TRANSLATION SEMINAR
Corequisites: ECON G6410 and the director of graduate studies' permission. Introduction to probability theory and statistical inference.
Introduction to Ethnomusicology: the history of the discipline and the evolution of theories and methods. G6412, Proseminar in Ethnomusicology II: Contemporary Ethnography is offered Fall 2012.
This is the first course in the two-semester sequence surveying covering foundational research in comparative politics across the developed and developing world. The course is designed for Ph.D. students preparing for comprehensive exams and who intend to conduct research relating to comparative politics, and has two core objectives. The first objective is to expose students to a range of arguments organized around questions motivating major research agendas in comparative politics. The second objective is to expose students to processes of theorizing, hypothesis formation, and testing and to strengthen students’ analytical skills in evaluating and critiquing political science research. It should go without saying that these two classes cannot exhaustively cover the many important works, topics, and methodologies in the field.
The Fall semester of this sequence will primarily focus on citizen-level and politician-level behaviors, while the Spring semester will focus on more macro-level institutions and applications of the building blocks covered in this course. However, it is not necessary to take the classes in a particular order.
Electro-optics: principles; electro-optics of liquid crystals and photo-refractive materials. Nonlinear optics: second-order nonlinear optics; third-order nonlinear optics; pulse propagation and solitons. Acousto-optics: interaction of light and sound; acousto-optic devices. Photonic switching and computing: photonic switches; all-optical switches; bistable optical devices. Introduction to fiber-optic communications: components of the fiber-optic link; modulation, multiplexing and coupling; system performance; receiver sensitivity; coherent optical communications.
This is the first course of the second year PhD econometrics sequence with emphasis on both economic applications and computationally intense methods for analysis of large and/or complex models. Students can attend the whole sequence or only one of them. While the details of the econometric techniques will be discussed extensively, the core and focus of the course is on the applications of these techniques to the study of actual data. Students will be practiced in econometric methods through computer-based exercises.
Prerequisites: Students should have a good understanding of graduate econometrics and should have taken ECON G6411 and G6412.
Analysis of stress and strain. Formulation of the problem of elastic equilibrium. Torsion and flexure of prismatic bars. Problems in stress concentration, rotating disks, shrink fits, and curved beams; pressure vessels, contact and impact of elastic bodies, thermal stresses, propagation of elastic waves.
An introduction to fundamental concepts of quantum optics and quantum electrodynamics with an emphasis on applications in nanophotonic devices. The quantization of the electromagnetic field; coherent and squeezed states of light; interaction between light and electrons in the language of quantum electrodynamics (QED); optical resonators and cavity QED; low-threshold lasers; and entangled states of light.
Prerequisites: A4404: or the instructor's permission Discussion of major issues in transportation at several levels, from national to local, and covering the economic, political, and social implications of decision-making in transportation. Current topics and case studies are investigated.\n \n
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Prerequisites: (ECON GR6211 and ECON GR6212 and ECON GR6215 and ECON GR6216 and ECON GR6412 and ECON GR6411 and This course will provide an overview of current research on the economics of education. The course will pay special attention to: i) the use of credible research designs, and ii) the use of theory in evaluating the mechanisms that underlie the identied eects
This graduate course is designed to explore the ways in which research can be approached through artistic practices. Through interdisciplinary approaches, students will explore and develop the use of artistic methodologies in their research practices, culminating in a final multidisciplinary art project that demonstrates the integration of these practices into their research.
Introduction to optical interconnects and interconnection networks for digital systems. Fundamental optical interconnects technologies, optical interconnection network design, characterization, and performance evaluation. Enabling photonic technologies including free-space structures, hybrid and monolithic integration platforms for photonic on-chip, chip-to-chip, backplane, and node-to-node interconnects, as well as photonic networks on-chip.
Prerequisites: Completion of 1st year graduate program in Economics, or the instructor's permission. The standard model of economic behavior describes a perfectly rational, self interested utility maximizer with unlimited cognitive resources. In many cases, this provides a good approximation to the types of behavior that economists are interested in. However, over the past 30 years, experimental and behavioral economists have documented ways in which the standard model is not just wrong, but is wrong in ways that are important for economic outcomes. Understanding these behaviors, and their implications, is one of the most exciting areas of current economic inquiry. This course will study three important topics within behavioral economics: Bounded rationality, temptation and self control and reference dependent preferences. It will draw on research from behavioral economics, experimental economics, decision theory, psychology and neuroscience in order to describe the models that have been developed to explain failures of the standard approach, the evidence in support of these models, and their economic implications.
Prerequisites: permission of the faculty member who will direct the teaching. Participation in ongoing teaching.
Health economics provides theories and tools for understanding, predicting, and changing human behavior. Understanding and changing the behavior of firms and individuals, designing health policies, and managing firms and organizations concerned with delivering health care and improving health, requires a solid foundation in health economics. In this course, students will learn the concepts in health economics most relevant and important to public health professionals and how these economic concepts can be applied to improving health care and the public health systems. Students will identify the basic concepts of health economics for the purposes of solving problems using these concepts, and apply these concepts in new contexts within public health.
Why does the government play such a central role in the health of its citizens? What factors unique to American politics have given us the healthcare system we currently have, and how much change can be accomplished within our philosophical and ethical confines? How do political changes yield policy shifts - or not? This course analyzes the role of major institutions - the central government, the federal system, the private sector, interest groups, and so on - in formulating and implementing health policy in the United States. We will discuss underlying normative issues and crossnational perspectives on healthcare to situate American healthcare policy along a broader global political spectrum, and attempt to forecast what changes are likely - or unlikely - to occur. Topics will include political history, policy formation and recommendations, market forces and economic influences, and more.
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This course is intended to give the student a broad understanding of the components of the health care system and the basic management principles of hospital organization and management. The course will employ a variety of learning formats for students including lectures by the instructors, guest lecturers with special expertise, case studies and student presentations. Emphasis will be on the historical trends of health care statistics and operating data of health care institutions; the history of hospitals and health care systems; their organization and finances; regulatory controls; management strategies; accreditation and professional standards; government; private insurance; administrative leadership and professional interactions, emergency services, healthcare trends and marketing.
In this course, students will enhance and deepen their understanding of how the human voice and articulators partner together to create language. They will explore their own individual Idiolects and gain the skills to recalibrate their instruments in order to enhance the expressiveness and dynamic contrast of their speech. The phonemes of the International Alphabet (IPA) will be employed to specify the sounds of Detailed North American English (DNAE).
Covers biomaterials that are instructive or have been designed or engineered to be instructive; structure-function-property relationships in natural and synthetic biomaterials. Advances in understanding of material properties emphasized; including electroactivity, chemical, mechanical, geometry/architecture, and the modification of material surfaces and context of their effect on biological function. Evolving field of smart biomaterials discussed. Exercises/demonstrations using materials characterization equipment conducted.
This course examines the integration of arts and cultural experiences within healthcare systems to advance patient care, staff resilience, and community trust. Students will explore historical, social, and policy foundations of arts in health—from WPA-era murals to contemporary interventions addressing chronic disease, social isolation, and structural inequities—while engaging with evidence-informed programming and evaluation methods. The curriculum highlights organizational strategies for embedding the arts systemwide, fostering positive institutional culture, and enhancing operational and economic outcomes in complex healthcare organizations. Experiential exercises, case studies, and field observations illuminate arts-based interventions across hospitals, correctional facilities, and community settings, including partnerships with leading cultural institutions. The course emphasizes how arts programming functions as a social determinant–informed intervention, integrating innovative referral pathways and social screenings to address social isolation, loneliness, and psychosocial needs in communities.
NONFICTION LECTURE
This course is designed to help MA-level students improve their researching and writing skills, and become adept at distilling acquired knowledge into straightforward prose. The aim is to assist students in being more effective communicators regardless of whether they pursue careers in academia, journalism, government service, private enterprise or the non-governmental sector. The course will also promote better understanding of how to get work published by mass media outlets. The course places particular emphasis on practical work, including the preparation of commentaries and book reviews concerning current affairs in Eurasia. Lectures examine the basic elements of editing, interviewing and concise writing. Other lectures focus on how to maintain personal and digital security while living and researching/working in Eurasia, and discuss best practices on harnessing social media for career advancement. Guest speakers will provide additional perspectives on ways to make writing on academic topics more accessible to the general reading public, and how to leverage expertise in Eurasian-area affairs in ways that can jump-start careers.
The current market places increasing demands on healthcare managers so it is essential that individuals possess basic skills related to financial management and financial reporting. Current events make these demands more dynamic than ever. This course is intended for students who are interested in expanding their knowledge of healthcare financial issues and/or pursuing careers that involve financial management in the healthcare sector. The focus will be on non-profit healthcare delivery organizations.
How is the health care system organized? Who pays the bill? Why have efforts to enact national health insurance failed? What role does government now play in the US health care system, and how do different levels of government share these tasks? Contrary to many perceptions, the fervent debate of these questions is not a recent phenomenon; these are issues that have been argued vigorously throughout American political history. Exploring these debates is critical both to the development of public health policy and the management of delivery systems.
This course focuses on policy and management issues that affect all health care practitioners. We will examine, among other topics, the historical foundations of the American health care system, the rise of managed care, the make-up of the healthcare workforce, the key issues on the nation’s long-term care policy agenda, and ways in which government can encourage good quality care. This introductory course is intended for MHA students and serves to fulfill a core course requirement in Health Policy and Management.
POETRY LECTURE
In Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, and other countries of the Eurasia region, corruption is systemic. Corruption, defined as the abuse of public trust and power for private gain, is institutionalized in government at the national, regional, and local levels. Formal government decision-making processes have been captured by informal networks of political and business elites who exert significant control over the allocation of public resources. They utilize this control to make illegal financial gains with the support of government authorities and protection of the law.
When President Putin began Russia’s expanded military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the imprisoned Russian anticorruption activist and political opposition leader Alexey Navalny was on trial once again over fabricated charges of embezzlement. Though Mr. Navalny faced another 15 years in a penal colony, he seized the opportunity during his February 24 hearing to publicly state his opposition to Russia’s war on Ukraine. “This war between Russia and Ukraine was unleashed to cover up the theft from Russian citizens and divert their attention from problems that exist inside the country,” he said.
This seminar examines the role that Russia’s systemic corruption played as a cause of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Is the war an extension, and drastic escalation, of the Putin regime’s campaign against both his own citizens and the citizens of post-Maidan Ukraine? We will consider how the Kremlin’s strategic use of corruption is threatening the sovereignty of other nations in Eurasia.
This seminar analyzes the political economy, power relationships, historical and cultural factors that have engendered systemic corruption in Eurasian countries. We identify different types of corrupt systems that have emerged in the regions. We will also examine how systemic corruption causes conflict and war, and poses a threat to the global economy and democracy. Finally, we analyze various anti-corruption reforms to understand why some failed while others succeeded.
The seminar will benefit SIPA and Harriman Institute students who specialize in regional studies of countries of the Eurasia. It will also benefit SIPA and other graduate students who specialize in international security, economics, finance, energy, law, development, conflict resolution, and journalism. To achieve a deep understanding of Eurasia corruption, we will examine
Analytics and Managerial Decision-Making I is the first of two required quantitative methods courses taken in sequence by all MHA students. These courses are foundational to the MHA curriculum. The two courses are fully integrated with respect to materials, exercises and cases, and by a two-term, team-based application project.
Managers are continually confronted with the need to make significant decisions concerning the organizational and financial performance of a health organization, based on a combination of strategic intention, practical experience, and interpretation and application of complex data and information. Data analysis is one tool that supports such decision-making. This course is designed to provide management students with the tools to generate and present data-driven and model-based management recommendations that are meaningful and implementable.
The course focuses on learning basic tools for the collection, analysis, and presentation of data in support of managerial/executive decision-making. Topics will include introductory data and statistical exploration from basic descriptive statistics to population and market estimation, comparison testing and decision-making, sampling design and analysis, and predicting/forecasting using linear regression. Using Excel as an additional tool, the course develops analytical skills to prepare managers to make and to present informed decisions in the overall healthcare sector.
Counterfactuals play a key role in philosophy, linguistics, psychology, decision theory, game theory, artificial
intelligence, and many other related fields. Our goal for this course is to cover foundational work on
counterfactuals (with some attention paid to indicative conditionals as well). Though our reading list has
a historical component, its primary purpose is to familiarize students with contemporary state of play. We
will focus on distinctions and applications that have become an essential part of the working philosopher’s
toolkit.
Baroque questions of set-theoretic foundations are widely assumed to be irrelevant to physics. In
this seminar, we will see that they are not. Whether a physical theory is deterministic—whether
it fixes a unique future given the present—can depend on one’s stance on axioms of set theory
about which there is intractable disagreement. This is not a quirk of exotic toy models. It reaches
into the heat equation, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and general relativity. The
seminar builds from the ground up. We begin with the philosophy of determinism: what it
means, why it matters, and how it has traditionally been formalized. We then develop enough set
theory and descriptive set theory to state the key results precisely. In the second half, we work
through the sensitivity results in detail, showing how the content of fundamental physical
theories shifts with the set-theoretic background. We conclude by asking what this means for
debates about mathematical pluralism, scientific realism, and the boundary between mathematics
and physics.
No prior knowledge of set theory or mathematical physics is assumed. The seminar is open to
graduate students in philosophy and, with permission, to advanced graduate students in
mathematics, physics, and related fields.
In this workshop, students will create original writing that is in conversation with American theatrical traditions beyond the proscenium. We will investigate and engage theatrical forms, such as the side show, courtroom drama, violence as spectacle and performance art. The aim is to encourage students to think more expansively and non-traditionally in their approach to writing and making theatre.
Selected advanced topics in smart electric energy. Content varies from year to year.
Selected advanced topics in smart electric energy. Content varies from year to year.
Selected advanced topics in smart electric energy. Content varies from year to year.
Prerequisites: ECON G6211, ECON G6212. Market Design is an emerging field in economics that attempts to devise a practical scheme for allocating scarce resources to individuals who value them. Its applications involve many important real life problems ranging from allocation of government resources such as public land, fishing/mineral rights, radio spectrum licenses, allocation of school choice and transplantable human organs, assignment of workers to jobs, to placement of advertising in Internet search engines. Mechanism design underpins the field as a general methodological framework, which is in turn operationalized by two branches of theories: 1) Auction Theory and 2) Matching Theory. The course will provide a guide through these theories and discusses a few applications along the way.
Prerequisites: permission of the departmental adviser to Graduate Studies.
An introduction to timber-frame architecture, the primary method of construction prior to the 19th century, focusing on its use in Japanese Buddhist temples. While the course should serve as an introduction, it assumes a basic knowledge of the broad outlines of the history of Japan and its art. Weekly lectures will cover major monuments, beginning with Ise Shrine and the introduction of continental timber-frame architecture at Hōryūji, and extending to the early 19th century. Special attention will be devoted to defining the three major rubrics of the
wayō
(“Japanese” style), “Zen-style,” and “Great Buddha Hall” modes that were refined and standardized by the 13th century, along with their infinite variations and recombinations. Topics to be explored throughout the course will include: wood joinery techniques and bracket technology; the development of indigenous
shoin
architecture and its impact on residential architecture; the role of varied Buddhist doctrines in developments of liturgical space; builders’ responses to local environmental and seismic conditions; and the impact of sumptuary laws in the early modern period.
The course will be taught as a series of weekly lectures, and students will be expected to complete and respond to weekly reading assignments. The syllabus focuses primarily on readings available in English, but supplemental reading assignments will also be included for students with a reading knowledge of Japanese.
This course will try to study the development of various aspects of theorization of the secular and the transformations of religion under modernity. It will be mainly based on close textual reading of important theoretical arguments representing important stages in the development of these arguments from the time of the Enlightenment to present day academic debates.
The first section will focus on the emergence of theories of a secular state in European philosophy starting with texts from Spinoza, Hobbes, and Hume. We shall also range over some ancillary texts that illustrate the nature of secularist arguments against religious beliefs and practices. The second section will concentrate on the development of the sociological tradition with focus on the works of Fustel de Coulanges, Max Weber and Ernst Troletsch. A short third section will focus on the establishment of religious studies as an academic discipline by looking at the works of a pioneer of this discipline: Wilfred Cantwell Smith. The fourth section will take up for reading and critical examination four different academic discussions in recent years: stemming from the work of Indian debates on secularism, from academic debates about the anthropology of religion, and especially studies of Islam started by the work of Talal Asad and responses it attracted. Finally, we shall take up critical works which revisit arguments from Weber by Charles Taylor and Hans Joas. The final weeks of the course will be devoted to conclusions drawn from these intersecting readings across historical time and space.
Nonlinear dynamics: Euler-Lagrange equations, Hamilton’s principle, variational calculus; nonlinear systems: fundamentals, examples, stability Notions, linear systems and linearization, frequency domain analysis, discrete time systems, absolute stability, input-to-state stabililty, control design: control Lyapunov functions, sliding mode control, control barrier functions; adaptive control: self-tuning regular, model reference adaptive control, feedback linearization, extremum seeking control, model predictive control, observer design: extended, unscented, and mixture model Kalman filters, moving horizon estimation, high-gain observers; repetitive processes: iterative learning control, learning-adaptive control, repetitive control; optimal control: continuous setting, discrete time setting, constrained optimal control, linear matrix inequality (LMI) constraints, dynamic programming and backward recursion.
This class explores advanced topics relating to the production of music by computer. Although programming experience is not a prerequisite, various programming techniques are enlisted to investigate interface design, algorithmic composition, computer analysis and processing of digital audio, and the use of computer music in contexts such as VR/AR applications. Check with the instructor for the particular focus of the class in an upcoming semester. Some familiarity with computer music hardware/software is expected. Permission of instructor is required to enroll.
Position, people, procedures, and productivity: this class will introduce first year students to the concept of the stage manager as the CE/OO (Chief Executive/Operating Officer) for a production. The primary focus will be on human resources management; organizational charts for both the commercial and not- for-profit arenas will be introduced and “best leadership practices” will be discussed. Texts and reading materials from non-theatrical sources will provide the basis for discussion. An individualized reading- writing project and presentation will spotlight the role of the stage manager within the larger context of theatrical production.
Theory and geometry of linear programming. The simplex method. Duality theory, sensitivity analysis, column generation and decomposition. Interior point methods. Introduction to nonlinear optimization: convexity, optimality conditions, steepest descent, and Newton’s method, active set, and barrier methods.
Discusses recent advances in fields of machine learning: kernel methods, neural networks (various generative adversarial net architectures), and reinforcement learning (with applications in robotics). Quasi Monte Carlo methods in the context of approximating RBF kernels via orthogonal transforms (instances of the structured technique). Will discuss techniques such as TD(0), TD(λ), LSTDQ, LSPI, DQN.
The course aims to offer students a realistic view and understanding of what is involved in maintaining a long-running commercial musical production. Through discussion with professionals and practical presentation we will explore the many and varied aspects of this collaborative industry.
The class will explore all aspects of modern technical theatre as currently practiced on Broadway. The intent will be to develop the vernacular and concepts necessary for the modern Stage Manager to communicate effectively with their technical departments and to have a more than passing understanding of what problems those departments are forced to cope with in the production scheme.
The ultimate goal being an appreciation and deeper understanding of the work performed by the technical departments, leading to enhanced co-operation on the part of all concerned.
May be repeated for credit. A special investigation of a problem in nuclear engineering, medical physics, applied mathematics, applied physics, and/or plasma physics consisting of independent work on the part of the student and embodied in a formal report.
This course surveys the politics and history of the five countries of contemporary Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). In addition to imparting a substantive understanding of these countries, the course explores several conceptual lenses through which the region can be analyzed both over time and in comparison with other parts of the world. The first half of the course examines the political history of the region, with particular reference to how policies and practices of the Soviet state shaped the former republics of Soviet Central Asia. The second half turns to special topics at the center of the region’s political and social life today. Coverage of these topics—which include democratization, Islam and the politics of counter-insurgency, women and definitions of the public sphere, the politics of nation-building, and international security—will involve light reading from other regions to provide comparative perspective.
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Selected advanced topics in data-driven analysis and computation. Content varies from year to year, and different topics rotate through the course numbers 6690 to 6699.
Selected advanced topics in data-driven analysis and computation. Content varies from year to year, and different topics rotate through the course numbers 6690 to 6699.
Selected advanced topics in data-driven analysis and computation. Content varies from year to year, and different topics rotate through the course numbers 6690 to 6699.
Prerequisite: Course Application.
In an era increasingly defined by geopolitical competition, it is more important than ever for future policymakers to understand why and how foreign policy decisions are made. Inside the Situation Room, co-taught by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo, employs insights from diverse academic fields—including political psychology, domestic politics, and international relations—and the direct experience of high-level principals in the room to understand the key factors which underpin a nation’s most crucial decisions. This course allows students to engage with a range of case studies and examine decision-making in a variety of historical and contemporary contexts, from the search for Osama bin Laden, to the “red line” in Syria, to negotiating with Iran.
Students will be taught how to analyze and understand the complex interplay between individual psychology, domestic politics, public opinion, bureaucracy, the international environment, and other factors which feed into decisions about foreign policy—from crisis diplomacy to the use of force, signaling and perception, intelligence and its analysis, the deployment of other instruments of statecraft, and more. Through this course, students will think carefully and analytically about how leaders and other actors view the world, how they arrive at their decisions, and how various social, political, and psychological factors shape the policies they devise to promote their interests abroad. For more information, visit: https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/situationroom
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.
Probabilistic Models and Machine Learning is a PhD-level course about how to design and use probability models. We study their mathematical properties, algorithms for computing with them, and applications to real problems. We study both the foundations and modern methods in this field. Our goals are to understand probabilistic modeling, to begin research that makes contributions to this field, and to develop good practices for building and applying probabilistic models.
Applications of spoken language processing, including text-to-speech and dialogue systems. Analysis of speech and text, including entrainment, empathy, personality, emotion, humor, sarcasm, deception, trust, radicalization, and charisma.
Advanced treatment of stochastic modeling in the context of queueing, reliability, manufacturing, insurance risk, financial engineering and other engineering applications. Review of elements of probability theory; exponential distribution; renewal theory; Wald’s equation; Poisson processes. Introduction to both discrete and continuous-time Markov chains; introduction to Brownian motion.