Discover New York (DNY) encourages students to
engage both intellectually and personally with the remarkable city
that not only houses St. John’s University but also serves as home
to people from literally all over the world. Faculty members
develop DNY courses around the application of their own academic
disciplines, employing these disciplines as the conceptual lenses
to address the general framework defining DNY’s educational
goals. As a result, students have the opportunity to “see”
New York City through a particular academic perspective including
those focused on the arts, business, social and political
relationships, literature, and media in the city. With a
continual emphasis on critical thinking and
information literacy skills as the primary pedagogy of
learning, the city becomes the laboratory for the students’
application of the course focus. Moreover, with the course
mandate for Academic Service Learning, the city is experienced by
students as a place populated with “real people,” many of whom live
in difficult situations and need assistance.