First Year Seminar: Performance of the City

Catalog description

Living and studying in the midst of “the city that doesn’t sleep,” we will slow down to take in all the different kinds of performances that surround us: from subway characters to dancers on the streets, from city buildings to pop-up stages, from the sounds of people and animals to the music of the machines and the rhythms on the radio waves. We will have the chance to learn about New York City through the lens of performance and, drawing on the work of artists, writers, thinkers, and activists, we will develop our own creative strategies for engaging with the city. Together we will ask, what does performance do in and to the city and how does the city itself perform? Designed as a first-year seminar, the course aids in students’ transition into college with an emphasis on academic development and community building by learning their way into and through the city together.