We all have our doubts when it comes to Global Perspectives on Society (GPS). Yet due to the fact that it is a core requirement for all NYU Shanghai freshmen, avoiding the course was not an option for Class 2019. But was it really that bad to begin with? For me, it provided me a good shut-eye on Monday mornings; that’s already a pro and it wasn’t even part of the syllabus. But even when I did manage to stay awake during lectures, thanks to miraculous eight hour-night sleeps that happened from time to time, I have to acknowledge that there were several advantages to GPS as a whole. The class of 2019 tends to split down the middle whenever GPS comes into question. There were several critiques towards the class; on how it was organized, on how it was taught, on its importance and its topics. “It really was too broad in its scope, which led to the covering of subjects not to its full justification.” stated Class of 2019 member Robert Prast, a complaint I have personally voiced on several occasions. While the readings were highly relevant to the course, and the authors all outstanding and well-known philosophers, the short extracts that we covered did not allow us to fully embrace every author’s ideology. What is more, the short time prearranged for each reading prevented us from fully engaging with the extracts as well. However, the same argument could easily be turned around. Such an extensive list of readings also introduced us to many theorists who have formulated principles that are, to this day, common knowledge. Sophomore John Rhoades argued that “It was a good intro course for a freshman. The lecture covered the basics very nicely. They were all texts that a college student should know. It is trying to meet a wide variety of different levels of students, and I think it finds a medium pretty well”. This is an exemplary perspective I had to agree with. All of the philosophers covered during class are the basis of several practices. And let’s not forget how every philosopher we studied was relatable to ethical controversies. What I believe professor Jeffrey Lehman was attempting to do through GPS (and he very well succeeded) was make us realize how several universally accepted norms might very well contrast with minority cultures’ ideologies. During lectures, we discussed many cases where traditions clashed, these were exercises that forced us to open our minds. These were key issues that had to be addressed due to the large number of nationalities in our class. In order to prevent cultural clashes, we had to be educated so as to understand how our native countries might mold our form of thought in a certain way. We had to learn how to empathize with a peers’ culture that might be excruciatingly different from our own. Coming from various backgrounds, we needed a course that could homogenize the entire Class of 2019. However, to ignore the flaws of the course would render this article invalid. A key critique voiced by sophomores Tahreem Waquar and Anthony Yanchuk was how Professor Lehman failed to arouse interest from the students when teaching specific topics. Both students claimed how the professor’s perceived lack of passion regarding, for instance, Chinese Communism, caused a lack of interest from students during lectures. On top of this, much criticism was expressed by international students in regards to the pace of the lectures overall. Ah, and here lies one of the most discussed problems of the course. Was Lehman’s class too slow? While many internationals might argue otherwise, it was just right for a good percentage of our Chinese classmates. Jingyi Wang provided us with some insight regarding Professor’s Lehman pace throughout his lectures, mentioning how “I thought the pace was comfortable, I could follow Professor Lehman’s explanations with ease.” What does this mean? It means that Lehman’s pace was just right. It would have created an unfair advantage for international students if the course had been taught any differently. Because while the speed of the class might have caused some students to doze off every now and then, in a class of this magnitude, it is essential to reach a middle ground.All in all, it is my honest opinion that Global Perspectives on Society is a course that must be endured by all freshmen. While the appropriation of credits might seem like a hassle at the time, looking back in retrospect, the discomfort we all had towards GPS managed to unify the Class of 2019. Analyzing the pros and cons a year later, it is safe to say that the disappointments the course presented were toppled over by its benefits.

This article was written by Ori De Angelis. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Arshaun Darabnia