Writing College Life in NYC: A Journey in Reading and Writing

July 7-17, 2025 Rose Hill

3-Credit Course

In this course, students develop writing and reflective thinking skills through an exploration - literary, music, arts and otherwise - of this dynamic and diverse city. By exploring our differences and identifying common ground in NYC through writing, reading, and outings, we will come to reflect on what makes each Summer Leaders Academy student unique in their college journey and what makes a college community.

Skills/Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• Develop a critical awareness of different genres of traditional and multimedia writing, including short stories, poetry, essays, journalism, and visual arts.
• Turn personal experiences in, and feelings about, NYC into bigger reflections on wider social and historical context through journal writing.
• Interpret New York's City cultural landscape critically and reflect on how their unique insights about the city can contribute to their sense of belonging and learning experience at Fordham.
• Understand the interdisciplinary work and research at Fordham by introducing students to different forms of media. 
• Cultivate aesthetic appreciation of cultures and subcultures and solidify students' identity as compassionate global citizens.

Overall Takeaways

Being in a new environment can be a daunting challenge. Through this writing and reading course, which involves in-person engagement with the city, students will learn how to adjust themselves in their college life while also learning key ideas and techniques used in various writing styles. 

Instructor Bio

Wing Tan Lai is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of English. She gained her master’s degree in English at Oxford University. Apart from her passion for writing and reading, she is an amateur photographer and loves capturing mundane but humane moments in NYC. She has abundant experience in teaching undergraduate writing.