Spring 2024

This is a language course designed to provide basic communicative competence in oral and written Twi for beginners. It focuses on the structure of the language as well as the culture of the people. The areas covered include: (i) oral drills; (ii) orthography; (iii) written exercises; (iv)translation from English to Twi and from Twi to English; (v) reading and comprehension; (vi) conversation and narration involving dialogues, greetings, description of day to day activities and bargaining); (vii) Grammar (parts of speech—nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, particles, determiners, tense/aspect, and question forms); (viii) Composition writing.

Intensive Twi Language Course - Sample Syllabus

This course explores Ghana’s development in historic perspective from the colonial era to the recent postcolonial period. It provides an interdisciplinary history that is attentive to political economy, social relations, geography, and politics as they congeal in particular ways throughout Ghana’s development trajectory. It traces the key forces at play in Ghanaian development through time, paying particular attention to the transformations prompted by the region’s encounter with and incorporation into a global economy.The goal of the course is to explore theories and debates in development through deep engagement with the specific trajectory of Ghana, as a sort of intensive case study. Field visits (for instance to gold mines and cocoa fields) will be used to complement class discussions and to take advantage of the location of the course in Accra.

Cocoa and Gold: Ghana's Development in Global Perspective - Sample Syllabus

This interdisciplinary course combines ethnographic readings, representations, and interpretations of city and urban cultures with a video production component in which students create short documentaries on the city of Accra. The interpretative classes will run concurrently with production management, sights and sound, and post-production workshops. The course will have three objectives: (1) teach students the documentary tradition from Flaherty to Rouch; (2) use critical Cinema theory to define a document with a camera; and (3) create a short documentary film.

 Documenting the African City - Sample Syllabus

The class will explore the sociocultural and philosophical context of the media industry and the practice of mass communication in Africa in general, and Ghana in particular. This broad perspective will be examined against the background notion that the media do not function in a vacuum. Thus, students will examine how these contexts, informed by the dominant philosophies and macro-institutional practices of society, mitigate or even dictate the operations of the media. As a special focus, we will examine the significance of the liberalization of the airwaves in emerging democracies such as Ghana.

Journalism and Society: Cultural Contexts and African Media - Sample Syllabus

This interdisciplinary course combines ethnographic readings, representations, and interpretations of city and urban cultures with a video production component in which students create short documentaries on the city of Accra. The interpretative classes will run concurrently with production management, sights and sound, and post-production workshops. The course will have three objectives: (1) teach students the documentary tradition from Flaherty to Rouch; (2) use critical Cinema theory to define a document with a camera; and (3) create a short documentary film.

 Documenting the African City - Sample Syllabus

Introduction to research and theory of human development across the life span. Seminal theories & basic research of individual growth & development are analyzed & critiqued. Emphasis is on the range in human development with discussion of normative & non-normative development. Emphasis is also placed on the importance of understanding the influence of normative & non-normative contexts of development, including the impact of culture, heritage, socioeconomic level, personal health, & safety. Relations between home, school, & community and their impact on development are also explored via readings, lectures, discussions, & weekly observations in the field. Interrogation of implicit folk theories as a foundation for exploration of formal knowledge of human development.

 Human Development I - Sample Syllabus

Further analysis of research findings & theories of human development focusing on early childhood, & applied across various institutional contexts. Important issues include: language development, assessment of readiness to learn, separation from the family, peer relationships, aesthetic experiences. Developmentally appropriate consideration of abusive & dangerous environments, & of alcohol, tobacco & drug use will also be included. Direct application of theory & research is made through field-based inquiry & issue-based investigation.

Human Development II: Application for Early Childhood Educators - Sample Syllabus

Further analysis of research findings & theories of human development focusing on childhood, & applied across various institutional contexts. Important issues include: numeric competence, assessment of reading problems, gender differences in learning styles. Developmentally appropriate consideration of abusive & dangerous environments, & of alcohol, tobacco, & drug use will also be included. Direct application of theory & research is made through field-based inquiry & issue-based investigation.

Human Development II: Application for Childhood Educators - Sample Syllabus

Further analysis of research findings & theories of human development focusing on early through late adolescence & applied across various institutional contexts. Important issues include puberty, cross-gender peer relations, preventing risky behaviors, understanding & mastering test-based graduation requirements, transition to work/college, identity development, depression, & aggression. Developmentally appropriate consideration of abusive & dangerous environments & of alcohol, tobacco, & drug use is also included. Direct application of theory & research is made through field-based inquiry & issue-based investigation.

Human Development II: Early Adolescents and Adolescents - Sample Syllabus

Enrollment by permission only. Application required. Contact global.academics@nyu.edu for application information. Course includes weekly seminar and minimum of 10 hours fieldwork/ week at approved internship fieldsite.

This course is designed to prepare and support students undertaking an internship at an NGO in Ghana. This weekly seminar will introduce students to key concepts and debates in the field of development studies, as well as provide a space to raise questions and reactions to the internship experience. We will survey foundational and current texts that elaborate theories and functions of development, with a focus on the recent history of social and economic development approaches in Africa. Charting the transition from public to private development institutions, the readings will provide critical insights into rights-based approaches, gender equity and empowerment, sustainability, accountability, and the role of government.

In addition to exploring theoretical frameworks, we will devote significant class time to discussing student experiences at their internships. Students will identify and critically appraise different aspects of their organization: their mission, methodology, programs, relationship with various stakeholders, and philosophy of change. By bringing both academic and practical perspectives to bear on the role civil society plays in capacity-building and improvement of livelihoods, this course offers an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to the questions ‘What is development?’, ‘Who is the subject of development?’ and ‘Does it work?’ These questions cannot be answered by looking at theory or practices in isolation. By reflecting on how theory and practice shape each other, we will explore the rich history of debate and innovation in the field to deepen our understanding of the development context in Ghana.

This course will be the academic component of your internship experience. You will use the seminar to reflect critically and analytically on your internship as a way to further your academic goals. You will be asked to evaluate various aspects of your internship site, including but not limited to its mission, approach, policies, and the local, regional and international contexts in which it operates. You will also be asked to reflect critically on the state of the contemporary workplace and on ourselves as workers. You will be graded on the academic work produced in this course. 

Experiential Learning Seminar - Sample Syllabus

This course explores Ghana’s development in historic perspective from the colonial era to the recent postcolonial period. It provides an interdisciplinary history that is attentive to political economy, social relations, geography, and politics as they congeal in particular ways throughout Ghana’s development trajectory. It traces the key forces at play in Ghanaian development through time, paying particular attention to the transformations prompted by the region’s encounter with and incorporation into a global economy.The goal of the course is to explore theories and debates in development through deep engagement with the specific trajectory of Ghana, as a sort of intensive case study. Field visits (for instance to gold mines and cocoa fields) will be used to complement class discussions and to take advantage of the location of the course in Accra.

Cocoa and Gold: Ghana's Development in Global Perspective - Sample Syllabus

Enrollment by permission only. Application required. Contact global.academics@nyu.edu for application information. Course includes weekly seminar and minimum of 10 hours fieldwork/ week at approved internship fieldsite.

This course is designed to prepare and support students undertaking an internship at an NGO in Ghana. This weekly seminar will introduce students to key concepts and debates in the field of development studies, as well as provide a space to raise questions and reactions to the internship experience. We will survey foundational and current texts that elaborate theories and functions of development, with a focus on the recent history of social and economic development approaches in Africa. Charting the transition from public to private development institutions, the readings will provide critical insights into rights-based approaches, gender equity and empowerment, sustainability, accountability, and the role of government.

In addition to exploring theoretical frameworks, we will devote significant class time to discussing student experiences at their internships. Students will identify and critically appraise different aspects of their organization: their mission, methodology, programs, relationship with various stakeholders, and philosophy of change. By bringing both academic and practical perspectives to bear on the role civil society plays in capacity-building and improvement of livelihoods, this course offers an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to the questions ‘What is development?’, ‘Who is the subject of development?’ and ‘Does it work?’ These questions cannot be answered by looking at theory or practices in isolation. By reflecting on how theory and practice shape each other, we will explore the rich history of debate and innovation in the field to deepen our understanding of the development context in Ghana.

This course will be the academic component of your internship experience. You will use the seminar to reflect critically and analytically on your internship as a way to further your academic goals. You will be asked to evaluate various aspects of your internship site, including but not limited to its mission, approach, policies, and the local, regional and international contexts in which it operates. You will also be asked to reflect critically on the state of the contemporary workplace and on ourselves as workers. You will be graded on the academic work produced in this course. 

Experiential Learning Seminar - Sample Syllabus

Epidemiology is the science that studies the distribution and determinants of health and illness in human populations. It is intimately related to public health and policy making, as it provides elemental “information for action”. This course is designed to introduce students to the history, basic principles and methods of epidemiology.

Topics covered in this course are history, background and different perspectives of epidemiology, measures of disease frequency; measures of association; epidemiologic study designs; public health surveillance; outbreak investigations; assessment of causality; and relationship between epidemiology and public health policies. In addition, students are expected to develop skills to critically read, interpret and evaluate health information from published epidemiological studies and mass media sources.

Epidemiology for Global Health - Sample Syllabus

This course introduces students to key concepts in health policy formation, implementation and evaluation in a global context. Using a comparative lens, students explore organization, financing and delivery of health care services and health systems around the world. We examine the role of governmental and non-governmental agencies in delivering care and contributing to a health care infrastructure using case studies and other materials in a comparative approach. Key lessons in the implementation of new health policies and initiatives are explored across the developing world, as well as in a US as students explore health system performance, the quality and cost of care, the management of health care services, the process of health improvement and health reform. The course will use a multidisciplinary approach that employs sociological, political, economics, and ethical perspectives. The objective is to build an understanding of the fundamental ideas, issues, and problems currently debated in global health policy and management and to provide a foundation for future studies and careers in the global health field. Epidemiology in a Global World and Health and Society in a Global Context are recommended but not required pre-requisites for the course. 

Health Policy in a Global World - Sample Syllabus

This course explores Ghana’s development in historic perspective from the colonial era to the recent postcolonial period. It provides an interdisciplinary history that is attentive to political economy, social relations, geography, and politics as they congeal in particular ways throughout Ghana’s development trajectory. It traces the key forces at play in Ghanaian development through time, paying particular attention to the transformations prompted by the region’s encounter with and incorporation into a global economy.The goal of the course is to explore theories and debates in development through deep engagement with the specific trajectory of Ghana, as a sort of intensive case study. Field visits (for instance to gold mines and cocoa fields) will be used to complement class discussions and to take advantage of the location of the course in Accra.

Cocoa and Gold: Ghana's Development in Global Perspective - Sample Syllabus

The class will explore the sociocultural and philosophical context of the media industry and the practice of mass communication in Africa in general, and Ghana in particular. This broad perspective will be examined against the background notion that the media do not function in a vacuum. Thus, students will examine how these contexts, informed by the dominant philosophies and macro-institutional practices of society, mitigate or even dictate the operations of the media. As a special focus, we will examine the significance of the liberalization of the airwaves in emerging democracies such as Ghana.

Journalism and Society: Cultural Contexts and African Media - Sample Syllabus

This interdisciplinary course combines ethnographic readings, representations, and interpretations of city and urban cultures with a video production component in which students create short documentaries on the city of Accra. The interpretative classes will run concurrently with production management, sights and sound, and post-production workshops. The course will have three objectives: (1) teach students the documentary tradition from Flaherty to Rouch; (2) use critical Cinema theory to define a document with a camera; and (3) create a short documentary film.

 Documenting the African City - Sample Syllabus

The course is designed to enhance students’ awareness of the multifaceted nature of nutrition problems across the globe and the need for holistic approaches to methods to address them including research. The course will review the UNICEF malnutrition structure within the context of livelihood frameworks to demonstrate the linkages between health, nutrition and agriculture. Food security issues and impacts on nutrition and developmental issues will be discussed. The course will also discuss the trends of globalization and the nutritional implications. The fact that the intensity and effects of globalization are experienced differently across different nations, social classes, cultures, and genders will be stressed. The course will further review key concepts and debates regarding nutrition transition, infant and young child feeding, women, aging and health.  

Introduction to Global Issues: The African Perspective - Sample Syllabus

This is a language course designed to provide basic communicative competence in oral and written Twi for beginners. It focuses on the structure of the language as well as the culture of the people. The areas covered include: (i) oral drills; (ii) orthography; (iii) written exercises; (iv)translation from English to Twi and from Twi to English; (v) reading and comprehension; (vi) conversation and narration involving dialogues, greetings, description of day to day activities and bargaining); (vii) Grammar (parts of speech—nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, particles, determiners, tense/aspect, and question forms); (viii) Composition writing.

Intensive Twi Language Course - Sample Syllabus

This course explores Ghana’s development in historic perspective from the colonial era to the recent postcolonial period. It provides an interdisciplinary history that is attentive to political economy, social relations, geography, and politics as they congeal in particular ways throughout Ghana’s development trajectory. It traces the key forces at play in Ghanaian development through time, paying particular attention to the transformations prompted by the region’s encounter with and incorporation into a global economy.The goal of the course is to explore theories and debates in development through deep engagement with the specific trajectory of Ghana, as a sort of intensive case study. Field visits (for instance to gold mines and cocoa fields) will be used to complement class discussions and to take advantage of the location of the course in Accra.

Cocoa and Gold: Ghana's Development in Global Perspective - Sample Syllabus

This interdisciplinary course combines ethnographic readings, representations, and interpretations of city and urban cultures with a video production component in which students create short documentaries on the city of Accra. The interpretative classes will run concurrently with production management, sights and sound, and post-production workshops. The course will have three objectives: (1) teach students the documentary tradition from Flaherty to Rouch; (2) use critical Cinema theory to define a document with a camera; and (3) create a short documentary film.

 Documenting the African City - Sample Syllabus

The class will explore the sociocultural and philosophical context of the media industry and the practice of mass communication in Africa in general, and Ghana in particular. This broad perspective will be examined against the background notion that the media do not function in a vacuum. Thus, students will examine how these contexts, informed by the dominant philosophies and macro-institutional practices of society, mitigate or even dictate the operations of the media. As a special focus, we will examine the significance of the liberalization of the airwaves in emerging democracies such as Ghana.

Journalism and Society: Cultural Contexts and African Media - Sample Syllabus

Globalization has become a buzzword in our time. Four different sets of literature have been developed around this concept. The first set of literature seeks to define the concept in terms of its relationship to the changing workforce, technology and communications, culture and finance. A second set of literature debates the novelty of the various processes encoded in the concept of globalization. Another set of literature debates the changing role and nature of the state in an era of globalization. The final set of literature debates the issue of whether the economic prospects of the developing world indeed hinge on their full participation in the globalization process. This course will expose students to these four sets of literature and provide the students with an opportunity to interrogate the very concept of globalization and to debate its benefits and disadvantages for the developing world in general and Africa in particular.

Globalization and the Developing World - Sample Syllabus

Introduction to research and theory of human development across the life span. Seminal theories & basic research of individual growth & development are analyzed & critiqued. Emphasis is on the range in human development with discussion of normative & non-normative development. Emphasis is also placed on the importance of understanding the influence of normative & non-normative contexts of development, including the impact of culture, heritage, socioeconomic level, personal health, & safety. Relations between home, school, & community and their impact on development are also explored via readings, lectures, discussions, & weekly observations in the field. Interrogation of implicit folk theories as a foundation for exploration of formal knowledge of human development.

 Human Development I - Sample Syllabus

Further analysis of research findings & theories of human development focusing on early childhood, & applied across various institutional contexts. Important issues include: language development, assessment of readiness to learn, separation from the family, peer relationships, aesthetic experiences. Developmentally appropriate consideration of abusive & dangerous environments, & of alcohol, tobacco & drug use will also be included. Direct application of theory & research is made through field-based inquiry & issue-based investigation.

Human Development II: Application for Early Childhood Educators - Sample Syllabus

Further analysis of research findings & theories of human development focusing on childhood, & applied across various institutional contexts. Important issues include: numeric competence, assessment of reading problems, gender differences in learning styles. Developmentally appropriate consideration of abusive & dangerous environments, & of alcohol, tobacco, & drug use will also be included. Direct application of theory & research is made through field-based inquiry & issue-based investigation.

Human Development II: Application for Childhood Educators - Sample Syllabus

Further analysis of research findings & theories of human development focusing on early through late adolescence & applied across various institutional contexts. Important issues include puberty, cross-gender peer relations, preventing risky behaviors, understanding & mastering test-based graduation requirements, transition to work/college, identity development, depression, & aggression. Developmentally appropriate consideration of abusive & dangerous environments & of alcohol, tobacco, & drug use is also included. Direct application of theory & research is made through field-based inquiry & issue-based investigation.

Human Development II: Early Adolescents and Adolescents - Sample Syllabus