Courses

Examines the challenges of transforming high schools to increase educational opportunity & outcomes of urban youth. We will investigate past efforts to transform urban high schools as well as more current school reform efforts such as small schools, charter schools & middle colleges. Using relevant theories on educational change & an in-depth study of school reform, we will examine the roles that principals, teachers, & external providers play in sustaining the change process & analyze the challenges of leading , teaching & learning in today’s changing urban high schools.

Analyzes the global flow of media products, in particular the circulation of television and film in transnational contexts, at the intersection of political economy (economic, business, and institutional frameworks) with cultural economy (the cultural meanings of these television and film products). Focuses on case studies of the supranational regional players in some of the most important geo-linguistic world markets, where the tensions between global/transnational media flows and local interests are most evident, engaging with theoretical positions ranging from critiques of the homogenizing effects of globalization to those that affirm the changing power relations of counter-flows based on audience preferences.

Study of the human response to trauma with emphasis on the biologic, psychodynamic & social consequences. Child sexual abuse, terrorism, rape, war & disasters are some examples of the traumas considered. Consideration of theories, dilemmas, & clinical perspectives. Specific attention to legal issue, reporting, identification, assessment, techniques for interviewing & evidence gathering, non-traumatic & traumatic memory, issues & techniques in treatment, & prevention.

Social Studies as a field is reviewed historically and its theoretical base is analyzed. Examines the nature of socialization inherent in different concepts of knowledge and introduces the problems of selecting, organizing, and teaching various approaches to history and the social sciences

This course will introduce social studies majors to the history of historical scholarship (historiography) on the American past. Reviewing the philosophical, political, and methodological shifts in American historical scholarship, the course focuses on debates among historians about the key political events, leaders, social institutions, and protest movements in U.S. history. Learning about the contested nature of historical discourse will enable prospective social studies teachers to teach students that history consists of more than names and dates, that history is a discipline involving critical thinking about, and diverse interpretations of, the past.

Introduces students to the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which priorities shared humanity and collective consciousness across public and private life. Students define and analyze Ubuntu in the context of South Africa and the US, and examine individualism and collectivism, forgiveness and reconciliation and their implications for nation-building. Students experiment with concepts of Ubuntu in collaboration with students in South Africa and apply these concepts to contemporary social problems. Meets Steinhardt Core requirements for Texts & Ideas.

This course will examine the theoretical & practical underpinnings of advising on a
college campus. Materials covered will include best practices in academic, career, & student program advising.

The best art teacher is life and experience and visiting a new place is the best way to see with new eyes. The aim of this course is to incorporate art into your daily life and Berlin into your art work. Using creativity as a vehicle for personal transformation and exploring your fears, fantasies, Ideas and reactions to the society we live in, you will be required to complete three projects. This is an interdisciplinary studio course with required readings, discussions, films and field trips. Students are encouraged to work in any medium of choice; painting, photography, video, performance, sculpture, etc.

Examines the interplay between social systems & individual functioning & well-being through the study of theoretical & measurement issues in the study of human environments. Provide an overview of different conceptualizations of the environment proposed by ecological theorists such an Bronfenbrenner, Barker, Lewin, & Moos & covers conceptual/analytic issues such as levels of analysis & utilization of various world views & perspectives.

This course explores the possibilities and challenges educational theatre practitioners, and teachers in general, face as they explore such issues as ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic class ability, nationality, and linguistic diversity with their students. One of the primary course objectives is to equip teachers with effective instructional strategies and sufficient knowledge regarding the education of culturally and linguistically diverse learners to accommodate such learners. Equal time will be spent in the course on theoretical frameworks, practical techniques, and dramatic activities.

Not Available.

Inquiry into the role of the arts in city growth and development. The role of public art, arts programming, city planning for aesthetic, cultural, and historic reasons, and amenities for artists in promoting community well-being are examined. Required site visits.

In Urban Ecology, students will explore ecological concepts and processes in the urban environment. Through lecture and field work, students will learn about the dynamics of urban ecology and the impacts of land use and pollution on wildlife and local habitats. Topics will include population ecology, ecosystem services, and human impacts. Specifically we will study exotic and invasive plants and birds in local wetlands and woodlands, the migration of Neotropical songbirds, and population fluctuations of birds and plants as indicators of environmental change while examining the interface between natural and built environments in the urban landscape.

This course explores why student protest has surged repeatedly on 21st century campuses and how American universities became lightning rods for criticism from both the Left and the Right. Topics include student movements against racial and gender discrimination, nativism student debt, exploitation of labor, the concentration of wealth, Euro-centric curriculum, and the rise graduate student labor unionization. Student struggles over academic freedom, corporatization, and academia’s globalization, the commercialization of intercollegiate athletics, academic boycotts, divestment, and campus governance will also be assessed. These campus conflicts will be set into historical perspective, probing their roots in earlier struggles over the nature, mission, uses, and failures of the 21st century university, illuminating the changes, continuities, progress, and setbacks in American higher education and its student movements. Right wing student activists and their off campus allies will also be studied, as will the fate of free speech on campus in the politically polarized world of 21st Century America.

This course explores the political, social, cultural, and economic development of Latinx communities in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and elsewhere across the United States. By exploring relational and comparative histories of Latinas/os, we address such themes as migration, labor, race, and empire. We also examine the movement of Latinas and Latinos within and between the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. We use a variety of primary and secondary sources and texts to illuminate various dimensions of the Latino past.

Explores why the 1960s witnessed the greatest upsurge of student activism in American history. Assesses student movements’ impact on race and gender relations, US foreign policy, free speech, and the university. The backlash against Left student activism from anti-radical politicians, the FBI, and CIA will be probed, as will the rise of conservative student activism. Examines debates over the meaning and legacies of this turbulent era’s youth revolt. Liberal Arts Core/CORE Equivalent- satisfies the requirement for Societies and Social Sciences for Steinhardt students.

In this course, students have hands-on experience with human-centered design methods for designing learning experiences and educational tools. Students apply human-centered design methods, UX, and HCI principles, including conducting user research, synthesizing findings into insights, ideating, sketching, prototyping, and iterating based on user feedback. Students study these methods through group work, critical examination and evaluation of examples, in discussions, and individual assignments.

Introduction to user research methods, using simulations, games, and other digital tools as products. Learn to choose the appropriate approach (user research, evaluation, or efficacy research) and methods (surveys, interviews, think-aloud protocols, video research, biometrics, user analytics, or A/B testing). Assignments, class discussions, and case studies are used to discuss the purpose, design, and setup of these methods and to prepare students to design and execute their own user research for a product of their choice.

This course reviews artists' responses during times of crisis. Whether floods, war,
racial, ethnic and gender violence or pandemics of catastrophic dimensions, artists respond in
thoughtful and powerful ways, creating work that emblematizes the horrors, and provides places
of mourning, memory and healing. This course overviews contemporary art of the past several
decades, showing critical turning points when such crises resulted in major cultural change. The
ideas and aesthetics of the artists’ work selected for study show persistent social conscience and
humanism.