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• First Year Residential Experience (FYRE) Explorations Communities 2009-2010
• Upperclass Explorations Communities 2009-2010
• First Year Residential Experience (FYRE) Explorations Communities 2008-2009
• Upperclass Explorations Communities 2008-2009

 

First Year Residential Experience (FYRE) Explorations Communities 2009-10

ACTION!

Brittany Residence Hall

Arts-Community-Transformation In One! New York City is the epicenter of the arts education movement in the United States, a movement focused on applying the arts to educate a wide audience about a myriad of topics. How do artists and social justice activists work together to transform communities, dispel ignorance, and promote change? Community members will examine this and other questions by attending performances and exhibitions, dialoguing with working artists and activists, and generating applied arts projects that relate to social justice issues facing the NYU community and the greater metropolitan area.

Big Apple, Big Screen

Third North Residence Hall

With filmmakers like Cassavetes, and NYU alumni Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee working its streets, New York City has developed a rich history in cinema, and it remains a capital of the big screen. Big Apple, Big Screen will feature visits to neighborhood cinemas all over Manhattan, from the Magic Johnson on 125th to the Screening Room in Tribeca, in the two-fold effort to keep current with cinema and current with New York City. Discussions about cinema in general­films in particular­will take place over dinners or double espressos. Students will plan and curate a Spring ’05 “Filmathon” for the NYU community.

Bohemians and Rebels

Weinstein Residence Hall

Greenwich Village has been home to many innovative writers, artists, musicians, and political rebels. Individuals such as Emma Goldman, Dylan Thomas, Jackson Pollock, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Allen Ginsburg, among many others, set themselves against the dominant cultural and political sensibilities of their time, yet they were able to influence broad audiences. In the past, this community has gone on walking tours of the Village, listened to the music of Dylan and the poetry of Ginsburg, and visited such institutions as the Village Vanguard and Blue Note jazz clubs, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, the Bleecker Street and Cherry Lane theaters, and local arts cinemas. This community will explore the bohemian side of Greenwich Village and encourage students to develop the rebel within.

Concrete Images

Weinstein Residence Hall

Take a bite out of the Big Apple by experiencing it through your artistic eye. From museum row to subway art, immerse yourself in the paintings, sculpture, and architecture of New York City. Students and faculty will take trips to museums, walk down historic streets and learn about New York’s artistic richness. Engage in powerful and diverse discussions with your peers about your perspective of the art world. Requirements for participation include an active interest in all aspects of art, architecture, and other forms of visual expression. Artistic talent is not required, however students will be encouraged to challenge themselves to discover how they and others choose to express their artistic passions.

Dead Poet's Society

Rubin Residence Hall

Attention Poets and Lovers of Verbal Art! In this community, you will explore the written word in (arguably) its most artistic form from its ancient days to our contemporary time. Write, read, share, enjoy, and critique poetry with your floormates, NYU faculty, your resident assistant, and other local poets. Visit local poetry slams at coffee shops, clubs, and other organizations with this tight-knit community. Meet some of NYC’s best poets as you work to continue developing your poetic voice in the city that attracts top artists!

F.A.M.E. –Featuring All Musical Endeavors

Brittany Residence Hall

Ever wonder what the Eagles meant by in a “New York Minute” or why the Beastie Boys crooned “No Sleep ‘till Brooklyn?” From rock to classical, New York City is the center for emerging musical talent. Whether you’re a cool cat, rock idol, or classicist, come and explore the evolution of musical dynamics, styles, and appreciation from concert halls to recording studios and historical venues. What musical craze will you discover? Emphasis will be placed not only on external sources of musical influence, but also on student expression and musical talent. All genres of music will be explored from Punk to Classical, Hip Hop to Reggae, and Rock to Jazz. From C.B.G.Bs to the Bluenote, to Carnegie Hall and MTV, explore the musical movements, examine emerging trends, and share your appreciation of music with others. No formal musical training is necessary to participate in this community, but residents should have an active interest in musical expression and appreciation and a desire to be challenged in expanding their musical preferences.

The Green Apple

12th Street Residence Hall

Do you feel strongly about environmental issues and have a commitment to finding ways to address them? In the Green Apple community participants will promote environmental awareness through education and outreach programs, learn how to live an eco-friendly lifestyle, and gain information on how they can protect the environment on the individual, national, and international level. Students will have the opportunity to explore ideas that surround sustainable living, gain knowledge about the environment and how to sustain it, and will focus on advancing and supporting NYU’s commitment to sustainability and “going green.”

Art, Culture and the City

Third North Residence Hall

What better way is there to explore and get to know New York City than through the Arts, utilizing NYC’s cultural richness to explore the foundations of art, literature, music, and culture. The events and activities in this community are designed to establish a three-way conversation between you, a member of the faculty, and the city’s vast cultural offerings. You will find yourself eating cannoli in Little Italy, discovering the art of the Far East at the Rubin Museum, enjoying an evening at the Met Opera with Madame Butterfly, and contemplating the value of life with Lear or Hamlet at the Harvey Theater in Brooklyn. Not only will this Explorations floor forge direct connections with what you are learning in the classroom but it will also establish friendships that will last you at least the rest of your time at NYU.

Arts, Culture and the City will complement the Liberal Studies Program’s Cultural Foundations Course.

Gotham

Weinstein Residence Hall

The name “Gotham” was first associated with Manhattan in Washington Irving’s “A History of New York” (1809). Popularized in the Batman comics and films, Gotham has come to suggest the complex, mysterious, exciting and larger-than-life character of New York City. As a member of this community, you will have the opportunity to explore the rich history and culture of New York City’s neighborhoods. You will discover the places and movements that have made the City an international cultural center. Participants in this program should have a strong interest in learning about New York City and its unique neighborhood communities. With a group of peers and faculty, you will go beyond sightseeing and tour buses to explore the deeper intricacies of Gotham, and experience first hand what makes NYC the melting pot of the world.

French  Maison

Hayden Residence Hall

This Explorations community provides participants the opportunity to live with a group of friends who share a common passion for both the French language and the vast array of Francophone cultures found worldwide, almost of all which have representative communities here in New York City. The group, which is open to speakers of all levels of French, from beginning to advanced, will take advantage of the wide-range of French-language activities and events in the city, from cinema, theatre, and concerts to conferences, exhibits, and festivals, from New York University’s own cultural showcase, la Maison Française, to Brooklyn’s Little Haiti.

Explorations Outdoors: NYC and Beyond

Third North Residence Hall

While one may not immediately think of outdoor exploration when picturing New York City, there is a wealth of opportunities to enjoy urban nature in the Big Apple and to experience more traditional nature beyond. There is no better way to view the Manhattan skyline than from a kayak in the Hudson, from a bicycle on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, or from your train window returning from a weekend camping trip in the Catskills. Outside the city are beaches, mountains, rivers, and state parks waiting for action-oriented people to discover their treasures.
Maybe you are new to hiking, climbing, biking, or skiing; maybe you are an avid outdoors-person. Whatever your level of ability, this floor welcomes those students who are excited by the chance to explore the outdoors- in and out of the city.

NYC: Not For Tourists

Hayden Residence Hall

What is the quintessential New York City tourist experience? Taking a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty? Climbing to the top of the Empire State Building? Skating at Rockefeller Center? New York City is full of tourist experiences both mythic and mundane but how do New Yorkers understand the tapestry of tourism that makes up their everyday lives? How do scholar decode tourist productions to more deeply understand the cultural forces at work? Members of this community will have the opportunity to explore traditional tourist attractions with fellow residents and a faculty affiliate in order to understand what it means to be a tourist, to be a native and to be a scholar.

NYU CORPS (Community Outreach Performing Service)

12th Street Residence Hall

What does it mean to be the change you want to see? What does it look like to truly give? And, what does it take to make a resolve an epidemic? NYU Community Outreach Performing Service (CORPS) aims to expand on Explorations Community Hallmarks - community and faculty involvement – with a focus on service immersion and humanitarian studies. Students within this community will actively discuss, partake, program, and converse on humanitarian issues, such as poverty, oppression, and international politics, as they affect New York City. Students will have the opportunity, through numerous different options, to actively serve within the community. Lastly, though not a requirement, students will have the opportunity to partake in a domestic or international service immersion trip with fellow community members during Spring Break of the Spring Semester. The exact site is to be determined among the community during the Fall Semester.

New York at Play

Rubin Residence Hall

The history and cultural life of New York City cannot be understood or appreciated fully without considering Gotham's rich and diverse sports tradition. New York is the site of baseball's origins and the center of so-called manly art of boxing, beginning in the bare-knuckle era. The city contains the world's most famous sports venues in Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium. Many others, such as the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field, have come and gone but remain deeply etched in the collective psyche of the Big Apple's populace. New Yorkers take their sports seriously and relate to them not as fun and games but as instruments of community pride, identity formation, and economic progress. We will plan and participate in activities to facilitate our own understanding of the meaning of sports to the people of New York and beyond. Activities will include museum visits, scholarly lectures, panel discussions, and trips to sporting events.

The NYU Show

Hayden Residence Hall

Are you friends with that all-American appliance;the television? As you sit in front of your TV do you ever wonder about the work behind the screen? The Daily Show. Upright Citizens Brigade. Conan O’Brien. The View. With so many possibilities in New York City, we’re bound to get you behind the scenes of one of them. While you’re there, consider: how does TV influence our society. In turn, you will shape the NYU community by producing In the Hall the official television program of our residence halls. Join our crew and discover the many channels of New York City.

Politics into Action!

12th Street Residence Hall

Want to be politically active in New York City? Join the Politics into Action floor! This bipartisan community of first-year students will explore local political topics raised throughout the year. Activities will include opportunities to attend political rallies, lectures, register fellow residents to vote and participate in civic engagement. You will have the chance to explore various political arenas within New York City, such as the mayoral election, community board meetings, City Hall, and local court houses.

Think Global, Act Local

Rubin Hall

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." If you agree with anthropologist Margaret Mead that you can change the world, share these ideals within a community of first-year students who are committed to engaging in activism and service that will give back to their new home...NYC.  Tenant Rights, immigration, LGBT issues, wartime demonstrations, labor rights...New York City is a place where social change is made.  Located in the heart of Washington Square and Union Square, members of the NYU community witness the world's social and political debates on our doorstep.  Think Global, Act Local is for students who want to participate in these debates and who want to make change.  Students will collaborate with faculty to address these diverse topics that demand action.  Make your first experience away from home a meaningful journey, ending with great rewards.

Third Avenue North Theatre Arts Company (3NTAC)

Third North Residence Hall

New York City is arguably the greatest theatre city in the world, so let’s make a contribution!  Join this community, and be a theatre maker.  3NTAC community members will see theatre productions together, learn about the process of making theatre, and produce performances in the residence hall.  Activities will include public play readings, field trips to see plays and musicals, a 24-hour original play festival, meetings with working artists, and original 3NTAC productions.  This community is open to all students regardless of school or major, so join us and become part of the New York theatre scene!

Through the Global Lens

Rubin Residence Hall

As part of the Through the Lens community, you will be encouraged to explore the time-based art of photography. From black and white photos to digital images, you and your peers will investigate exhibits and galleries, as well as create new photography depicting your lives at NYU and within the community of New York City. You will have access to a darkroom within the residence hall and other university resources, through which you can further experiment and learn about various forms of photography. This floor is a phenomenal opportunity for advanced photographers and for beginners alike; no experience with photography is necessary but a sincere interest is encouraged.

Upperclass Explorations Communities 2009-2010

Audio NYC/Encore

Gramercy Green Residence Hall

The “New York State of Mind” is more than just a song – it’s a lifestyle. From the Indie scene in the boroughs to the big names in Times Square, the soundtrack of New York City comes from every street siren and every cheering crowd. Now’s your chance to be a part of it! Whether your passion is playing, researching, or just enjoying, Audio NYC/Encore caters to a wide variety of sonic interests from Renaissance to Rock, from the streets of the city to the clicks of a metronome. We will explore the vast resources of the New York City community and work to focus and develop personal musical expression as well as explore the scientific creation of and principles behind sound. No formal musical training is required, but Encore residents should have an active interest in music or sound creation and appreciation and have a desire to expand the range of their internal ear. Residents will have the opportunity to enjoy music across the City and take a look at becoming a part of th e professional music world, from producing to composing to performing. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to increase and embellish your aural knowledge and make some noise and some friends!

Dancin' in the Streets: Exploring NYC through Dance

Palladium Residence Hall

With big names like Frankie Manning, Fred Astaire, and Alvin Ailey, New York City has established itself as the center of the dance world. Countless styles of dance, such as the New York Style Mambo and Lindy Hop, were created right here in The Big Apple! Just about every type of dance from around the world can be found in this city. Manhattan itself is filled with an eclectic assortment of dancing troupes, clubs, and events. By exploring these dance venues, one can learn NYC’s dance history and experience its rich cultural diversity. Students will trace the development of dance trends in New York City by attending social dance clubs, observing the various performing arts, learning about famous dance icons, and learning some of these dances for themselves!

Food For Thought: Healthy Living in Theory and Practice

Carlyle Court Residence Hall

For students away from home, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be both a challenge and an exciting opportunity. New York City offers a vast range of choices for exploring the subject of health and nutrition from markets, restaurants and cooking schools catering to macrobiotic, organic, vegan, and raw foodist lifestyles to clubs and communities committed to activities such as meditation, yoga, running, hiking, and kayaking on the Hudson, to name only a few. In addition to pursuing the more practical aspects of healthy living, our community will approach the subject of health as an intellectual field of research as well, interrogating some of its broader historical, political, and cultural implications, by hosting a series of lectures, screening documentary films as well as other activities. We may also explore developing a relationship between a local farmer and our residence hall community through a program called "community supported agriculture," which brings local, seasonal, and organic produce into our community. Through participation in our "Food for Thought" explorations community, students will discover the many personal and social benefits that come from maintaining a healthy lifestyle both in mind and body.

Foreign Cinema

Greenwich Hotel Residence Hall

New York City has long been an international center of art and culture, especially in the history of cinema.  It is home to such traditions as the Lincoln Center Film Society's internationally famous movie festival, as well as host to other globally oriented and well-known film festivals such as the Latino Film Festival and the Asian Film Festival.  With these as well as many independent theaters which show first-run foreign films, New York City is the ideal place to learn about foreign countries and cultures through the lens of cinema.  This Explorations community seeks to expose participants to foreign cinema from many different regions and countries around the world through viewings and discussions of movies from different parts of the world, focusing on a different region every month.

The Gotham Remix

Greenwich Hotel Residence Hall

The Gotham Remix explores the complex intricacies and mysteries behind what gives New York City its larger-than-life character. However, instead of focusing of exploring the many diverse neighborhoods of Manhattan, The Gotham Remix will begin to explore the widespread culture and history found in the boroughs outside of Manhattan. This community is dedicated to delving deeper into the dense city by discovering it through experiencing the many cultural communities and boroughs. This is an outward reaching community that will bring students closer together as they set off exploring all of the boroughs and connecting with people from these boroughs through community service projects and service learning. From the cuisine of Little Italy and Chinatown in Manhattan, to  the Brooklyn Academy of Music, to Historic Richmond Town in Staten Island, to the Bronx Museum of the Arts, to the breathtaking Queens Botanical Garden, community members will finally be exposed to ALL of the big apple.  This community defines exploration: just like the subway system that runs throughout New York City--so will we!

Ideas Into Action:  Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum

Gramercy Green Residence Hall

The best ideas are those that become reality and make the world a better place.  The Ideas into Action community will invite you to think creatively about your studies and to learn about the process of translating concepts into practice.  Entrepreneurship will be interpreted broadly as an effective strategy applicable to the full curricular spectrum - arts, humanities, and sciences, as well as business.  Activities will encourage and help you to conceive and develop innovative approaches in areas related to your academic pursuits and to identify practical applications to current issues, problems, and needs.  Additional emphasis will be on developing relevant skills and devising an implementation plan.  Activities will include readings, case studies, field trips, and/or guest speakers among others, and will encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration to promote different perspectives and expand the range of possibilities.  While outcomes could lead to designs for products or services with commercial potential, the primary emphasis is on using knowledge to create value in the lives of others.

Interfaith

University Hall

New York City is considered to be the melting pot of the world. One can walk down any street and see the cultures gleam along with the city's lights. Each culture represents a different faith, a way to practice that faith. Therefore, to have an explorations community combining people of different, specifically to interact with each other and discuss about their views on spirituality and morality would be a great social experiment.

Living the Dream

Gramercy Green Residence Hall

Focusing on academics, social justice, and community service, the Living the Dream floor focuses on the messages of Martin Luther King, Jr. by doing activites related to the exmpowerment and improvement of those who are committed to making our society just. By valuing the ideas of serving others and taking action against all types of oppression, this floor will reach out to the NYC and NYU communitites by providing structured events such as service, dialogue, and fellowship.

Museums For the Mind

Coral Tower Residence Hall

New York City has some of the world's primiere museums. From art to science to the urban environment to sex, one can pursue any topic of academic interest by seeing and experiencing that topic in a museum. The focus of this floor is to explore the diverse interests of NYU's diverse student body using some of the city's most indispensable academic and cultural resources. Students on this floor will have the opportunity to expand their interests by visiting museums they normally would not and thereby spark their intellectual curiosity and those of their floormates.

NYU Show: Characters Welcome

Greenwich Hotel Residence Hall

The freshman experience on the NYU Show floor offers students the opportunity to learn about the television industry through tours, tapings, and watching new shows. The members of this floor want to continue their learning next year by focusing more on production and gaining a better understanding of the industry from concept to final product. By using their experiences from freshman year, as well as the ideas brought by new members, this floor hopes to create a residential production community and to continue an in depth discovery and exploration of television.

Politics in Entertainment

Coral Tower Residence Hall

Entertainment offers great insight into and has the ability to significantly affect the political ideology of a society, but most people view it as just that—entertainment. The phrase, “Politics in Entertainment,” can be interpreted in two ways—political influences of entertainment and political influences on entertainment. The former refers to films, television shows, plays, etc. that express political themes and that influence audience views; the latter refers to the influence audiences have on entertainment like censorship and the portrayal of stereotypes. Although these interpretations are different, the two overlap in many ways so it is impossible to understand one without considering the other. Through discussions of relevant films, television shows, plays, etc., residents of this floor will have the opportunity to closely examine the connection between entertainment and a society’s ideology. Themes that will be discussed include, but are not limited to, censorship, social policy, gender and racial stereotypes, and “the Hollywood elite.”

Power, Politics, and the Pursuit of Real Conversations

Lafayette Residence Hall

Are you interested in politics and current events but feel that your classes or your friends don't give you an opportunity to discuss? This floor will bring people interested in politics together in a community where they can freely discuss their ideas. All those who are interested in politics will have an opportunity to explore all that New York City has to offer from a political standpoint. This will involve trips to political institutions around the city, discussions with professors, and meeting local politicians. This will be an opportunity to explore Politics outside of the classroom in a more hands-on forum. And allow politics to be discussed openly in a non-judgmental environment meant to bring together multiple perspectives to broaden your own knowledge.

 

Science and Technology in the 21st Century

Palladium Residence Hall

We are all witnessing tremendous advancements in the sciences--advancements that create societal benefits, conflicts, and contradictions.  The genomes of many organisms have been sequenced, allowing us to decipher information encoded in their DNA in an unprecedented way.  Will this lead to better medical treatments, or will it provide the means to create and organize new forms of bioterrorist weaponry?  The World Wide Web has linked the continents, escalating communication and globalization.  Will this catalyze societal homogenization in a desirable or undesirable way?  Here at the onset of this centenary, the Science and Technology in the 21st Century community will explore current scientific and technological explorations, emphasizing the future prospects for change that discoveries in these areas will elicit.  You will approach science and technologies not only from the vantage points of biology, chemistry, physics, math and computer, but also study their interface with law, business, economics, and the arts.  And, New York City will be your laboratory!

Shakespeare: 1564-2007

Carlyle Court Residence Hall

Though devoted to one man, this Explorations floor would be far from limited in its scope. Focusing on one of the greatest and most prolific writers in human history, the Shakespeare Explorations floor would be hard pressed to run out of material. This floor would be devoted to reading, discussing, analyzing, performing, and debating the works of William Shakespeare. It will also pay attention to the effect Shakespeare has had on other writers, from his contemporaries all the way up to modern authors. The floor will concern itself, essentially, with all things Shakespeare. Living on the floor would be beneficial to English scholars, but also enjoyable for the casual fan.

Sports in the City: Past, Present and the Future

Coral Tower Residence Hall

Putting others before self and forgoing short-lived immediate gratification for long-term long-lasting investments are just a few traits that are becoming less prominent among today’s youth in NYC’s “get ahead” society.  This Explorations floor would help to create and foster a community of students (both NYU and local youth) committed to the development of good citizens through sport.  Time management skills, self-discipline, working together for a common goal, and respect for authority are lessons we hope to teach to local area youth.  We would use the concept of competitive athletics as a vehicle for connecting with these youth in the NYU community.  Athletes share the drive to be among the top competitors in their field, and this motivated attitude carries over into all aspects of life.  By being positive role models, we can show prove the direct connection of self-discipline and teamwork to uniquely powerful and developed leaders and citizens. We feel the best way we can contribute to our community is by communicating with local youth about these values and the lifelong rewards of sticking with a healthy hobby. This community also focuses on the foundations, present status, and future growth of sports both in the city and here at NYU. Our explorations floor will work as a community to attend sporting events in the city (including NYU, Professional Sports, and possible involvement with little league soccer and baseball leagues), learn about job opportunity within the sports field, and research Sports in the City as they were, are, and will be.

Empowering Women in Science

Palladium Residence Hall: Special Interest Housing Suites

Are you a woman committed to making a path for yourself in the Sciences?

Join us for what could be one of your most important discoveries:
how to create an extraordinary life of your own design. Women bring a unique and valuable perspective to science, but sometimes miss the opportunity to make that contribution.
Learn how to make your voice heard.  Engage in an in depth dialogue which empowers you to fulfill on your passion both in science and in life. Refine long-term aspirations and connect with a community that fosters your commitment to that dream.

This floor includes two key elements. First, it provides an exciting and thoroughly useful look into what it takes to live an extraordinary life, on your own terms. This course deeply addresses what it takes to succeed, and to be proud of your life and happy in it. You will tackle career satisfaction, money, your body, vices, your relationship to yourself. Second, this course provides specific advising from an award winning scientist and tenured woman professor in science to provide insight into the details of a career in science, as well as how to best gain research experience while you are a student in residence. An inquisitive nature and willingness to face the truth are required. Bi-weekly seminars and coaching will assist you in navigating your journey.
 
Note-- This floor/course is not limited to women. Men interested in science or personal coaching are also welcome.

See the following link for additional information and a sample of conversations we will engage in and comments by past and present participants in a similar program at MIT. http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/311-span-classhighlightlivingspan-span-classhig

 

 

First Year Residential Experience (FYRE) Explorations Communities 2008-2009

 

ACTION!

Brittany Residence Hall

Arts-Community-Transformation In One! New York City is the epicenter of the arts education movement in the United States, a movement focused on applying the arts to educate a wide audience about a myriad of topics. How do artists and social justice activists work together to transform communities, dispel ignorance, and promote change? Community members will examine this and other questions by attending performances and exhibitions, dialoguing with working artists and activists, and generating applied arts projects that relate to social justice issues facing the NYU community and the greater metropolitan area.

Big Apple, Big Screen

Third North Residence Hall

With filmmakers like Cassavetes, and NYU alumni Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee working its streets, New York City has developed a rich history in cinema, and it remains a capital of the big screen. Big Apple, Big Screen will feature visits to neighborhood cinemas all over Manhattan, from the Magic Johnson on 125th to the Screening Room in Tribeca, in the two-fold effort to keep current with cinema and current with New York City. Discussions about cinema in general­films in particular­will take place over dinners or double espressos. Students will plan and curate a Spring ’05 “Filmathon” for the NYU community.

Bohemians and Rebels

Hayden Residence Hall

Greenwich Village has been home to many innovative writers, artists, musicians, and political rebels. Individuals such as Emma Goldman, Dylan Thomas, Jackson Pollock, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Allen Ginsburg, among many others, set themselves against the dominant cultural and political sensibilities of their time, yet they were able to influence broad audiences. In the past, this community has gone on walking tours of the Village, listened to the music of Dylan and the poetry of Ginsburg, and visited such institutions as the Village Vanguard and Blue Note jazz clubs, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, the Bleecker Street and Cherry Lane theaters, and local arts cinemas. This community will explore the bohemian side of Greenwich Village and encourage students to develop the rebel within.

Concrete Images

Weinstein Residence Hall

Take a bite out of the Big Apple by experiencing it through your artistic eye. From museum row to subway art, immerse yourself in the paintings, sculpture, and architecture of New York City. Students and faculty will take trips to museums, walk down historic streets and learn about New York’s artistic richness. Engage in powerful and diverse discussions with your peers about your perspective of the art world. Requirements for participation include an active interest in all aspects of art, architecture, and other forms of visual expression. Artistic talent is not required, however students will be encouraged to challenge themselves to discover how they and others choose to express their artistic passions.

Dead Poet's Society

Rubin Residence Hall

Attention Poets and Lovers of Verbal Art! In this community, you will explore the written word in (arguably) its most artistic form from its ancient days to our contemporary time. Write, read, share, enjoy, and critique poetry with your floormates, NYU faculty, your resident assistant, and other local poets. Visit local poetry slams at coffee shops, clubs, and other organizations with this tight-knit community. Meet some of NYC’s best poets as you work to continue developing your poetic voice in the city that attracts top artists!

F.A.M.E. –Featuring All Musical Endeavors

Brittany Residence Hall

Ever wonder what the Eagles meant by in a “New York Minute” or why the Beastie Boys crooned “No Sleep ‘till Brooklyn?” From rock to classical, New York City is the center for emerging musical talent. Whether you’re a cool cat, rock idol, or classicist, come and explore the evolution of musical dynamics, styles, and appreciation from concert halls to recording studios and historical venues. What musical craze will you discover? Emphasis will be placed not only on external sources of musical influence, but also on student expression and musical talent. All genres of music will be explored from Punk to Classical, Hip Hop to Reggae, and Rock to Jazz. From C.B.G.Bs to the Bluenote, to Carnegie Hall and MTV, explore the musical movements, examine emerging trends, and share your appreciation of music with others. No formal musical training is necessary to participate in this community, but residents should have an active interest in musical expression and appreciation and a desire to be challenged in expanding their musical preferences.

Freshman Honors Seminar: New York’s Writing Women: Challenging Conventions in Early 20th-Century New York City

This is a Curriculum Connection Community
University Hall

Women were responsible for many of the sweeping social changes that occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century: they changed the way people thought about gender,race, ethnicity, and urban space.  And at the vanguard of many of these movements were women writers, including such writers as Zora Neale Hurston, Fannie Hurst, Anzia Yezierska, who helped to change the way people thought about the very nature of art itself.  This course will examine the women writers who helped to create New York’s the vitally creative literary scenes uptown in Harlem and downtown in Greenwich Village. We will read both fiction and non-fiction from this period and we will explore these neighborhoods ourselves, on walking tours and visits to museums and libraries. We will consider such issues as: the struggle for female suffrage; the often interlocked influences of race and gender; the culture wars of the early twentieth century; the linking together of politics and art.

Freshman Honors Seminar: New York and Modernism

This is a Curriculum Connection Community
University Hall

Students in this community will take the Freshman Honors Seminar “New York and Modernism,” taught by Professor Cyrus Patell, who is a Faculty Fellow-in-Residence at University Hall and teaches American Literature in the English Department. Modernism was a broad movement in literature, arts,music and architecture that flourished first in Europe and then the United States between from the turn into the twentieth century until just after the Second World War. Through coursework and outings that include concerts,plays, museum trips, and walking tours, students will explore the ways in which New Yorkers reshaped European modernism and created a distinctive legacy that marks the city to this day.

Taking a Bite out of the Big Apple

University Hall

Manhattan is truly a cultural epicenter of not only New York, but the world. Would you like to explore the background of the city through your stomach?  Food has always been a way of bringing people together.  Come share a meal and learn about that which distinguishes and unites the many people of New York City. With so many distinct and developed ethnic communities there is much to experience and learn right in the local area. You will taste the cultural culinary delights of the city and learn about the different and varied ethnicities through the gastronomic adventures of this Explorations community.

Gotham

Weinstein Residence Hall

The name “Gotham” was first associated with Manhattan in Washington Irving’s “A History of New York” (1809). Popularized in the Batman comics and films, Gotham has come to suggest the complex, mysterious, exciting and larger-than-life character of New York City. As a member of this community, you will have the opportunity to explore the rich history and culture of New York City’s neighborhoods. You will discover the places and movements that have made the City an international cultural center. Participants in this program should have a strong interest in learning about New York City and its unique neighborhood communities. With a group of peers and faculty, you will go beyond sightseeing and tour buses to explore the deeper intricacies of Gotham, and experience first hand what makes NYC the melting pot of the world.

French   

Hayden Residence Hall

This Explorations community provides participants the opportunity to live with a group of friends who share a common passion for both the French language and the vast array of Francophone cultures found worldwide, almost of all which have representative communities here in New York City. The group, which is open to speakers of all levels of French, from beginning to advanced, will take advantage of the wide-range of French-language activities and events in the city, from cinema, theatre, and concerts to conferences, exhibits, and festivals, from New York University’s own cultural showcase, la Maison Française, to Brooklyn’s Little Haiti.

Explorations Outdoors: NYC and Beyond

Third North Residence Hall

While one may not immediately think of outdoor exploration when picturing New York City, there is a wealth of opportunities to enjoy urban nature in the Big Apple and to experience more traditional nature beyond. There is no better way to view the Manhattan skyline than from a kayak in the Hudson, from a bicycle on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, or from your train window returning from a weekend camping trip in the Catskills. Outside the city are beaches, mountains, rivers, and state parks waiting for action-oriented people to discover their treasures.
Maybe you are new to hiking, climbing, biking, or skiing; maybe you are an avid outdoors-person. Whatever your level of ability, this floor welcomes those students who are excited by the chance to explore the outdoors- in and out of the city.

NYC: Not For Tourists

Hayden Residence Hall

What is the quintessential New York City tourist experience? Taking a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty? Climbing to the top of the Empire State Building? Skating at Rockefeller Center? New York City is full of tourist experiences both mythic and mundane but how do New Yorkers understand the tapestry of tourism that makes up their everyday lives? How do scholar decode tourist productions to more deeply understand the cultural forces at work? Members of this community will have the opportunity to explore traditional tourist attractions with fellow residents and a faculty affiliate in order to understand what it means to be a tourist, to be a native and to be a scholar.

NYU CORPS (Community Outreach Performing Service)

Weinstein Residence Hall

What does it mean to be the change you want to see? What does it look like to truly give? And, what does it take to make a resolve an epidemic? NYU Community Outreach Performing Service (CORPS) aims to expand on Explorations Community Hallmarks - community and faculty involvement – with a focus on service immersion and humanitarian studies. Students within this community will actively discuss, partake, program, and converse on humanitarian issues, such as poverty, oppression, and international politics, as they affect New York City. Students will have the opportunity, through numerous different options, to actively serve within the community. Lastly, though not a requirement, students will have the opportunity to partake in a domestic or international service immersion trip with fellow community members during Spring Break of the Spring Semester. The exact site is to be determined among the community during the Fall Semester.

New York at Play

Rubin Residence Hall

The history and cultural life of New York City cannot be understood or appreciated fully without considering Gotham's rich and diverse sports tradition. New York is the site of baseball's origins and the center of so-called manly art of boxing, beginning in the bare-knuckle era. The city contains the world's most famous sports venues in Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium. Many others, such as the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field, have come and gone but remain deeply etched in the collective psyche of the Big Apple's populace. New Yorkers take their sports seriously and relate to them not as fun and games but as instruments of community pride, identity formation, and economic progress. We will plan and participate in activities to facilitate our own understanding of the meaning of sports to the people of New York and beyond. Activities will include museum visits, scholarly lectures, panel discussions, and trips to sporting events.

The NYU Show

Hayden Residence Hall

Are you friends with that all-American appliance;the television? As you sit in front of your TV do you ever wonder about the work behind the screen? The Daily Show. Upright Citizens Brigade. Conan O’Brien. The View. With so many possibilities in New York City, we’re bound to get you behind the scenes of one of them. While you’re there, consider: how does TV influence our society. In turn, you will shape the NYU community by producing In the Hall the official television program of our residence halls. Join our crew and discover the many channels of New York City.

Politics and the Election of 2008

Third Avenue North

Campaigns, rallies, and debates, oh my!  This bipartisan community of civically engaged first-year students looks to explore the many political topics raised throughout the year.  This will include opportunities to attend political rallies, lectures, register fellow residents to vote, and participate in community service opportunities, among many other opportunities.  In addition to learning about national politics, you will have the chance to explore political arenas in New York, such as community board meetings, the United Nations, City Hall and others.

Third Avenue North Theatre Arts Company (3NTAC)

Third North Residence Hall

New York City is arguably the greatest theatre city in the world, so let’s make a contribution!  Join this community, and be a theatre maker.  3NTAC community members will see theatre productions together, learn about the process of making theatre, and produce performances in the residence hall.  Activities will include public play readings, field trips to see plays and musicals, a 24-hour original play festival, meetings with working artists, and original 3NTAC productions.  This community is open to all students regardless of school or major, so join us and become part of the New York theatre scene!

Through the Lens

Rubin Residence Hall

As part of the Through the Lens community, you will be encouraged to explore the time-based art of photography. From black and white photos to digital images, you and your peers will investigate exhibits and galleries, as well as create new photography depicting your lives at NYU and within the community of New York City. You will have access to a darkroom within the residence hall and other university resources, through which you can further experiment and learn about various forms of photography. This floor is a phenomenal opportunity for advanced photographers and for beginners alike; no experience with photography is necessary but a sincere interest is encouraged.

 

Upperclass Explorations Communities 2008-2009

 

Food For Thought: Healthy Living in Theory and Practice

Carlyle Court Residence Hall

For students away from home, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be both a challenge and an exciting opportunity. New York City offers a vast range of choices for exploring the subject of health and nutrition from markets, restaurants and cooking schools catering to macrobiotic, organic, vegan, and raw foodist lifestyles to clubs and communities committed to activities such as meditation, yoga, running, hiking, and kayaking on the Hudson, to name only a few. In addition to pursuing the more practical aspects of healthy living, our community will approach the subject of health as an intellectual field of research as well, interrogating some of its broader historical, political, and cultural implications, by hosting a series of lectures, screening documentary films as well as other activities. We may also explore developing a relationship between a local farmer and our residence hall community through a program called "community supported agriculture," which brings local, seasonal, and organic produce into our community. Through participation in our "Food for Thought" explorations community, students will discover the many personal and social benefits that come from maintaining a healthy lifestyle both in mind and body.

Foreign Cinema

Greenwich Hotel Residence Hall

New York City has long been an international center of art and culture, especially in the history of cinema.  It is home to such traditions as the Lincoln Center Film Society's internationally famous movie festival, as well as host to other globally oriented and well-known film festivals such as the Latino Film Festival and the Asian Film Festival.  With these as well as many independent theaters which show first-run foreign films, New York City is the ideal place to learn about foreign countries and cultures through the lens of cinema.  This Explorations community seeks to expose participants to foreign cinema from many different regions and countries around the world through viewings and discussions of movies from different parts of the world, focusing on a different region every month.

From the Shtetl to the Stage and Screen

Coral Tower Residence Hall

From the films of Mel Brooks and Woody Allen to the greatest musicals on Broadway and the famous New York deli, the influence of secular Jewish culture has left a lasting impression on New York City and on American popular culture. Come join us as we explore the impact of the writers, actors, comedians, singers, musicians, artists, and filmmakers who helped to create a secular Jewish identity in America. From Seinfeld marathons and Woody Allen's "Manhattan" to Katz's Deli, Broadway, and the Lower East Side, we'll discover a culture that has put a religious minority on the forefront of American life. You don't need to be Jewish, or any other religion or denomination, to appreciate a little taste of this vibrant and influential cultural history.

The Gotham Remix

Greenwich Hotel Residence Hall

The Gotham Remix explores the complex intricacies and mysteries behind what gives New York City its larger-than-life character. However, instead of focusing of exploring the many diverse neighborhoods of Manhattan, The Gotham Remix will begin to explore the widespread culture and history found in the boroughs outside of Manhattan. This community is dedicated to delving deeper into the dense city by discovering it through experiencing the many cultural communities and boroughs. This is an outward reaching community that will bring students closer together as they set off exploring all of the boroughs and connecting with people from these boroughs through community service projects and service learning. From the cuisine of Little Italy and Chinatown in Manhattan, to  the Brooklyn Academy of Music, to Historic Richmond Town in Staten Island, to the Bronx Museum of the Arts, to the breathtaking Queens Botanical Garden, community members will finally be exposed to ALL of the big apple.  This community defines exploration: just like the subway system that runs throughout New York City--so will we!

Ideas Into Action:  Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum

Gramercy Green

The best ideas are those that become reality and make the world a better place.  The Ideas into Action community will invite you to think creatively about your studies and to learn about the process of translating concepts into practice.  Entrepreneurship will be interpreted broadly as an effective strategy applicable to the full curricular spectrum - arts, humanities, and sciences, as well as business.  Activities will encourage and help you to conceive and develop innovative approaches in areas related to your academic pursuits and to identify practical applications to current issues, problems, and needs.  Additional emphasis will be on developing relevant skills and devising an implementation plan.  Activities will include readings, case studies, field trips, and/or guest speakers among others, and will encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration to promote different perspectives and expand the range of possibilities.  While outcomes could lead to designs for products or services with commercial potential, the primary emphasis is on using knowledge to create value in the lives of others.

Museums For the Mind

Coral Tower Residence Hall

New York City has some of the world's primiere museums. From art to science to the urban environment to sex, one can pursue any topic of academic interest by seeing and experiencing that topic in a museum. The focus of this floor is to explore the diverse interests of NYU's diverse student body using some of the city's most indispensable academic and cultural resources. Students on this floor will have the opportunity to expand their interests by visiting museums they normally would not and thereby spark their intellectual curiosity and those of their floormates.

NYU Show: Characters Welcome

Greenwich Hotel Residence Hall

The freshman experience on the NYU Show floor offers students the opportunity to learn about the television industry through tours, tapings, and watching new shows. The members of this floor want to continue their learning next year by focusing more on production and gaining a better understanding of the industry from concept to final product. By using their experiences from freshman year, as well as the ideas brought by new members, this floor hopes to create a residential production community and to continue an in depth discovery and exploration of television.

Pre-Professional Leadership

Water Street Residence Hall

Students of CAS, Stern, Steinhardt, Tisch, and Gallatin. One common goal: leadership in our respective professions. Leadership in Business, Law, Medicine, Communications, Entertainment Business, we do it all. The Pre-Professional Leadership Exploration Community is built to cater to the interdisciplinary study of leadership as it applies to each the Pre-Business, Pre-Law, Pre-Medicine, and Pre-Communications career paths. Practice and refine your social and professional networking skills, learn resume writing tips from peers who got the job, and peer mentor others on interviewing skills, all in residence! Explore what it takes to get into local top law, business, and medical schools through floor-wide symposium led by admissions counselors and current students in those schools. Meet leaders in the financial, medical, legal, media, entertainment, and communications service industries through visits to NYC headquarters of industry leading organizations like Bloomberg, Morgan Stanley, Mt. Sinai, NBC, Sony Records, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Students and faculty in the exploration community will also put together workshops on the soft skills that make good leaders. Come with knowledge of your field of interest and an eagerness to share and learn about those of others!

Science and Technology in the 21st Century

Palladium Residence Hall

We are all witnessing tremendous advancements in the sciences--advancements that create societal benefits, conflicts, and contradictions.  The genomes of many organisms have been sequenced, allowing us to decipher information encoded in their DNA in an unprecedented way.  Will this lead to better medical treatments, or will it provide the means to create and organize new forms of bioterrorist weaponry?  The World Wide Web has linked the continents, escalating communication and globalization.  Will this catalyze societal homogenization in a desirable or undesirable way?  Here at the onset of this centenary, the Science and Technology in the 21st Century community will explore current scientific and technological explorations, emphasizing the future prospects for change that discoveries in these areas will elicit.  You will approach science and technologies not only from the vantage points of biology, chemistry, physics, math and computer, but also study their interface with law, business, economics, and the arts.  And, New York City will be your laboratory!

Shakespeare: 1564-2007

Carlyle Court Residence Hall

Though devoted to one man, this Explorations floor would be far from limited in its scope. Focusing on one of the greatest and most prolific writers in human history, the Shakespeare Explorations floor would be hard pressed to run out of material. This floor would be devoted to reading, discussing, analyzing, performing, and debating the works of William Shakespeare. It will also pay attention to the effect Shakespeare has had on other writers, from his contemporaries all the way up to modern authors. The floor will concern itself, essentially, with all things Shakespeare. Living on the floor would be beneficial to English scholars, but also enjoyable for the casual fan.

Sports in the City: Past, Present and the Future

Coral Tower Residence Hall

Putting others before self and forgoing short-lived immediate gratification for long-term long-lasting investments are just a few traits that are becoming less prominent among today’s youth in NYC’s “get ahead” society.  This Explorations floor would help to create and foster a community of students (both NYU and local youth) committed to the development of good citizens through sport.  Time management skills, self-discipline, working together for a common goal, and respect for authority are lessons we hope to teach to local area youth.  We would use the concept of competitive athletics as a vehicle for connecting with these youth in the NYU community.  Athletes share the drive to be among the top competitors in their field, and this motivated attitude carries over into all aspects of life.  By being positive role models, we can show prove the direct connection of self-discipline and teamwork to uniquely powerful and developed leaders and citizens. We feel the best way we can contribute to our community is by communicating with local youth about these values and the lifelong rewards of sticking with a healthy hobby. This community also focuses on the foundations, present status, and future growth of sports both in the city and here at NYU. Our explorations floor will work as a community to attend sporting events in the city (including NYU, Professional Sports, and possible involvement with little league soccer and baseball leagues), learn about job opportunity within the sports field, and research Sports in the City as they were, are, and will be.

Starving Artists

Second Street Residence Hall

New York City has long been the home of Starving Artists. This Explorations community concept would allow for the students involved to engage in NYC culture in several ways that are more unconventional than those experienced by the tourist or typical college student. While the “Artists” part would allow students to engage in and learn about the underground arts in music, poetry, film, and theater among others, the “Starving” portion would allow them to experience food as culture in New York, especially in its interrelatedness with art. The community would encourage students to break free of the typical college “vortex” and participate in a more genuine New York City experience through the eyes of those who experience it in a deeply realistic way.

Storytellers

Gramercy Greens

New York University is bursting at the seams with talented actors, directors, composers, musicians, writers, and producers. The trouble is its hard to get them in one room to collaborate. The Storytellers community will bring a good number of these talented individuals together under one roof, making collaboration between them that much easier. In addition to networking with the artists that will very likely comprise a significant piece of the future of the art industry, we will be supporting the current art community by attending a wide variety of storytelling exhibitions including improv shows, broadway shows, poetry slams, and jazz nights in the city where all storytelling platforms inevitably collide.

Tourism Through Photography

Palladium Residence Hall: Special Interest Housing Suites

The hustle and bustle of city life. The bright lights and commerce everywhere you turn. These are the images that many tourists think of when they picture New York City. The Tourism Through Photography community will explore tourist locations with their cameras with the intentions of looking past the glossy exterior of New York City to bring about our own images of what it means to be New York.