Courses

This course, offered in conjunction with the Langone Voice Center at the NYU School of Medicine, trains voice teachers as singing health specialists, building on prerequisite knowledge of vocal function thus increasing understanding of the care required for a compromised singing voice. Enhanced skills of aural discernment in placing voices on a spectrum from optimally functional to some degree of compromised function will expand assessment ability within the context of the private studio in order to determine if any singer is in need of specialized guidance.

This course focuses on the anatomic, physiologic, and perceptual aspects of voice production and the voice changes triggered by risk factors or changes to the larynx. Students refine their voice models, enhance discrimination of voice characteristics, and learn setup procedures to encourage easy phonation. They learn to use a hypothesis-driven context to link vocal characteristics to underlying physiology. Students identify risk factors and learn to promote efficient phonation within a multicultural context, including transgender voice production.

A class for undergraduate majors of Educational Theater, this course focuses on the development of an actor's vocal instrument through physical exercises and work with poetic and dramatic text. Through exploration of established vocal techniques, students will build positive habits and ways of working with their voices that will allow for them to develop natural resonance and create more vocal variation. This increased vocal clarity will put them more directly in touch with their emotional impulses, and build a stronger dramatic foundation in acting.

The course provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary overview of the multifaceted role that vocal expression plays in everyday communication.Familiar voice recognition, perception of emotion, attitude and personality, and interactions between speech and voice perception are described from sociological, psychological, physiological, and neurological perspectives. Evolutionary biology, cultural differences, singing, and uses in media and courtroom are discussed. Clinical studies examine self-awareness of vocal expression and the influence of vocal quality on personal identity. Voice as communication vehicle for speaker and listener is fully explored.

This seminar explores the practices of war as modes of material political communication in which media is militarized and violence is mediatized. This seminar will examine how modern warfare has generated new visual cultures, new media networks and the sensorium of modernity.

This course examines the proposition that contemporary war should be understood as media. War has become mediatized and media has been militarized. This course treats war and political violence as communicative acts and technologies and focuses on how they shape our understanding and experience of landscape, vision, body, time and memory.

Investigates the final stage of the food system- water and waste disposal- as it is manifested in the urban metropolis. This course also draws upon the historical underpinnings of the systems used to manage water and waste- but also the underlying issues of purity and contamination that these systems are also designed to address. Issues include water and waste in relation to changing landscapes and demographics- enmeshment in urban policymaking- and competing notions of environmentalism.

Students examine the evidence-based approaches to obesity management, including diet, physical activity, behavior modification, medications, surgery, and dietary supplements, in the treatment of excess body weight and adiposity. Students also discuss the current weight reduction trends that patients/clients may adopt outside of medical supervision.

Wellness is dynamic and multidimensional. We cannot understand wellness by alone examining biological phenomena and medical knowledge, but instead we must also consider a variety of social, political, economic, racial, gender, and cultural forces in which wellness and illness are produced and understood. Drawing upon literature, art, history, film, and health, in conjunction with a community engagement experiential component, we examine the history of and physical, social, emotional, intellectual, occupational, and spiritual components of wellness and illness from ancient times through the present.

West African Dance is an open level dance class that explores traditional songs, dances, and rhythms from various cultures in the region, and reflects its diversity of styles. This course will also explore the cultural continuum evident in dances/rhythms that have migrated from West Africa to other parts of the world.

A survey course in African dance with accompanying songs, music, and simple instructions of the regions of West, East, Central, and South Africa.

This module explores the professional responsibilities of teaching in connection with students, colleagues, families, & the school community. Topics include the social responsibilities of teachers, such as anti-bullying education, substance abuse prevention, & HIV/AIDS education; child abuse recognition & reporting; & school violence prevention. Students will gain skills in activating protective resources, advocating for diverse students & their families, working with colleagues & community partners, & supporting empowerment & resilience in the classroom.

This module addresses the legal requirements and educational rights of students with disabilities and their families. It explores the role and responsibilities of teachers tasked with providing special education and related services to students with disabilities, primarily through individualized education programs (IEP) that are mandated under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This module explores how to collaborate with colleagues to meet the needs of students with disabilities and adhere to the guiding principles of IDEA.

Past and present theories about the role of the teacher in the educative process. Study of the theories of Socrates- Plato- Augustine- Rousseau- Dewey- Locke- Rogers- and others. How these theories arose and their place in the historical milieu. The aim of the course is to help students clarify and test their own assumptions and theories about what teachers are for through critical encounters with the ideas of some of the leading educational theorists in the history of education.

Module introduces fundamentals of curriculum planning & development. Focus will be on creating content-rich curricula that provide culturally relevant learning experiences for students & enable them to connect meaningfully to other content areas & experiences outside the classroom. Students will gain valuable skills in developing curricula that meet content area standards while addressing students’ varied learning needs; providing individualized instruction (including use of IEPs in the classroom); & strategies for authentic assessment.

Course focuses on five overlapping elements: (1) exploring what “English” is in the first quarter of the 21st century ; (2) gaining experience & insight into teaching rich texts; (3) refining research project plans; (4) acquiring a basic toolkit for teaching writing, especially to students who struggle with writing; (5) gaining expertise in teaching texts to students who are diverse in their literacy backgrounds & skills.

This course serves as an introduction to special education. In this module, interns
learn foundational content on serving students with IEP’s using inclusive practices. Interns learn relevant special education policy, models of inclusive practices, aligning students’ individualized needs with grade-level content, and how to read and write IEP’s.

Module focuses on various approaches to mathematics teaching & learning & culminates in developing & implementing a unit of study that is meaningful, culturally relevant, & responds to the needs & abilities of diverse learners. Topics include history of mathematics pedagogy, approaches to teaching mathematics, funds of knowledge theory, & models that facilitate mathematical understanding. Students will be encouraged to examine their beliefs about math teaching & gain skills for implementing effective teaching practices for mathematics in grades 7-12.

Module focuses on the fundamentals of developing science curriculum that is meaningful, culturally relevant, & responds to the needs & ability levels of diverse learners. Students will study the history of science & science pedagogy, individualization of curriculum for diverse learners, using models to teach scientific concepts, & teaching science using informal and community resources. Emphasis will be placed on use of scientific models & interactive activities to provoke inquiry-based learning.

Course focuses on key pedagogical methods for teaching secondary subject areas, (English, math, science, and social studies). Students will learn to design and deliver lesson plans that are content rich, culturally relevant, and inquiry-based. Topics include methods for differentiating instruction for all learners especially students with disabilities and English language learners.