Honors Courses
(2027 Sessions)
Lafayette Session 2027
May 27 - June 11
RL 1: Chemistry Through Cooking
Marcus Noyes
Coming soon…
RL 2: Foundations of Finance
Cecilia Parlatore
Course Description
This course introduces the core concepts and analytical tools of modern finance and their practical applications on an interconnected, global scale. It examine how global firms decide which projects to undertake, how they raise needed financing, how investors value securities, and how these decisions affect asset prices.
Topics include the time value of money, discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation, bonds and equities, risk and return, portfolio theory, capital budgeting, the cost of capital, capital structure, financial policy, and an introduction to options. When relevant, we will apply these ideas to current events and major corporate decisions, including IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and developments in financial markets.
By the end of the course, you will have a practical framework for analyzing financial decisions and valuing investments, along with an understanding of the principles that guide firms, investors, and policymakers.
Instructor: Cecilia Parlatore
Cecilia Parlatore is an Associate Professor of Finance at the New York University Stern School of Business. Before joining NYU Stern, she was Assistant Professor of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Her research examines the role of financial intermediaries in promoting the stability and efficiency of the financial system, with a particular focus on banking, information frictions, and regulation. She studies how the design of financial institutions and the informational environment in which they operate shape the allocation of capital and the resilience of the financial system. While primarily theoretical, her research is closely connected to real-world policy questions and is complemented by empirical analysis.
At NYU Stern, Professor Parlatore teaches undergraduate, MBA, and Ph.D. courses in finance, corporate finance, and financial intermediation. She received her B.A. and M.A. in Economics from Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires and her Ph.D. in Economics from New York University.
RL 3: The Trial of Jesus
Joseph Weiler
Course Description
The Trial of Jesus by any account is one of the most noted and arguably one of the most I mportant in the history of Western civilization. The seminar will examine the historical context, the factual matrix and the legal issues concerning the trial(s) of Jesus by the Jewish and Roman authorities.
Despite hundreds of books and thousands of articles written about it, there has never been a systematic account of its importance to the shaping of Western notions of Justice. Its historical importance, the seminar will bring to light, goes well beyond the fraught history of Christians and Jews, and it also provides a unique mirror to understand some deep theological insight that informs contemporary public life.
No prior knowledge of Biblical Studies, Judaism, Christianity, Hebrew, or Greek is required. Students must have a hardcopy of the Bible (both the OT and the NT) in each session.
Instructor: Joseph Weiler
J.H.H. Weiler is University Professor at the NYU Law School and a Senior Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard. He served previously as President of the European University Institute, Florence. Professor Weiler is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Constitutional Law (ICON). In 2022 he was awarded the Ratzinger Prize by Pope Francis.
J.H.H. Weiler OMRI is currently serving as European Union Jean Monnet Chair at New York University School of Law and Senior Fellow of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard.
He was President of the European University Institute in Florence from 2013 until 2016. He holds a diploma from The Hague Academy of International Law. Weiler is the author of works relating to the sui generis character of the European Union. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2022 he was awarded the Ratzinger Prize by Pope Francis.
Joseph Weiler studied law (LLB and LLM) in the United Kingdom (Sussex and Cambridge) and at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy (PhD), where he later served as professor of law, head of the Department of Law, and most recently as President. In the United States, prior to his appointment at NYU School of Law, he served as professor of law at the University of Michigan and as a chaired professor at Harvard Law School. His research and teaching focus on international law, the law of the European Union and the WTO, and the interface between religion and law. Among his noted books are The Constitution of Europe, Un Europa Cristiana, and a novella, Der Fall Steinmann.
RL 4: Thinking Machines as Friends and Enemies
Clay Shirky
Course Description
When the printing press appeared, scribes started writing slowly, not because they slowed down, but because they were being compared to a machine that sped things up. What will it mean for humanity that we are now comparing ourselves to AI? What human behaviors will it obviate? Transform? Leave alone?
Thinking Machines as Friends and Enemies will look at this question through the lens of media theory (artifact politics; parasociality) and practical experience (comparing outputs from multiple AI models; training custom chatbots.) Students will build up a daily portfolio of exercises and thoughts over the course of the class. Although you will be required to work with AI, the classroom will at times be a device-free conversational space, involving both individual and group work.
Instructor: Clay Shirky
Prof. Shirky is NYU’s Vice Provost of AI and Technology in Education, and has appointments in NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, Journalism program, and Interactive Media Arts in Shanghai. Mr. Shirky has written extensively on social media, including the books Here Comes Everybody (2008) and Cognitive Surplus (2010)
Wroxton Session 2027
August 6 - August 19
RL 5: News. Evidence. Truth?
Arthur Browne
Course Description
In a post-truth world, we wrestle with questions such as, “What is evidence?” “What is enough evidence?” “Is objectivity irrelevant or even possible?” And, most basically, “What is news anyway?” News. Evidence. Truth? will examine the strategies and rhetorical nature of investigative journalism to seek answers. Through case histories and by interviewing highly regarded journalists, the class will analyze how media organizations executed text, aural, and visual investigations to achieve persuasive findings.
Students will put theory into practice by assuming the roles of newsroom reporters to collaboratively produce stories. They will gain a heightened understanding of journalism and deepened insights into the interplay of fact, point of view, and clashing rhetoric in the media.
RL 6: Climate Change, Mathematical Science, Policy, and Arts
David Holland
Course Description
The course is an intensive interdisciplinary course that approaches climate change not as a single scientific problem but as a complex human challenge requiring fluency across three connected domains: mathematical sciences, public policy, and the arts. In it, students build the conceptual scaffolding needed to interpret evidence, question assumptions, compare alternative solutions, and communicate responsibly about an uncertain future.
The mathematical-sciences portion establishes the physical foundation of the course. Students examine the changing climate system, the greenhouse effect, rising temperatures, ocean circulation, acidification, intensifying hurricanes, melting ice sheets, sea-level rise, and forest fires. Scientific ideas are presented through accessible models, visualizations, satellite observations, and selected demonstrations. Rather than emphasizing advanced calculation for its own sake, the course uses mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology to help students assess trends and distinguish credible claims from unsupported assertions.
The policy portion turns from diagnosis to response. Students investigate mitigation, including carbon removal and replacement of carbon-based energy, and adaptation or stabilization strategies, including solar-radiation management, biological interventions, and engineering concepts intended to protect vulnerable glaciers and communities. Every proposed response is treated as both a technical possibility and a governance problem. Students consider who benefits, who bears risk, what institutions should decide, how Indigenous and local communities may be affected, and whether actions undertaken by one country can impose consequences on others. The course deliberately avoids presenting simple answers; its central practice is disciplined questioning.
The arts portion explores how people have observed, recorded, interpreted, and imagined environmental change. Historical journals, paintings, photographs, music, literature, and records of polar exploration provide evidence of past landscapes and human reactions. Contemporary writing, film, and visual art show how artists represent climate anxiety, responsibility, loss, resilience, and possible futures. Students are encouraged to respond personally while also analyzing how artistic expression can influence public understanding.
The course also develops practical research habits: defining a question, locating appropriate evidence, testing competing explanations, acknowledging uncertainty, and presenting conclusions to different audiences. Because the cohort brings varied national and disciplinary perspectives, students will learn from one another’s experiences and examine how climate decisions change across regions, institutions, generations, and ethical traditions worldwide today.
Learning is active and discussion-based. Socratic dialogue, device-free debates, short written reflections, brief video explanations, and an individually chosen research project requires students to develop and express an independent point of view. By the end of the course, students should be able to connect climate mechanisms with policy choices and cultural meaning, communicate across disciplines, and leave with better questions, stronger analytical tools, and a more informed capacity to lead.
Enjoy this PBS news segment featuring Professor David Holland: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7oXpDLSYLBg
Instructor: David Holland
David Holland is a professor of mathematics and environmental science at New York University and an internationally recognized climate scientist whose work focuses on the changing polar regions and their implications for global sea level. His research combines mathematical modeling, environmental observation, and sustained field investigation in Greenland and Antarctica. Over several decades, he has worked to understand how warming oceans and atmosphere interact with the great ice sheets, how those interactions may accelerate glacier loss, and how scientific knowledge can improve forecasts of future change. His approach links theory to direct experience: models are informed by measurements gathered in demanding polar environments, while field observations are interpreted through the physical and mathematical principles that govern climate systems.
Holland’s scholarship is especially relevant to the public decisions that societies must make under uncertainty. Forecasts of ice-sheet change and sea-level rise are not merely academic exercises; they shape planning for cities, infrastructure, ecosystems, and communities exposed to coastal risk. He therefore treats communication as an essential part of scientific work. His goal is to present difficult evidence clearly, distinguish what is known from what remains uncertain, and give students and decision-makers the tools to evaluate competing claims. In teaching, he emphasizes questioning over passive acceptance. Students are expected to investigate mechanisms, examine assumptions, and connect scientific findings to policy choices involving mitigation, adaptation, and climate stabilization.
For this course, Holland serves as lead professor and principal architect of the mathematical-sciences and policy components. He guides students through the greenhouse effect, temperature change, ocean circulation, acidification, extreme storms, ice-sheet loss, sea-level rise, and fire. He also leads examination of carbon removal, alternative energy, solar-radiation management, biological interventions, glacier-protection concepts, and other possible responses. His teaching brings together scientific rigor, field experience, policy relevance, and a willingness to confront unresolved ethical and governance questions. As a Fellow of the Explorers Club, he also participates in collaborative work examining pathways to stabilization of climate change, focused on efforts to investigate holding back a rising global sea level in a warming world.
Denise Holland is the field logistics officer for Professor Holland’s laboratory and the course’s teaching assistant and contributing instructor. She organizes field campaigns to Greenland and Antarctica, coordinating camps, travel, equipment, schedules, and the practical needs of research teams. Her business education supports this operational work, while her Bachelor of Arts from NYU informs her leadership of the course’s arts component. Her academic interests include Rockwell Kent and the tradition of artists who accompanied explorers and recorded polar landscapes. Also a Fellow of the Explorers Club, she contributes climate stabilization development meetings, outreach, and digital-model planning. In the course, she connects logistics, adaptation, ethics, cultural heritage, and artistic expression, evaluates assignments and examinations, and helps ensure that every student’s voice is heard.
Together, David and Denise offer students an unusual combination of scientific authority, operational knowledge, policy engagement, and humanistic perspective. Their partnership shows that understanding climate change requires not only accurate models, but also organization, ethical reflection, creative communication, and respect for experience.
RL 7: International Lawyering for Justice, Peace & Reconciliation
Harold Koh
Course Description
Human rights lawyers live by two simple ideas: “Everyday, we see things we want to change, but all too rarely do we actually change them. And it’s a long way from having a good idea to actually making it real.”
In this special course, a lifelong international law professor, human rights lawyer, and government official, operating both outside and inside the government, offers a theory and examples of how legal arguments can help bring about Justice, Peace, and Reconciliation. Each class will focus on a particular real-life case study: human rights litigation in U.S. domestic courts; litigation before the International Court of Justice and international arbitration tribunals; developing rules on the use of drones, cyberconflict, and artificial intelligence in warfare, using legal arguments to help build a new nation (Kosovo and Timor L’este), building a public interest law firm to uphold the rule of law in times of challenge, and using legal skills to help free human rights dissidents in authoritarian countries. Students will be asked to think imaginatively about and play real-life roles, and to make hard choices.
Most of all, students will be asked, “how does provoking confrontation achieve peace, justice, and reconciliation? And if those goals are in conflict, how does one choose among them?” A written examination, drafted without any help from artificial intelligence, will be required.
Instructor: Harold Koh
Harold Hongju Koh, Sterling Professor of International Law at Yale Law School, is a leading expert in public and private international law, national security law, and human rights. He first began teaching at Yale Law School in 1985 and served as its fifteenth Dean from 2004 until 2009. He has served in four presidential administrations during the last five decades. In 2021, he served as Senior Advisor, the senior political appointee, in the State Department Office of the Legal Adviser, where he had previously served from 2009 to 2013 as State Department Legal Adviser, service for which he received the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award. From 1998 to 2001, he served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and from 1983-85, he served as an Attorney-Adviser for the Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice.
Professor Koh has received 18 honorary degrees and more than 30 human rights awards, including the 2024 Robert A. Katzmann Award for Academic Excellence and awards from Columbia and Duke Law Schools and the American Bar Association International Law Section for his lifetime achievements in international law. He has authored or co-authored ten books, including most recently The Trump Administration and International Law (Oxford rev. ed. 2027) and The National Security Constitution in the 21st Century (Yale 2024); he has published more than 275 articles. He has testified regularly before Congress, and litigated numerous cases involving international law issues in both U.S. and international tribunals, including his current representation of Ukraine against Russia before the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. He is a Fellow of the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Council of the American Law Institute, where he serves as co-Chair of the Restatement (Fourth) of the Foreign Relations Law of the United States.. He is an Honorary Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, has given dozens of named lectures, and served as visiting professor at several universities, including NYU, Cambridge, Oxford, the European University Institute, Columbia, Stanford, and the University of Toronto.
A Korean-American and native of New Haven, Professor Koh holds a B.A. degree from Harvard College and B.A. and M.A. degrees from Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar. He earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was Developments Editor of the Harvard Law Review. Before coming to Yale, he served as a law clerk for Justice Harry A. Blackmun of the United States Supreme Court and Judge Malcolm Richard Wilkey of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and worked as an attorney in private practice in Washington, D.C.
RL 8: Hamlet: Art and Politics
Shamoon Zamir
Course Description
Hamlet is, among many other things, a searching investigation of the failure of leadership in the transition between one political order and another, and between one generation and the next. The play is also perhaps Shakespeare’s most sustained reflection on the passing of old and the emergence of new aesthetic forms. Within the criss-crossings of these two strands, the art of politics and the politics of art, Shakespeare stages what many have claimed as the greatest dramatization in Western literature of the birth of modern subjectivity. This course aims to introduce students to this rich complexity by reading Hamlet line by line over ten days. This exercise in slow reading is intended also as an invitation to think about the ways in which literature addresses pressing social and cultural concerns. Our reading will be supplemented with various filmed productions of Shakespeare’s play.
Instructor: Shamoon Zamir
Shamoon Zamir is Professor of Literature and Art History at New York University Abu Dhabi. He works in the areas of literature, photography and intellectual history. His study of the African American writer W.E.B. Du Bois explored literature’s dialogues with philosophy and sociology; The Gift of the Face explored the relationship of aesthetics and ethics in the work of the early twentieth-century photographer Edward S. Curtis and examined the ways in which image and text, art and science, pictorialist photography and anthropology come together in Curtis’s portraits of Native Americans. Zamir’s latest book, Photography and Citizenship, offers a strikingly new account of Edward Steichen’s famous exhibition The Family of Man as a visual construction of cosmopolitan citizenship in the aftermath of World War II and the Cold War.
In addition, Zamir has published on twentieth-century African American and Native American fiction and on modern poetry and has translated short stories from Urdu. He was the co-founder of Talus, a small press and journal specializing in poetry, contemporary international writing and cultural studies and was series editor for American Studies: Culture, Society & the Arts. He is also the Director of Akkasah: Center for Photography at NYUAD, an archive of vernacular and documentary photography from the Middle East.
Zamir studied English and American literatures and American Studies at the University of London and taught at Sarah Lawrence College, the University of Chicago, York University and the University of London before joining NYU Abu Dhabi.