You are invited to apply for a philosophy class at New York University, specially designed for high school students.
Philosophy is something you have already thought about even if you didn’t know that that was what you were doing. Philosophy means asking big questions – questions about right and wrong, justice, freedom, responsibility, and the meaning of life, among others. For example:
- Is it ever all right to harm one person in order to help others?
- What is the moral difference between humans and animals that justifies us treating animals so differently from humans?
- Do we have free will?
- How do we know that we are living in the real world rather than a computer simulation?
- What is gender? What is race?
This class is an opportunity to go deeper into questions that have fascinated thinkers for thousands of years, learning what famous philosophers have to say about these questions and learning to better develop and articulate and defend your own views. (Studies also show that students who study philosophy improve their reading and critical thinking and even math skills!) It is also an opportunity to work with professors and students at NYU, which has one of the leading philosophy departments in the world.
Logistics:
- Instructor: The instructor is Professor Jessica Moss, of the NYU Philosophy Department, with NYU philosophy graduate students as assistant instructors.
- Location: We will meet remotely, on Zoom. (Normally we would meet on the NYU campus, but we can’t do that this year. We hope to invite you to campus for a reunion class next year!)
- Time: Wednesdays from 4:30-6:00 pm, from January 20 to May 19. [No class on NYC school vacation days]. There will be short weekly reading and writing assignments (roughly 30 minutes per week).
- Costs: The standard cost of a course like this at NYU is $6,640, but this course is offered free of charge thanks to the sponsorship of the NYU philosophy department and the New York Institute of Philosophy.
- Credit: This is a 0-credit course, which means that you will receive a transcript from NYU verifying your participation in the course and the grade you receive.
Who should apply?
We are looking for highly motivated, intellectually curious students who are excited about discussing big ideas in a college setting.
We are looking for students who want the opportunity for a more intellectually rigorous class than they feel they can take at their high school, and who are eager to meet and talk with other students in similar situations.
Expectations:
If you are admitted to the program we will expect you to attend class every week, to participate actively in discussions, to complete your short assignments, and to behave respectfully and appropriately during class.
We will ask you and your parent/caregiver to sign a contract before the class begins committing to meet these expectations.
How to apply:
To submit your application, please fill out the application here: https://connect.nyu.edu/register/?id=a07a39c5-dbdf-4a32-8c93-39c83f350521
Please submit your application by December 21. We will notify you of our admissions decision by January 4th.