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Course Highlight

NYU Washington, DC, Program Director Kari Miller Leads Students on a Journey Through Time and Space

Posted on by Katie L
Portrait of Kari Miller

Kari Miller

When Kari Miller, program director for NYU Washington, DC, and affiliated faculty with NYU’s Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, sees the city, she finds a reservoir of public memory sites that speak to African American history and an unfinished story chronicling resilience over time. These observations are what she aims to share with NYU students from near and far in her class Black Lives Writing Washington, DC.

Each spring semester Miller begins the course with an exploration of the abolitionist movement. She then moves in chronological order through two other major movements in African American history: the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter.

“Through novels, poetry, visual arts, and in-person site visits to a variety of sites in Washington, DC, the course explores the connections between these three historical movements that have all been shaped by Washington, DC,” Miller says. “We explore the complexity of American and Washington, DC, history through the eyes of writers who, at some point in their lives, have called the city home.”

City Connections

To Miller, making real-world connections with topics discussed in the classroom is a vital part of learning—and of studying away at NYU Washington, DC. “We visit sites around the city in order to connect directly with historical neighborhoods and areas that relate back to the books that we read,” she explains.

After reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the first site visit is the National Park Service site of the abolitionist’s home. They visit Georgetown University as they read Rachel Swarns’ The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved to Build the American Catholic Church. They visit the city’s Shaw neighborhood, home to Howard University, when they read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me. They even visit the mansions of Logan Circle, a few blocks from the site’s academic center after reading Dinaw Mengestu’s The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears, a novel that focuses on the Ethiopian-American community in Washington, DC.

“Excursions are very immersive, and student responses have been overwhelmingly positive,” Miller reflects. “Everyone especially enjoys our visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial during the National Cherry Blossom Festival.”

A Work in Progress

The course site visits, readings, and assignments don’t just encourage students to reflect on the past, but they celebrate the present as well. “I enjoy using all of the city’s art galleries and museums to make connections to our work through the visual arts,” she explains. “There is always a nearby or local exhibit in Washington, DC, that our students are able to go to, not only to appreciate Harlem Renaissance artists, but to learn about expressions of contemporary artists who are creating great works of art today.” Regardless of where in space and time Miller leads her students, the continuing story of African Americans and their impact on our nation remains at the center.

“In comparison to other nations that are thousands of years old, the United States is relatively very, very young. It is truly a work in progress,” Miller adds. “Through the history shaped and created in Washington, DC, I hope our students take away inspiration, motivation, and the desire to continue to build a better world, based on what we’ve learned and what we know is possible through movements, people, and progress.”

Written by Sarah Bender

Exploring Local Culture to Inform a Career

Posted on , modified on by Maxine P
Julia Antwi-Boasiako poses from rocky terrain in front of a green field of trees with hills in the background

Julia Antwi-Boasiako

For College of Arts and Science student Julia Antwi-Boasiako, the opportunity to study at NYU Accra was a chance to revisit Ghana, the country where she was raised, and explore new possibilities for her future. The senior, who is majoring in Global Public Health and Sociology and minoring in Chemistry, immersed herself in local culture and professional experiences through impactful courses and an intensive internship.

To learn more about the history of Ghana from the 15th century through the rise of slavery in the Americas, Julia signed up for the class The Black Atlantic. Students explored a range of genres, including film, fiction, and formal scholarship, to examine how African communities were shaped during this time. She also took City As Text, which focused on Ghana’s modern society. In this course, Julia had the chance to tour two different areas within Accra, an affluent neighborhood and an impoverished one. She drew on the city as a primary resource for academic research and critical inquiry, completing formal interviews with locals to help her construct her final project.

“I have always dreamed of installing health resources back in Ghana. City As Text gave me an understanding of the needs of the population and resources that can help improve their circumstances,” Julia says. “I hope to further my education in the health and medical field in order to accomplish this objective, and these courses have given me a boost in my motivation.”

A small group of people standing in front of Black Star Gate in Accra

Black Star Gate in Accra, a photo from Julia’s time there

It took Julia some time to adjust to the culture of the city—though she spent a large portion of her childhood in Ghana, she’s lived in the United States since she was 12. At first, there were times when it was difficult for her to understand the locals’ perspectives. “Despite all this, the culture in Accra was amazing,” Julia remembers. “The locals are very amiable, funny, and always eager to strike a conversation and get to know you. I made many friends with local shop employees and even security personnel.”

In addition to classes and exploring, Julia also interned for the African Social Research Lab, working with the Eban Centre for Human Trafficking Studies. The internship was more research-intensive than she initially expected, but that wasn’t a problem. In fact, it made her realize how much she enjoys doing research, helping her understand her ideal future work environment.

“I wanted to be involved with a human services organization, and the internship made me aware of wanting to be in a field that was more hands-on and interactive,” Julia says. “Being able to listen to the stories of others and try to understand their backgrounds and perspectives was something I really enjoyed doing.”

Repurposed with permission from the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development’s blog

The Global Liberal Studies Course Taught Around the World

Posted on , modified on by Maxine P
A group of students smile at the camera on a city sidewalk

Students in Cecilia Palmeiro’s “City as Text” class in Buenos Aires’ La Boca neighborhood. The class studies its traditional tenements—painted in different colors—in reading the history of Buenos Aires through its architecture. Photo credit: Daniel Espinoza

Global Liberal Studies (GLS) majors have the unique opportunity to take the course City As Text during the fall semester at most locations in NYU’s global network. The course, part of the GLS junior-year learning sequence, selects location-specific texts to immerse students in the setting where they’re living and learning. “Across all City As Text courses, emphasis is placed on the importance of primary sources. Students academically investigate their present geographic setting but also experience its profound intricacies on-site. The classroom work, alongside the field trips, is designed to facilitate the framing and contextualization of the study away experience,” says Philip Kain, the director of academic engagement and experiential learning and a clinical professor at Liberal Studies.

For example, at NYU Buenos Aires, readings and lectures are enhanced with visits from local government officials and activists. And, of course, excursions throughout the city to places like the Palace of the Argentine National Congress, Plaza de Mayo, and La Boca neighborhood, an artists’ haven that many 19th- and 20th-century European immigrants called home, provide further insight for students. “We produce a kind of knowledge that fosters reflection and analysis that exceeds the singularity of Buenos Aires and inspires their approach to other places,” says NYU Buenos Aires course instructor Cecelia Palmeiro, an expert on Argentine and Brazilian literature and gender issues, a researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council, and the coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Center for Gender Studies and Policies at the National University of Tres de Febrero. 

A group of students stand in front of a street mural featuring Argentinian soccer player Diego Maradona

Students in Cecilia Palmeiro’s “City as Text” in front of a mural of Argentinian soccer star Diego Maradona in Buenos Aries’ La Boca neighborhood. Photo credit: Daniel Espinoza.

This fall in Palmeiro’s class, students considered the past and present of Buenos Aires through the lenses of immigration, environmental concerns, art and its role in political protest, and reproductive health. “In order to obtain the critical tools necessary to make sense and produce academic knowledge out of this experience, students read ‘Neoliberal Reform and Landscape Change in Buenos Aires, Argentina’ by David Keeling and the classic ‘The Right to the City’ by David Harvey,” explains Palmeiro.

This approach is not singular to NYU Buenos Aires, however, as students at NYU London traveled to the city’s Brixton district to learn about the area’s musical history and shifting racial makeup. And at NYU Accra, students focused on how migration and religion shaped the Ghanaian capital, visiting places of worship to learn in context.

Architect Cecilia Alvis points to a colorful mural

Architect Cecilia Alvis with “City as Text” students in front of a mural on the Nicolás Avellaneda Bridge. Photo credit: Daniel Espinoza

NYU Paris students studied the potential impacts of the 2024 Summer Olympics, learning about the social and environmental impacts of the upcoming event, and in NYU Berlin, students contextualized their learning with the history and landmarks of the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and the Cold War. “City As Text has played a significant role in the GLS curriculum since its inception. Our aim was to create a course centered on active engagement at the study away locations with a global perspective as its foundation,” concludes Kain.

Repurposed from NYU News 

A Universal Language at Every Age

Posted on by Maxine P

Through internships, volunteer opportunities, and class projects, NYU study away students can make a positive impact on the children in their local communities while also gaining valuable, real-world experience they can apply to their future careers.

While studying at NYU Prague last spring, Joey Duke, a junior majoring in Music Education at the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, found there is more to his field of study than he could have imagined. Through the class Foundations of Music Education led by Professor Klára Boudalová, he had the opportunity to work with the Prague Symphony Orchestra to help make classical music accessible to children in the Czech Republic.

Seven people pose for a camera on the orchestra stage

Concert planners and participants pose for a photo onstage at Smetana Hall after the orchestra performance. Pictured from left to right are: Jaime Patterson, Jair Gonzales, director Klara Boudalova, Joey Duke, actress Veronika Kubarova, Jahnvi Seshadri, and conductor Jan Kucera.

“We worked on the Orchestr na dotek, which means ‘the orchestra to listen,’” Joey says. After a semester of learning from the orchestra, the class’ final project was to organize an orchestra completely on their own. “It’s their program created just for young audiences, and it was a game changer for me. It showed me there’s a lot more you can do with music education.”

Joey and his classmates “took a part in everything” when it came to creating the orchestra. They chose composers, selected and cut the music, wrote a storyline, and worked with the musicians and performers to ensure the performance went off without a hitch. 

“We knew we would be these kids’ first impressions of the composers, and we wanted to make sure we selected the right pieces and cuts,” explains Joey. Their orchestra focused on the works of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, which they intertwined with a story about pirates. “The music really couldn’t be more than three minutes at a time, so we had to select the most important parts. That took a lot of score reading and musical knowledge. Then for the story, Debussy features a lot of ocean music and Ravel features a lot of Spanish music, so we were like, ‘We’ve got it! We’re getting on a ship, we’re venturing across the sea, we’re going to islands.’ It was this big, fantastical process, and once we got past the blank canvas, the possibilities were endless.”

Similarly, at NYU Florence, Anika Istok, a junior majoring in Psychology at the College of Arts and Science and minoring in both Italian Studies and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies (CAMS), had the chance to connect with children through music. 

“Music is so important for kids,” says Anika who spent the fall of 2022 volunteering with NPM Bambini in Movimento, an organization that provides support, therapy, and inclusive recreational activities for children, adolescents, and their families to help improve their health and wellness. “It’s an important way for kids to express themselves, especially if they’re nonverbal, shy, or don’t initiate interactions. It’s amazing because, through something simple like playing our community drum together, they were able to bond in a way that, even with words, you can’t accomplish.”

Photo of Anika wearing an NPM Bambini in Movimento polo shirt

Anika Istok in her NPM Bambini in Movimento shirt

Volunteering with NPM Bambini in Movimento was fulfilling for Anika on multiple levels. It not only advanced her work in psychology and CAMS but also helped her become fluent in Italian. She noted volunteering as part of the culture at NYU Florence, so she knew she would get involved somewhere. Still, it was important for her to find an organization where she could really make an impact, and at NPM Bambini in Movimento, she was able to do just that. 

“We weren’t necessarily teaching music; rather, we were experiencing music together,” Anika adds. Anika helped teach two after-school classes, one for children between 2 and 5 and one for children between 6 and 8 years old. “A lot of the kids we worked with had either a disability or some sort of special need, and a lot of them were too young to be in school full time or had some trouble in school. Connecting with them outside of their normal educational environment was really important.”

Both Joey and Anika returned to New York City after their semesters away with newfound knowledge and appreciation for their selected fields of study. “This opportunity showed me that I could not only aspire to do something like this but do it. And then we watched it happen,” says Joey. “At the end of the day, music is who we are as a people. It carries all of our cultural meaning, it carries a message, and for kids to understand the music from where they are is for them to participate in their communities. For me, I realized there’s so much more we can do. That semester really opened my eyes to the impact we can make through music.”

Written by Kelly McHugh-Stewart

Course Spotlight: Augmenting the Gallery, Theory and Practice with Augmented Reality at NYU Berlin

Posted on by Katie L
Pierre Depaz leads the Augmenting the Gallery course

Pierre Depaz leading the Augmenting the Gallery course at NYU Berlin

Combining his background as an educator, artist, and programmer, instructor Pierre Depaz’s NYU Berlin course Augmenting the Gallery makes use of his research on simulation and public organization through technological means to explore the overlap of the digital and the physical in museums.

“We use augmented reality technology to reveal some of the invisible knowledge threads that weave through a museum’s exhibitions, spaces, and publics,” says Depaz. “This allows us to look critically both at a new technology that pervades our devices and centuries-old institutions, sometimes in need of an update.”

Augmenting the Gallery offers students both a theoretical framework for understanding the museum space and the practical application and experience using new technologies like Unity (a game engine used to develop games and simulations) and prototyping tools like Figma and Adobe XD. Ultimately, students learn how to create relevant mobile content within a given exhibition through prototyping, iteration, and integration. More importantly, they are able to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of augmenting technologies within cultural spaces and sensitively implement them using their acquired knowledge. Accessibility is a key theme in the course as students grapple with the question: How much does digital media provide access to knowledge and to whom?

“Berlin is particularly great in terms of the layers of history that are rendered visible across the city. From Prussian empires to refugee waves through the Holocaust and the Cold War, there’s many ways you can look at a particular place and many different stories told by each of these places,” says Depaz. “Additionally, the creative tech scene also exposes the students to cutting-edge new media art and exhibitions.”

Making extensive use of museums and galleries in Berlin, Augmenting the Gallery is a great academic example of how NYU’s global network enhances the student experience. Working closely with these institutions, students gain practical skills they can leverage with future employers while learning that “designing augmented reality is a lot more complex than what commercials promise,” says Depaz. Students also learn “how complex the job of a museum is if they want to uphold their mission.”

By learning to design and deliver immersive experiences that breathe new life into displays, using technology to challenge the more complicated and problematic aspects of exhibitions, and making the hallowed museum space accessible to the widest swath of people possible, students develop the skills they need to help uphold a museum’s mission and break barriers in Berlin and beyond.

Want a taste of Augmenting the Gallery?

Depaz recommends checking out what the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin did with an augmented sound walk of their bird collection. He also cites “The Ignorant Art Museum: Beyond Meaning Making” by Emilie Sitzia as one of the course’s most popular readings. “It’s an article on how museums can help foster knowledge and provide agency back to their audience without keeping the posture of an elite ivory tower, sometimes facilitated by the use of digital technologies,” he says. “The class about how museums engage in education and, more broadly, what is good education is very fruitful—students always report their best learning experiences happening outside of museums (or outside of university, for that matter!).”

Written by Kristin Maffei

Visions for the Future

Posted on by Maxine P

At NYU Abu Dhabi, Thani AlMheiri imagines the United Arab Emirates that could be

Portrait of Thani AlMheiri

Thani AlMheiri

Nobody can forecast the future. But NYU Abu Dhabi Class of 2023 student Thani AlMheiri is trying his best. And he’s excited to be part of it. In fact, he points to his education at NYU Abu Dhabi for preparing him for his current work as a participant in a new United Arab Emirates (UAE) government initiative and beyond.

Thani is a member of the Futureneers program, run by the UAE’s Government Development and the Future Office, designed to bring “together young Emirati talents from various strategic fields to design ideas and solutions aiming to enhance the UAE’s readiness for the future.”

“Futureneers is an unpaid part-time position. It is more about being a board member and leading projects that prepare the country for the future,” Thani explains. A Philosophy major, Thani credits NYU Abu Dhabi with helping him dream big and develop his ambitions. After coming to NYU Abu Dhabi, he says, “My educational scope expanded dramatically thanks to the diverse and deep range of disciplines offered in its liberal arts curriculum.” Thani took part in the Academic Enrichment Program, which helps prepare Emirati students to succeed at NYU. The program focuses on developing qualitative, linguistic, and argumentation skills through three thematically integrated courses. Additionally, it provides robust mentorship for students as they transition to the University. “The team of professors and educators were the best, and I owe them a very special thank you. Without them, I wouldn’t have learned to think across disciplines and see the world from multiple perspectives,” says Thani. “The program was the first step in my Futureneers journey. It encouraged me to start reading about government and philosophy.”

Then Professor Matthew Silverstein’s Tolerance course cemented Thani’s newfound interest in ethics and politics. “The course taught me about the many views of religious toleration and how government involvement affects religious practice,” he says. He was hooked: “It really solidified my interest in government and philosophy, which ultimately led to my role as a Futureneer. Today, I hope to become a lawyer or philosophy professor and turn my education into practical service to better my growing country.”

As a Futureneer, Thani is doing just that. Working with others in his cohort, he confidently envisions a vivid and optimistic future for the UAE. “I believe the UAE can become an innovative green hub and, eventually, a carbon-free society. Education will be available to everyone, and everyone will contribute what they learn back to society,” he affirms. “I want this to be a place where pioneers can come and try out their craziest ideas, ones that would never be possible anywhere else.”

Repurposed and updated with permission from Meet NYU

At NYU Buenos Aires and NYU Madrid, Students Learn Spanish in Context

Posted on by Katie L

Foreign languages can provide a gateway to new cultures, new relationships, and new opportunities. And, of course, an organic environment where students engage with native users is one of the best ways for students to hone language skills. At NYU Buenos Aires and NYU Madrid, the University’s two Spanish-using locations, students can learn Spanish in and out of the classroom through language exchange programs, field trips, and everyday conversation.

“A language is never easy to learn, and it’s even harder to learn it by yourself,” explains Haiam Husain Lara, cultural program coordinator at NYU Madrid. “Ultimately, language is used for communication. So studying a language in context is crucial because you’re learning the language in the same circumstances you’ll use it: for conversation. There is just no other better way to acquire knowledge in something so distant yet so close to us.”

Argentina Hoy/Argentina Today at NYU Buenos Aires

A smiling student dances in a dance class

NYU Buenos Aires students join a local dance class with Buenos Aires residents

In the NYU Buenos Aires class Argentina Hoy/Argentina Today, taught by Language Coordinator and Professor Silvia Luppino, students explore current issues in Argentine society as they practice their Spanish language skills. The class visits sites like the Parque de la Memoria, a riverside park, and the Museo Etnográfico Juan B. Ambrosetti, the University of Buenos Aires’ ethnographic museum, as well as attends a cultural workshop about the Guaraní, one of the Indigenous peoples in Argentina and South America. Additionally, students participate in regular language exchanges with Argentine students through the Asociación de Centros de Idiomas, a local association of language centers. “Students can engage in a lively and relaxed atmosphere and share how they live and study, where they travel, and what they expect,” explains Luppino.

Each semester, Luppino changes the syllabus to reflect the latest trends and topics. Recently, the class attended a screening of the film Argentina, 1985, an Argentine movie about the civil trial of the last dictatorship’s military juntas. “It made a big impact on the students,” says Luppino. “They saw the audience’s emotional reaction, and they could appreciate that this didn’t feel like a ‘past’ event for Argentinians. Rather, it is a central part of the social experience.” That emotional connection to “the real language,” in Luppino’s words, is why immersive learning is so vital. “I always tell students that the journey is not only to cross the equator. Here, their cultural values and certainties will be put to the test, and that includes the Spanish language they learned from textbooks.”

NYU Madrid’s Language Exchange Program

A group of cyclists

NYU Madrid students participate in a language exchange bike ride at Rio Park.

“At NYU Madrid, we aim to ensure each student feels comfortable exploring the city and the Spanish language through activities that require participation and collaboration with native speakers. And we make sure they have fun while doing it,” says Husain Lara. Each semester, NYU students pair up with local university students to participate in weekly language exchanges. Since every student already takes intensive Spanish, the program emphasizes getting out of the classroom. Recent excursions included bowling, museums, and even miniature golf. During each outing, students learn terminology related to the activity in action. For example, during a recent salsa and bachata class, NYU students received cards with dance moves in Spanish while Spanish users received them in English. Then they had to communicate in their non-native languages to coordinate their dances.

“Studying a language in context breathes life into that language,” says Alejandro Pérez Pardo, assistant director for student life and housing at NYU Madrid. “Spanish can be very difficult, and in class, it sometimes doesn’t make sense because you’re not experiencing how it’s actually used. But when you go out, you start to understand why and how to use it—and why it’s important. By actually talking to Spanish people, students bond with one another and develop a real love of the language.” Husain Lara adds, “The idea we want to spread is that a language is never a barrier. Rather, it’s a bridge that helps us cross to another land we haven’t explored yet.”

Written by Dana Guterman

Minds and Machines at NYU Paris

Posted on by Maxine P

In this philosophy course, students learn the art and science of debate

 

A Twist on a Traditional Philosophy Course

Dr. Frédérique de Vignemont sitting at a desk

Dr. Frédérique de Vignemont

In her philosophy course called Minds and Machines at NYU Paris, Dr. Frédérique de Vignemont merges concepts from the humanities and the sciences to offer a unique and interactive experience for her students. “I’m a philosopher who likes to talk about science,” she says. “I’m not just hard-core humanities. In my class I try to get the two sides talking, which can sometimes be a challenge. My class is open to all majors, and that makes it interesting because each student brings a unique perspective to the table.”

Philosophy in Practice

Dr. de Vignemont’s course is a series of lectures on philosophical concepts coupled with interactive debates about thought-provoking questions like: Can machines think like humans? Do all animals feel pain? Are humans different from machines?

“I choose debate topics that students can feel deeply about,” Dr. de Vignemont says. “This class is all about practicing philosophy, not just reading or listening to lectures about it. During debates, I help students find their way of thinking and formulate their objections.”

According to Dr. de Vignemont, the ability to debate is an important skill for students to have regardless of their major. “Students need to learn how to listen to each other, even when they disagree. They also need to learn how to present their arguments in a way that the other side can understand.”

For Xichen Li, a College of Arts and Science Class of 2023 Philosophy major, the course’s weekly debates were her favorite part because they exposed her to different perspectives and allowed her to recognize the flaws in her own arguments.

“During the debates, I was able to broaden and diversify my perspectives on philosophical issues and life in general,” says Xichen. “As the class went on, we learned how to think and debate in more creative, rigorous, and nuanced ways. The habit of debating continues to benefit me to this day.”

Beyond the lectures and debates, Dr. de Vignemont teaches students more general skills like how to analyze a paper, how to defend a viewpoint, and how to synthesize their findings.

 

Two students seated in the foreground in discussion with Dr. de Vignemont seated in the background

Dr. de Vignemont listens to students debate in her NYU Paris course, Minds and Machines.

Gaining Unexpected Life Skills

When students complete the Minds and Machines course at NYU Paris, they leave with an appreciation for life’s quiet complexities. They know how to think critically about topics, ask probing questions, and find comfort in the unknown. “As an undergraduate, I was told the ability to be surprised is the main philosophical skill,” says Dr. de Vignemont. “We take so many things for granted. It’s the philosopher’s job to be picky and ask questions. While I’m not sure students will get many answers from this class, I’m certain they’ll learn how to ask new questions.”

And that’s exactly what happened for Xichen Li—she felt the power and beauty of questioning for the very first time.

“I realized questioning existing answers can open up new possibilities,” says Xichen. “Sometimes asking questions can point out flaws in our past understanding and push our mindsets forward. But even when our mindsets don’t move forward (because many philosophical questions seem to have no clear answers), asking questions can reveal how ignorant and finite we are. In this class I learned that questioning is a fantastic way to explore the world and feel the depth of the unknown.”

Written by Samantha Jamison