In my Hispanic Civilization course, I always take my students to the Hispanic Society of America in Washington Heights right before our mid-term exam so they can see art and artifacts from the Iberian Peninsula from the Punic Wars through the 20th century. After our final exam, I take them to El Museo del Barrio in East Harlem where we see exhibits from Latin America and from Hispanic communities in the United States. 

 Michael ColvinChair and Professor of English and World Literatures

I love taking my students to literary evenings at ​​92Y​, where the world’s best living authors come together to read and discuss their work. Over the years, my students and I had the privilege of hearing such literary giants as Tony Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Amy Tan, Martin Amis, Jamaica Kincaid, Orhan Pamuk, and many others. When I teach my Reading Contemporary India class, I also like to take students to see relevant exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rubin Museum (featuring the art of the Himalayas) and the nearbyAsia Society.

 Magdalena MaczynskaAssociate Professor of English and World Literatures

When we study immigration narratives in classes on the literature of the United States, I ask my students to visit the Tenement Museum in lower Manhattan.  By going on tenement tours, students can experience the living conditions of early 19th century immigrants to the U.S. and hear stories of immigrant families that connect to the novels we are reading and discussing in class.  Because so many immigrant narratives at least partially take place in this part of Manhattan, students can physically experience the setting of the novels.  Students always return to the classroom with a stronger sense of what living conditions were like for some immigrants and a deeper appreciation for how writers put that experience into words.

 Martha SledgeAssociate Professor of English and World Literatures