Prerequisites: SPAN UN2101 or a score of 450-625 in the departments Placement Examination. An intensive course in Spanish language communicative competence, with stress on oral interaction, reading, writing and culture as a continuation of SPAN UN2101. All Columbia students must take Spanish language courses (UN 1101-3300) for a letter grade.
This architectural design studio course explores modes of visualization, technologies of mediation and environmental transformations. These explorations will be used as catalysts for architectural analysis and design experimentation.
Introducing design methodologies that allow us to see and to shape environmental interactions in new ways, the studio will focus on how architecture may operate as a mediator
– an intermediary that negotiates, alters or redirects multiple forces in our world: physical, cultural, social, technological, political etc. The semester will progress through three projects that examine unique atmospheric, spatial and urban conditions with the aid of multimedia visual techniques; and that employ design to develop creative interventions at the scales of an interface, space and city.
Prerequisites: SPAN UN2101 or a score of 450-625 on the Department’s placement examination. This is an intensive course in Spanish language communicative competence with an emphasis on oral interaction, reading, writing, and culture at an Intermediate II level with focus on health-related topics in the Spanish-speaking world. In an increasingly interconnected world, and in multilingual global cities such as New York City, the study of a foreign language is fundamental not only in the field of the humanities but also in the natural sciences. This interdisciplinary course analyzes the intersection between these two disciplines through the study of health-related topics in Iberian and Latin American cultural expressions (literature, film, documentaries, among other sources) in order to explore new critical perspectives across both domains. Students will learn health-related vocabulary and usage-based grammar in Spanish. Students will develop a cultural understanding of medicine, illness, and treatment in the Spanish-speaking world. Finally, students will be able to carry out specific collaborative tasks in Spanish with the aim of integrating language, culture, and health. * This course fulfills the last semester of the foreign language requirement. Therefore, students who have taken SPAN UN 2101 (Intermediate Spanish I), or have a score of 450-625 on the Department’s placement exam, and are interested in health-related topics may proceed and enroll in SPAN UN 2103 (Intermediate Spanish II: Health-Related Topics in the Spanish-Speaking World). Pre-med and pre-health students, as well as those students majoring in the natural sciences—including biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and physics—will be given registration priority. All Columbia students must take Spanish language courses (UN 1101-3300) for a letter grade.
Prerequisites: ECON UN1105 The course surveys issues of interest in the American economy, including economic measurement, well-being and income distribution, business cycles and recession, the labor and housing markets, saving and wealth, fiscal policy, banking and finance, and topics in central banking. We study historical issues, institutions, measurement, current performance and recent research.
The course focuses on reading comprehension and translation into English and includes a grammar and vocabulary overview. It also addresses the differences between English and French syntax and raises questions of idiomatic versus literal translations.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisite: PSYC BC2107 Psychology of Learning Lecture. Students conduct experiments analyzing learning and memory in rats and humans. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN1440 Experimental Psychology: Learning and Motivation (which includes PSYC UN1441 Learning and Motivation Lab).
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001 Introduction to Psychology or COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering the basic methods, results, and theory in the study of how experience affects behavior. The roles of early exposure, habitation, sensitization, conditioning, imitation, and memory in the acquisition and performance of behavior are studied.
The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN1440 Experimental: Learning and Motivation.
Prerequisites: SPAN UN1108 or scoring at this level on the department’s Spanish as a Heritage Language Placement test (https://columbia-barnard.vega-labs.com).
The principal aim of SPAN UN2108 is to build upon and further develop the knowledge of Spanish that heritage learners bring to the classroom – from SPAN UN1108 and/or from family and neighborhood exposure to the language. This course cultivates intermediate-level formal speaking, listening, reading, and writing abilities.
Spanish heritage language courses at Columbia/Barnard focus on the development of communicative abilities and literacy from sociolinguistic and sociocultural approaches. Throughout the semester, students will be reviewing spelling patterns, building vocabulary, acquiring and effectively using learning strategies, and strengthening composition skills in Spanish. Cultural projects and readings reinforce learners’ understanding of the multiple issues related to Hispanic cultures in the United States and in other Spanish-speaking societies.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: BC2110 Perception Lecture. Laboratory course to accompany BC2110. Students conduct experiments of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling, and learn to report their findings. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN1480 Perception and Attention (which includes PSYC UN1481 Perception and Attention Lab); and UN2230 Perception and Sensory Processes.
This course will introduce students to the principal ways in which translation has been practiced and theorized in the Western tradition. We will consider, cultural, literary and philosophical theories of translation, as well as the role of translation and translators in today's globalized world. Topics covered will include: translation in the context of postcolonialism, globalization and immigration; the translation of children’s literature; subbing and dubbing in film and television, including fansubbing; translation and ecology; translation and justice; machine translation; linguistic rights; debates about mono- versus plurilingualism. We will also consider, less extensively, the place of interpreting (i.e. oral translation primarily in legal and medical settings). Specialists from the New York area will come to speak about current needs and challenges in the field of community interpreting. On the literary level, we will examine the role played by foreign languages (and translation) in the creative process of contemporary writers. We will read a number of “language memoirs,” narratives that recount the authors’ complex and sometimes agonized relation to acquiring a second language (Eva Hoffman, Xiaolu Guo, Alice Kaplan et al). For one of the assignments you will write the beginning of your own language history. We will also read and study in depth Brian Friel’s play
Translations
. This play is about the replacement of Irish (Gaelic) place names with English names as a result of an ordnance survey in the early 18th century. The course aims to help students improve their translation skills by translating (mostly literature) from your second language (your L2, as the linguists call it) into English, by critically assessing published translations, and by evaluating each other’s' translations-in-progress (including one of the professor's). There will be a number of guest lecturers (translators, editors, writers, interpreters, etc).
Prerequisite for the course:
Intermediate or advanced level proficiency in any language other than English. This course is a foundational and required course for students wishing to complete a Translation Studies Minor.
Is there an essential difference between women and men? How do questions about race conflict or overlap with those about gender? Is there a normal way of being queer? Introduction to philosophy and feminism through a critical discussion of these and other questions using historical and contemporary texts, art, and public lectures. Focus includes essentialism, difference, identity, knowledge, objectivity, and queerness.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001 Introduction to Psychology or COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering an introduction to problems, methods, and research in perception. Discussion of psychological studies of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. Note that this lecture
can
be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2109, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN1480 Perception and Attention; and PSYC UN2230 Perception and Sensory Processes.
The first half of a one-year sequence in intermediate American Sign Language for students who have completed Elementary ASL I and II or the equivalent.
Discussion section for ANTH2017.
Discussion section for ANTH2017.
Discussion section for ANTH2017.
Discussion section for ANTH2017.
The first half of a one-year sequence in intermediate Korean for students who have completed First-Year Korean I and II or the equivalent.
Prerequisites: PORT UN1102 or PORT UN1320. Prerequisites: this course is an intensive and fast-paced coverage of both PORT UN2101 and PORT UN2102. Students MUST demonstrate a strong foundation in Portuguese and meet the following REQUIREMENT: A- or higher in PORT UN1102 or PORT UN1320. If you fulfill the above requirement, you do not need the instructors permission to register. HOWEVER the instructor will additionally assess student proficiency during the Change of Program Period. Students who do not have the necessary proficiency level may not remain in this course. This course replaces the sequence PORT UN2101-PORT UN2102.
Prerequisites: This course is an intensive and fast-paced coverage of both Spanish UN 2101-Intermediate Spanish I and Spanish UN 2102-Intermediate Spanish II. Students MUST demonstrate a strong foundation in Spanish and meet the following REQUIREMENTS: either a score ABOVE 480 on the Department’s Spanish as a Second Language Placement Examination; or an A or higher in SPAN UN 1102-Elementary Spanish II; or an A- or higher in SPAN UN 1120-Comprehensive Beginning Spanish. If you fulfill the above requirements, you do not need the instructor's permission to register. HOWEVER, the instructor will additionally assess student proficiency during the Change of Program Period. Students who do not have the necessary proficiency level may not remain in this course. Replaces the sequence SPAN UN2101-SPAN UN2102. All Columbia students must take Spanish language courses (UN 1101-3300) for a letter grade.
Prerequisites: ITAL UN1102 or the equivalent, with a grade of B+ or higher. An intensive course that covers two semesters of intermediate Italian in one, and prepares students for advanced language and literature study. Grammar, reading, writing, and conversation. Exploration of literary and cultural materials. This course may be used to fulfill the language requirement.
We will be working on pronunciation, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and oral expression. Activities will include listening comprehension exercises, skits, debates, and oral presentations, as well as discussions of films, songs, short films, news, articles, short stories or other short written documents. Although grammar will not be the focus of the course, some exercises will occasionally aim at reviewing particular points.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: PSYC BC2125 Psychology of Personality Lecture. Laboratory consists of experiments related to the principal approaches to personality and their implications for personality development, psychological adjustment, and everyday behavior. Students will participate in all stages of personality research: conceptualizing a personality construct, designing and administering tests, identifying individual differences, and carrying out a study.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering the principal approaches to personality and their implications for personality development, psychological adjustment, and everyday behavior. Note that this lecture
can
be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2124, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2610 Introduction to Personality; and PSYC UN2680 Social and Personality Development.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: PSYC BC2129 Developmental Psychology Lecture. Laboratory course involving experiments related to cognitive, linguistic, perceptual, motor, social, affective, and personality development from infancy to adolescence. The course offers an opportunity for direct observation of children; major areas of research at each level of development are covered.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001 Introduction to Psychology or COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering cognitive, linguistic, perceptual, motor, social, affective, and personality development from infancy to adolescence. Note that this lecture
can
be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2128, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2280 Introduction to Developmental Psychology.
This course will explore the history of American film comedy from the origins of cinema to the present. In its various forms, comedy has always been a staple of American film production; but it has also always been a site of heterogeneity and nonconformity in the development of American cinema, with neither its form nor its content fitting normative models of film practice. This course accounts for that nonconformity by exploring comedy’s close and essential links to “popular” cultural sources (in particular, vaudeville, variety, stand-up); it looks at how different comic filmmakers have responded to and reshaped those sources; and it examines the relation between comedy and social change. Rather than engage the entire spectrum of comic styles (animation, mockumentary, etc.), this course is primarily focused on a single tradition bridging the silent and sound eras: the performance-centered, “comedian comedy” format associated with performers as diverse as Charlie Chaplin, Mae West, the Marx Brothers, and, into the present Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, Will Ferrell, and others. “Laughter and its forms,” writes theorist Mikhail Bakhtin, “represent the least scrutinized sphere of the people's creation.” This course will restore film comedy to the scrutiny it deserves, examining both its inward formal development and its external relation to other modes of cultural expression.
This course is designed for intermediate dancers who are interested in maintaining their established ballet technique as well as advancing their knowledge and familiarity with the classical vocabulary. Students of Ballet III should have completed two semesters of Ballet II or it’s equivalent, or one semester of Ballet III or its equivalent, and have a firm mental and physical understanding of barre exercises (plié, battement tendu, battement dégagé, rond de jambe à terre, battement fondu, frappé, and grand battement), as well as general center concepts such as adagio, waltz, pirouettes, and petit allegro (including changement, glissade, jeté, and assemblé). This is a graded, semester long, two credit course.
Prerequisites: BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: BC2138 Social Psychology Lecture. Laboratory course covering contemporary theory and research on social thought and behavior. Issues such as person perception, attitudes, attraction, aggression, stereotyping, group dynamics, and social exchange will be explored. The application of theory and research to addressing social problems will be discussed.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering contemporary theory and research on social thought and behavior. Issues such as person perception, attitudes, attraction, aggression, stereotyping, group dynamics, and social exchange will be explored. The application of theory and research to addressing social problems will be discussed. Note that this lecture
can
be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2137, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2630 Social Psychology.
This course is designed for advanced intermediate dancers who are interested in maintaining their established ballet technique as well as advancing their knowledge and familiarity with the classical vocabulary. Students of Ballet IV should have completed two semesters of Ballet III or its equivalent, or one semester of Ballet IV or its equivalent, and have a firm mental and physical understanding of ballet technical exercises. These include all barre exercises (plié, battement tendu, battement dégagé, rond de jambe à terre, battement fondu, battement frappé, and grand battement), as well as center exercises including adagio, waltz, pirouettes, petit allegro, and grand allegro. Focus of this class will be on how to practice ballet safely, efficiently, musically, and joyfully.
This is a graded, semester long, two credit course. This class is offered in person only, and no remote learning option will be available.
This course examines the conceptual foundations that support feminist and queer analyses of racial capitalism, security and incarceration, the politics of life and health, and colonial and postcolonial studies, among others. Open to all students; required for the major in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) and the Interdisciplinary Concentration or Minor in Race and Ethnicity (ICORE/MORE).
Prerequisites: PSYCBC1001 Introduction to Psychology or its accepted equivalent. . An introduction to the study of abnormal behavior and various psychological disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders. The course broadly reviews scientific and cultural perspectives on abnormal behavior with an emphasis on clinical descriptions and diagnosis, etiology, treatment, and research methods. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2620 Abnormal Behavior.
Enrollment for this class is by instructor approval and an application is required. Please fill out the form here:
https://forms.gle/bPsV7rcf5RWB35PM9
This introductory course for the Interdisciplinary Concentration or Minor in Race and Ethnicity (ICORE/MORE) as well as Majors/Minors in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) is open to all students. We focus on the critical study of social difference as an interdisciplinary practice, using texts with diverse modes of argumentation and evidence to analyze social differences as fundamentally entangled and co-produced. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this course, the professor will frequently be joined by other faculty and guest speakers who bring distinct disciplinary and subject matter expertise. Some keywords for this course include hybridity, diaspora, borderlands, migration, and intersectionality.
N/A
Every day there are thousands of individuals interacting with the legal system. Are
they mentally competent to stand trial? How can a judge decide if it is in the best
interests of a child to live with one, or both (or neither) parent(s)? What is the risk of
a violent offender repeating the offense? What kinds of information influence juries?
Does mediation work to solve disputes? Forensic psychologists apply their
knowledge of psychology specifically in legal matters. This semester will focus on
the broad area of forensic psychology, exploring important legal cases relevant to
forensic psychology, police psychology, what constitutes expert testimony, how
assessments are conducted, and working as a psychologist in the correctional system.
This lecture course examines the social, cultural, and legal history of witchcraft, magic, and the occult throughout European history. We will examine the values and attitudes that have influenced beliefs about witchcraft and the supernatural, both historically and in the present day, using both primary and secondary sources. This course will pay specific attention to the role of gender and sexuality in the history of witchcraft, as the vast majority of individuals charged in the witch hunts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were indeed women. We will also study accusations of witchcraft, breaking down the power dynamics and assumptions at play behind the witch trials, and the impacts of these trials on gender relations in European society. This class will track the intersections of magic and science throughout the early-modern period, and the reconciliation of belief systems during the Enlightenment. We will carry our analysis into the modern period, touching on Victorian spiritualism and mysticism, McCarthyism in the United States, and contemporary goddess worship. We will conclude the semester with an investigation into the role of witchcraft in discussions of gender, race, and sexuality in popular culture.
Recommended preparation: high school chemistry and physics; and one semester of college science. Exploration of how the solid Earth works, today and in the past, focusing on Earth in the Solar system, continents and oceans, the Earth's history, mountain systems on land and sea, minerals and rocks, weathering and erosion, glaciers and ice sheets, the hydrological cycle and rivers, geochronology, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, energy resources. Laboratory exploration of topics through examination of rock samples, experimentation, computer data analysis, field exercises, and modeling. Columbia and Barnard majors should plan to take W2200 before their senior year to avoid conflicts with the Senior Seminar.
This course examines twentieth-century literature, film, and music in order to explore the many and complex ways that beauty, power, and bodily identity co-articulate experiences that lie beyond the ordinary. Reading novels, essays, and poetry alongside musical interludes, we will think about bodies, power, and beauty together. This class explores the wide beyond, the other side of the everyday, the hum of being that can be discerned only in certain musical performances, the terror and pleasure that course through certain works of fiction, and the fragmented self that fails to cohere in extraordinary acts of memoir. From these pieces and unfinished conversations, we intend to collaboratively develop fresh insights on the nature of beauty and identity under increasingly draconian and profit-driven forms of knowledge and power.
Prerequisites: Must attend first class for instructor permission. Students create maps using ArcGIS software, analyze the physical and social processes presented in the digital model, and use the data to solve specific spatial analysis problems. Note: this course fulfills the C requirement in Urban Studies.
(Formerly R3130) This studio course will provide the students with a foundation in the ceramic process, its history, and its relevance to contemporary art making. The course is structured in two parts. The first centers on the fundamental and technical aspects of the material. Students will learn construction techniques, glazing and finishing methods, and particulars about firing procedures. This part of the course will move quickly in order to expose the students to a variety of ceramic processes. Weekly assignments, demonstrations, and lectures will be given. The second centers on the issue of how to integrate ceramics into the students current practice. Asking the question of why we use ceramics as a material and, further, why we choose the materials we do to make art. Rigorous group and individual critiques focusing on the above questions will be held. The goal of this course is to supply the students with the knowledge and skill necessary to work in ceramics and enough proficiency and understanding of the material to enable them to successfully incorporate it into their practice. If the class is full, please visit http://arts.columbia.edu/undergraduate-visual-arts-program.
Prerequisites
:
One (1) year of college-level Chinese or the equivalent
Texts
:
Experiencing China
As the first half of a one-year program for intermediate Chinese learners, this course helps students consolidate and develop language skills used in everyday communication.Texts are presented in the form of dialogues and narratives that provide language situations, sentence patterns, word usage, and cultural information.This course will enable students to conduct everyday tasks such as shopping for cell phone plans, opening a bank account, seeing a doctor, or renting a place to live. At the end of the course, students will be ready to move on to the second half of the program, which focuses on aspects of Chinese culture such as the social norms of politeness and gift-giving. Semi-formal and literary styles will also be introduced as students transition to more advanced levels of Chinese language study. While providing practical training, Second Year Chinese aims to improve the student's linguistic competence in preparation for advanced studies in Mandarin.
Prerequisites: JPNS C1102 or the equivalent. Further practice in the four language skills. Participation in a once a week conversation class is required.
Prerequisites: KORN W1102 or the equivalent. Consultation with the instructors is required before registration for section assignment. Further practice in reading, writing, listening comprehension, conversation, and grammar.
Prerequisites: MDES W1210-W1211 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
In this course, students will gain familiarity with some of the major questions and theoretical frameworks in the American Politics subfield of political science and learn how to think theoretically and empirically about politics.
Prerequisites: MDES W1210-W1211 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
An introduction to the potential of digital sound synthesis and signal processing. Teaches proficiency in elementary and advanced digital audio techniques. This course aims to challenge some of the tacet assumptions about music that are built into the design of various user interfaces and hardware and fosters a creative approach to using digital audio workstation software and equipment. Permission of Instructor required to enroll. Music Majors have priority for enrollment.
Prerequisites: Instructor permission. This is an intensive course that combines the curriculum of both First and Second Year Arabic in two semesters instead of four, and focuses on the productive skills (speaking and writing) in Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha). Students are exposed intensively to grammar and vocabulary of a high register. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to move on to Third Year Arabic. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
An examination of the diverse values, meanings and identities that comprise American pluralism, the moral and political clashes and communities that emerge from them, and the sociological concepts that make sense of them. Part One explores larger macro-themes (American exceptionalism; individualism and community; religion and secularism; pleasure and restraint in post-Puritan America; race, immigration and identity). Part Two explores the interplay between these large themes and cultural polarization in post-Trump America, with special focus on the cultural forces at play in the 2024 presidential election: red states, blues states and cultural sorting; changing conceptions of liberalism and conservatism; class divisions and the global rise of cultural populism; the concept of “epistemic tribes” and media silos; fights over religion and race, sexuality and family; the current war on “wokeness” and the debate on free expression.
An intensive study of key features of German grammar, with an emphasis on skill-building exercises and practical solutions to common problems of writing and speaking on the intermediate level; aims at building confidence in using simple and more complex sentence structures.
An introduction to basic concepts in cognitive psychology. Topics include theories and
phenomena in areas such as attention, memory, concepts and categories, language, reasoning,
decision making, and consciousness.
Discussion section
An intensive study of key features of German grammar, with an emphasis on skill-building exercises and practical solutions to common problems of writing and speaking on the intermediate level; aims at building confidence in using simple and more complex sentence structures. For an additional point, students will hand in a weekly 150-200 word summary in German in which they highlight what they have learned, explain the rules and applications of the linguistic feature on hand. In the last portion of the summary students will reflect on their learning process during each week to document their progress. Individual meetings with the Professor to clarify and practice student specific grammar issues will be scheduled.
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or PSYC UN1010 or the instructors permission. Memory, attention, and stress in human cognition.
Second-Year Chinese W (I & II) : This course is designed for heritage learners with conversational abilities and foundational literacy skills in Mandarin Chinese. Through interactive lessons, targeted linguistic exercises, cultural exploration and comparison, and real-world applications, students will deepen their understanding of their cultural heritage while expanding their vocabulary and enhancing their language skills. By the end of the course, students will be better equipped to engage confidently with family members and other Chinese-speaking communities.
This course is the first half of Accelerated Korean for Heritage Speakers. This course is designed specifically for heritage students who have some previous knowledge of Hangul and basic sentence patterns of everyday Korean. Upon completion of this course, students may advance to Accelerated Korean for Heritage Speakers II to complete the college's two-year foreign language requirement in one year.
This is a course designed for the students enrolled in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program. It should be taken fall and spring semesters of a student's third and fourth years at the college (for a total of 6 course credits total over the two years). The goal of this course is to become familiar with academic research and writing, as well as the culture of colleges/ universities in order to prepare students to apply to graduate school and earn the PhD.. The program hones academic writing skills (research papers, project and grant proposals, academic reflections designed to facilitate intentional goal setting and planning), teaches skills related to scholarly presentations (oral and written), as well as familiarizes students with academic culture in particular diversity, equity and inclusion issues and concerns in the academy. Students are expected to attend all the events and meetings associated with the program.
Prerequisites: SODBX1111 Must be enrolled on Scholars of Distinction Program This is the course associated with the Barbara Silver Horowitz Scholars of Distinction program. It is for students in that program. Note at the end of their second year, the students will have developed a project for the summer between their second and third years at Barnard. During their third year, they will develop a robust research project connected to or deriving from that summer’s work.
This course will provide a critical survey of the development of electronic and computer music and sound from around the globe. From early experiments and precursors in the late 19th century through to modern-day experimental and popular music practices, this course aims to trace the development of technologies used in the production of electronic and computer derived sound and music alongside the economic, cultural, and social forces that contribute to the development of audiences. The course will focus intently on listening through a series of curated playlists in an effort to unpack style and genre distinctions. Readings and listening examples will be paired with small, hands-on assignments, that demonstrate the effect of music making tools on the process and structure of musical genres and styles ranging from the experimental practices of musique concrete, drone, and harsh noise to the mainstream practices of dub, techno, vaporwave, hyperpop, and hip hop and more.
This class explores contemporary jazz movement using music from both American and Diasporic pop culture.
Students can expect to work on technique, performance, groove, musicality, and retention of choreography (additional emphasis on story-telling).
There will be opportunities for discussions of professional development pertaining to navigating a career in dance (auditioning, submissions, agencies/representation, etc) on evaluation days.
Prerequisites: Intermediate level of dance or permission of the instructor. This Course introduces intermediate level students to urban dance styles, focusing on foundations and origins of hip-hop dance, street dance culture, and the physical vocabularies of hip-hop and freestyle dance. Classes are geared to condition the body for the rigors of hip-hop technique by developing strength, coordination, flexibility, stamina, and rhythmic awareness, while developing an appreciation of choreographic movement and structures. Compositional elements of hip-hop will be introduced and students may compose brief movement sequences. The course meets twice weekly and is held in the dance studio. Prerequisite: Intermediate level of a dance form or permission of the instructor.
In West Africa, dance is part of daily life. It is used to mark occasions such a birth, death, harvest, and marriage. It is also used to unite the community in times of crisis. West African dance is not as much a strict technique as it is a movement coming from the spirit and the rhythm of the drum and the energy of the people. While there are certain steps that go with specific rhythms, it leaves space for the individual interpretation and improvisations which is an important element. Dancing is more about the communication between dancer and drummer. The movement of West African dance tends to be energetic and big. It is very expressive, and the energy is outward.
Some African dance steps are taken directly from daily activities such as planting or hunting. Most, however, are an expression of joy or release of the spirit. Dancing is done by communicating with a drummer to create positive energy. It is a way to enjoy oneself and each other. In African dance, the name of the dance is the same as the name of the rhythm played by the drummer. The individual steps that make up the dance do not have names. In this course, we are going to be learning various West African dances such as Sikko, Socco, Kuku, Mandiany, Farakorroba, Sunu, Soli, Lamba, Mandjo, Diambadong, Doundounba, Kaolask, Thieboudjeune, Niarry---gorong, Ekongkong, Wolossodong, Zaouly, Ngorong, Niakka, Maraka, Djansa and Lengeng/Kutiro.
Prerequisites: DNCE BC2252 or permission of instructor.
In West Africa, dance is part of daily life. It is used to mark occasions such a birth, death, harvest, and marriage. It is also used to unite the community in times of crisis. West African dance is not as much a strict technique as it is a movement coming from the spirit and the rhythm of the drum and the energy of the people. While there are certain steps that go with specific rhythms, it leaves space for the individual interpretation and improvisations which is an important element. Dancing is more about the communication between dancer and drummer. The movement of West African dance tends to be energetic and big. It is very expressive, and the energy is outward.
Some African dance steps are taken directly from daily activities such as planting or hunting. Most, however, are an expression of joy or release of the spirit. Dancing is done by communicating with a drummer to create positive energy. It is a way to enjoy oneself and each other.
In African dance, the name of the dance is the same as the name of the rhythm played by the drummer. The individual steps that make up the dance do not have names.
In this course, we are going to be learning various West African dances such as Sikko, Socco, Kuku, Mandiany, Farakorroba, Sunu, Soli, Lamba, Mandjo, Diambadong, Doundounba, Kaolask, Thieboudjeune, Niarry-gorong, Ekongkong, Wolossodong, Zaouly, Ngorong, Niakka, Maraka, Djansa and Lengeng/Kutiro.
Bharatanatyam is typically studied as a theater dance form, and as a spiritual practice. In this class, traditional and contemporary teaching approaches are combined to introduce the participant to an overview of technical and performative aspects of the form. An example of the adjusted structure of the classes is that we begin each class with hatha yoga based stretches and dance warm ups that specifically target the kind of joint articulation that the form presupposes.
We focus on the basic stance, the
ardha-mandi
, along with the technique of stamping as exemplified in the series of
adavu,
(basic combinations of hand, foot and rhythmic movement.) Following the progressive difficulty of the
adavu
system itself, more challenging combinations of hand and footwork will be introduced. Head and eye techniques will be introduced first in isolation then in combination.
The last stage of this class involves learning a short abstract dance to music especially pre-recorded for a particular version of a dance genre and adjusted for difficulty level. This is in order to experience how the parts of the technique are integrated and to experience the state of performing. Students will be invited to perform at informal showings.
This course introduces students to the African-based dances of Cuba, including dances for the Orisha, Rumba, and the immensely joyful “Rueda de Casino” style of Salsa. In addition to learning rhythms, songs, and dances, we will have an ongoing, informal discussion about the historical and contemporary significance of Afro-Cuban dance performance, making connections to personal experience through practice and ongoing reflection. We engage Afro-Cuban music and dance as a living and evolving tradition, where culture, artistry, and history are intimately bound.
This course will survey historical and modern developments in machine intelligence from fields such as psychology, neuroscience, and computer science, and from approaches such as cybernetics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, connectionism, neural networks, and deep learning. Emphasis will be placed on the conceptual understanding of topics. The course does not include, nor require a background in, computer programming and statistics. The overall goal is for students to become informed consumers of artificial intelligence applications.
An upper-level exploration of Afro-Cuban Dance focused on performance. Building on the foundation of Afro-Cuban Dance: Orisha, Rumba, Salsa, this course is a deeper dive into aesthetic principles, cultural themes, and improvisation as performance in the African dance context. Students explore multiple distinct dances and learn to engage the storytelling and cultural significance of each dance through improvisation with the drums. The course culminates with final, in-class presentations. Open to experienced movers and students who have completed Afro-Cuban Dance: Orisha, Rumba, Salsa. Permission of instructor required.