During the freshman year, students take most of their courses in LS, but during the sophomore year, students combine required courses with elective courses taken at another NYU school or college. With assistance from their advisers, sophomores select their electives with a view toward the future. For example, students who plan to major in English or politics or another area at the College of Arts and Science are encouraged to sample courses in those departments during their sophomore year. Likewise, students who will enroll in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, the Silver School of Social Work, or the Gallatin School of Individualized Study are encouraged to sample introductory courses leading to the eventual major or concentration in those schools that the student has in mind.
Natural Sciences *
The following natural sciences courses are part of the elective offerings of the Liberal Studies Program and can be taken to fulfill the science requirements of the other undergraduate colleges of the University. For more information about the LS science curriculum, please click here.
History of the Universe
Students in History of the Universe examine science as a way of looking at the world. They learn about the nature of the universe and about changes in the universe over time, including the origin and development of stars, galaxies, planetary systems, and the universe itself, as well as study of the earth and the development of life on earth and in the universe. The course traces the development of western scientific thought from the work of Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo to the discoveries of Newton, Darwin, Curie, Einstein and Hubble, among others. The course seeks to give students an understanding not only of modern science, but also of its development and of the methods, strengths and limitations of science and the scientific method.
Environmental Studies
Students learn about modern environmental science in the context of contemporary environmental decisions at both the personal and governmental levels. The course emphasizes the science involved in environmental decisions while also examining the role of ethics, politics, and economics in any real life environmental decisions. Students examine such topics as ecology and the study of ecosystems; the atmosphere, including ozone depletion and global warming; use and misuse of water resources; biodiversity, including the nature and effects of succession, evolution, and invasive species; human population and feeding the world’s people, including developments in agriculture and genetic modifications of organisms; and the nature or earth’s energy resources and their use by humankind. Students examine the nature of environmental decisions and the nature, use, limitations and misuse of environmental science in making those decisions.
Life Science
The course examines some of the fundamental principles and processes of biological science. The primary focus is on evolution, genetics, and the physiology and molecular function of the cell, with special emphasis on the human species. Also included is a series of readings and discussions on how our knowledge of the life sciences has been put to practical use, the function and treatment of HIV infection, and other current frontiers and ethical issues in the discipline. The course takes a historical approach to the material: readings include some of the fundamental texts upon which our understanding of life is based, such as works by and about Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, Oswald Avery, James Watson, Rosalind Franklin, and Francis Crick.
* Students pursuing a prehealth track do not take the science courses listed here but will be advised to take appropriate required courses at the College of Arts and Science.
Social Sciences
Economics I*
This is the first part of a two-semester introductory sequence dealing with economic principles. The course introduces basic concepts of macroeconomic theory. Topics include unemployment; inflation; aggregate demand; income determination and stabilization policies; fiscal and monetary policies; and the Keynesian monetarist debate over stabilization policy.
Economics II*
This is the second part of a two-semester introductory sequence dealing with economic principles. The course introduces basic concepts of microeconomic theory by examining price theory and its applications. Topics include consumer demand and choice; indifference curve analysis; big business and public policy; and factor markets and the distribution of income.
* Economics I and Economics II may meet some of the equivalent course requirements for the College of Arts and Science.
Global Cultures
The study of Global Cultures is required in the LS curriculum and also fulfills a core requirement for several bachelor's divisions of NYU. Students choose from one of five courses featuring the regions of Africa, East Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Latin America. Given the ever-increasing complexity of today's world, this component of the curriculum is designed to help students understand societies that have long histories and enormous diversity within themselves -- societies and cultures that intersect across the globe. These courses will introduce students to aspects of one particular region's cultural development. "Culture" is broadly defined as including, but not limited to, such disciplines as: history, philosophy, the arts, politics and social institutions. Course materials will stress primary over secondary sources, and may include multi-media ones. For Global Cultures elective courses, click here.
Contemporary Arts
Creative Writing I
This course is designed for students who have mastered basic writing skills but seek guidance in the fine points of literary craftsmanship. While students are free to work in any medium, they are encouraged to experiment with professional creative writing techniques such as exposition, narration, description, characterization, monologue, stream of consciousness, dialogue, and dramatization.
Creative Writing II
This course focuses on in-class discussion of student manuscripts. Attention is given to point of view; structure as a means of arousing and satisfying curiosity; and effective use of analogy, irony, metaphor, and symbol. In individual conferences, students discuss their personal writing problems and learn how to edit their own work for syntactical precision underlying all work—at home, in class, and in conference—is concern for individual style.
