As freshmen and sophomores, Macaulay students at John Jay participate in four seminars with University Scholars from across CUNY. These seminars focus on dynamic aspects of New York City and integrate experiences in the Cultural Passport and traditional academic study. The seminars include “The Arts in New York City,” “The Peopling of New York,” “Science and Technology in New York City,” and “New York in the 21st Century.” As juniors and seniors, students participate in John Jay’s uniquely themed Honors Program curriculum on the “Common Good.” This curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, and ethical decision-making with attention to global concerns, community responsibility, and civic mindedness. The upper level honors courses span a wide range of interests, from poetry to politics, as students deepen their learning through rigorous course work, engagement with their peers, mentoring, research opportunities with outstanding faculty, and an in-depth honors capstone experience.
The John Jay Honors Program curriculum challenges students to consider questions of the common good in an era of increasing globalization. Students explore the theme from multiple perspectives, and explore enduring questions of human existence and contemporary questions of social justice through disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, and their own experiences.