J-Term: Up Close and Personal

In January Term, NYU Abu Dhabi students are here, there and everywhere from Shanghai to London, Sydney to New York, and around the UAE.

J-Term courses — taught by renowned scholars, writers, and distinguished professors from NYUAD and NYU New York — whisk students away to new and exciting places for three intensive weeks of study where they become immersed in different cultures and learn first-hand about how our world is changing every single day.

The best academic experience of my life.

Umair Saad, Class of 2015, on his J-Term experience in New York

Here are six short stories from current students who all agree that J-Term is a university learning experience unlike any other.

Social Media and Political Participation

Name: Abraham Okbasslaise Hdru, Class of 2019
Hometown: Saarbrücken, Germany
Major: Social Research and Public Policy and Political Science
Location: New York

"Social media is gradually becoming a greater part of daily life. With the US elections coming up, I was particularly curious how interaction with social media transforms political participation."

Course — Islamic Extremism

Name: Julia Saubier, Class of 2016
Hometown: Manila, Philippines and Lyon, France
Major: Social Research and Public Policy
Location: Washington, DC

"My interest in the course is personal. I arrived to spend a semester in Paris days after the Charlie Hebdo shooting and to participate in COP21 (climate change conference) after the Paris terrorist attacks. I want to be able to engage in conversations about terrorism in my home country — and beyond — and provide an informed and educated perspective. I hope to understand the evolution of Islamic extremism and how it affects us in the 21st century."

Colloquial Arabic, Emirati Dialect

Name: Sue-Ann Lau, Class of 2018
Hometown: Singapore
Major: History and concentration in Arabic language
Location: Al Ain, UAE

"Emirati culture is so exclusive and sometimes impossible to penetrate, even if you live in the Emirates. This one-of-a-kind homestay experience gave me unprecedented access to UAE culture and a single language or dialect for three intensive weeks."

NYUAD student Sue-Ann Lau gets up close with a goat during J-Term studies in Al Ain, UAE.

The Meaning of Life

Name: Sebastian Grube, Class of 2018
Hometown: Zeulenroda-Triebes, Germany
Major: Theater and Music
Location: Abu Dhabi

"The question of the meaning of life always comes up at some point. The course allowed me to contemplate this question, see what other people think, and write about it. Intense engagement with one topic is something I enjoy."

Global Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases

Name: Azhar Yerzhanova, Class of 2017
Hometown: Almaty, Kazakhstan
Major: Political Science
Location: Accra, Ghana

"Spending three weeks in Ghana was a great opportunity to learn about exciting cultures and build a close community with other NYUAD students in the class. And I'd never been to the African continent before."

Light Location

Name: Lucia Salem, Class of 2016
Hometown: Lima, Peru
Major: Economics
Location: Shanghai

"I wanted to learn from Scott Fitzgerald (class professor) who is very passionate and does really cool artwork with light. Eating authentic Chinese food and seeing the Great Wall of China were also on my bucket list!"

January Term

January Term (J-Term) at NYU Abu Dhabi offers a distinctive learning experience allowing students to study one course intensively for three weeks, often at institutions around the world.