Much of the Faculty-in-Residence programming at University Hall is oriented around the theme of COSMOPOLITANISM.
Originating in the idea of the world-citizen and conceived in contradistinction to nationalism, cosmopolitanism can be understood as a way of building community by embracing rather than avoiding difference. Unlike philosophical universalism, which seeks to link individuals and peoples together by finding the lowest common denominator, cosmopolitanism sees difference as an opportunity to be sought rather than a problem to be solved. Bridging but not eliminating the gaps created by cultural difference, cosmopolitanism becomes a way for cultures to engage in dialogues with one another, fostering both the respect for another's culture that is the lesson of multiculturalism and the sense that cultures have the ability to influence and interact with one another. In the aftermath of the tragic events of 9/11, a commitment to cosmopolitan perspectives seems more valuable than ever.
Cosmopolitanism is also an idea that allows us to take advantage of the rich cultural resources that city of New York has to offer. We view New York as the most cosmopolitan of U.S. cities and share our History Department colleague Thomas Bender's belief (articulated most recently in The Unfinished City [2002]) that, since the eighteenth century, New York has offered an alternative to the Puritanism and agrarianism that have dominated U.S. cultural mythologies, presenting instead a "cosmopolitan understanding of the promise of American life."
The Faculty Fellows, therefore, have sought to create programming that encourages students to understand cosmopolitanism, to engage in dialogues about cultural difference, and to explore the opportunities that New York offers for cosmopolitan experiences. In the past, we have further divided our programming into a number of sub-themes, designed to demonstrate the capaciousness of the cosmopolitan idea: adaptation and adaptability; East meets West; and New York neighborhoods. We offer our residents the opportunity to participate in one major event in each month, usually an outing to a play, opera, or dance performance. We supplement these major outings with other activities such as movie outings, book groups, and informal gatherings, all designed to foster discussion and dialogue. Where possible, we choose programs that cut across our sub-themes.
Our goal is to encourage students to expand their intellectual horizons in two ways: by experiencing shows, venues and ideas that are unfamiliar to them and by thinking about familiar cultural objects ideas in new and unfamiliar ways. In all of our programming, we seek to foster the idea that the both the residence hall and the city of New York can be extensions of the NYU classroom, laboratories for learning and discovery.
Stay tuned for more information about this year's Faculty Fellow programs.