About GPS:
Global Perspectives on Society is NYU Shanghai’s signature introductory course in the humanities and social sciences. The entire first-year undergraduate class takes this course together in their first semester, creating a unique shared academic experience for all NYU Shanghai students. GPS is devoted to fostering a joy of academic inquiry through examining central questions about the individual in society through the study of key concepts and texts, as well as developing the reading, communication, and critical thinking skills central to a liberal arts education. GPS is taught by an interdisciplinary team of faculty lecturers and postdoctoral recitation instructors and thus introduces students to a range of intellectual and critical traditions concerning the foundations of society and the analytical categories used to describe, understand, and critique society.
Teaching Team
Anna Greenspan
Associate Professor of Contemporary Global Media; GPS Lecturer
Lu Zhao
Associate Professor of Global China Studies; GPS Lecturer
Erica Mukherjee
Clinical Assistant Professor of History; GPS Program Head
Postdoctoral Fellowship
The Postdoctoral Teaching Fellowship for Global Perspectives on Society offers early-career scholars the opportunity to develop as both teachers and researchers within an international university community. GPS fellows come from a variety of academic fields, including anthropology, comparative literature, cultural studies, history, law, philosophy, political theory, and sociology. In the fall semester, GPS fellows guide students in exploring course texts and concepts through discussion sections, office hours, and project advising. Fellows join regular pedagogy meetings and workshops to share teaching strategies and reflect on their practice. Teaching observations are central to this process, with fellows both observing colleagues and receiving constructive feedback on their own classes. In the spring semester, GPS fellows conduct self-directed research and writing in their own fields, while also contributing to the wider intellectual life of the university community through service and academic leadership activities. The fellowship program also emphasizes mentorship, pairing fellows with NYU Shanghai faculty mentors and connecting current fellows with the program’s growing alumni network. Alumni of the GPS fellowship have gone on to tenure-track positions and other competitive appointments, reflecting the program’s strong record of preparing scholars for long-term contributions within academia and beyond.
This fellowship is a two-year appointment with applications accepted annually. Details about the next hiring cycle are available on the NYU Shanghai fellowships recruitment page during the fall semester.
Past Fellows
Student Awards
The semester concludes with a Celebration of GPS, when the entire first-year class presents their GPS final group projects to the wider university community. In this Celebration of GPS, students share posters, pamphlets, video games, videos, and other creative projects that demonstrate their analysis of course texts and how they apply these ideas to the world around them.
Recipients of the Global Perspectives on Society Excellence Award are carefully selected by the GPS teaching team. These student projects represent the highest level of achievement within the course, demonstrating both an exceptional depth of analysis and creativity of presentation.
Recipients of the Global Perspectives on Society Popular Favorite Award are chosen by the university community through a popular vote. This award recognizes projects that communicate ideas to the public in a particularly engaging and accessible way.