Summer 2023
Course listings are subject to change. Please check back regularly for updates and email global.academics@nyu.edu if you have any questions.
Students should submit a study away application and plan to enroll in a minimum of four in-person credits. Information about the application, housing, tuition and fees will be available later in the fall semester.
Abu Dhabi and Shanghai course equivalencies
- 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.
Courses
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Experiential Learning Seminar - NODEP-UA 9980 - 2 points
Can be counted for SCA-UA Internship credit (government and non-profit placements only). Can also be counted for Politics major credit (internship with domestic policy focus only)
The seminar is designed to complement the internship fieldwork experience. In it we explore many different aspects of your internship site. The goal is to finish the semester with an in-depth understanding of the company or organization, including its approach, its policies, and the context in which it operates. We will also discuss more generally the state of the contemporary workplace and ourselves as workers. Finally, you will use the seminar to reflect critically and analytically on the internship experience and as a way to refine your own personal and professional goals.
Students who secure an internship through or with the assistance of NYU Washington, DC must confirm their spot in the program and enroll in the internship class in order to accept the internship. Students are required to pursue a minimum of 10 hours/week in their internships to earn course credit. NYU Washington, DC advises that students pursue no more than 20 hrs/week in internship commitments. If students elect to participate in an internship that exceeds the recommended number of hours, they may be advised to reduce their academic course load. Students are highly encouraged to consult NYU Washington DC staff for assistance with these decisions.
Additional information is available on the NYU Washington DC Internship webpage.
Memorializing American History: Public Memory and the DC National Mall - HIST-UA 9075 - 2 points
This course surveys the interdisciplinary studies of Public Memory, encompassing theoretical concepts specific to history, the politics of culture, public policy and cultural heritage. During the course, the first two-weeks surveys scholarly writing on Public Memory. The second two-weeks is dedicated to in-person site visits to DC memorials on the National Mall. The third two-weeks is comprised of group presentations shared by classmates on an oral project related to public memory and the DC National Mall.
Journalism Ethics & First Amendment Law - JOUR-UA 9502 - 4 points
This course is an introduction to how American constitutional law affects journalists and why that matters. It’s also a course about journalistic ethics and how such professional notions as fairness, objectivity, responsibility, and credibility intersect with law – and how they don’t. Other journalism coursework is about how journalists do things – how to report, write, edit; this course will often be about how they avoid problems.
We will cover the law of the First Amendment, the values our system places on free expression, the imprecision of legal principles and the problem this poses for journalists (and their lawyers), the changing nature of journalism and the changing nature of law in the digital age. This is not a law course as such, but a survey of the protections and restrictions that the legal system places on journalists. And we will be mindful that legal constraints alone do not govern how a good journalist behaves. Careful and honorable and valuable journalism comes not only from mere compliance with civil and criminal requirements, but attention to ethical principles that transcend law or are outside its boundaries.
Identities in American Politics in the 21st Century - POL-UA 9994 - 4 points
This course focuses on how identity--in all its forms--is seeing a resurgence in contemporary American politics and public policy. We will examine how changing demographics are affecting the parties' electoral strategies, their platforms, and the policies enacted once in office, and we will explore literature on inter-group relations, prejudice and discrimination. We will endeavor to understand the increasing influence of some identity groups (such as LGBT, gun owners, Latinos, and Mormons) on politics, and the declining impact of other groups (such as labor unions). We will be particularly attuned to the question of whether identity isi eclipsing other concerns (such as preferences for policy) in Americans' party identification, voting behavior, and their general understanding of the political landscape. We will consider how new technologies--including social media, data0driven campaigns, and an increasingly heterogeneous political news environment--are affecting and sustaining these dynamics.
Identities in American Politics in the 21st Century - Sample Syllabus
The Politics of Public Policy - UPADM-GP 9101 - 4 points
Course description and syllabus will be based on the course below. Exact description and syllabus will differ slightly.
This course will provide a broad and dynamic introduction of the American political system and public policy. The course will 1) investigate the dynamics, ideas, values, and traditions that support American politics and the policy process 2) examine the actions of citizens and voters that make that influence public policy 3) study the institutions and actors that comprise the American political system, particularly, the three major branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) and the fourth estate (the media) and how policy and constitutional tensions involve political and moral choices (4) explore the critical role played by political communications (i.e. language, strategy, research, social media, digital tech) throughout our political and policy process. The course will place critical emphasis on the “DC advantage”, leveraging our location in the nation’s capital by studying our topics through the unique lens of proximity and applied practice. While this class will study various theoretical academic issues, it will also attend closely to how these theories play out in practice. Students will be challenged to think critically and to execute, at times, real-world examples relevant to the policy and political process. The ultimate goal of the course is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the American political system and overview of public policy in a constitutional democracy that includes a robust theoretical and practical foundation.