Our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses offer students a literacy education which acculturates them into the liberal arts academy. These small seminars, with content ranging from business ethics to visual culture, allow you to practice crucial scholarly practices and to grow in your confidence as a member of NYU Shanghai’s academic community.
In EAP, you will learn how to participate more effectively in academic culture through active speaking and listening. You will work to improve your discussion and presentation skills. You will practice collecting information in aural form, for example by conducting research interviews, and then you will use this information to achieve various academic purposes. In order to succeed, you will have to learn how to learn better--a process that requires reflection. In each EAP seminar, you will carry out an experiential learning project for which it will be essential to communicate beyond the walls of the university. It is our hope that these experiences will develop your confidence in communication and help you foster the growth of a sense of responsibility for your future learning and language development. These seminars, which range over subjects from business ethics to Shanghai’s urban environment, are meant to provide you opportunities to explore your academic interests, test your academic skills, and begin to develop your intellectual self.
EAP courses are a part of the core curriculum here at NYU Shanghai. Chinese speakers who did not attend an English medium high school are required to take 8 credits of EAP in their first two years, following a two-semester sequence from EAP 100 to EAP 101. EAP 100 must be completed in the first year; most students will complete a 4-credit EAP 100 seminar in the fall term and an EAP 101 seminar in the spring term. A small number of students taking course sequences in the sciences will be eligible to take two 2-credit EAP 100 seminar in the first year and complete EAP 101 the following year. Advisors will alert students if they are eligible for the 2-credit seminar. Students must successfully complete EAP 101 before the end of their second year and before they study away. Students who demonstrate exceptionally strong competence on all learning outcomes as they complete EAP 100 may be recommended by faculty for exemption from EAP 101. Exemptions are rare and most students should expect to complete 8 credits.
Iams, Steven Edward
This course will explore contemporary issues in global public health through a central theme of ‘the greater good’, a concern for the collective, in issues such as climate change, food security, and population control. It is easy for such challenges to remain abstract, and to imagine teams of experts in far-away places working to address them, and this distance tends to blur the role of the individual. We will examine the tension between individual choice and collective good, between local action and global impact, which runs through a number of global public health topics and manifests across the world in different ways. Additionally, the course will ask you to view these topics with a critical eye through an interdisciplinary lens, applying insights from environmental science, public policy, business, and health. Overall, learners will consider questions such as who stands to benefit from global health policies and initiatives, what is at stake in specific global health issues, and how such issues are being explored globally and locally, just beyond the walls of the classroom in Shanghai.
Daniels, Marcel Kenneth
The pervasiveness of our ever-changing media and communication landscapes offer both innovation and complication for the content and interpretation of our messages. Using the framework of the “public sphere”, virtual realms of social life where society’s problems are open for discussion, we will consider how various digital platforms (news feeds, blogs, chat groups, social media platforms, etc.) control our worldview and influence our evolving selves. Additionally, we will examine how distinctive identities (gender, social class, race, nationality, sexuality) are formed, developed, and expressed via networks (online and in person). Across the semester, you will conduct an investigation of how the concepts of identity (personal) and community (collective) are integrated into the digitally mediated culture. After being introduced to rhetorical theories and concepts, you will be asked to apply them to the analysis and exploration of a variety of online platforms, technologies, and communities. Overall, through this course, learners will gain a better understanding of the power of mass digital communication and how to use it while navigating through various networks.
Jordan, John Robert
This course will investigate the world of money and the ideas and practices of the global financial system. Using a daily financial column, as well as other videos, talks, lectures, podcasts, and readings, we will examine what money is and explore current issues in the financial world. Specifically, this course will investigate the historical uses and roles of money in a macro sense; the roles technology has played and will play in the financial world; and what the roles and purposes of the financial sector are, and how we evaluate and regulate what it does and how it affects our world. Concurrent with our study of the hows and whys of finance, we will also critically address moral and ethical issues around global finance, and how it affects the people and societies of the world. Overall, through this course, learners will broaden their understanding of finance and develop the tools and skills to critically think about and evaluate money stuff in the world.
Tosi, Katherine
We will inquire into the multidimensional aspects of sustainable development, focusing on the tools, metrics and practical pathways the world is currently exploring. In addition, we will investigate various success indicators for sustainable development. (Un)Sustainability views sustainable development solutions in the context of a range of subfields in addition to sustainability itself, including climate change and political action, and will afford learners the opportunity to carry out a team-based project in relation to the issues posed by this rich interdisciplinary terrain. This course encourages you to consider your role as a responsible 21st century global citizen and promotes analytical and reflective thinking on this role as it relates to global sustainability, including the United Nations,Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set in 2015. The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals covering social and economic development issues including poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender, equality, water, sanitation, energy, urbanization, environment and social justice. Through active participation in educational programs and experiential learning, students will increase their knowledge and understanding of the societal issues that EAP 100 strives to address. Therefore, this course includes a 4-5 hour integrated volunteering experience within the local non-profit community and 2-hours of attendance at an NYUSH student club community engagement event. EAP 100 works closely with the Shanghai Service Corp and NYUSH student clubs to provide a variety of charities and community groups to join. The Service Corps provides needed support to nonprofit agencies serving the environment, at-risk youth, and underserved communities for youth and the elderly. Student clubs and organizations are driven by student leaders pursuing personal and professional passions, polishing transferable skills, and promoting learning, diversity, and community.
Meloccaro, Paul Barry
While science fiction (SF) tales sometimes depict fantastic creatures or are set on distant worlds or in future times, these stories are actually, and necessarily, always about us. When we wonder about other possible worlds, we begin to question our own, and when we explore what could be, we are implicitly questioning what is, especially the social conventions that we live by but too often take for granted. The author Samuel Delany once described the genre of SF as “a tool to help you think, and like anything that really helps you think, by definition it doesn’t do the thinking for you...Science fiction doesn’t give you answers...At its best, it can help you learn to ask questions.”1 In this course, we will examine a selection of SF short stories and movies that pose fundamental questions about what it means to be human, how we relate to one another, and how we cope with technological and social change. We will also look at some of the critical conversation, both popular and academic, surrounding these texts and films. We’ll explore how portrayals of interaction with alien lifeforms reflect—and challenge—the ways in which we ‘other’ those whom we categorize as ‘not one of us,’ and how the disempowerment of fictional social groups mirrors forms of discrimination against particular genders, ethnicities, socioeconomic classes, and sexual identities in our own world. Can dystopian portraits of intrusive regimes help us define the proper balance between freedom and fairness? Can tales of desperate post apocalyptic survival motivate us to avoid sabotaging our climate and waging ruinous wars? What do visions of AI run amok reveal about our anxieties surrounding new technology and challenges to our understanding of what defines our identity as human beings? In the process of investigating these and other issues, we’ll also address the larger question of what the SF genre is good for: the purposes it can serve, what it can teach us about ourselves, and how it can prompt us to think deeply about changes that the future may bring. This course will challenge you to see beyond the entertaining dimension of science fiction in order to explore its potential for social and philosophical critique of our societies, institutions, and assumptions about who we are.
Warfield, Sarah Anne
Specifically, this course will explore the concept of utopia, or the perfect society, using historical examples. We will examine these attempts, most of which failed, to create the perfect society through the lens of sociological theory. We will consider how societies are initially conceived by their creators, and the factors that determine a society’s success. In order to compare our findings to present-day societies, we will also be engaging with and analyzing the not-for-profit and charity organizations operating in Shanghai today. Through this experience outside the walls of the university, you will consider further how societies can work toward equity among its citizens. A major component of this course will be a group project that will ask you to design a utopia based on ideas addressed in class.
This EAP 100 course will take you on a cruise through the universe. It will introduce you to a brief history of astronomy through basic knowledge about the universe and the galaxies as well as help you to navigate theories, technologies, and issues related to space exploration. In addition to the scientific perspectives, this course invites you to explore a range of literature, poetry, movies, and philosophical texts in which the great minds of space and time unfold. Through the study and in-depth discussion of multimedia academic English resources, you will engage in reflective and critical thinking on the exploration of space for sustainable development of human resources. You will be asked to work on a rich array of academic tasks created around the topics pertinent to the field of astronomical research. The aim throughout is to present a comprehensive but also accessible and provocative analysis on the aspects covered. Moreover, you will be offered an opportunity to find and communicate with astronomical professionals, fans, and communities outside NYU Shanghai. Collectively, this course helps you cultivate an interest in space as well as skills of inquiry into the issues that are interdisciplinary, an important part of your NYU Shanghai education.
Journeaux, Catherine Alice
The freshman English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course is designed to help you develop the high- level language, communication, and critical thinking skills you need to be successful in an English- speaking university. Specifically, this course will investigate food; its production, consumption and the challenges of feeding a growing global population. The course will be divided into 5 content modules addressing key concepts of food sustainability, food security, food loss and waste, food politics and the implications for a sustainable food future. During the semester, you will also complete an Experiential Learning Project (ELP). This project will require you to research and interview local groups whose mission focuses on food sustainability. Although not directly assessed, information gathered during the ELP will be used to increase your understanding of course content and support your final course presentation.
Donovan, Kelly Marie
Specifically, through game-play and observation assignments, we will consider how games can operate as tools of propaganda or social-critique and how these social issues affect the players. Contrary to public opinion, it is not just “all fun and games.” Whether table-top, deck-building, MMORPG, mobile or on the playground in the school-yard, most games tell a narrative story. That narrative is a product of a real-world society. The beliefs, values, stereotypes, politics, and histories of each play out in the “Magic Circle” and are often used to drive the narrative of the story. You will be asked to think critically about the narratives created in some of your favorite games and others you’ve never played before. Designed with novice players in mind and structured as a game, you must complete each level of the course project to beat the final boss. Are you ready to play?
Horne, Julie
Specifically, this course will explore the ways in which human creativity and innovation affect science, organizations, and society at large. The reasons humans create and innovate will be at the center of the course, as well as the consequences and impacts of creation and innovation. For many organizations, a key challenge is bringing in ”the new” and managing the process of improvement. They need to know whether ideas change incrementally or whether they are prone to more radical improvements, as well as whether or not the generation of new ideas is the result of internal and external influences. Overall, students will consider questions such as the nature and importance of innovation, the processes by which this takes place in the scientific world, and how individuals and organizations cope with change and new demands..
Wu, Hao
This EAP course is designed to help you develop high-level language, communication, and critical thinking skills necessary to be successful in an English-speaking university. Students will engage with the multifaceted world of health and medical sciences individually and in groups, completing a variety of listening and communicative tasks, reflective writing assignments, and an experiential learning project outside the walls of the university. The course begins by offering an overview of everyday medical language in practice and expanding to practices including analyzing effective doctor-patient communication skills, exploring global healthcare systems, and comparing models from different countries to foster critical thinking. Mental health will be another key focus as students will discuss common issues among university students and learn how to promote mental well-being. Furthermore, ethical and legal aspects of healthcare will be explored through case studies and debates. This course also offers lessons about public health, nutrition, wellness, and the emotional and practical aspects of caregiving for seriously ill loved ones, and understanding the development and regulation of medications through varied narratives. Finally, as part of the experiential component of the course, students will explore and engage with core course concepts in authentic settings. As a whole, this course provides students with opportunities to express their views and critiques on disease, life, and medicine while using English as a tool of communication with greater confidence.
Nicoll, Terra
Tourism has become a major part of life and culture. But who gets to travel? Where do they get to go, and what do they choose to do there? How do these choices impact the local community? These are questions we will delve into during the course. We will cover a wide variety of topics related to tourism to develop a breadth of knowledge on the subject exploring topics such as inequality, history, economics, psychology, and sustainability. Students will visit major tourist destinations in Shanghai or other areas of China, interview tourists in English, as part of a semester-long research project. In class discussions will examine different types of tourism and tourism in different countries.
Journeaux, Catherine Alice
The freshman English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course is designed to help you develop the high-level language, communication, and critical thinking skills you need to be successful in an English-speaking university. Specifically, this course will investigate Artificial Intelligence (AI); its origins, types and applications together with its current and future impact on humanity. The course will be divided into 5 modules addressing education, work, health, the media and the future implications of a digitized planet. You will conduct research into the specific ways in which AI is changing the nature of society and the associated ethical implications. During the semester, you will also complete a project. The project requires you to research an ethical concern specifically related to AI, and to create an asynchronous presentation which describes and explains your project work over the semester.
Daniels, Marcel Kenneth
What is a crime? A wide range of human behavior across history has crossed the line between acceptable, intolerable, and back as related to a variety of factors. This course will analyze the qualities of and relationship between criminality, discipline, and forgiveness through an assortment of cultural lenses. By recognizing that the concept of illegal behavior shifts, expands, and retracts with time and across societies, students will explore how individuals, communities, and institutions perceive and react to various offenses and offenders. Across the semester, students will conduct investigations of how we, as a contemporary society, judge, punish, and forgive select categories of crimes and criminals. This course also includes analyses of contemporary issues regarding criminal justice reform, recidivism, and crime-related public policy. The ethics and implementation of punishment, forgiveness, restitution, and reconciliation will be reviewed and contextualized to offer students a complete picture of the function and flaws of observed justice.
Horne, Julie
English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses are designed to help students develop the high-level language, communication, and critical thinking skills needed to be successful in an English-medium university. These courses help students acquire skills that can be transferred to their academic, personal and professional lives. The thematic, content-based EAP seminars also aim to help students cultivate knowledge and interest in areas that cross disciplines, an important part of a well-rounded, liberal arts education. The overarching theme of this EAP seminar is ‘Identity.’ Our sense of who we are permeates every aspect of our lives. This course explores our dynamic personal and social identities, cultural identity, and more.
Zhang, Meng
In this course, you will be introduced to a complex yet fascinating world of fashion. We will start with a couple of fundamental concepts and theories of fashion and move to discussing the history as well as the future trends of fashion development. Throughout the semester, you will be engaged in a range of academic and creative projects to practice language and skills. You are expected to learn from your interactions with texts, peers, professors, experts, and multimedia sources that fashion is not frivolous and it lays entwined in many aspects of our life. Also, you are expected to develop a critical, creative, resilient, and cross-disciplinary mind in understanding fashion as well as a rich array of sociocultural, socio-economic, and sociopolitical issues attached to it.
Meloccaro, Paul Barry
In this course, we will examine the major findings and claims of the positive psychology movement. Is it possible to increase our happiness by consciously and deliberately re-engineering our attitudes and behaviors? In attempting to answer this question, we will explore the recent origins of the field, what distinguishes it from other branches of psychology and from the self-help movement, and what research studies have revealed about the factors that support or hinder optimal subjective well-being. We’ll try out some of the interventions recommended by practitioners and evaluate the results. We will also consider the growing body of criticism that is now assailing positive psychology, calling into question its assumptions, biases, and lack of attention to social, economic, and cultural contexts, among other limitations.
Jordan, John Robert
This EAP 101 course is designed to give students an appreciation of the rise of online video, through its use, creators, and platforms, and consider the implications on society at large from this emergent media form. Students will learn about this world through a mixture of academic video, written scholarly articles, and lots and lots of online videos from all kinds of creators. The course will investigate different platforms and their features and the participatory nature of online video. We will look at the rise of algorithms in the role of online video, and examine the aesthetics and styles of different kinds of videos. Finally, we will explore the “money stuff” side of these videos, from creators, viewers, and platform perspectives. Parallel to the course content, students will plan an original qualitative research project, where they systematically investigate a topic related to their own interests in online video. Students will conduct a literature review, perform analysis on videos or platforms, and collect data through research interviews. Throughout the course, students will also be developing their own skills in writing, filming, and editing their own videos. Students will hopefully walk away from the course with a critical eye and appreciation of online video, and ideas and practices on how to best communicate academic ideas in the particular language of internet video.
Tosi, Katherine
Complex systems are at the root of our world’s most pressing problems and largest opportunities. This course focuses on concepts and practices used to define and analyze systems. Students will have the opportunity to develop and refine their critical thinking skills through the practice of systems thinking. This approach empowers them to analyze, assess, comprehend, and effectively navigate complex situations at various scales, from local to global. By taking this course, students will gain a profound understanding of the importance of using systems-thinking when making decisions and solving problems. With a combination of activities like exercises, lectures, discussions, readings, role-playing, and projects, you will gain the tools to tackle everyday issues with confidence. By the end of this course, students will gain a thorough understanding of the systems thinking framework and its practical applications in various contexts.
Donovan, Kelly Marie
In this course, we shall examine a relatively new area of scientific inquiry: friendship. Neglected in favor of studies of familial relationships and sexual relationships, scientists are now looking to better define and explore the science of friendship. During the recent global pandemic and social distancing efforts, the psychological and physical effects of loneliness—perhaps the opposite of friendship—have been felt worldwide, further highlighting the importance of understanding the connection between friendship and our overall well-being. Technology such as WeChat, Zoom, and FaceTime has allowed us to stay connected, but has also altered the definition and structure of friendship. This course will be truly interdisciplinary in nature examining friendship through the lenses of biology, sociology, and psychology, as well as looking at the impact of technology on how we define and perform friendship. You will be asked to take the role of a scientist examining your personal connections and the environment around you, collecting data via interviews, and exploring the elements that determine who you are friends with and why. Through this process,hopefully, we can learn to create stronger, more rewarding social bonds.
Wu, Hao
Students will engage with the multifaceted world of health and medical sciences individually and in groups, complete a variety of listening and communicative tasks, reflective writing assignments, and an experiential learning project outside the walls of the university. While the primary emphasis is on speaking and listening, students will also practice reading and writing. We will start by helping students understand and use everyday medical language. Students will develop effective doctor-patient communication skills through role-playing scenarios and explore global healthcare systems, comparing models from different countries to foster critical thinking. Mental health will be another key focus; we will discuss common issues among university students and learn how to promote mental well-being. We’ll also examine the interaction between students’ MBTI and personalities and why it has become a trending topic worldwide. Furthermore, ethical and legal aspects of healthcare will be explored through case studies and debates, guided by popular media, such as the film “Dying to Survive,” the TV series “The Good Doctor,” and the documentary “Human World.” We will also draw insights from famous short stories such as “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry. In those sessions, students will also learn about public health, nutrition, wellness, and the emotional and practical aspects of caregiving for seriously ill loved ones, understanding the development and regulation of medications through these narratives. Finally, as part of the experiential component, there will be a two-hour visit to the Fudan University Museum of Human Science for a hands-on learning experience. These activities will provide students with more opportunities to express their views and critiques on disease, life, and medicine and use English as a tool of communication with greater confidence.
Tosi, Katherine
This EAP seminar provides an engaging overview of pre-rock and rock history, with a primary focus on the United States throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will trace the development of rock and roll, beginning with its foundations in traditional African music, nineteenth-century American music, jazz, blues, and country, and following its transformation through rock and roll, hip-hop, electronic music, punk, metal, and today’s popular hits. Using listening templates and historical timelines, students will explore the social and historical contexts in which songs were created. The course also examines rock and roll as a visual culture, a dynamic performance art, and a literary form. In addition, students will investigate the music industry and technological innovations that have influenced the evolution of rock and roll.