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J-Term

A Distinctive Learning Experience

J-Term courses are designed as 10-day, highly immersive learning experiences during January or summer (May-June). They intensify the student’s focus, reach beyond the classroom to incorporate experiential learning, and are site-specific, connecting students to the place where they study.

Intellectually linked to their locations, the courses take advantage of local resources; explore the history, culture, economy, and society of the host communities, and often involve collaborative activities with local students and faculty. The courses illuminate the interdependence of local knowledge and global awareness while fostering cross-cultural research and insights into complex global issues.

J-Term Highlights

Taking a single course during the J-Term gives students more time for concentrated reflection on a dedicated topic than is the case during the semester when students must split their time between several courses. The intensity of the shared experience also forges an unusually strong bond between the students and their professors. Although the J-Term is short, it has a great impact because of its immersive character and linking of theoretical and experiential learning.

Community-based Learning (CBL) Abroad for NYUAD Classes

  • In Ethiopia, students engaged in fieldwork with students from Mekelle University, documenting the Chekelot Church site through photography, aerial photography and video, and photogrammetry.
  • In Italy, students met with the Director of Excavation for the Deir al-Medina exhibition Cedric Gobeil, discussed papyrus and preservation with curator Susanne Töpfer, and examined the ethics of exhibiting human remains with curator Paolo Del Vesco.

Seminars Across the Globe

Over 40 courses at NYUAD have community-based learning components that bring theory to practice through regional academic seminars across the globe.

  • With the support of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Philippines, students traveled to the island of Palawan to explore DSWD’s community-led efforts in the barangays (communities) of Decalachao and San José.
  • In Ukraine, students interacted with former President Viktor Yushchenko, Minister of the Economy, Tymofii Mylovanov, and Yegor Chernev, Member of Parliament for Servant of the People Party.
  • In Eritrea, students learned about medicine in the Nakfa Trenches from Dr. Tekeste Fekadu and interviewed Yemane Gebreab, President’s Advisor - Ministry of Political Affairs.
  • Students had a unique opportunity to explore the landscape of diplomacy in contemporary Jordan, where they met with British Ambassador Edward Oakden and visited the headquarters of the United Nations meeting with country representatives of UNHCR, UNRWA, UNICEF, and UNDP.

J-Term Photo Gallery