New York City Program
Live, work, and learn in one of the world’s premier cities of commerce and culture with other Hamilton students who are eager to expand their understanding of others and the world.
Hamilton in New York City, established in 2001, combines an internship, academic experience, and experiential learning opportunities that encompass a wide range of perspectives on New York as a classroom.
To apply log into Via with you Hamilton SSO and complete your profile on Via and then search for New York City.
Current & Upcoming Programs
Director: Paul Hagstrom, Professor of Economics
315-859-4146
phagstro@hamilton.edu
The organization and structure of cities create opportunities for economic vibrancy. Major US cities like New York also exhibit higher levels of income inequality within and across demographic groups. With the city as our classroom, we will observe, identify, and seek to explain the drivers of urban inequalities and evaluate policies and structures designed to address them.
395 Demography, Growth, and Inequality in New York City
Large US cities have long been the gateway to the United States for immigrants from around the world. These newcomers provide labor, spur economic growth and add cultural richness to New York. Using field trips and in-class readings, we will examine the roles of immigrants on the evolving economic and social fabric of the city.
396 Independent study
You will write a 20-25 page paper focusing on an economic policy or structure designed to address urban inequality. The paper must focus on New York City and should incorporate an experience, perhaps a volunteer experience, or a discussion with someone directly involved with the policy solution you decide to study.
398 Inequality in Large U.S. Cities
The structure of cities encourages economic growth. Yet, in our largest cities, economic growth tends to be associated with higher rates of poverty, higher rates of unemployment, and higher overall levels of economic inequality. Those at the low end of the economic spectrum tend to be geographically concentrated. Spatial segregation influences the availability of high quality food, the quality of publicly provided education, and the access to affordable housing and well-paying jobs.
We will examine the history, social forces, and policy structures that affect economic inequality, with a special focus on New York and other large U.S. cities. Topics will include housing affordability and segregation, transportation, food deserts, urban labor markets, the digital economy, and demographic trends that affect the composition of our major cities.
Director: Steve Orvis, Professor of Government
315-859-4310
sorvis@hamilton.edu
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In 2023, New York City experienced an “immigration crisis,” as numbers of immigrants arriving in the city, many bussed from Texas and Florida, were unprecedented. The city struggled to find shelter for them, leaving too many without services and straining the city’s budget and capacity. This was only the most recent “crisis” in a long history of immigration that has shaped the city since its founding. This semester we will focus on the closely interrelated topics of immigration, identity, and inequality. When immigrants enter the US, they enter a social and political context of growing inequality and ongoing identity conflicts, and in turn they shape that context. How do inequality and identity influence how immigrants are received? How should they be welcomed into American society and culture? And how does all this play out now in the largest city in the country? In addition to the courses below, students will ideally pursue internships with organizations working on these interrelated issues in some way.
College 395: Inequality, Identity, and Immigration in New York City
Examines the history and current context of immigration into New York City and its relationship to identity-based groups in the city, identity-based political conflicts, and the evolution of socio-economic inequality. Topics will include: history of immigrant neighborhoods, municipal policies and practices around inclusion of immigrants in urban society, immigrants’ role in city politics, racial politics in the city, criminal justice policies, religious diversity, policies and social changes re: gender and sexual orientation. Includes guest speakers, visits to organizations in the city working on these issues, and current and former immigrant neighborhoods.
College 398: Seminar on Inequality, Identity, and Immigration
Examines the origins of socio-economic inequality in the US and its relationships to identity, identity-based political conflicts, and immigration. Key topics include: overall trends in inequality, perceptions and lived experience of inequality, the social construction of identity in the contemporary US, key contemporary identity-based political issues and conflicts (eg: criminal justice issues, housing, education, gender-based harassment, immigrant “assimilation”), immigration policies, philosophical and policy debates over equality and inclusion in a democracy.
Director: Chris Georges, Leavenworth Professor of Economics
Phone: 315-859-4472
Email: cgeorges@hamilton.edu
Open to all majors.
Prerequisite: Econ 100.
One course can count toward the Economics concentration or minor.
New York City is one of the great global cities at the heart of the global economy. It is also a site of continual innovation, disruption, and change. This semester, we will focus on economic and social innovation in New York City in the context of innovation and change in the global economy.
College 395 Innovation and NYC
This course is organized around readings, guest speakers, and field trips in New York City. The City provides us an unparalleled space in which to study innovation in technology, industry, public policy, and the social sector. From AI and fintech to climate mitigation and urban planning, we will engage with contemporary and historical innovation case studies in this amazing city.
College 398 The Economics of Innovation
We will focus on the economics of technology and innovation with particular attention to New York City. Topics to include, for example, the implications of innovation and technological change for jobs, inequality, education, and wellbeing, the sources and financing of innovation, innovation in the public and social sectors, and cities as drivers of innovation. Prerequisite Econ 100. Students who have also completed Econ 166 can receive credit for this course toward the Economics concentration or minor.
Director: Robert Knight, Professor of Art
Phone: 315-859-4266
Email: rbnight@hamilton.edu
Housing & On-site Support
One West, a landmark building located on the corner of West Street and Battery Park Place, features apartments with views to Battery Park, New York Harbor, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and the Financial District of Manhattan. A faculty member serves as an on-site program director and teaches the seminars, leads a variety of experiential learning field trips, and serves as the central resource for students as they navigate life in New York City.
Internships
New York City Program students spend four days a week as interns in a firm or organization for one credit. Thanks to Hamilton alumni, parents, and other supporters, there is a growing list of sponsors for Hamilton’s New York City Program students.
Alumni Networking
Hamilton has a large contingent of alumni located in and around the Big Apple, and they take every opportunity to get to know students in the program. Want to partner with the NYC Program to host an intern? Get in touch with us.
Experiences & Excursions
Contact
Contact Name
Maddie Carrera
Director of Experiential Learning
