Spring 2022
Course listings are subject to change. Please check back regularly for updates and email global.academics@nyu.edu if you have any questions.
Courses by Department
- For Abu Dhabi students, please see the Abu Dhabi course equivalencies on this page. Please note this is only applicable to NYU Abu Dhabi degree students.
- For Shanghai students, please see the Shanghai course equivalencies on this page. Please note this is only applicable to NYU Shanghai degree students.
Navigate to a Specific Department
- German Language
- Anthropology
- Art and Art Professions
- Art History
- College Core Curriculum
- Drama
- Environmental Studies
- European and Mediterranean Studies
- Experiential Learning for Credit
- Gallatin
- German Studies
- Global Liberal Studies
- History
- Interactive Media Arts
- Metropolitan Studies
- Politics
- Psychology
- Recorded Music
- Sociology
- Online Courses
Note Concerning Language Requirement
All students are required to take a German language course (or course taught in German) for graded credit. (This course cannot be taken Pass/Fail).
Elementary German I - GERM-UA 9001 - 4 points
This is an introductory course to the language and culture of German-speaking countries for students with no knowledge of German. It focuses on the development of communicative competence in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The textbook "studio express A1", in conjunction with current culture-rich supplemental materials, offers a balanced approach to developing your individual language competence.
Throughout your engagement with the German language you will also learn about Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany today. In addition to language instruction, the course offers a rich cultural program that includes visits to famous museums and places in Berlin. These visits and field trips are closely related to the subjects taught in class and will help you utilize your knowledge outside the classroom.
This course covers the first part of a four part German course. Together these courses (Elementary I and II; Intermediate I and II) should help you develop a level of proficiency in German that would enable you to study abroad in German-speaking countries, to pursue advanced study of German in the US, or to use German for travel, leisure, and work. At the end of Intermediate German II (or Intensive Intermediate German) you will be prepared to successfully take a proficiency exam.
Elementary German II - GERM-UA 9002 - 4 points
Prerequisite: GERM-UA 9001: Elementary German I or equivalent or qualifying placement score.
This course continues your introduction to the language and everyday culture of German-speaking countries. You will expand your understanding of important vocabulary and customs as well as more advanced language structures and idioms. The focus of the course will continue to spoken communication and everyday language use, but there will also be increased attention to reading and writing assignments. Since the goals of communicative and grammatical competence are ultimately inseparable,students are guided towards using German as accurately as possible.
This course covers the second part of a four part German course. Together, these courses (Elementary I and II and Intermediate I and II) should help you develop a level of proficiency in German that would enable you to study abroad in German-speaking countries, to pursue advanced study of German in the US, or to use German for travel, leisure, and work. At the end of Intermediate German II (or Intensive Intermediate German) you will be prepared to successfully take a proficiency exam.
Intensive Elementary German - GERM-UA 9010 - 6 points
This is an intensive introductory course to the language and culture of German-speaking countries for students with no knowledge of German. The focus of the course will be on communication with emphasis on the use of German in real-life situations, as well as providing knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. At the end of the semester, students will have acquired all the skills usually obtained in the two semesters of Elementary German sequence.
Your engagement with German language will also include learning about Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany today. In addition to language instruction, the course offers a rich cultural program that includes visits to famous museums and places in Berlin. These visits and field trips are closely related to the subjects taught in class and will help you utilize your knowledge outside the classroom.
This course covers the first two parts of a four part German course. Together these courses (Elementary I and II; Intermediate I and II) should help you develop a level of proficiency in German that would enable you to study abroad in German-speaking countries, to pursue advanced study of German in the US, or to use German for travel, leisure, and work. At the end of Intermediate German II (or Intensive Intermediate German) you will be prepared to successfully take a proficiency exam.
Intermediate German I - GERM-UA 9003 - 4 points
Open to students who have completed the equivalent of one year of elementary language instruction and to others on assignment by placement examination.
Intermediate German I is the first part of a two-semester-long intermediate sequence. You will continue to study grammar, vocabulary and other aspects of language. The class is almost entirely taught in German and emphasizes the language skills necessary to communicate effectively in a foreign language – speaking, reading, viewing, writing, and listening. During this course, you will engage with a large variety of topical subjects from German culture, lifestyle and history.
This course intends to create a balance between working with intellectually stimulating subjects and practicing the skills needed to communicate in a foreign language. Learning another language requires a great deal of commitment, diligence, discipline, and effort on the part of the student.
Intermediate German II - GERM-UA 9004 - 4 points
Prerequisite: GERM-UA 9003, Intermediate German I or equivalent.
Intermediate German II is the second part of a two semester intermediate sequence. You will continue to study grammar, vocabulary and other aspects of language. You will also learn about the cultural and historical context of the German language. The class is taught entirely in German and emphasizes the language skills necessary to communicate effectively in a foreign language – speaking, reading, viewing, writing, and listening. This course intends to create a balance between working with intellectually stimulating subjects and practicing the skills needed to communicate in a foreign language.
This course covers the fourth part of a four part German course. Together, these courses (Elementary I and II and Intermediate I and II) should help you develop a level of proficiency in German that will enable you to study abroad in German-speaking countries, to pursue advanced study of German in the US, or to use German for travel, leisure, and work.
Intensive Intermediate German - GERM-UA 9020 - 6 points
Prerequisite: GERM-UA 2/9002, GERM-UA 10/9010 (or equivalent courses) or qualifying placement test score.
In this intensive intermediate course you will continue to study grammar,vocabulary and other aspects of language. You will also learn about the cultural and historical context of the German language. The class is taught entirely in German and emphasizes the language skills necessary to communicate effectively in a foreign language – speaking, reading, viewing, writing, and listening. This course intends to create a balance between working with intellectually stimulating subjects and practicing the skills needed to communicate in a foreign language.
Throughout your engagement with the German language you will also learn about Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany today. In addition to language instruction, the course offers a rich cultural program that includes visits to famous museums and places in Berlin. These visits and field trips are closely related to the subjects taught in class and will help you utilize your knowledge outside the classroom.
This course covers the second two parts of a four part German course.Together these courses (Elementary I and II; Intermediate I and II) should help you develop a level of proficiency in German that would enable you to study abroad in German-speaking countries, to pursue advanced study of German in the US, or to use German for travel, leisure, and work. At the end of Intensive Intermediate you will be prepared to successfully take a proficiency exam.
German Conversation and Composition - GERM-UA 9111 - 4 points
Conducted in German. Postintermediate - 100 level.
Prerequisites: GERM-UA 20, GERM-UA 9020, GERM-UA 4, or GERM-UA 9004 (or equivalent courses), or qualifying placement test score.
Conversation & Composition is designed for post-Intermediate students of German with a solid grasp of German grammar and vocabulary, who wish to extend their knowledge of the German language, history, and culture through reading, watching films, discussion, and writing. Conversation & Composition is a reading and writing intensive course. Emphasis will be placed on refining written expression and developing the ability to express, discuss, and argue opinions.
This course will give you an overview of recent German political, social and cultural history after 1945 and of the present. Focuses will be on the variant developments in East and West Germany until the fall of the wall and on life in Berlin today. What are the important incidents and changes in German culture and society after 1945? How has the city of Berlin developed since the fall of the wall? These, and similar questions, will accompany us throughout the semester. During the course of the semester, we will explore narratives, which are related to our topics from a variety of genres: narrative prose, newspaper/magazine article, TV/radio documentary, music, film, photo, and other visual material. The class is entirely taught in German and emphasizes the language skills necessary to communicate effectively in a foreign language – speaking, reading, viewing, writing, and listening.
Introduction to German Literature - GERM-UA 9152 - 4 points
Conducted in German. Postintermediate - 100 level.
Prerequisites: GERM-UA 4 Intermediate German II or GERM-UA 20 Intensive Intermediate German (or equivalent courses), or qualifying placement test score.
Recommended Prerequisites: GERM-UA 111 or 9111 Conversation and Composition (or equivalent courses).
Der Kurs führt in die Geschichte der deutschen Literatur vom 18. Jahrhundert bis in die Gegenwart ein. Anhand repräsentativer Werke vermittelt er einen Überblick über die verschiedenen Epochen und Gattungen, erste literaturwissenschaftliche Fachbegriffe werden erläutert. Kontinuitäten und Brüche, die als signifikante Entwicklungslinien oder Zäsuren die Literaturgeschichte markieren, werden im historischen und gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhang diskutiert. Der Kurs wird durchgängig in deutscher Sprache unterrichtet.
Es ist das Ziel, in gemeinsamen close readings a) ein Verständnis für die jeweiligen Texte und ihre politischen, kulturellen und sozialen Kontexte zu erarbeiten und b) die Fähigkeit zur wissenschaftlichen Diskussion zu entwickeln. Gefördert wird dies auch durch kleinere spielerische Einheiten, in denen wir die Texte in die Gegenwart transferieren und so nach der Aktualität der Werke fragen.
The course provides an introduction into the history of German Literature from the 18th century until today. By reading representative texts, the student will receive an overview of various epochs and genres. In addition, basic terminology of literary studies will be explained. Continuities and disruptions, which influence the history of literature in significant ways, are discussed in their historical and social contexts. The class is taught entirely in German.
The course objectives are a) to develop an understanding of the texts and their political, cultural, and social contexts and b) to develop an ability of critical discussion through a close reading of literary works. This is also fostered by some playful teaching units, in which we transfer the texts into the present and investigate their current relevance.
20th and 21st Century German Prose - GERM-UA 9366 - 4 points
Conducted in German. Postintermediate - 300 Level
Prerequisite: Completion of GERM-UA 152: Introduction to German Literature or equivalent.
This advanced topics course in German Literature varies by semester. A description and sample syllabus will be made available closer to the start of each term.
Environmental Social Movements - ENVST-UA 9481 or SOC-UA 9209 or ANTH-UA 9062 or SASEM-UG 9103 - 4 points
How do social movements form in response to environmental concerns? What makes them effective or ineffective? This course analyses the various social movements that organized in response to environmental concerns. Both historical and sociological dimensions of environmental movements are covered, with particular attention given to how issues of environmental protection and social justice intersect. At NYU Berlin, the course includes American (I), European, and in particular German (II), as well as global movements (III).
Global Connections: Berlin Spaces - SCA-UA 9634 or ANTH-UA 9089- 4 points
This course examines diverse current urban trends in Berlin and their connections to worldwide phenomena. It focuses on the way that different social groups (according to class, milieu, origin, gender or sexuality) appropriate urban space and constitute place-specific identities. It uses the city of Berlin with its multiple layers of history as a laboratory for contemporary urban research with historical, empirical and theoretical material. We will study key debates on urban developments, partly as field visits, in regard to housing, migration, gentrification, and we will search for the creative and the sustainable city. You will be introduced to the contemporary discourses on those trends and to new ways of reading and seeing a city.
Transnational Migration, Identity, and Citizenship - AGT-UF 9301 or SOC-UA 9943 or EURO-UA 9943 or ANTH-UA 9076 or SCA-UA 9616 - 4 points
This course proposes to look at migration from a contemporary perspective and to examine how it reconfigures identity and citizenship. It looks at the present situation through a historical perspective, taking the current ‘refugee crisis’ as a point of departure, and placing it in a European and global context. The course is intentionally multidisciplinary and incorporates debates from history, sociology, anthropology, political science, geography as well as cultural and urban studies. This will permit students from different backgrounds to approach the subject from their own vantage point and with their chosen methodological instruments. The course starts from observation and media analysis to lead students to theoretical approaches, instead of using a more common deductive approach.
Transnational Migration, Identity, and Citizenship - Sample Syllabus
Art & Ideas: The Art World Today - Berlin and Beyond - ARTCR-UE 9153 - 3 points
The contemporary art world is a convoluted interplay of aesthetics and economics; ego and idealism. How can an emerging artist navigate its layers and idiosyncracies? Through readings of theory and criticism, lectures, discussions, site visits, guest speakers, and student responses in the form of multimedia projects and art writing, this course explores contemporary art’s mechanisms and current discourse, always keeping Berlin’s local context in mind.
Shaping an Educational Landscape: Museum Island - ARTH-UA 9850 or SOC-UA 9940 - 4 points
NYU Art History Students: This course counts for Urban Design credit or Art History Elective credit.
NYU Sociology Students: This course counts as an advanced seminar.
The course is a mixture of classroom discussions and field trips (in conjunction with discussions in rooms provided by the National Museums of Berlin) to different museums in Berlin, with a focus on the five major museums on the Museum Island, which have been build over a period of 100 years (1830-1930). We will also talk about the newest addition to the Museumsinsel, the Humboldt Forum scheduled to open its doors in the reconstructed city palace on the Schlossplatz in 2019. Discussions will focus on the nature and social function of museums as well as their role as places where the image of the state and its civil society are constantly reshaped, until the era of global migration. Other topics include museums architecture, museum and identity, museum and education, museum and the 21st century. Previous knowledge of art history, architecture, or German history is not required, but useful.
Shaping an Educational Landscape: Museum Island - Sample Syllabus
Place - Building - Time: The Architecture of Berlin - ARTH-UA 9651 or SOC-UA 9941 or SCA-UA 9853 - 4 points
NYU Art History Students: This course counts for Urban Design credit or Art History Elective credit.
NYU Sociology Students: This course counts as an advanced seminar.
Berlin is a unique modern Metropolis, its alternating history with often-drastic changes offers a comprehensive background to explore and investigate the nature of architecture in correlation to the various development processes of urban culture and life. Architecture is embedded in the urban fabric for which place and time serve as main threads, constantly changing their multifaceted and layered relationships. This urban fabric provides the fertile soil for urban culture and life, which literally takes place in various scales between the public and the private realm, two more threads intertwined to the urban fabric. Experiencing the city through walking, is essential for learning how to observe, see and read, "Place, Building and Time" in Berlin. Tours will alternate with classroom discussions and workshops.
Place - Building - Time: The Architecture of Berlin - Sample Syllabus
Business
Global Growth & Local Discontent - FINC-UB 9009 - 2 points
Must be a sophomore or above standing
The past three decades have brought unprecedented increases in global living standards. In the mid-1980s, countries then known as “Third World,” were mired in low growth, high debt, and runaway inflation, while the developed world seemed to hold the keys to prosperity. In a remarkable turnaround, a billion people have been lifted from poverty in those same countries—the now-much-heralded “Emerging Markets” that produce more than half of global output and almost three quarters of global growth. Indeed, when advanced economies plunged into recession
following the Global Financial Crisis, it was not only quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank that stabilized them in 2010, but also the strong economic performance of emerging economies that year. Following the crisis there are new challenges, as developed-world leaders assert that emerging economies’ success is responsible for income inequality and other economic ills in rich countries. Taking the historic fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 as the proximate impetus, we will explore the power of economic reforms to unleash sustainable, inclusive, and positive-sum global growth.
Registration Priority for CORE and CORE Equivalencies
Registration priority for CORE courses will be given to NYU CAS students. Other students will be able to register as space remains available. Please pay close attention to course notes displayed in Albert.
Students outside of CAS can find a list of pre-approved CORE equivalents below. Please note this list only includes Cultures & Contexts, Expressive Culture, and Text & Ideas, and may not be exhaustive. Consult your advisor for additional information on staying on track with your CORE requirements while studying away.
Expressive Culture Equivalents (approved by Steinhardt and SPS)
- ARTH-UA9150 Ancient Art in Berlin: Discovering the Collections of Museum Island
- ARTH-UA9651/SOC-UA9941 Place-Building-Time:The Architecture of Berlin
- ARTH-UA9850/SOC-UA9940 Spec Tpcs: Shaping an Educational Landscape: Museum Island
- GERM-UA9253/SASEM-UG9102 Topics in German Cinema
- GERM-UA9290/THEA-UT9612 German Theater of the 20th Century: History & Practice
Text and Ideas Equivalents (approved by Steinhardt and SPS)
- GERM-UA9240/SOC-UA9942 German Intellectual Tradition: Marx, Nietzsche, & Freud
Expressive Culture: Film: Cinema and Culture of the Weimar Republic - CORE-UA 9750 - 4 points
This course will trace the extraordinary development of German film between 1919 and 1933, while at the same time situating Weimar cinema in its historical moment and relating it to other forms of cultural expression, most importantly, literature. The course will introduce students to the study and appreciation of artistic creation and foster the ongoing engagement with the arts. Through critical engagement with German film, the course will introduce students to formal methods of interpretation and to understanding the importance of expressive creation in particular social and historical contexts.
Expressive Culture: Film: Cinema and Culture of the Weimar Republic - Sample Syllabus
German Theater of the 20th Century: History & Practice - THEA-UT 9612 - 4 points
Only open to students participating in the Tisch Stanislavsky, Brecht and Beyond Actor Training Program.
This course examines German theater of the twentieth century, from Expressionism to contemporary postdramatic forms of writing and performance. The course will first offer an overview of German theater traditions before 1900 and will then engage in analyzing specific developments in German theater starting with Max Reinhardt and his work at the Deutsches Theater Berlin. Other case studies will focus on Brecht’s epic theater, theater during the Third Reich, postwar theater trends in East and West Germany, and current developments in reunified Germany. Not only will we closely read relevant plays and theory by the theater makers of the respective periods but we will also explore aesthetics and performance issues as they have changed over time. As the involved practice of dramaturgy in Germany has greatly influenced theatrical developments, we will investigate this major aspect of theatrical work in Germany as a contribution to world theater and study how the extensive debate of ideas is being concretely realized in the theater through the choices being made in a production. An integral part of the course will include visits to Berlin theaters, attending performances, which we will analyze in class, and engaging in discussion with contemporary theater makers in Berlin.
German Theater of the 20th Century: History & Practice - Sample Syllabus
Environmental Social Movements - ENVST-UA 9481 or SOC-UA 9209 or ANTH-UA 9062 or SASEM-UG 9103 - 4 points
How do social movements form in response to environmental concerns? What makes them effective or ineffective? This course analyses the various social movements that organized in response to environmental concerns. Both historical and sociological dimensions of environmental movements are covered, with particular attention given to how issues of environmental protection and social justice intersect. At NYU Berlin, the course includes American (I), European, and in particular German (II), as well as global movements (III).
Cities on the Move - ENVST-UA 9450 or SASEM-UG 9105 or SCA-UA 9863- 4 points
This course explores the global phenomenon of growing consumption and waste in cities, as well as the transformation of resources and natural landscapes to serve these trends. A city like Berlin consumes large amounts of energy, water and food, and produces high quantities of waste. But where do these resources come from, and where is waste disposed of? Students engage with these questions in a theoretical, methodological and ethical way by tracing the flows of water, energy, food and waste in and around Berlin and beyond. The course aims to explore urbanization as a global process with fluid boundaries and analyze the connection of cities to the natural resources and landscapes on which they rely. Drawing from geography, anthropology and history, we analyze the relationship between growing consumption and disposal and the expansion of the resource frontier, while identifying the social, environmental and spatial effects this entails.
Transnational Migration, Identity, and Citizenship - AGT-UF 9301 or SOC-UA 9943 or EURO-UA 9943 or ANTH-UA 9076 or SCA-UA 9616 - 4 points
This course proposes to look at migration from a contemporary perspective and to examine how it reconfigures identity and citizenship. It looks at the present situation through a historical perspective, taking the current ‘refugee crisis’ as a point of departure, and placing it in a European and global context. The course is intentionally multidisciplinary and incorporates debates from history, sociology, anthropology, political science, geography as well as cultural and urban studies. This will permit students from different backgrounds to approach the subject from their own vantage point and with their chosen methodological instruments. The course starts from observation and media analysis to lead students to theoretical approaches, instead of using a more common deductive approach.
Transnational Migration, Identity, and Citizenship - Sample Syllabus
Experiential Learning Seminar - NODEP-UA 9982 or INDIV-UG 9100- 4 points
Enrollment by permission only. Application required.
Course is currently under development.
This 4 credit course includes a weekly seminar and 12 -15 hours fieldwork per week. Internship placements are made by Cultural Vistas, an organization partnering with NYU. Cultural Vistas provides internship placements in a wide range of organizations. Industry sectors include:
Arts and Museums
Public Policy & Government
Communication and Public Relations
Education
Non-Profits & Civic Engagement
Environment & Sustainability
STEM
The seminar portion of the course explores 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 must have language proficiency of at least Intermediate II German to be eligible for this internship program. For more information on the application process and deadlines, please visit the NYU Berlin Internship website.
Berlin's Modern History & Culture: A European Perspective - GERM-UA 9225 or HIST-UA 9984 or IDSEM-UG 9100 - 4 points
Power and culture are intimately interwoven in the social history and the material substance of modern Berlin. This interdisciplinary course explores the changing historical contours of the keywords of Kultur (culture), Geist (spirit), Technik (technology), Bildung (education), Arbeit (work) and Macht (power) and contestations over their meanings. Through applying an interdisciplinary approach that integrates literature, film, art, architecture, and philosophy, we interrogate how meaning is made individually and collectively. We will look at how relationships between individual identities, state power, and social norms were shaped in the context of recurrent political and economic crisis and rupture and ask how changing local, national, supranational, and global contexts influence how meanings are made. Paying attention to possibilities and constraints for negotiating the terms of everyday life and for conforming or resisting, we will trace how Berliners made and make sense of their lives and the world they participate in shaping.
Berlin's Modern History & Culture: A European Perspective - Sample Syllabus
Experiential Learning Seminar - NODEP-UA 9982 or INDIV-UG 9100- 4 points
Enrollment by permission only. Application required.
Course is currently under development.
This 4 credit course includes a weekly seminar and 12 -15 hours fieldwork per week. Internship placements are made by Cultural Vistas, an organization partnering with NYU. Cultural Vistas provides internship placements in a wide range of organizations. Industry sectors include:
Arts and Museums
Public Policy & Government
Communication and Public Relations
Education
Non-Profits & Civic Engagement
Environment & Sustainability
STEM
The seminar portion of the course explores 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 must have language proficiency of at least Intermediate II German to be eligible for this internship program. For more information on the application process and deadlines, please visit the NYU Berlin Internship website.
Berlin's Modern History & Culture: A European Perspective - GERM-UA 9225 or HIST-UA 9984 or IDSEM-UG 9100 - 4 points
Power and culture are intimately interwoven in the social history and the material substance of modern Berlin. This interdisciplinary course explores the changing historical contours of the keywords of Kultur (culture), Geist (spirit), Technik (technology), Bildung (education), Arbeit (work) and Macht (power) and contestations over their meanings. Through applying an interdisciplinary approach that integrates literature, film, art, architecture, and philosophy, we interrogate how meaning is made individually and collectively. We will look at how relationships between individual identities, state power, and social norms were shaped in the context of recurrent political and economic crisis and rupture and ask how changing local, national, supranational, and global contexts influence how meanings are made. Paying attention to possibilities and constraints for negotiating the terms of everyday life and for conforming or resisting, we will trace how Berliners made and make sense of their lives and the world they participate in shaping.
Berlin's Modern History & Culture: A European Perspective - Sample Syllabus
The German Intellectual Tradition: What is Power? - GERM-UA 9244 or SOC-UA 9942 - 4 points
This course examines critiques, ideas and analyses of power through a rich tradition in German-speaking social and political thought. A medium which eludes our understanding and defies contestations, power represents a permanent fixture in our lives. From social hierarchies and inequalities to international relations, from questions around gender and the family to climate change, from cultural artifacts to religious dogma – a host of widely varying problems hinge on notions of power that are continuously reworked and reimagined. Students read a selection of works by authors such as Hannah Arendt, Sigmund Freud, Rosa Luxemburg, Karl Mannheim, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche and Edith Stein, as well as relevant commentary and authors influenced by these thinkers. Pioneering radically different and influential interpretations of modern power, these writers continue to affect our understanding of the world. Topics generally range from the source of our moral ideas to the power of interpretation and introspection, include various critiques of power and, importantly, the relation between power, violence and ideology
Experiential Learning - EXL-UF 9302 - 2 points
Open to Global Liberal Studies students only.
Course offered on pass/fail grading basis.
“Experiential Learning” is a 2-credit, Pass/Fail course that supports students in the Spring semester as they enter the workplace culture of the city through Community Placements which may include, but are not limited to, volunteer work, internships, or in some cases, independent research. Through class meetings, reflective writing, and individual conferences, faculty guide students to define an independent research project that grows out of the workplace experience, and which reflects a nuanced understanding of how the workplace culture relates to the social and cultural milieu of the city.
Transnational Migration, Identity, and Citizenship - AGT-UF 9301 or SOC-UA 9943 or EURO-UA 9943 or ANTH-UA 9076 or SCA-UA 9616 - 4 points
This course proposes to look at migration from a contemporary perspective and to examine how it reconfigures identity and citizenship. It looks at the present situation through a historical perspective, taking the current ‘refugee crisis’ as a point of departure, and placing it in a European and global context. The course is intentionally multidisciplinary and incorporates debates from history, sociology, anthropology, political science, geography as well as cultural and urban studies. This will permit students from different backgrounds to approach the subject from their own vantage point and with their chosen methodological instruments. The course starts from observation and media analysis to lead students to theoretical approaches, instead of using a more common deductive approach.
Transnational Migration, Identity, and Citizenship - Sample Syllabus
Comparative Modern Societies: Politics and Society in 20th Century Germany - HIST-UA 9133 or POL-UA 9133 or SOC-UA 9133 - 4 points
The history of Germany in the twentieth century offers rich material to explore various approaches to organizing modern society. Beginning with Imperial Germany in 1900 and moving forward to today’s reunited Germany, we will look at different ways in which the relationship between the state and the individual, and relationship between politics, economy, and society developed over five different political systems. We will interrogate how these institutional arrangements were envisioned and structured and how they were experienced in everyday negotiations. In this course, principle narratives and events will be situated in a European and global context, allowing us to place the concept of German modernity in a comparative framework. Lectures will provide an overview of Germany in the twentieth century; readings and in-class discussions will explore different approaches to analyzing German history and society. During museum visits and walking tours, we will analyze contestations over the various attempts to integrate – both in concerted efforts to memorialize as well as to forget and erase – Germany’s oft-problematic pasts within the narrative of Germany’s present.
Comparative Modern Societies: Politics and Society in 20th Century Germany - Sample Syllabus
Berlin's Modern History & Culture: A European Perspective - GERM-UA 9225 or HIST-UA 9984 or IDSEM-UG 9100 - 4 points
Power and culture are intimately interwoven in the social history and the material substance of modern Berlin. This interdisciplinary course explores the changing historical contours of the keywords of Kultur (culture), Geist (spirit), Technik (technology), Bildung (education), Arbeit (work) and Macht (power) and contestations over their meanings. Through applying an interdisciplinary approach that integrates literature, film, art, architecture, and philosophy, we interrogate how meaning is made individually and collectively. We will look at how relationships between individual identities, state power, and social norms were shaped in the context of recurrent political and economic crisis and rupture and ask how changing local, national, supranational, and global contexts influence how meanings are made. Paying attention to possibilities and constraints for negotiating the terms of everyday life and for conforming or resisting, we will trace how Berliners made and make sense of their lives and the world they participate in shaping.
Berlin's Modern History & Culture: A European Perspective - Sample Syllabus
Augmenting the Gallery - IMNY-UT 9001 - 4 points
Note: Registration priority will be given to students in the Interactive Media, Interactive Media Arts, Studio Art, and Interactive Digital Media programs or other students with Emerging Media concentrations.
Wall labels, audio guides and informative maps are just some of the ways galleries and museums convey additional information about an art collection. How can we utilize new interactive mixed reality tools to design and deliver immersive experiences that breathe new life into an exhibit. Augmented and virtual reality are powerful tools for new media production and storytelling, but how can these tools serve to enhance our gallery experience without distracting from the power and importance of a pre-existing collection? This production course seeks to experiment with new ways to experience a museum collection through mixed reality. Topics covered include exhibition installation and curation, mixed reality production in Unity, mobile development for Augmented Reality.
Global Connections: Berlin Spaces - SCA-UA 9634 or ANTH-UA 9089- 4 points
This course examines diverse current urban trends in Berlin and their connections to worldwide phenomena. It focuses on the way that different social groups (according to class, milieu, origin, gender or sexuality) appropriate urban space and constitute place-specific identities. It uses the city of Berlin with its multiple layers of history as a laboratory for contemporary urban research with historical, empirical and theoretical material. We will study key debates on urban developments, partly as field visits, in regard to housing, migration, gentrification, and we will search for the creative and the sustainable city. You will be introduced to the contemporary discourses on those trends and to new ways of reading and seeing a city.
Comparative Modern Societies: Politics and Society in 20th Century Germany - HIST-UA 9133 or POL-UA 9133 or SOC-UA 9133 - 4 points
The history of Germany in the twentieth century offers rich material to explore various approaches to organizing modern society. Beginning with Imperial Germany in 1900 and moving forward to today’s reunited Germany, we will look at different ways in which the relationship between the state and the individual, and relationship between politics, economy, and society developed over five different political systems. We will interrogate how these institutional arrangements were envisioned and structured and how they were experienced in everyday negotiations. In this course, principle narratives and events will be situated in a European and global context, allowing us to place the concept of German modernity in a comparative framework. Lectures will provide an overview of Germany in the twentieth century; readings and in-class discussions will explore different approaches to analyzing German history and society. During museum visits and walking tours, we will analyze contestations over the various attempts to integrate – both in concerted efforts to memorialize as well as to forget and erase – Germany’s oft-problematic pasts within the narrative of Germany’s present.
Comparative Modern Societies: Politics and Society in 20th Century Germany - Sample Syllabus
Social Psychology - PSYCH-UA 9032 - 4 points
Prerequisite: PSYCH-UA 1 Introduction to Psychology or Equivalent.
The science of social psychology is concerned with understanding how others – be they actual or imagined – influence our affects, cognitions, and behavior. In this class we will learn about social psychology as a science, its methods, core concepts, current problems, and challenges. We will do so by covering theories and research in the broad range of topics social psychology has to offer. These include how people perceive themselves and others, as well as how people explain their own and others’ behavior. We will learn about the role of emotions in our social life and relationships, how we develop our attitudes and how they relate to our behavior. We will learn about how people influence and persuade each other – for example by using media – and when and why they become attracted to each other. We will also discuss groups, their dynamics, decisions, and leadership in groups, as well as when and why we become aggressive, act altruistically, help, and cooperate.
Another important topic will be the nature and consequences of stereotypes and prejudice in situations in which more than one social group is present and salient. Finally, we will explore how stereotypes and prejudice can be overcome in applied contexts, i.e., schools, universities, and other professional environments.
Cognitive Neuroscience - PSYCH-UA 9025 - 4 points
Prerequisite: PSYCH-UA 1 Introduction to Psychology or Equivalent.
Provides students with a broad understanding of the foundations of Cognitive Neuroscience including dominant theories of the neural underpinnings of a variety of cognitive processes and the research that has led to those theories. In doing so, students also learn about the goals of cognitive neuroscience research and the methods that are being employed to reach these goals.
Program Requirements
*Students admitted the Clive Davis Institute X Berlin: Future Pop Music Studies program must be registered for 16 - 18 credits, including a German language course from the list above. Students are required to enroll in REMU-UT 9810 and a music history/writing course, either REMU-UT 9811 or REMU-UT 9817 (depending on what is on offer) as well as a 4-6 credit German language course. Remaining credit requirements may be fulfilled with other REMU offerings below or other NYU Berlin courses. For more information visit the program webpage: Tisch School of the Arts Clive Davis Institute X Berlin: Future Pop Music Studies.
The ReMu courses listed below are only available to students participating in the Clive Davis Institute X Berlin: Future Pop Music Studies program at NYU Berlin. These courses are not open to other students studying at NYU Berlin.
Conversations in the Global Music Business: From Cryptocurrency to Big Data to Surviving the Future - REMU-UT 9810 - 2 points
Note. This course is only open to students participating in the Clive Davis Institute X Berlin: Future Pop Music Studies program at NYU Berlin.
Pre-requisite: REMU-UT 1218 The Business of Music (in-development). This course will count towards required Business core for ReMu majors.
With sales of more than 1.3 billion, the German recorded music market is the third largest in the world: it is larger than the UK music market and behind only the USA and Japan. Beyond just numbers, the Berlin music business is unique: it’s home to hundreds of powerful independent and D.I.Y. record labels; it’s historically been ground zero for innovative electronic and dance music; and it’s a burgeoning tech hub for innovative software/hardware companies like Native Instruments, Ableton and Soundcloud. In this colloquium series, students will meet and hear each week from key creative entrepreneurial figures and innovators in the German and European music business.
This course has several purposes. First, students will consider how ongoing economic and technological changes might be impacting the worldwide music business, as speakers discuss controversial trends like the rise of cryptocurrency, block chain and cashless systems, customization technologies like 3D printing and developments in robotics, and radical, disruptive approaches to copyright. Second, students will develop a greater understanding of the chief similarities and differences between the traditional European and US music business operations, particularly with regard to label operations, publishing and copyright, touring and festivals, and nightlife promotion.
Third, students will become more informed about the D.I.Y. music business in Berlin itself, as they hear from speakers about the promises and challenges one faces in launching innovative music start ups in Germany. And finally, students will get to meet and network with key movers and shakers in the Berlin scene, past and present. In anticipation for a guest class visit, students may be required to investigate websites, read biographical or contextual material, or attend events outside of class time. Students will be expected to ask informed questions of the guests and to develop responses throughout the course of the class.
Students should leave the class with a greater understanding of how the European and German music businesses work and how they themselves might make a business or sales impact on a global scale.
Conversations in the Global Music Business - Sample Syllabus
The Berlin Music Tech Start Up Scene - REMU-UT 9813 - 2 points
There is no pre-requisite for this course. This course will count towards required Technology electives for ReMu majors.
After its reunifaction, Berlin gained a well-deserved reputation as an ‘anything-goes’ cultural playground. But just as radical cultural experimentation was leading to the city’s techno Renaissance, the same urban frontier was quietly transforming into a hotbed for new business ideas around tech. Companies like Ableton, Native Instruments, and SoundCloud started in the city and grew from headquarters there into leaders in the field of music technology. They join other world leaders in music tech around Europe, like Spotify, Deezer, Mixcloud, Focusrite/Novation, and Propellerhead. Berlin is quickly becoming known as a world-class hub for inovative tech start-ups and progressive developments in emergent media.
This class, open to all students, shines a light on key Berlin-based entrepreneurial figures and innovators in music technology, with a focus on those successful individuals who have launched recognized or profitable music-focused startups. The idea is for students, many of whom are aspiring entrepreneurs, to hear directly from, and ask questions directly to, established Berlin based tech entrepeneurs, in moderated conversation.
In anticipation for a guest class visit, students may be required to investigate websites, read biographical or contextual material, or attend events outside of class time. Students will be expected to ask informed questions of the guests and to develop responses throughout the course of the class. All events and speakers are subject to change.
Experiments in the Future of Producing - REMU-UT 9814 - 2 points
Note. This course is only open to students participating in the Clive Davis Institute X Berlin: Future Pop Music Studies program at NYU Berlin.
Contemporary sound production is often based on pre-designed workflows in virtual software environments that merely provide standardized results. Moreover, while aiming for the perfect acoustic image, many commercial producers tend to treat sound as if it were a stable art form. The purpose of this advanced production course is to deconstruct the art of record producing and to expose students to radical musical and studio experimentation, especially given Germany’s role in radicalizing music and sound in the 20th century. Students will get a glimpse into the history and present of experimental composing, recording and performance.
Students will learn how accidents can be the foundation of new musical genres. They will learn about the history of renaissance experiments in spatial music (which, in a way, mark the beginnings of modern artistic play on perspective). If time permits, students will be given an introduction to experimental approaches to hacking, instrument building and software abuse, as well as learn how everyday experimentation can be essential to their recording and performance routines. An array of analogue gear and microphones will be incorporated into in-class sessions, and the class will collectively jam using electronic and other sound devices to understand how individual expression can be essential to the creativity of the group as a whole.
As the idea of recorded musical products must be much more flexible and fluid in the age of streaming and other dephysicalized technologies, we will work toward the aforementioned idea that sound is an unstable art form. The product is the merchandise, but the idea is the original — this has held true for the history of recorded music in the 20th and 21st centuries. Throughout the course, students will have to continually ask themselves the following questions: Where does my music fit in? What is its context? Which ecosystem do I want to be a part of and how can I contribute to its discourse?
Classic Albums: The Berlin/Germany Edition - REMU-UT 9817 - 2 points
Note. This course is only open to students participating in the Clive Davis Institute X Berlin: Future Pop Music Studies program at NYU Berlin.
In this class—a companion to the Classic Albums class offered in New York—we will look at and listen to a selection of classic albums recorded in Berlin, or recorded in Germany more broadly, and how the city/country shaped them – from David Bowie's famous Berlin trilogy from 1977 – 79 to Ricardo Villalobos' minimal house masterpiece Alcachofa. We will deconstruct the music, the production and the marketing of these albums, putting them in full social and political context and exploring the range of reasons why they have garnered classic status. Artists, producers and engineers involved in the making of these albums will be invited to discuss their seminal works with the students. We will particularly look at how electronic music developed in Germany before the advent of house and techno in the late 1980s as well as the arrival of Techno, a new musical movement, and new technology in Berlin and Germany in the turbulent years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, up to the present.
Classic Albums: The Berlin/Germany Edition - Sample Syllabus
Experiments in the Future of Performing - REMU-UT 9818 - 2 points
Note. This course is only open to students participating in the Clive Davis Institute X Berlin: Future Pop Music Studies program at NYU Berlin.
The purpose of this workshop is to expose students to forward-thinking ways to conceive of creative approaches to performing. As the traditional global recorded music economy has diminished over the last two decades, live performance and touring has become an increasingly important and primary source of income for recording artists.
As a result, the twenty-first century finds us on a new horizon with regard to the vanguard of contemporary performance. This course will allow participants the opportunity to explore the cannon of cutting-edge contemporary performance, from the avant garde foundations of the twentieth century expressions in theatre, performance, and music, to the latest advances in current popular performance presentation.
The class focuses on building new forms for live music performance: students will work with their instructor to take creative risks and experiment toward developing new techniques for presenting original music. Accompanied by lectures that weave together performance history, somatic awareness, contemporary music politics, and new technologies, students will be required to present in-class "works in progress" presentations that challenge the conventions of live music performance. In-class performances will be followed by group dialogue and critique, evaluating each students ability to take risks, challenge themselves, and incorporate new ideas into their practice. Students will consider the value of incorporating somatic tools and emergent technology into their performances, as they conceptualize and contextualize their work in larger narrative arcs that create cohesive story for their songs, exploring visual elements through live video manipulation of appropriate found imagery. The semester will end with a concluding session to review final projects.
This course is appropriate for students who already have some studio production experience, as well as performers at various levels of experience.
Note concerning Advanced Seminar
The Label "Advanced Seminar" attached to certain courses below is relevant ONLY for NYU Sociology majors and minors. It designates a course category internal to the NYU Sociology Department characterized by a seminar format and instruction by a regular member of the faculty. These seminars focus on the specific, most often interdisciplinary, research interests of the instructor and hence are not intended to be foundational offerings at either an elementary or advanced level in sociology or any other single discipline. For students other than NYU Sociology majors and minors, these courses should be considered ordinary seminars. For further clarification, please contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies of the NYU Sociology Department, Professor Thomas Ertman, at te11@nyu.edu.
Environmental Social Movements - ENVST-UA 9481 or SOC-UA 9209 or ANTH-UA 9062 or SASEM-UG 9103 - 4 points
How do social movements form in response to environmental concerns? What makes them effective or ineffective? This course analyses the various social movements that organized in response to environmental concerns. Both historical and sociological dimensions of environmental movements are covered, with particular attention given to how issues of environmental protection and social justice intersect. At NYU Berlin, the course includes American (I), European, and in particular German (II), as well as global movements (III).
Shaping an Educational Landscape: Museum Island - ARTH-UA 9850 or SOC-UA 9940 - 4 points
NYU Art History Students: This course counts for Urban Design credit or Art History Elective credit.
NYU Sociology Students: This course counts as an advanced seminar.
The course is a mixture of classroom discussions and field trips (in conjunction with discussions in rooms provided by the National Museums of Berlin) to different museums in Berlin, with a focus on the five major museums on the Museum Island, which have been build over a period of 100 years (1830-1930). We will also talk about the newest addition to the Museumsinsel, the Humboldt Forum scheduled to open its doors in the reconstructed city palace on the Schlossplatz in 2019. Discussions will focus on the nature and social function of museums as well as their role as places where the image of the state and its civil society are constantly reshaped, until the era of global migration. Other topics include museums architecture, museum and identity, museum and education, museum and the 21st century. Previous knowledge of art history, architecture, or German history is not required, but useful.
Shaping an Educational Landscape: Museum Island - Sample Syllabus
Comparative Modern Societies: Politics and Society in 20th Century Germany - HIST-UA 9133 or POL-UA 9133 or SOC-UA 9133 - 4 points
The history of Germany in the twentieth century offers rich material to explore various approaches to organizing modern society. Beginning with Imperial Germany in 1900 and moving forward to today’s reunited Germany, we will look at different ways in which the relationship between the state and the individual, and relationship between politics, economy, and society developed over five different political systems. We will interrogate how these institutional arrangements were envisioned and structured and how they were experienced in everyday negotiations. In this course, principle narratives and events will be situated in a European and global context, allowing us to place the concept of German modernity in a comparative framework. Lectures will provide an overview of Germany in the twentieth century; readings and in-class discussions will explore different approaches to analyzing German history and society. During museum visits and walking tours, we will analyze contestations over the various attempts to integrate – both in concerted efforts to memorialize as well as to forget and erase – Germany’s oft-problematic pasts within the narrative of Germany’s present.
Comparative Modern Societies: Politics and Society in 20th Century Germany - Sample Syllabus
Place - Building - Time: The Architecture of Berlin - ARTH-UA 9651 or SOC-UA 9941 or SCA-UA 9853 - 4 points
NYU Art History Students: This course counts for Urban Design credit or Art History Elective credit.
NYU Sociology Students: This course counts as an advanced seminar.
Berlin is a unique modern Metropolis, its alternating history with often-drastic changes offers a comprehensive background to explore and investigate the nature of architecture in correlation to the various development processes of urban culture and life. Architecture is embedded in the urban fabric for which place and time serve as main threads, constantly changing their multifaceted and layered relationships. This urban fabric provides the fertile soil for urban culture and life, which literally takes place in various scales between the public and the private realm, two more threads intertwined to the urban fabric. Experiencing the city through walking, is essential for learning how to observe, see and read, "Place, Building and Time" in Berlin. Tours will alternate with classroom discussions and workshops.
Place - Building - Time: The Architecture of Berlin - Sample Syllabus
The German Intellectual Tradition: What is Power? - GERM-UA 9244 or SOC-UA 9942 - 4 points
This course examines critiques, ideas and analyses of power through a rich tradition in German-speaking social and political thought. A medium which eludes our understanding and defies contestations, power represents a permanent fixture in our lives. From social hierarchies and inequalities to international relations, from questions around gender and the family to climate change, from cultural artifacts to religious dogma – a host of widely varying problems hinge on notions of power that are continuously reworked and reimagined. Students read a selection of works by authors such as Hannah Arendt, Sigmund Freud, Rosa Luxemburg, Karl Mannheim, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche and Edith Stein, as well as relevant commentary and authors influenced by these thinkers. Pioneering radically different and influential interpretations of modern power, these writers continue to affect our understanding of the world. Topics generally range from the source of our moral ideas to the power of interpretation and introspection, include various critiques of power and, importantly, the relation between power, violence and ideology
Transnational Migration, Identity, and Citizenship - AGT-UF 9301 or SOC-UA 9943 or EURO-UA 9943 or ANTH-UA 9076 or SCA-UA 9616 - 4 points
This course proposes to look at migration from a contemporary perspective and to examine how it reconfigures identity and citizenship. It looks at the present situation through a historical perspective, taking the current ‘refugee crisis’ as a point of departure, and placing it in a European and global context. The course is intentionally multidisciplinary and incorporates debates from history, sociology, anthropology, political science, geography as well as cultural and urban studies. This will permit students from different backgrounds to approach the subject from their own vantage point and with their chosen methodological instruments. The course starts from observation and media analysis to lead students to theoretical approaches, instead of using a more common deductive approach.
Transnational Migration, Identity, and Citizenship - Sample Syllabus
Program Requirements
*Students admitted to this program must be registered for 12 - 18 credits, including a German language course from the list above (German Language Courses). In addition to German language, the courses listed below are required for all students admitted to this program.
*Please note, THEA-UT 9455 is only open to students in the Tisch program. For more information visit the program webpage: Tisch School of the Arts Stanislavsky, Brecht and Beyond: An Integrated Approach to Actor Training in Berlin.
German Theater of the 20th Century: History & Practice - THEA-UT 9612 - 4 points
Only open to students participating in the Tisch Stanislavsky, Brecht and Beyond Actor Training Program.
This course examines German theater of the twentieth century, from Expressionism to contemporary postdramatic forms of writing and performance. The course will first offer an overview of German theater traditions before 1900 and will then engage in analyzing specific developments in German theater starting with Max Reinhardt and his work at the Deutsches Theater Berlin. Other case studies will focus on Brecht’s epic theater, theater during the Third Reich, postwar theater trends in East and West Germany, and current developments in reunified Germany. Not only will we closely read relevant plays and theory by the theater makers of the respective periods but we will also explore aesthetics and performance issues as they have changed over time. As the involved practice of dramaturgy in Germany has greatly influenced theatrical developments, we will investigate this major aspect of theatrical work in Germany as a contribution to world theater and study how the extensive debate of ideas is being concretely realized in the theater through the choices being made in a production. An integral part of the course will include visits to Berlin theaters, attending performances, which we will analyze in class, and engaging in discussion with contemporary theater makers in Berlin.
German Theater of the 20th Century: History & Practice - Sample Syllabus
Stanislavsky, Brecht and Beyond: An Integrated Approach to Contemporary Actor Training THEA-UT 9455 - 8 points
This is a one-semester program in theater and actor training for advanced drama students offered by NYU Berlin in conjunction with the Tisch Department of Drama and in affiliation with faculty from the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, The Berlin University of the Arts, and the Berlin Schaubühne.
The curriculum will focus on the study and practical application of aspects of German theater that have made and are continuing to make a significant contribution to international theater practice. It includes the integration of the Russian based Stanislavsky Method of Physical Actions with Brecht’s Epic Theater, Advanced Realistic scene study, Real Time Acting, Brecht scene study, Devised Theater, Postdramatic Theater, movement, voice, and rigorous actor-oriented dramaturgical research. The program will culminate with workshop performances of several short plays by Brecht.
Students will also participate in the international F.I.N.D. Festival hosted by Thomas Ostermeier and the Berlin Schaubühne. Designed to foster international artistic exchange, this festival brings together a select group of international theater students for ten days. They attend several contemporary professional productions, meet with the directors, and participate in a series of master classes led by an international team of major teaching artists.
Spring Only: This course is required for the Tisch Acting program. Students must enroll in this 8 credit course as well as German.
Online/Remote-Taught Courses available to Study Away Students
Students may compliment their local course load by enrolling in an online or remote-taught course. Some of NYU's online courses can be found using the Instruction Mode filter in the Albert Course Search. Please keep in mind that you must be enrolled in at least 12 credits of courses at your study away site (remote-taught/online courses do not count towards the 12 credit minimum requirement). Note, online/remote taught courses are not scheduled on the same session as the courses offered by the study away site, add/drop dates and other academic deadlines will vary. Please refer to Albert course notes for more details. Online/remote taught course commitments should not interfere with student attendance in local classes and required program activities (including orientation).