Co-curricular programs give students the opportunity to engage in academic conversations outside of the classroom. These programs may complement your academic inquiries, or may expose you to a topic or issue outside of your studies. Co-curricular programs often involve Gallatin Faculty members, alumni and outside community members.
Affinity Groups
Affinity Groups are organized around interdisciplinary themes and meant to be primarily social in nature, building communities within Gallatin by meeting regularly throughout the semester to have conversations, host speakers, and collaboratively plan outings around the city–from museums and theatrical performances to urban farms, activist spaces, shared meals, and more. Affinity Groups are a great way to engage in academic themes that interest you without the pressure to academically perform–whether reading or writing (unless you want to!). Because these groups are social and collaborative, students really do have a voice in the direction of their group--what conversations need to be had, places to go and things to see.
Each group is mentored and led by a super-cool Gallatin graduate student and the program is overseen by the Gallatin Office of Community Engagement. To join a group, students must: be willing and able to participate in-person and be willing to commit for the semester. We strive to create deep and meaningful relationships that are fostered through sustained engagement and not one-off events. Group meetings have scheduled times, much like a class, meeting 8+ times throughout the semester, sometimes at agreed upon times outside of those designated, such as for a Broadway show or concert. For additional questions, please reach out to Dr. Lisa Daily, Director of Community Engagement at lisa.daily@nyu.edu or gallatin.affinitygroups@nyu.edu.
Space is limited! To indicate interest in joining a group, please complete the Gallatin Affinity Group Sign-Up Form and await a confirmation email.
2023-2024 Groups
Storytelling through Film & Theatre
Fridays, 10am-12pm
Gavi Loewenstein
If there’s any place with a story to tell, it is most certainly NYC. New York City is an expansive community of storytellers and performers, always looking for new and exciting ways to share their voices, whether that’s through stage, screen, or the simple act of conversation. Regardless of the medium, the art of a good story is the most human way we can connect . This affinity group will tackle storytelling in all of its forms, and will encourage further exploration of both the technical side of productions as well as the heart. Encouraging connection, collaboration, and creativity, where our story goes as an affinity group is up to you! Possible outings may include Broadway and off-Broadway productions, storytelling festivals and events, film screenings, and guest speakers such as writers, producers, or directors.
Everyday Social Justice Education in NYC
Fridays, 12:05-2:05pm
Kendra Danowski
This affinity group will explore themes of present-day social justice education, facilitation, and capacity-building in New York City. What grassroots political and critical education spaces are currently active, who (what kind of movements) do they serve, and what are their visions and goals? Out of what struggle, need, or motivation were these spaces created, and what histories of organizing and activism inform how they are structured? How are they developing their own kind of pedagogy, and what kind of strategies do they employ when teaching and learning with others? What are some of the unexpected places and groups where “everyday education” towards social justice and liberation is happening? Outings and guest discussions may include: May Day Space, The People’s Forum, El Puente’s Global Justice Institute, Queens Museum, W.O.W. Project, Interference Archive, local mutual aid collectives, virtual visits with Allied Media Projects and AORTA (Anti-Oppression Training and Resource Alliance).
Planetary NYC
Fridays, 2:10-4:10pm
Katreena Lloyd
Planetary NYC most broadly explores the relationship between the natural world and urban spaces. More specifically, this affinity group thinks about what it means to be an occupant of our planet within the constraints of a cityscape with its bright lights, endless concrete, constant noise, and looming skyscrapers. How, if at all, do we access the night sky, its stars, and the greater cosmos? Where can we find nature, green spaces, and biodiversity? What is the role of architecture in designating green and stargazing spaces that may not be accessible for low-income people? How can we continue to advocate for our planetary city in an era of drastic climate change? Throughout this affinity group, we will visit astronomy events, urban gardens and farms, planetariums, and host guest speakers, among other possibilities.
Art, Activism, & Community
Fridays, 2:10-4:10pm
Nick Zelle
This affinity group engages with the nexus of art and activism in New York City. How can artists effectively use their creative practices in service of social and environmental movements, grassroot community initiatives, campaigns, and world-building, broadly construed? What does it take to move beyond despair toward an affirmative vision, while still allowing room to grieve – and what is the artist’s role, responsibility, and power in this existentially perilous time? We will attend performances, exhibitions, and site visits to (or host guests from) vital organizations on the frontlines of these questions, possibly including: the Laundromat Project, Interference Archive, Brooklyn Street Art, Performance Space New York, and the Center for Artistic Activism. We will hold informal discussions, host special guests, and move forward together based on the group’s emergent interests – with the ultimate goal of cultivating a community of interdisciplinary thinkers and doers around a shared commitment to employing art as a catalyst for connection, resilience, and justice.
Identity, Intersectionality, & Queer Spaces
Fridays, 4:15-6:15pm
Eli Mendoza
What does it mean to hold space for one’s identity or the plurality of their identities? How can we carve out physical or online communities that give priority to our internalized sense of self? And how might a city hold the historical archives of the making or unmaking of identity, along with its politics, policing, cultures, and/or accessibility? In this affinity group, we prioritize all formations of the self – the intersections of identities we all hold. As a point of organization (at least initially), we will collectively explore current and former cathedrals to queer communities, such as the Stonewall Inn. We may also consider queerness and disability as deeply personal, spiritual, and political identities in opposition to not only cisheteronormative society but also able-bodied society. More broadly, we will consider explorations and discussions related to personal, social, and political identities, including but not limited to intersectionality, subcultures, and situational personas. Group outings may include: Broadway, Bluestockings Cooperative, cultural sites and museums, among many other possibilities.
Meet-Ups
During the onset of the pandemic in Fall 2020, Gallatin Student Life created the initiative known as the Gallatin Meet-Ups, where small groups of students (led by a Gallatin Orientation Leader, who is a current student) visit various exciting and fun venues around New York City. The beauty of these events is that they are for Gallatin students and led by Gallatin students. We offer Meet-Up opportunities most weekdays and weekends and would love for Gallatin students to join us whenever they can!
In the past year, Gallatin Orientation Leaders have brought students to the Central Park Zoo, Artechouse (an art/tech exhibit), various museums such as the Brooklyn Museum, the MoMA, and the Whitney (to name a few), pottery making classes at Color Me Mine (TriBeCa pottery studio), a visit to the Meow Parlour Cat Cafe, Laser Tag excursions in Brooklyn Area 53 Laser Tag, an informal visit and picnic on Roosevelt Island, a visit to the Fall 2021 FRIENDS Interactive Experience, ice skating at Bryant Park in the winter, and a trip to Dyker Heights in Brooklyn to see the Christmas Lights. With all those fun events, you can count on even more exciting trips this year. An updated list of upcoming Gallatin Meet-Ups will be made available in the beginning of the Fall semester. Be sure to check your emails for more information!
Gallatin Community Coffee House
The Coffee House furnishes a space for Gallatin students, faculty, alumni and community members to discuss a charged topic in an unconventional, uncontrolled manner. Each coffee house features a panel comprised of faculty, students and alumni. Coffee houses happen at least twice a semester. Past topics have included UnNatural Diasters, Religious Freedom in America, and What is Art? We provide the coffee -- and you provide the conversation. If you have a topic you would like to be considered for a coffee house, please contact the Office of Student Life at studentlife.gallatin@nyu.edu.
Other Opportunities
Gallatin Student Life loves to hear from you! Have an idea for something you’d like to see? Please reach out to us. Past events and series have included interest group meetings, the dinealogue series, which features dining and conversation among students, faculty, and external guests on particular topics, and film series, among others. To get in contact with Student Life, please email studentlife.gallatin@nyu.edu.