USA, Politikwissenschaft

My semester abroad at New York University (NYU) was an extraordinary experience, which I found incredibly rewarding both academically and personally. During the semester, I continued fleshing out my PhD proposal and participated in courses on the department’s PhD programme, focusing in particular on two projects on geographical representation in local politics. Within the compass of these projects, I (and my coauthors) take the view that local politicians in a wide array of major German cities are mainly representing the districts in which they achieved the most robust electoral successes and the districts in which they live.

These findings attest to the existence of inequality in geographical representation at local level. As economically deprived neighbourhoods are especially afflicted by low voter turnout and as politicians usually have a socioeconomically privileged background, affluent areas end up receiving a greater degree of representation than deprived neighbourhoods.

Marie Buchta

East Village

Due to its size and high standard of quality, NYU’s Department of Politics offers an exciting variety of courses for PhD students. In addition to various courses and workshops, one seminar in particular, on Local Political Economy, considerably expanded my knowledge in that field. Prior to the semester, I had scant knowledge of local politics in the USA as my focus on the topic had been exceedingly German-oriented up to that point. The seminar also taught me a great deal about how I can go about better framing my research results in the future.

NYU is a markedly international, interdisciplinary environment, which greatly inspired me. The university, though also the department in particular, organised plenty of social events at which it was possible to rub shoulders with other PhD students as well as professors. Dialogue with researchers from lots of different countries enhanced my perspective on political topics. One thing that was particularly worthwhile was the fact that there was, of course, plenty of overlap between scholarly discussion and personal conversations, with some interactions fostering friendships that have continued beyond the semester.

Marie Buchta

Streets of New York

Besides the host university exchange, I had an opportunity to attend the annual conference of the American Political Science Association in Philadelphia for two days. Even though I have already had the chance to acquire some experience at a few European conferences, this was an exciting experience, as the conference was much larger, meaning it covered an even broader range of topics than I had seen at previous ones. I found attending the conference extremely interesting, because this is one of the key political science conferences, making it a mecca for networking and gaining experience. It also gave me an opportunity to trade thoughts with American colleagues beyond NYU.

Privat

Lake in Upstate New York

New York itself is a city with a very high quality of life, which was the icing on the cake during my semester there. It is no secret that rents in the city are high, which is why I rented a small (but lovely) room in a shared property in Harlem, living with people who were similarly in the city temporarily or to study, which gave them plenty of motivation to do stuff together. I felt very comfortable in central Harlem, as there are lots of nice cafés or bars to visit for a spot of work or socialising. Aside from the neighbourhood, the city is culturally diverse, which really enriched my leisure activities.

I visited a lot of museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the National Immigration Museum and the Museum of the City of New York. That gave me a new perspective on the city’s history and culture. Central Park was also the perfect contrast to the hectic hustle and bustle of day-to-day life in Manhattan, allowing me to unwind or sit on the grass with my laptop. That said, the tall buildings at the park’s edge were a constant reminder that we were in the middle of a major city, and they gave the place a unique atmosphere. There was nowhere in the city that was genuinely quiet, though. Nonetheless, there also were chances to get out of the city. You could be out in nature, upstate New York, in less than two hours. I went to Cold Spring with a colleague for some hiking, for instance.

Privat

Concert at Mintons Playhouse in Harlem

A personal highlight for me was New York’s jazz scene, because I have been playing the trumpet for many years now. Living in Harlem enabled me to go to some small, local and hence highly authentic clubs. At the same time, visiting the famous jazz clubs such as Birdland, Blue Note or Jazz at Lincoln Center was a fascinating experience. In order to take my passion for music to the next level, I headed down to New Orleans for a few days at the end of my semester, where I was able to acquaint myself with the origins of jazz and the cultural diversity of the city.

Looking back, my semester abroad at NYU was an incredibly rewarding time which has had a lasting effect on my research, on my perspectives and on me as a person. I am extremely grateful to the DAAD-Stiftung for giving me this invaluable opportunity.