Black in the City of Light

INFO SESSION: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 12:30-1:30, Rm. 601

Paris, France: May 25 - June 15, 2013

Myisha Priest, Assistant Professor, NYU Gallatin

TRAVL-UG/GG 9301

Priority application deadline: March 15, 2013

Programs fill on a rolling basis and may fill without notice. Students are encouraged to apply early and only completed applications are reviewed.

This course is open to Graduate and Undergraduate students of all NYU and Non-NYU schools. Applicants must have completed at least two full-time undergraduate college semesters and be currently enrolled in a college or university during the summer 2013 term.

Note: This course fulfills 4 units of the Interdisciplinary Seminar and the Humanities foundation requirements.

Course Description

It is often claimed of Paris that the color blindness of its citizens and politics created a haven for African American expatriates. It is certainly true that some of the most important political, philosophical, literary and artistic works of African American culture arise from an encounter with the City of Light, but contained within these works is not "racelessness" but a pronounced sense and articulation of what it means to be a Black American.

From the written works of Harlem Renaissance writers Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Countee Cullen that fomented the Negritude movement, to the performances of Josephine Baker, to the art of Henry Ossawa Tanner and Beauford Delaney, to the music of jazz musicians Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Bill Coleman, to the political philosophies and writings of W.E.B Dubois and James Baldwin, Paris's influence on the creation of African American culture has been profound. Less noted is the degree to which the African American presence in Paris influenced international art and political thought, from the use of African cubism among European artists to the shaping of the philosophies of thinkers like Sarte, Camus and de Beauvoir.

We will focus on Paris as a site of exchange—as an intersection through which pass influential ideas, forms and actions. We will consider the degree to which the encounter with Paris paradoxically made African American writers and artists more aware of and intent upon defining and articulating their Americanness, and finding in it a foundation for increased political activism and shaping of a Pan-African sensibility and community. This class will examine the literature, art, food, geographies and politics of African American expatriates in Paris, paying particular attention to the ways that the view from another shore shaped political thought and activism arising from a deepened awareness of national and international identity that Paris inspired.

Trips to explore the richness of African American life in Paris will include walking tours of "Black Paris," visits to the Louvre and other museums that hold African American art, restaurants that were centers of African American culture in Paris, and even gravesites where expatriates are buried, and which raise crucial questions about the meanings of "home." Students will have plenty of time to use the ideas and works in the course to create their projects and pursue their own ideas.

Students are required to live in program housing arranged by NYU Gallatin. 

Expenses

• Tuition for 4 points: 3225
• Deposit (applied to program costs, non-refundable): 400
• Program Fee (includes some meals, entrance fees): 450
• Housing Fee: 1415
• Incidental Costs: Round–trip Airfare (student purchases his/her own airfare)
• NYU Registration and Services Fee: TBA, usually 300-500 (estimate based on past semesters)

• Online application
• Personal statement
  
• Letter of recommendation
  
• Transcript
• Interview with the program director
  

Personal statement and electronic transcripts should be submitted through the online application. Materials also can be mailed or delivered to the address below, or e-mailed as attachments to gallatin.global@nyu.edu.

Admission decisions are based on strength of academic performance, interview, personal statement, and space remaining in the program. If offered admission to the course, an initial non-refundable deposit of $400 must be submitted in order to secure your place.

Mailing address:

Brandon Green
Gallatin Office of Global Programs
411 Lafayette St., 3rd floor
New York, NY 10003

Transcript

NYU students may provide an unofficial copy printed from Albert. Students can either submit the transcript through the online application, mail or deliver it to the address above, or e-mail it as an attachment to gallatin.global@nyu.edu.

Letter of Recommendation

Please submit a letter of recommendation from a faculty member or primary academic advisor that speaks of your academic standing and ability to study away in an intensive format. Letters may be mailed or hand delivered to the address above, or e-mailed as attachments to gallatin.global@nyu.edu.

Interview

Once we have received all of your materials (application, personal statement, transcript and letter of recommendation) the Gallatin Office of Global Programs will contact you to arrange an interview. Please note that not all applicants may be interviewed due to limited space in the course, which fills on a rollling basis.

Financial Aid

Gallatin students may apply for a Dean's Scholarship for Winter and Summer Travel Courses. To apply, please complete and submit this application. Deadline for Winter is Oct. 14; the deadline for Summer is March 15.

For information on additional financial aid opportunities, please visit the NYU Office of Financial Aid.

Information for Admitted Students

Gallatin students participating in travel courses must submit information relating to his or her travel to Gallatin's Office of Global Programs. Click here to access Travel Forms for admitted students.