Please email global.academics@nyu.edu if you have questions about the curriculum.
Please review the NYU Washington, DC Registration Guidelines for important information before registering for classes.
A list of all courses offered at the Global Academic Centers, organized by department, can be found here.
An introduction to the area of financial accounting. Encompasses accounting concepts from the point of view of the corporate investor and business management. Accounting procedures are discussed to facilitate the comprehension of the recording, summarizing, and reporting of business transactions. The basic principles of asset valuation and revenue and cost recognition are presented. Various asset, liability, and capital accounts are studied in detail with emphasis on an analytical and interpretive approach. The area of financial accounting is further analyzed through a discussion of the concepts and underlying financial statement analysis and the exposition of funds flow.
This course is not open to NYU Stern students.
Prerequisite: Economic Principles I & II (ECON-UA 1 & ECON-UA 2) or equivalents
This course focuses on international trade in goods, services, and capital. It serves as an introduction to international economic issues and as preparation for the department’s more advanced course. The issues discussed include gains from trade and their distribution; analysis of protectionism; strategic trade barriers; the trade deficit; exchange rate determination and government intervention in foreign exchange markets.
Prerequisite: Economic Principles I & II (ECON-UA 1 & ECON-UA 2) or equivalents
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.
Note: Students can also satisfy Environmental Studies major requirements through the Internship Seminar & Fieldwork course.
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.
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.
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 a minimum of 10 hours/ week in their internships to earn course credit. NYU Washington, DC advises that students pursue no more than 20 hrs/ week in internship committments. If students elect to participate in an internship that exceeds the recommended number of hours, they may be advised to reduce their academic courseload. Students are highly encouraged to consult NYU Washington DC staff for assistance with these decisions.
In the 21st century, perhaps no bilateral relationship is more important than that between the People’s Republic of China and the United States. How this relationship between the globe’s sole superpower and a rapidly emerging contender evolves not only will affect their state-to-state interactions but also will affect the daily lives of their citizens, the nations of the Asia-Pacific region, and, inevitably, will have global repercussions. To understand and fully appreciate the current status of US-PRC relations, and in order to envision the possible course this relationship might follow, an examination of their past interactions is necessary. To provide such a foundation, this course will survey major trends, policies, and events that played a role in shaping the Sino-American path to the present and will continue to influence the path to the future.
The format of the course will be discussion. Each week, the class will begin with a general review of the historical context of the period being examined, followed by a student-led discussion of the week’s assigned readings.
This course will examine everything in the American Constitution except for its guarantee of individual rights, such as those enumerated in the Bill of Rights. In studying the governmental powers created and limited by the American Constitution, the course will be broken into three parts, with each section covering one of the three branches of the American political system – the judicial, legislative, and executive branches. The course will reveal the particular ways our understanding of each branch’s powers have constituted, and been constituted by, American practices of constitutional democracy. Our studies will also have a philosophical component, in exploring the fundamental nature of law and what it means for law to bind political actors. In addition, the course will have a distinctly legal dimension, drawing from Supreme Court opinions to illuminate how constitutional controversies are adjudicated. Through the course, therefore, students will come to see the political, philosophical, and legal features of American constitutional law, and the deep connections between among these components.
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 a minimum of 10 hours/ week in their internships to earn course credit. NYU Washington, DC advises that students pursue no more than 20 hrs/ week in internship committments. If students elect to participate in an internship that exceeds the recommended number of hours, they may be advised to reduce their academic courseload. Students are highly encouraged to consult NYU Washington DC staff for assistance with these decisions.
This will be a hands-on course examining the idea of truth and spin in Washington D.C., politics, governance, journalism, science and society. It will be part overview and lecture on topics central to the course and part active reporting and writing. Spin is the Washington art of taking something and making it seem truth-y even when it’s not quite factual. This is a user’s guide for reporters and non-journalists alike. How to spot and dodge the misleading, the incomplete truth, along with the history and reasoning behind manipulation of facts. Advice from those who practice spin and those who successfully avoid it and what it’s like to be stuck as a victim of spin. 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 and how it is all spun.
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.
This course will examine everything in the American Constitution except for its guarantee of individual rights, such as those enumerated in the Bill of Rights. In studying the governmental powers created and limited by the American Constitution, the course will be broken into three parts, with each section covering one of the three branches of the American political system – the judicial, legislative, and executive branches. The course will reveal the particular ways our understanding of each branch’s powers have constituted, and been constituted by, American practices of constitutional democracy. Our studies will also have a philosophical component, in exploring the fundamental nature of law and what it means for law to bind political actors. In addition, the course will have a distinctly legal dimension, drawing from Supreme Court opinions to illuminate how constitutional controversies are adjudicated. Through the course, therefore, students will come to see the political, philosophical, and legal features of American constitutional law, and the deep connections between among these components.
The goal of this course is to understand the factors that shape campaign strategy and how
campaigns influence and persuade voters through advertising. The course will combine
theory and practice, and will examine case studies from both domestic and international
campaigns. Through presentations and a multi-media framework, we will examine campaign
strategy and media in practice and the key factors and events, like debates, that are part of a
successful strategy and campaign that moves voters.
The format of the course will be multi-dimensional including lectures, discussions, interactive
activities, documentary films, television commercials, insider campaign video, and other
media sources. The instructor will use a keynote presentation format to review the material
and present video clips and commercials to lead and inform class discussions.
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.
Priority: September 15
Regular: October 15
Applications received after October 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.
