The New Commons

The New Commons
The New Commons is dedicated to offering opportunities for dialogue, with the aim of fostering understanding within our community. It is meant to reaffirm The New School’s commitment to learning, critique, and mutual respect.
This site is a digital hub designed to showcase conversations, classes, and events across campus that explore complex issues, build empathy, and bridge gaps in understanding. Embracing this invitation to discourse makes us stronger as scholars, problem solvers, and citizens.
The New Commons builds on our university’s legacy and embodies the New School community’s aspiration to create a fairer, more equitable world.
Events
During the year, The New School hosts an array of lectures, conversations, forums, and other events that bring together members of our community and guests and allow them to connect with one another. Check back regularly for opportunities to participate.
Featured Courses

We believe that diverse perspectives enrich our learning environment, and providing opportunities for respectful dialogue is essential to achieving our mission of preparing students to understand, contribute to, and succeed in a rapidly changing society. The discourse in which students participate in our classrooms will shape their efforts to create a better world. Listed below are a number of our courses that address significant issues of the moment.

NMGM 5028
Mindfulness Leadership Development

Leadership is not simply about the leader?s ability to influence the others. The underlying assumption of this course is that the ability to lead begins with the process of self-discovery, self-awareness, and self-leadership. In this course we will review traditional models of leadership and explore...
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GPOL 5128
Boundaries and Belonging

This is a multi-disciplinary, inter-departmental course that will examine human mobility, the physical, legal and discursive construction of borders, the meaning(s) of membership, and immigrant integration. The course will be taught by faculty from across The New School, including NSSR, Milano, and ...
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CENT 5200
Artists and Community Change

This course focuses on the role arts, culture and design can play in equitable community planning and development. Key facets of this course include: exploring how artists affect community change and the social, economic and cultural roles that artists play in their communities; how artists can supp...
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PSDS 5516
Advocacy, Design, and Urban Justice

This course explores approaches and strategies for working with and for marginalized and oppressed communities with the shared goal of advancing their efforts toward socio-spatial justice. It introduces the roots of critical and socially engaged practices that through art, design, and planning facil...
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LPOL 3199
The 2024 US Election in Real Time

The proportion of ELC students who might vote for Donald Trump for President in 2024 does not exceed 20%, and it might be less than half that. Many students have never had any sustained interaction with a Trump supporter, beyond an uncomfortable conversation at a large Thanksgiving dinner. From Manh...
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GLIB 5406
Gender and its Discontents

This is the required core course for the university-wide graduate certificate in Gender and Sexuality Studies and it is open to all the graduate students who are interested in sexuality and gender studies. Our starting point is the acknowledgement that sex- and gender-based modes of social organizat...
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PSDS 5510
Resilient Mutual Development

Using design and creative strategies as a catalyst to help communities develop offers endless opportunities for long-term cultural, social, and economic transformations. How can we make sure that these practices and its results are resilient to change and challenges over time? Beyond creating infra...
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LPOL 2001
Seminar Slam:The Debate Studio

The Debate Studio is designed to introduce students to The New School Debate Team by way of the study of politics. It will serve as a practice seminar for those that choose to participate in debate tournaments outside of class and provides the necessary analytical and practical skills for students t...
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PUFY 1100
Sustainable Systems

Anything we extract from the earth must ultimately go back into it. This course aims to create an emotional and intellectual connection with the life forms and environments which bear the burden of our choices. How can designers, artists and strategic thinkers create products, systems and services t...
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Culture of Care

Whether you’re a student, faculty member, or staff, the Culture of Care hub is designed to house the resources, conversations, and events across campus that navigate complex discussions, build empathy, and bridge gaps of understanding.

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Undergraduates

To apply to any of our undergraduate programs (except the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs) complete and submit the Common App online.

Undergraduate Adult Learners

To apply to any of our Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

Graduates

To apply to any of our Master's, Doctoral, Professional Studies Diploma, and Graduate Certificate programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

Events

Featured Courses

Mindfulness Leadership Development

Boundaries and Belonging

Artists and Community Change

Advocacy, Design, and Urban Justice

The 2024 US Election in Real Time

Gender and its Discontents

Resilient Mutual Development

Seminar Slam:The Debate Studio

Sustainable Systems

Culture of Care

Take The Next Step

Submit your application

Undergraduates

Undergraduate Adult Learners

Graduates