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International Study
Global Liberal Studies students have two opportunities to study abroad, either in their freshman year or junior year in the program.
The Freshman Year Students choose to begin Global Liberal Studies in New York, or at NYU in Florence, London, or Paris.* GLS’s programs abroad fit in seamlessly with the academic program at Washington Square so that course requirements are met on time for graduation in four years. During the freshman year, students examine the world’s major cultural traditions and the ways in which they are connected through eight core courses: Writing I and II; Cultural Foundations I and II; Social Foundations I and II; Global Cultures and a laboratory science course. Students participate in small, in-class discussions that encourage them to think in new and different ways. Students advance their communication and writing skills, which are emphasized in all courses.
*NOTE: Global Liberal Studies students who wish to enroll in the freshman program at a global site must be eighteen years of age on or before the date of their travel to the site for the purposes of study.
GLS Freshman Year in Florence
GLS Freshmen may choose to spend a year living and studying at La Pietra, NYU’s breathtaking 57-acre estate in Florence, Italy. Sir Harold Acton, a patron of the arts, bequeathed the amazing property that overlooks the city from a hillside to the University in 1994. On the grounds are five villas, containing residences for students and faculty, classrooms, computer labs, study lounges, and dining and exercise facilities. Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, is a unique place in which to begin a humanistic education, and the experience of living and learning in Italy is an exciting way to start an undergraduate degree program. La Pietra is the home of a major international student community. Students from all over the world and from NYU’s campus in New York are engaged in learning at all levels. The academic program in Florence includes visits to many important museums and historic sites in the region.
GLS Freshman Year at NYU in London
As a world capital of banking, insurance, commerce, design, and theatre, London is a cosmopolitan city, home to institutions of global importance, including the London Stock Exchange, the Tate Modern, and the British Museum. GLS Freshmen who select the London program have the opportunity to begin their liberal arts education while exploring the city’s centuries-old historic landmarks and its contemporary wonders.
GLS Freshman Year at NYU in Paris
Incoming freshmen to the Global Liberal Studies Program have the opportunity to study at NYU in Paris. Known as the City of Light, Paris is one of the most captivating cities in Europe. The Eiffel Tower, the symbol of the city, dominates the skyline. On the north bank of the Seine, the Right Bank (Rive Droite) is home to monumental buildings, grand boulevards, and major museums, including the Louvre, Beaubourg, and the Centre Georges Pompidou. The Left Bank (Rive Gauche) evokes a Bohemian and intellectual atmosphere with its artist communities, cafés, restaurants, jazz clubs, and hip boutiques.
The Junior YearThe junior year of international study is a unique feature of the Global Liberal Studies B.A. In the first three semesters, students acquire a broad understanding of the interconnections between world cultures. In their fourth semester, students begin to explore in depth the cultural context and language of the site at which they will study as juniors. The sites available in a given year are carefully selected to coordinate with every aspect of a student’s four-year course of study. Students don't just study at an international site -- the site itself becomes an important subject of study. Experiential learning, special topics, and language courses immerse students in the history and contemporary culture of the site. Upon return, students join a senior colloquium keyed to their international experience while they use advanced research techniques to complete a senior thesis that grows out of the junior-year experience.
The junior year experience is integrated closely into students’ academic careers. At their global sites, students take courses each semester in Advanced Global Cultures (which provides students with a closer geographical focus on the country in which they reside and which is supplemented by cocurricular programming, including museum trips, architectural tours, and lectures by local artists and scholars) , a service learning sequence (engaging in appropriate community-based projects designed by staff and faculty and combining guided research in an appropriate field of study with supervised practical work), a foreign language course, and electives geared toward the particular academic emphases and geographic advantages of the site. Students thus attain a thorough working knowledge of the historical and contemporary culture and society of the site at which they study.
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