Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, commonly referred to as Lang, is the

seminar A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some parti ...

-style, undergraduate,

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

. It is located on-campus in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on West 11th Street off

6th Avenue Sixth Avenue – also known as Avenue of the Americas, although this name is seldom used by New Yorkers, p.24 – is a major thoroughfare in New York City's borough of Manhattan, on which traffic runs northbound, or "uptown". It is commercial ...

History

Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts was founded as the Freshman Year Program at

in 1972 as a pre-college program for

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

graduates. Three years later, in 1975, the program was expanded to a full undergraduate program and renamed The Seminar College. In 1985, following a generous donation by

Eugene Lang Eugene Michael Lang (March 16, 1919 – April 8, 2017) was an American philanthropist who founded REFAC Technology Development Corporation in 1951. REFAC held patents relating to liquid crystal displays, automated teller machines, credit card ...

and his wife Theresa, the school was renamed Eugene Lang College. The college currently has an enrollment of over 1,345 students. In 2005, the phrase "The New School" was inserted into the name of each division of The New School as part of a unification strategy initiated by the university's President

Bob Kerrey Joseph Robert Kerrey (born August 27, 1943) is an American politician who served as the 35th Governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 1989 to 2001. Before entering politics, he served in the Vietna ...

; thus, Eugene Lang College was renamed Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts. In 2015, The New School rebranded again by renaming the schools to better clarify the relationship between the university and its schools. Eugene Lang College's formal title is The New School's Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts.

Curriculum

Academics

The only required classes are an introductory course on New York City, taught from the perspective of the relation of philosophy to the physical; two lecture hall courses; and two semesters of Writing the Essay for first-year students. These intensive writing classes – part composition class and part linguistics – have titles such as "Going Underground," "What's Love Got to Do With It?," "Comedy as Critique," and "Cruel Shoes: A Trek Through the Absurd." Students are encouraged to tailor the program to their own interests and academic goals. Eugene Lang College hosts some of The New School's most experimental and avant-garde courses, including: "Heterodox Identities", "NYC: Graphic Gotham", "The Mind-Game Film" (taught by Silvia Vega-Llona), "The Illusion of Color", "Punk & Noise", "Masculinity in Asia," "Queer Culture", "Theories of Mind", and "Play and Toil in the Digital Sweatshop". The college places emphasis on

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

learning with a "student-directed" curriculum. All of its courses are

seminars A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some parti ...

. Students at Lang may also cross-register for courses sponsored by other divisions of The New School, especially

Parsons School of Design Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...

and the School of Drama's new BFA program. Students are allowed to double-major and apply for the university's honors program.

Student publications

Several of

's major publications are produced by Lang students. Among these are:
New School Free Press''
, a student-run newspaper published by the journalism concentration of the Writing department, has grown from a

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...

-style pamphlet to a professionally printed

broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper format), ta ...

in the years since its founding in 2002, when it was known as ''Inprint''. It is published monthly in print and it aims to serve both Lang and the wider New School community. The Free Press operates a blog and makes digital copies of the newspaper available on the Lang website.
''12th Street''
nationally distributed literary journal; contains works from undergraduate writers in The New School's Riggio Writing & Democracy Honors Program
''Eleven and a Half''
the literary journal of Eugene Lang College * ''The Weekly Observer'', an online newsletter showcasing major student and alumni achievements, special program announcements, and other university-wide news. Distributed via MyNewSchool web portal.

Notable alumni and faculty

Alumni

Ani DiFranco Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (; born September 23, 1970) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influe ...

, musician *

Elisa Donovan Lisa Adaline Donovan (born February 3, 1971), known professionally as Elisa Donovan, is an American actress. She played the role of Amber in the 1995 teen comedy film ''Clueless'', and reprised her role in the TV series of the same name (1996-1 ...

, actress *

Karen Maine Karen Maine (born June 15, 1985) is an American film director and screenwriter known for ''Obvious Child'' and '' Yes, God, Yes''. Career Maine co-wrote the 2014 film ''Obvious Child'' and the 2009 short film it's based on. Maine wrote and di ...

, director and screenwriter *

Matisyahu Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his stage name Matisyahu (; ), is an American reggae singer, rapper, beatboxer Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum mac ...

, musician *

Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomi ...

, musician *

Jake Shears Jake Shears (born October 3, 1978) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as the male lead singer of pop-rock band Scissor Sisters. Early life Shears was born in Mesa, Arizona, the son of an entrepreneur father and a Baptist moth ...

, musician *

Emily Gould Emily Gould (born October 13, 1981) is an American author, novelist and blogger who worked as an editor at ''Gawker''. She has written several short stories and novels and is the co-owner, with fellow writer Ruth Curry, of the independent e-boo ...

, former co-editor of

Gawker ''Gawker'' is an American blog founded by Nick Denton and Elizabeth Spiers and based in New York City focusing on celebrities and the media industry. According to SimilarWeb, the site had over 23 million visits per month as of 2015. Founded in ...

Mike Doughty Michael Ross Doughty ( ; born June 10, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and author. He founded the band Soul Coughing in 1992, and as of '' The Heart Watches While the Brain Burns'' (2016), has released 18 studio albums, live albums, and ...

, musician * Jude Ellison Sady Doyle, feminist writer * Graeme K., musician * Stacey Farber, actress *

Melissa Febos Melissa Febos is an American writer and professor. She is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, ''Whip Smart'' (2010)'','' and the essay collections, ''Abandon Me'' (2017) and ''Girlhood'' (2021)''.'' Early life and education Febos grew u ...

, writer *

Travis Jeppesen Travis Jeppesen is an American novelist, poet, artist, and art critic. He is known, among other works, for his novel ''The Suiciders''; a non-fiction novel about North Korea, ''See You Again in Pyongyang''; and for his object-oriented writing work, ...

, writer *

Paul Dano Paul Franklin Dano (; born June 19, 1984) is an American actor. He began his career on Broadway before making his film debut in ''The Newcomers'' (2000). He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in '' L.I.E.' ...

, actor *

Robert Schwartzman Robert Coppola Schwartzman (born December 24, 1982) is an American filmmaker, director, screenwriter, actor and musician. Schwartzman is best known for directing ''Dreamland'', ''The Unicorn'', and ''The Argument'', acting in his cousin Sofia ...

, musician and actor *

Bethany Cosentino Best Coast is an American rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009. The band consists of songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Cosentino, a former child actress, began w ...

, musician of

Best Coast Best Coast is an American rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009. The band consists of songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Cosentino, a former child actress, began w ...

Borzou Daragahi Borzou Daragahi (born c. 1969) is an Iranian-American print and radio journalist, who is International Correspondent for ''The Independent''. He was previously a correspondent for BuzzFeed News and ''The Financial Times''. He served also as Bagh ...

, journalist *

Nina Arianda Nina Arianda Matijcio (born September 18, 1984) is an American actress. She won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Vanda Jordan in ''Venus in Fur,'' and she was nominated for the 2011 Tony Award for Best Actres ...

, actress * Anita Glesta, artist

Faculty

* Jennifer Baumgardner, feminist writer and speaker *

Laurie Collyer Laurie Collyer (born 1967) is an American film director and screenwriter. Biography Born in Summit, New Jersey, she grew up in Mountainside, New Jersey and attended Oberlin College. After working at a series of odd jobs, she went to film school ...

, director/actress *

Siddhartha Deb Siddhartha Deb (born 1970) is an Indian author who was born in Meghalaya and grew up in Shillong in northeastern India. He was educated in India and at Columbia University, US. Deb began his career in journalism as a sports journalist in Calcut ...

, novelist * Jill Eisenstadt, novelist, screenwriter, and journalist * Jennifer Gilmore, novelist * Mark Greif, co-editor of n+1 *

Shelley Jackson Shelley Jackson (born 1963) is an American writer and artist known for her cross-genre experimental works. These include her hyperfiction ''Patchwork Girl'' (1995) and her first novel, ''Half Life'' (2006). Biography In her own words: "Shelley ...

, novelist and short story writer *

Margo Jefferson Margo Lillian Jefferson (born October 17, 1947) is an American writer and academic. Biography Jefferson received her B.A. from Brandeis University, where she graduated ''cum laude'', and her M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of ...

, former theatre critic at ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' *

Hettie Jones Hettie Jones (née Cohen; born in 1934) is an American poet. She has written twenty-three books that include a memoir of the Beat Generation, three volumes of poetry, and publications for children and young adults, including ''The Trees Stand ...

, poet * Barrie Karp, artist *

Greil Marcus Greil Marcus (born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics. Biography Marcus wa ...

, music critic * Dominic Pettman, writer and theorist * Kristin Prevallet, poet and writer *

Katy Pyle Katy Pyle is an American ballet dancer and choreographer. They are the founder and artistic director of Ballez. Early life and education Pyle began studying ballet at the age of 3 and danced with the Texas Youth Ballet. When they were 13 years ...

, dancer and choreographer *

Sara Ruddick Sara Ruddick (born Sara Elizabeth Loop; February 17, 1935 – March 20, 2011) was a feminist philosopher and the author of ''Maternal Thinking: Toward a Politics of Peace''. Education and career Ruddick earned a B.A. at Vassar College in 1957 ...

, feminist philosopher * Lynda Schor, short story writer and literary editor * Christopher Sorrentino, novelist, short story writer * Mark Statman, writer, translator, poet *

Sekou Sundiata Sekou Sundiata (August 22, 1948 – July 18, 2007) was an African-American poet and performer, as well as a teacher at The New School in New York City. Famous students include musicians Ani DiFranco and Mike Doughty. His plays include ''The ...

, Grammy-nominated performance artist, poet *

Elizabeth Swados Elizabeth Swados (February 5, 1951 – January 5, 2016) was an American writer, composer, musician, and theatre director. Swados received Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Origin ...

, writer, composer, musician, and theatre director *

McKenzie Wark McKenzie Wark (born 1961) is an Australian-born writer and scholar. Wark is known for her writings on media theory, critical theory, new media, and the Situationist International. Her best known works are '' A Hacker Manifesto'' and '' Gamer T ...

, virtual media theorist *

Caveh Zahedi Caveh Zahedi (; born April 29, 1960) is an American film director and actor. Early years Zahedi was born in Washington, D.C., to Iranian immigrant parents. He studied philosophy at Yale University. Upon graduation, Zahedi moved to Paris, Fran ...

, director/actor

Rankings

In some college ranking programs,

's eight divisions are ranked separately, since their attributes and standards of admission differ significantly.

The Princeton Review The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981. and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4,0 ...

ranks Eugene Lang among "America's 371 Best Colleges" and the "Best Northeastern Colleges.". Miriam Weinstein also cites the Eugene Lang division in her book, ''Making a Difference Colleges: Distinctive Colleges to Make a Better World''. Lang has also appeared on The Princeton Review's following national lists: * "Dodgeball Targets" (#1) * "Great College Towns" (#1) * "Intercollegiate Sports Unpopular Or Nonexistent" (#1) * "Class Discussions Encouraged" (#1) * "Long Lines and Red Tape" (#1) * "Students Most Nostalgic For Bill Clinton Politics" (#2) * "Least Religious Students" (#2) * "Nobody Plays Intramural Sports" (#2) * "Birkenstock-Wearing, Tree-Hugging, Clove-Smoking Vegetarians" (#3) * "Most Politically Active" (#7) * "Town-Gown Relations Are Great" (#11) * "Gay Community Accepted" (#13) * "Most Liberal Students" (#16) * "Students Dissatisfied with Financial Aid" (#18) * "Lots of Race/Class Interaction" (#19)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts The New School Liberal arts colleges in New York City Universities and colleges in New York City Universities and colleges in Manhattan Educational institutions established in 1985 1985 establishments in New York City Private universities and colleges in New York City

History

Curriculum

Academics

Student publications

Notable alumni and faculty

Alumni

Faculty

Rankings

See also

References