At least initially, the target audience of the NYU-DC program will be CAS students majoring in Politics, Economics, History, Journalism, and Art History.  Each of these programs has a large number of majors (over 2,500 combined), and each is such that its students could benefit from immersion in the D.C. environment.  A diverse range of other programs, from Biology to East Asian Studies to the new and rapidly growing programs on Environmental Studies, have also expressed interest in sending students to D.C. for a semester.

The curriculum of a standard semester at NYU-DC would consist of core seminars, internship seminars, and electives from each of the participating departments.  The courses will be taught by visiting NYU faculty as well as by faculty recruited from other universities ad intellectual and cultural institutions.  At maturity, we expect enrollment at NYU-DC to be approximately 100-150 students per semester.  Most of the students would be CAS students, but there would also be students from NYU’s portal campuses and from other U.S. universities that lack a D.C. program.

Two kinds of core seminars are being planned: one that would examine the American constitution and the other the history of Washington D.C.  The former would focus on constitutional interpretation, theories of state power, and the role of constitutional law in the development of the U.S. political economy.  The latter would examine the key events, factors, people, and institutions that played a role in Washington’s transition into a cosmopolitan city, and would make extensive use of visits to and lectures about important districts, buildings, monuments, and museums.

Each of the departments listed above would be encouraged to develop new courses specifically for NYU-DC, but in addition each already has a number of existing courses in its curriculum that would be well suited to the D.C. program.

Opportunities for internships will be identified in several ways.  The Brademas Center, which already sponsors summer internships, would help to develop internship opportunities during the regular academic year with assistance from the Wasserman Center for Career Development.  In addition, faculty members in the departments mentioned above have extensive professional connections that can be mined for internship opportunities.  Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we would draw upon the large number of alumni and friends of NYU who live in D.C.  We would expect these alumni and friends to be helpful in our ongoing fund-raising efforts as well.

Co-curricular events and activities will be a hallmark of NYU’s program. Informal, off-the record brown-bag lunches and briefings will be organized with members of Congress and the staffs of government offices, non-governmental organizations, embassies, consulates, and cultural institutions.  In addition, NYU-DC will invite a steady stream of distinguished experts (including NYU faculty) to visit NYU’s center. This would not only enrich our academic program but also increase the visibility of the University in the nation’s capital.

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