Courses - Fall 2012

Professor Lori Maynard

Fundamental principles of grammar & syntax, a basic vocabulary, & conventions of conversational discourse in the deaf community. Emphasis is placed on developing the visual perception skills critical to understanding ASL. Taught in a visual-manual method using no spoken English.

Sample Syllabus

Prerequisite: Economic Principles I & II (ECON-UA 1 & ECON-UA 2) or equivalents

Professor Mike Tae
This course will examine the global financial crisis of 2007-2009, including the hypotheses underlying the origins and propagation of the crisis, and the policy responses that occurred along a variety of dimensions. Topics covered will range from the role of financial institutions (banking and shadow banking) and capital markets, overview of emergency measures taken including monetary and fiscal policy, and regulatory reform both domestic and abroad.

The course will be a combination of lecture, discussion and special meetings with outside participants who have played a role in the financial crisis and policy response.

Sample Syllabus

Prerequisite: Intermediate Microeconomics (ECON-UA 10 or ECON-UA 11.)

Professor Mike Tae

This course examines the role of the public sector in the economy. The aim of the course is to provide an understanding of the reasons for government intervention in the economy, the extent of that intervention, how government actions affect the economy including the response of private agents to these actions, and how the government finances its operations through taxation.

The course will be a combination of lecture, discussion and special meetings with outside participants who have play a role in finance and policy response in Washington, DC.

Sample Syllabus

Professor Seth Borenstein

This will be a hands-on course examining the role of journalism in society and Washington, DC in particular. It will be part overview and lecture on topics central to the course and part active reporting and writing. To take advantage of the unique Washington location and distinct attitude in the city, students will participate in press conferences and go to public hearings on Capitol Hill in reporting roles and then write news-style articles. Invited guest speakers are from NASA, NOAA, the White House Office of Science Technology and Policy, environmental activist groups, energy lobbyists and Washington media. The intersection of the media with science, politics and economics on the issue of global warming will be a focal point of this course.

Sample Syllabus

Professor Wendy Grossman

With its vast array of institutions dedicated to distinct cultural groupings and its formation inextricably linked to the halls of power, the museum culture in our nation'€™s capitol is uniquely Washington D.C. Taking advantage of behind-the-scenes access to some of the most prestigious museums in the world and their staff, students will explore various approaches to interpreting art and develop tools for appreciating their aesthetic experiences. We will also look critically at the ways in which museums - €”through their policies, programs, exhibitions, and architecture - €”can define regional or national values, shape cultural attitudes, inform social and political views, and even effect one's understanding of the meaning of a work of art.

Starting our class at The Phillips Collection, America'€™s first museum of modern art, we will visit other pioneering private and public museums both old and new. At each stop, we will have the opportunity to meet with staff members actively involved in different activities in that museum. We will explore the art, learn about the inner workings of the exhibition process, and investigate the diverse educational missions these museums fulfill. Against the backdrop of the Capitol Building where legislation is made influencing museums on the National Mall and beyond, we will examine the political sides of this cultural history and the unusual array of institutions that have been legislated into existence, specifically museums dedicated to defined constituencies such as women, Native Americans, and African Americans.

The goals of this course are: 1) to expose students to varied methodologies of art interpretation with the aim of developing a critical command of the tools for understanding and appreciating the art on display; 2) to encourage students to engage critically with primary artifacts from diverse cultures and reflect on the manner in which they are presented in different museum contexts; 3) to provide students with opportunities for studying the historical and changing notion of the museum and the role these institutions play in our society in the construction of national and cultural identity; 4) for students to learn to navigate with confidence and critical insight through the museum landscape in D.C. 5) for students to develop and demonstrate increasingly sophisticated expertise in critical reading and writing about the issues explored throughout the semester.

Sample Syllabus

Can also be counted for SCA-UA Internship credit (government and non-profit placements only)

The seminar is designed to complement the internship fieldwork experience. In it we explore many different aspects of your internship site. The goal is to finish the semester with an in-depth understanding of the company or organization, including its approach, its policies, and the context in which it operates. We will also discuss more generally the state of the contemporary workplace and ourselves as workers. Finally, you will use the seminar to reflect critically and analytically on the internship experience and as a way to refine your own personal and professional goals.

Please note: Students who secure an internship through or with the assistance of NYU Washington, DC must confirm their spot in the program and enroll in the internship class in order to accept the internship. Students are required to pursue 20 hours/ week in their internships to earn course credit. NYU Washington, DC advises that students pursue ~20 hrs/ week in internship committments. Students may engage in more than 20 hours at their internship placements, but should be fully aware of their time commitments to other courses and activities when considering a more demanding internship schedule; Students are highly encouraged to consult NYU Washington DC staff for assistance with these decisions.

Sample Syllabus

Professor Dan Vergano

The Beat is a second level reporting class, designed to sharpen the student’s ability to identify a good story, report it out fully and write it well across genres. This course will cover the fundamentals of writing feature science-focused articles for newspapers or magazines, although much of what will be taught applicable to other types of storytelling and to different media.

The class format will center on talks, discussion and in-class editing focused on how to craft a good story — how to come up with ideas, how to research and report the piece, how to source an article, and how to write well. We will analyze articles from magazines and newspapers and learn what makes them work or not. We will edit each other in-class and a series of in-class quizzes/assignments will test whether class concepts are understood.

Sample Syllabus

Professor Seth Borenstein

This will be a hands-on course examining the role of journalism in society and Washington, DC in particular. It will be part overview and lecture on topics central to the course and part active reporting and writing. To take advantage of the unique Washington location and distinct attitude in the city, students will participate in press conferences and go to public hearings on Capitol Hill in reporting roles and then write news-style articles. Invited guest speakers are from NASA, NOAA, the White House Office of Science Technology and Policy, environmental activist groups, energy lobbyists and Washington media. The intersection of the media with science, politics and economics on the issue of global warming will be a focal point of this course.

Sample Syllabus

Victoria Kiechel

For the first time in world history, the number of people living in urban areas exceeds the number of people living in rural areas. In acknowledging the urgent demands of our urban present and future, this course examines the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of contemporary cities. Because projections show that most population growth will continue to take place in and around cities, this course makes the case for sustainable development as a way to mitigate the impacts of human growth. We will explore what is, and what could be, by discussing these themes: urban sprawl, slums and slum typology, green urban planning, air and water quality, new paradigms for energy/water/waste infrastructure, green building, sustainable materials, and whole systems design. We will consider how to measure sustainability and discuss the effectiveness of sustainability indicators. We will examine governance structures, social entrepreneurship, and the power of information technology and social networks in promoting sustainable development and the diffusion of ideas. We will also highlight the transformative role of art and culture in our sustainable urban future.

Sample Syllabus

Professor Steve McMahon

This class will examine the origins of public opinion research, the impact it has on news coverage, political campaigns, public discourse, elected officials, and in many cases, public policy outcomes. You will learn how to read, analyze, and critically-evaluate public opinion research; you will learn about “leading” and “trailing” research indicators; and you will learn why “character” attributes often matter more than “performance” attributes and issue position. You will see how political campaigns, lobbyists, public relations professionals and others leverage public opinion to impact perceptions and political, policy and business outcomes. And because this course is being taught in the nation’s capital, where politics and policy converge--and against the backdrop of a close and hard-fought presidential campaign—we will also hear from political professionals from both political parties, congressional staffers, and journalists, who will share their insights about how they apply public opinion research to conduct campaigns, shape policy, report the news, or address business challenges.

There is an existing and established core reading list for this course, which we will use as the foundational reading for the course. Each week’s lecture topic will cover the assigned reading topics and apply them to real-life examples, so that they can be more easily and clearly understood. Young people often tell me how much they enjoy politics, and sometimes ask whether it’s possible for them to make a career doing politics, and what is the best way to make it happen. If you are one of those young people, this course is designed to help show you how to do it.

Classes will begin with a discussion of the reading assignment, and how it might apply to a specific aspect of public opinion research. Following the discussion on the core materials, we will analyze and discuss a political or issue poll (including tracking and other polling from the previous week, since this is the campaign season and there will be many public opinion research instruments released during the semester), and/or a guest lecturer, who could be a public opinion researcher, a campaign operative, a congressional or committee staffer, or a member of the national news media who covers campaigns.

Sample Syllabus

Daniella Fridl, PhD

Health care now constitutes almost 15% of the U.S. economy. The broad range of issues involving health care and health care delivery are at the center of national and local policy debates: Disparities in access and outcomes for vulnerable populations; right to control decisions about treatment and about dying; medical malpractice; the adequacy of the evidence base underlying medical decisions; the pharmaceutical industry and its role in health care and politics; the impact of an aging population; and coping with accelerating health cost.

This course is an introduction for undergraduate students to the major policy issues affecting health care and examines the role of government in the health care system. An important focus of the course is an assessment of the role of policy analysis in the formation and implementation of national and local health policy. Because much of government health policy relates to or is implemented through payment systems, several sessions involve some discussion of the policy implications of how government pays for care. The role of the legal system with respect to adverse medical outcomes, economic rights, and individual rights is also discussed. Proposals for health policy reform at the national and local level are examined throughout the course, with an emphasis on Medicare and Medicaid reforms currently being implemented or considered.

Sample Syllabus

Daniella Fridl, PhD

Health care now constitutes almost 15% of the U.S. economy. The broad range of issues involving health care and health care delivery are at the center of national and local policy debates: Disparities in access and outcomes for vulnerable populations; right to control decisions about treatment and about dying; medical malpractice; the adequacy of the evidence base underlying medical decisions; the pharmaceutical industry and its role in health care and politics; the impact of an aging population; and coping with accelerating health cost.

This course is an introduction for undergraduate students to the major policy issues affecting health care and examines the role of government in the health care system. An important focus of the course is an assessment of the role of policy analysis in the formation and implementation of national and local health policy. Because much of government health policy relates to or is implemented through payment systems, several sessions involve some discussion of the policy implications of how government pays for care. The role of the legal system with respect to adverse medical outcomes, economic rights, and individual rights is also discussed. Proposals for health policy reform at the national and local level are examined throughout the course, with an emphasis on Medicare and Medicaid reforms currently being implemented or considered.

Sample Syllabus