and Chinese systems? Can concepts of governance and assessment be translated between the two systems? What can China learn from the U.S.? What can America learn from China? Will the profound differences in our political and economic systems make environmental cooperation impossible, leading inevitably to conflict? Will globalization and technological innovation lead to healthy competition and cooperation to address common problems?
Professor Anna Greenspan
Enrollment by permission only. Application required. Visit the What's Next blog for admitted students for application information. Course includes weekly seminar and minimum of 10 hours fieldwork/ week at approved internship fieldsite.
Professor David Perry
Shanghai is a city in radical flux, an historical East-West hybrid that is reinventing itself daily on an epic scale in the 21st century. Home now to some 18 million, counting the “floating population” of migrants, it is an easy place to “lose” oneself. Our exploration of Shanghai’s contemporary self-reinvention sets the scene for a visceral encounter with our rapidly changing world, selves, and places in it. If, like Shanghai, we reinvent ourselves in our season here—as writer, traveler, critic, perhaps even as cultural voyeur—what might we find? In this course, we will explore what it means to “lose” and then “find” oneself anew in this city—primarily as a writer, but also as a traveler from the West, an outsider inhabiting, and shifting among, different cultural identities. This investigation will bring us to look closely at Chinese and West¬ern writers’ works—fiction, creative nonfiction, travel writing, poetry, film and other genres—that use the city, and the experience of being “alien” or “other,” as a vital site of exploration of self, culture, identity and society.
This course is open to Global Liberal Studies students only.
This course aims to complement and enhance the internship experience. Students will learn to critically examine their fieldwork in order to reflect upon what their particular, concrete experience reveals about life in contemporary Shanghai.
Prof. Jiang
In this course we will select a number of critical issues in modern Chinese history to examine the political, social and cultural transformations of modern China. Topics of lectures include Confucianism and its modern fate, popular movements, the Great Leap Forward Movement, the role of Shanghai in modern China, Tiananmen Movement and the prospect of Chinese political reforms. The course will be approached through lectures, guest lectures, site visits, class discussions, and a number of small group projects.
Professor Eric Ringmar
"Orientalism" is a concept made famous by Edward Said's book of the same name. What the concept refers to is, however, less clear. This course starts by looking at the debate initiated by Said's work, but goes quickly on to consider a long series of cases of European encounters with, and interpretations, of "the East." The material is roughly chronologically ordered: we start by following medieval European monks and merchants to China, study the rise of the idea of “Oriental despotism,” the fascination for tea and opium, the impact of chinoiserie and Chinese garden art in Europe, the British in India, and the impact of the Orient on European Romanticism. We conclude by two contemporary topics: the Orient as a site of spiritual experiences and as a place of sex tourism.
Professor Duncan Hewitt
This course will examine stories in their many different manifestations. Its objective is to give students a critical appreciation of how stories are told through different mediums and to serve different agendas – be it art or advertising, journalism or national history. Guest lecturers using real-world examples from different disciplines will play a significant role in helping students understand how stories are told. Students will be expected to produce stories of their own through mediums of their choosing.
Professor Dan Guttman
This course will study China’s governance in the context of America’s own governance system. We will consider how to compare American and Chinese governance systems, and whether and how concepts can be translated between them—so that the countries, and their citizens can learn from, and cooperate with, one another. In the process, we hope to learn about China, but also to reflect—in the light of 911 and Iraq-- more deeply on our own understanding of how American governance works—and how it is seen by the world.
Professor Duncan Hewitt
This course is designed to introduce contemporary media industries in China, involving print, broadcasting, film, PR, advertising, and new media. This course reviews the structures, functions, and influences of various forms of media industries. Practical media work is emphasized. Additionally, it analyzes existing issues on these media industries from historical, regulatory, social, and technological perspectives.
Professor Noni Bourne
Requires departmental approval prior to registration. Open only to NYU Media, Culture, & Communication students.
Professor Anna Greenspan
The main aim of this course is to facilitate a rich engagement with Shanghai. The underlying premise is that the city is a critical site of globalization. Rather than view globalization as an external force acting on Shanghai, this course aims instead to show how globalization is inherent in the city and that an investigation of the distinctive features of Shanghai -- from the abandoned factories now revived as creative clusters, to the lilong architecture, luxury malls and street peddlers -- sheds light on both the past and future of globalization.
Professor Anna Greenspan
Enrollment by permission only. Application required. Visit the What's Next blog for admitted students for application information. Course includes weekly seminar and minimum of 10 hours fieldwork/ week at approved internship fieldsite.
Professor Guoyou Song
This course combines two parts: (1) introduction to theories of international politics and, (2) their applications to the understanding of US-China relations. The first part examines competing approaches to international politics, explains their basic concepts and rationales, and evaluates their explanatory insights. The principal objective of this part is for students to develop an appreciation of the ways in which various theoretical perspectives lead to different understandings of the structures and practices of world politics. The second part offers students an advanced understanding of US-China relations, focusing on the post-Cold War period, with a special emphasis on issues of security, human rights and economy. This part is intended to provide the means for students to develop their own theoretically informed analyses of major issues in US-China relations, such us how China’s membership in the WTO affects American economy, including the quality of employment opportunities in the United States.
Professor Francesca Tarocco
This course is a survey of the major historical and contemporary currents of China's religious thought and practice, including Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism and “popular religion”. It will focus on the interactions between such teachings and practices, as well as on the contributions of all four to Chinese culture. You will study various topics including divination, visual culture, ritual, ancestor worship, morality, longevity techniques, healing practices and meditation. A selected number of primary and secondary sources will be discussed in each lecture; documentary films and visits to sacred spaces will be also key constituents of the course.
Professor Anna Greenspan
The main aim of this course is to facilitate a rich engagement with Shanghai. The underlying premise is that the city is a critical site of globalization. Rather than view globalization as an external force acting on Shanghai, this course aims instead to show how globalization is inherent in the city and that an investigation of the distinctive features of Shanghai -- from the abandoned factories now revived as creative clusters, to the lilong architecture, luxury malls and street peddlers -- sheds light on both the past and future of globalization.
Upcoming Application Deadlines
Priority: February 15
Regular: March 15
Applications received after March 15 will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Admission will be granted only when space is available and time allows for required travel documents to be attained.
