A Social Science Major Embraces Humanity

“My hometown of Canton, Ohio, sometimes feels like the smallest city in the world. Living there can create the temptation to get stuck in your comfort zone,” says Tyson. “That’s why I’ve always sought experiences that take me off the beaten path. It is also why I was ready to trade in the farmlands of my hometown for the skyscrapers of Shanghai.” He came to college prepared to take advantage of all that NYU Shanghai has to offer. And in his mission to push his own boundaries, he studied broadly, exploring courses in everything from speculative fiction to design thinking. As he began to narrow down the field, he took a range of social science courses from legal psychology to social research methods.

He also tried out more than 10 student clubs, organizations, and initiatives to see what felt right. In the Acapella Club and the Thespian Society, he cultivated his love of music and theatre. He tapped into different parts of his identity and stretched his skills in the Queer and Ally Society, the Marketing Society, and as a writer for the student newspaper, On Century Avenue. What’s more, he is also an orientation ambassador and has held student government positions. “I fell in love with NYU Shanghai early on and wanted to help others fall in love with it, too,” he explains.

So where did his journey of self-discovery lead? In trying to figure himself out, Tyson became a student of the complexities of being human. He declared a major: Social Science with a focus on psychology. He also chose two minors, one in Interactive Media Arts and one in Creative Writing. In his experience, they all come together to help him explore how people think, feel, and communicate.

For example, his Legal Psychology course helped clinch Tyson’s choice to be a Social Science major. That is because it is where he learned just how contradictory people can be. “People can be convinced they have committed a crime even when they have absolutely no link to the crime they are being accused of,” he says. “The more we learned about that, the more I was intrigued by the strengths and faults of human nature.” Our ability to share information and knowledge is one of those strengths, he believes. So through interactive media arts, he explores how emerging technologies help us communicate—and even change how we do it. And through creative writing, Tyson works with his professors and classmates to create realistic characters and write stories that get to the heart of the human condition.