This course covers all topics and material about water sustainability, the global water crisis and the impacts from climate change. It is a comprehensive introductory water resource class that all sustainable-minded professionals should have. The topics and materials studied in the class strikes a balance for management, business, science, and technical specialists.
The sustainability of water has become an increasingly critical issue, and over the coming decade, as awareness and resources go into addressing public health, economics, growing development, climate and weather changes, and aging infrastructure. Water resources are affected by changes not only in climate but also in population, economic growth, technological and scientific changes, and other socioeconomic factors. In addition, they serve a dual purpose; water resources are critical to both human society and natural ecosystems. The objective of this course is to provide a fundamental understanding of key global water challenges and hydrological processes in the natural and built environment. We will then use this understanding to explore aspects of sustainable strategies for integrated and climate-resilient water resources management. We will explore the roles of humans as an integral part of the water cycle: how we use our water resources and how our actions help shape the water cycle. In addition, students will be encouraged to think about how climate change will impact water resources.
Prerequisites: elementary organic and physical chemistry. The mechanisms of organic reactions, structure of organic molecules, and theories of reactivity. How reactive intermediates are recognized and mechanisms are deduced using kinetics, stereochemistry, isotopes, and physical measurements.
This course is intended for graduate students and advanced undergraduate students. The main purpose of the course is to introduce students to modern synthetic chemistry via the selected series of topics (synthetic planning and the logic of organic assembly, classical and new reactions/methods and their use in complex target synthesis). Mechanistic underpinning of the discussed reaction processes will also be briefly discussed. For each module (see the content below), specific examples of syntheses of natural products and/or synthetic materials will be provided. In addition to lectures by Prof. Sames, students will select and present relevant papers in the class (the number of student symposia will depend on the final enrollment in this course). The basic knowledge of transition metal chemistry is recommended for the cross-coupling reactions (i.e. structure, electron counting, and elemental reaction types of transition metals).
Covers the following topics: fundamentals of probability theory and statistical inference used in engineering and applied science; Probabilistic models, random variables, useful distributions, expectations, law of large numbers, central limit theorem; Statistical inference: pint and confidence interval estimation, hypothesis tests, linear regression. For IEOR graduate students.
Modern software engineering concepts and practices including topics such as Software-as-a-Service, Service-oriented Architecture, Agile Development, Behavior-driven Development, Ruby on Rails, and Dev/ops.
Software engineering skills necessary for developing cloud computing and software-as-a-service applications, covering topics such as service-oriented architectures, message-driven applications, and platform integration. Includes theoretical study, practical application, and collaborative project work.
Software lifecycle using frameworks, libraries and services. Major emphasis on software testing. Centers on a team project.
The Enlightenment was a transformative intellectual movement that shaped our modern world. But many of its key tenets—the ideal of a Republic of Letters, the faith in science as a tool to transform society, the fight against prejudice and obscurantism, the principle of religious tolerance, and the cultivation of critical reason through dialogue—are under attack today. In this seminar, we will ask both what the Enlightenment was and what’s left of it today. Special attention will be paid to voices of dissent within the Enlightenment and notably those of women. How might these critical voices help us to understand the fate of Enlightenment values in our current moment?
Authors studied will include Voltaire, Châtelet, Montesquieu, Graffigny, Deffand, Rousseau, Diderot and Gouges.
The seminar will be offered in English, but advanced reading knowledge of French is required. Undergraduates are welcome to enroll with instructor permission.
This course will cover advance topics in probability, including: the theory of martingales in discrete and in continuous time; Brownian motion and its properties, stochastic integration, ordinary and partial stochastic differential equations; Applications to optimal filtering, stopping, control, and finance; Continuous-time Markov chains, systems of interacting particles, relative entropy dissipation, notions of information theory; Electrical networks, random walks on graphs and groups, percolation.
Historians point to the self-conscious awareness of a new age and a new temporality, but also a sense of belatedness, in the decades after the French Revolution of the 1790s. In this course we will study the ideas of lateness and late style across the generational breaks of late Classicism and early Romanticism (1798-1830) represented by Haydn’s late oratorios, Beethoven’s heroic and post-heroic styles, and Schubert’s overlapping private and public concerns during the 1820s. Classes will combine historical, analytical, and hermeneutic perspectives as we study innovative compositions completed under conditions of illness, disability, and cultural estrangement. Schubert completed his last symphony within a year of Beethoven’s—both of them “Ninths”— and their final string quartets were written at the same time, but the different fates of these works tell their own story.
In this course, students will learn about some of the many manifestations of Zionist thought and organizing from the nineteenth century to the present day. The term “Zionism” is much-debated, but usually with little direct reference to its myriad meanings over time and space. The priorities, concerns, and ideas of Zionists in 1940s Algeria might differ greatly from contemporaneous Egyptian Zionist circles. On the other hand, twenty-first century American Zionists might have more in common with 1910s Ottomanists than one would expect.
Each week, we will explore a different region of the world, examining Zionism in the Ottoman Empire, ‘Iraq, Iran, India, Yemen, ‘Aden, Europe, North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, and Egypt), Sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Nigeria), South America, the United States, and Israel. Doing so will allow us to develop an expansive understanding of Zionist thought, shedding light on critical debates and current events in Israel and around the world.
Prerequisites: at least 4 college-level biology or biotechnology courses. This course will introduce students to the interrelated fields of patent law, regulatory law, and contract law that are vital to the biotech and biopharmaceutical sectors. The course will present core concepts in a way that permits students to use them throughout their corporate, academic, and government careers. SCE and TC students may register for this course, but they must first obtain the written permission of the instructor, by filling out a paper Registration Adjustment Form (Add/Drop form). The form can be downloaded at the URL below, but must be signed by the instructor and returned to the office of the registrar. http://registrar.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/reg-adjustment.pdf
Introduction to computer graphics. Topics include 3D viewing and projections, geometric modeling using spline curves, graphics systems such as OpenGL, lighting and shading, and global illumination. Significant implementation is required: the final project involves writing an interactive 3D video game in OpenGL.
Due to significant overlap in content, only one of COMS 4160 or Barnard COMS 3160BC may be taken for credit.
Generation, composition, collection, transport, storage and disposal of solid and hazardous waste. Impact on the environment and public health. Government regulations. Recycling and resource recovery.
Introduction to the theory and practice of computer user interface design, emphasizing the software design of graphical user interfaces. Topics include basic interaction devices and techniques, human factors, interaction styles, dialogue design, and software infrastructure. Design and programming projects are required.
Introduction to machine learning techniques with applications to biological systems, emphasizing cell-biological molecular mechanisms and applications, and computational simulation. Overview of biology. Introduction to biological neurons and neural networks, learning and memory. Parallels between biological and artificial neural networks. Deep neural networks are introduced, hands-on computational experience for students. Big data from experiments or computational simulations: machine learning to extract mechanisms, dimensional reduction. Deep learning applications include drug discovery, protein structure prediction, molecular coarse-graining for simulations, and acceleration of molecular dynamics simulations.
Hands-on analysis of malware. How hackers package and hide malware and viruses to evade analysis. Disassemblers, debuggers, and other tools for reverse engineering. Deep study of Windows Internals and x86 assembly.
One cannot read Proust, one can only reread him. As a matter of fact, who has not heard of the legendary “Madeleine” before opening the book? However, we will try to read Proust’s novel, as far as possible, before rereading it, to read it afresh, with the naivety of the innocent readers who discovered
Swann’s Way
in 1913, and fell in love. Proust is a classic, but also an innovator, a follower of Balzac and Baudelaire, and a precursor of Barthes and Blanchot. This is why there is so much pleasure – complexity and contradiction – in reading and rereading the
Recherche
, betwixt and between, connecting centuries, coupling genres.
Our goal will be to closely read together at least four of the seven volumes of the
Recherche
, the first and last,
Swann’s Way
and
Time regained
, and two or three from in-between,
Within a Budding Grove
,
Sodom and Gomorrah
and
The Fugitive
.
Major literary critics will be introduced starting week 3.
This course builds on core economics courses and addresses issues of environmental, resource and sustainable economics. It focuses on the interaction between markets and the environment; policy issues related to optimal extraction and pricing; property rights in industrial and developing countries and how they affect international trade in goods such as timber, wood pulp, and oil. An important goal of the class is to have students work in groups to apply economic concepts to current public policy issues having to do with urban environmental and earth systems. The use of the worlds water bodies and the atmosphere as economic inputs to production are also examined. The economics of renewable resources is described and sustainable economic development models are discussed and analyzed. Some time will also be devoted to international trade and regulation, and industrial organization issues. Students not only learn economic concepts, but they will also learn how to explain them to decision-makers. The instructor will tailor this course to the skill level of the students in order to most effectively suit the needs of the class.
Introduction to modern display systems in an engineering context. The basis for visual perception, image representation, color space, metrics of illumination. Physics of luminescence, propagation and manipulation of light in anisotropic media, emissive displays, and spatial light modulators. Fundamentals of display addressing, the Alt-Pleshko theorem, multiple line addressing. Large area electronics, fabrication, and device integration of commercially important display types. A series of short laboratories will reinforce material from the lectures. Enrollment may be limited.
Many of us are drawn to sociology, because--at least at some level--we care about making the world more just. The irony, however, is that sociology traditionally has had very little to say about the processes by which individuals and groups come together to address the kinds of inequalities that sociology is so good at identifying. This class focuses on the theory and practice of organizing, defined most simply as the process by which individuals enable others to come together around shared values and common interests in such a way that enhances their power.
This practicum is an exercise in engaged pedagogy. The academic work we do will be conducted for the benefit of the cause of Mexico's now over 110,000 disappeared persons. Students will be engaged in a sustained research effort to development a "context analysis" of disappearances in the state of Zacatecas (Mexico)-- an exercise in social study that focuses on the economic, political, social, and criminological context in which disappearances occur. Research is done in coordination with Mexico's National Commission for the Search of the Disappeared. Alongside the practical, real-world, objective, this Practicum is designed to perfect research skills in the social sciences
PREREQUISITE: Spanish language comprehension is compulsory for 60% of those enrolled
Zero-credit course. Primer on quantitative and mathematical concepts. Required for all incoming MSOR and MSIE students.
Techniques of solution of partial differential equations. Separation of the variables. Orthogonality and characteristic functions, nonhomogeneous boundary value problems. Solutions in orthogonal curvilinear coordinate systems. Applications of Fourier integrals, Fourier and Laplace transforms. Problems from the fields of vibrations, heat conduction, electricity, fluid dynamics, and wave propagation are considered.
An introduction to the physical behavior of fluids for science and engineering students. Derivation of basic equations of fluid dynamics: conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. Dimensional analysis. Vorticity. Laminar boundary layers. Potential flow. Effects of compressibility, stratification, and rotation. Waves on a free surface; shallow water equations. Turbulence.
The program aims to provide current life sciences students with an understanding of what drives the regulatory strategies that surround the development decision making process, and how the regulatory professional may best contribute to the goals of product development and approval. To effect this, we will examine operational, strategic, and commercial aspects of the regulatory approval process for new drug, biologic, and biotechnology products both in the United States and worldwide. The topics are designed to provide a chronological review of the requirements needed to obtain marketing approval. Regulatory strategic, operational, and marketing considerations will be addressed throughout the course. We will examine and analyze the regulatory process as a product candidates are advanced from Research and Development, through pre-clinical and clinical testing, to marketing approval, product launch and the post-marketing phase. The goal of this course is to introduce and familiarize students with the terminology, timelines, and actual steps followed by Regulatory Affairs professionals employed in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry. Worked examples will be explored to illustrate complex topics and illustrate interpretation of regulations.
This course offers a comprehensive understanding of the origins, foundations and evolution of Freud’s psychoanalytic theorizing during the four decades following 1895. Via close readings of his texts, with neither worship nor condescension, we will situate the development of psychoanalysis as a theory of mind within historical context, and explore its applications to education, society, culture, and the humanities.
Introductory course focused on engineering principles and unit operations involved in sustainable processing of primary and secondary earth mineral and metal resources. Covers entire value chain, viz, aspects of economic resource deposits, mining, fundamental principles and processes for size reduction, separations based on physical and chemical properties of minerals and metals, solid-liquid separation, waste and pollution management, water and energy efficiency and management, safety and health, environmental impact assessment and control, and economic efficiency. Special emphasis on concepts and practical applications within "mines of the future" framework to highlight innovations and transformational technological changes in progress.
This taxon-based course provides students with a basic understanding of the diversity and natural history of the mammals. Broad coverage of mammalian biology includes: morphological adaptations, evolutionary history and biogeography.
Open to SEAS graduate and advanced undergraduate students, Business School, and GSAPP. Students from other schools may apply. Fast-paced introduction to human-centered design. Students learn the vocabulary of design methods, understanding of design process. Small group projects to create prototypes. Design of simple product, more complex systems of products and services, and design of business.
Phenomenological theoretical understanding of vibrational behavior of crystalline materials; introducing all key concepts at classical level before quantizing the Hamiltonian. Basic notions of Group Theory introduced and exploited: irreducible representations, Great Orthogonality Theorem, character tables, degeneration, product groups, selection rules, etc. Both translational and point symmetry employed to block diagonalize the Hamiltonian and compute observables related to vibrations/phonons. Topics include band structures, density of states, band gap formation, nonlinear (anharmonic) phenomena, elasticity, thermal conductivity, heat capacity, optical properties, ferroelectricty. Illustrated using both minimal model Hamiltonians in addition to accurate Hamiltonians for real materials (e.g., Graphene)
Introduction to modeling, estimating, and solving decision-making problems in the context of artificial intelligence and analytics. Potential topics include choice models, quantity models, online learning using multi-armed bandits, dynamic decision modeling, dynamic games, and Bayesian learning theory. Practice both theory and applications using Python programming.
Please note: this class was designed as part of the Special Concentration in Public Health. It is open to undergraduates, as well as students in Public Health, and will be taught on the Morningside campus. This course introduces key concepts on environmental health sciences and environmental justice and their application to address environmental health disparities affecting communities in New York City, across the United States and globally. The course will present theory and methods needed to characterize, understand and intervene on environmental health problems with a focus on methods that are particularly appropriate for environmental justice research and interventions. We will describe environmental health disciplines such as exposure sciences, environmental epidemiology, environmental biosciences and toxicology, as well as methods to assess expected environmental health impacts
Engineering analysis of electrochemical systems, including electrode kinetics, transport phenomena, mathematical modeling, and thermodynamics. Common experimental methods are discussed. Examples from common applications in energy conversion and metallization are presented.
What are the agents of developmental change in human childhood? How has the scientific community graduated from nature versus nurture, to nature
and
nurture? This course offers students an in-depth analysis of the fundamental theories in the study of cognitive and social development.
Prerequisites: At least one semester, and preferably two, of calculus. An introductory course (STAT UN1201, preferably) is strongly recommended. A calculus-based introduction to probability theory. A quick review of multivariate calculus is provided. Topics covered include random variables, conditional probability, expectation, independence, Bayes’ rule, important distributions, joint distributions, moment generating functions, central limit theorem, laws of large numbers and Markov’s inequality.
Prerequisites: At least one semester, and preferably two, of calculus. An introductory course (STAT UN1201, preferably) is strongly recommended. A calculus-based introduction to probability theory. A quick review of multivariate calculus is provided. Topics covered include random variables, conditional probability, expectation, independence, Bayes’ rule, important distributions, joint distributions, moment generating functions, central limit theorem, laws of large numbers and Markov’s inequality.
Complex numbers, functions of a complex variable, differentiation and integration in the complex plane. Analytic functions, Cauchy integral theorem and formula, Taylor and Laurent series, poles and residues, branch points, evaluation of contour integrals. Conformal mapping, Schwarz-Christoffel transformation. Applications to physical problems.
Prerequisites: STAT GU4203. At least one semester of calculus is required; two or three semesters are strongly recommended. Calculus-based introduction to the theory of statistics. Useful distributions, law of large numbers and central limit theorem, point estimation, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals maximum likelihood, likelihood ratio tests, nonparametric procedures, theory of least squares and analysis of variance.
Prerequisites: STAT GU4203. At least one semester of calculus is required; two or three semesters are strongly recommended. Calculus-based introduction to the theory of statistics. Useful distributions, law of large numbers and central limit theorem, point estimation, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals maximum likelihood, likelihood ratio tests, nonparametric procedures, theory of least squares and analysis of variance.
Prerequisites: STAT GU4204 or the equivalent, and a course in linear algebra. Theory and practice of regression analysis. Simple and multiple regression, testing, estimation, prediction, and confidence procedures, modeling, regression diagnostics and plots, polynomial regression, colinearity and confounding, model selection, geometry of least squares. Extensive use of the computer to analyse data.
A survey course on the electronic and magnetic properties of materials, oriented towards materials for solid state devices. Dielectric and magnetic properties, ferroelectrics and ferromagnets. Conductivity and superconductivity. Electronic band theory of solids: classification of metals, insulators, and semiconductors. Materials in devices: examples from semiconductor lasers, cellular telephones, integrated circuits, and magnetic storage devices. Topics from physics are introduced as necessary.
Prerequisites: STAT GU4204 and GU4205 or the equivalent. Introduction to programming in the R statistical package: functions, objects, data structures, flow control, input and output, debugging, logical design, and abstraction. Writing code for numerical and graphical statistical analyses. Writing maintainable code and testing, stochastic simulations, paralleizing data analyses, and working with large data sets. Examples from data science will be used for demonstration.
Required for undergraduate students majoring in IE. Sensory and cognitive (brain) processing considerations in the design, development, and operations of systems, products, and tools. User or operator limits and potential in sensing, perceiving decision making, movement coordination, memory, and motivation.
Prerequisites: STAT GU4203 and two, preferably three, semesters of calculus. Review of elements of probability theory. Poisson processes. Renewal theory. Walds equation. Introduction to discrete and continuous time Markov chains. Applications to queueing theory, inventory models, branching processes.
This course explores the recording studio and Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) as tools for diverse compositional practices. By exploring a range of recording and editing techniques to craft new musical works beyond the limitations of live performance, this class encourages a seamless blend of composition and music production. Various genres, artists, and techniques that push the boundaries of music recording will be studied, such as Jamaican dub, musique concrète, hyper-pop, jazz fusion, and more. Students will gain hands-on experience with DAWs, exploring tools like effects processing, layering, and spatial placement. They will learn to listen closely to pieces exemplifying these techniques, building a shared analytic vocabulary to describe them. Students will also create original pieces, applying and building on the techniques studied in class, while engaging in constructive feedback with peers.
This course covers the epistemologies and main theological and philosophical standpoints of a wide range of Islamic intellectual traditions. It will explore how different groups of scholars accumulated knowledge of God and the universe in the Classical Islamic world, a period which in many ways can be considered formative for contemporary Islam. We focus on various bodies of knowledge as these were developed from the 7th-c. 13th centuries AD. Each week covers a separate theological, philosophical, or scientific tradition, after which the class will explore the tensions and syntheses between various competing worldviews.
NOTE: There are 2 sections of Third Year Arabic I. Section 001 follows the standard curriculum building all 4 language skills, as described below. Section 002 follows a reading-intensive curriculum, with less emphasis on listening and writing while still conducted in Arabic, and is intended for those preparing for advanced research in modern or classical Arabic texts. Students in the regular third-year Arabic track improve reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through close reading, compositions, class discussions, and presentations in Arabic on topics such as cultures of the Arab world, classical and modern Arabic literature, and contemporary Arabic media. Review of grammatical and syntactic rules as needed. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Energy sources such as oil, gas, coal, gas hydrates, hydrogen, solar, and wind. Energy conversion systems for electrical power generation, automobiles, propulsion and refrigeration. Engines, steam and gas turbines, wind turbines; devices such as fuel cells, thermoelectric converters, and photovoltaic cells. Specialized topics may include carbon-dioxide sequestration, cogeneration, hybrid vehicles and energy storage devices.
Surveys tools available in Python for getting (web scraping and APIs) and visualizing data (charts and maps). Introduction to analytics through machine learning (ML algorithms, model evaluation, text analytics, network algorithms, deep learning).
Through reading articles and essays by Arab thinkers and intellectuals, students will be able to increase their fluency and accuracy in Arabic while working on reading text and being exposed to the main themes in Arab thought The course works with all four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Arabic is the language of instruction. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
MEMS markets and applications; scaling laws; silicon as a mechanical material; Sensors and actuators; micromechanical analysis and design; substrate (bulk) and surface micromachining; computer aided design; packaging; testing and characterization; microfluidics.
Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and ECON UN3412 and MATH UN2010 Required discussion section ECON GU4214 An introduction to the dynamic models used in the study of modern macroeconomics. Applications of the models will include theoretical issues such as optimal lifetime consumption decisions and policy issues such as inflation targeting. This course is strongly recommended for students considering graduate work in economics.
Introduction to lab-on-a-chip and microrobotic devices with a focus on biomedical applications. Microfabrication techniques. Basics of micro- and nanoscale transport phenomena. Microsensors and microactuators. Microfluidic devices. Lab-on-a-chip systems. Microrobots.
Frequencies and modes of discrete and continuous elastic systems. Forced vibrations-steady-state and transient motion. Effect of damping. Exact and approximate methods. Applications.
This class takes a social movement perspective to analyze and understand the international human rights movement. The course will address the evolution of the international human rights movement and focus on the NGOs that drive the movement on the international, regional and domestic levels. Sessions will highlight the experiences of major human rights NGOs and will address topics including strategy development, institutional representation, research methodologies, partnerships, networks, venues of engagement, campaigning, fundraising and, perhaps most importantly, the fraught and complex debates about adaptation to changing global circumstances, starting with the pre-Cold War period and including some of the most up-to-date issues and questions going on in this field today.
Prerequisites: (MDES UN2201) and (MDES UN2202) $10 Arabic Materials Fee; $15 Language Resource Fee. This is an introductory course to Levantine Arabic for students who have completed two years of Standard Arabic studies, at the Intermediate level. The course is designed to further develop fluency in oral communication, through building students’ familiarity with a less formal register of Arabic, namely the Levantine dialect. The course will convert and recycle some of the previous Standard Arabic knowledge to the dialect, by comparing their prior knowledge to its dialectal counterpart; while at the same time developing students’ new communicative skills in a diverse range of contexts that are essential in any conversational interaction. The course will build students abilities to interact effectively in various areas where Levantine Arabic is spoken. In addition to varied thematic topics, the course exposes students to cultural aspects specific to the region. Additionally, the course will work on both constructing students’ knowledge of dialectal diction as well as other grammatical features of the dialects. Even though the course is designed for communication in the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking), the emphasis will be mostly on speaking and listening. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Fundamental of power system economics over which the current electricity markets are designed. Formulation of unit commitment and economic dispatch as mathematical optimization. Modeling of thermal generators, renewable generators, energy storage, and other grid resources in power system optimization. Introduction of equilibriums in electricity markets. Introduction of ancillary service markets. Overview of current energy system research topics.
Prerequisites: elementary physical chemistry. Basic quantum mechanics: the Schrodinger equation and its interpretation, exact solutions in simple cases, methods or approximations including time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory, spin and orbital angular momentum, spin-spin interactions, and an introduction to atomic and molecular structure.
Prerequisites: STAT GU4205 or the equivalent. Least squares smoothing and prediction, linear systems, Fourier analysis, and spectral estimation. Impulse response and transfer function. Fourier series, the fast Fourier transform, autocorrelation function, and spectral density. Univariate Box-Jenkins modeling and forecasting. Emphasis on applications. Examples from the physical sciences, social sciences, and business. Computing is an integral part of the course.
What was American poetry before Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman? In this advanced undergraduate seminar, we will survey the diverse poetic forms and traditions from the British North American colonies to Dickinson’s and Whitman’s Civil War-era writings. Most class sessions will be devoted to the poetry of a single author, including the Puritan epics of Anne Bradstreet, the colonial satires of Ebenezer Cooke, the antislavery ballads of George Moses Horton, the Ojibwe verse of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, and the historical lyrics of Herman Melville. Our course will consider historically-specific theories of poetry and ask how these theories lead to varying conceptions of the aesthetic merit and spiritual and/or social purpose of poetry. Through discussion-based close readings, we will approach these poems with an eye toward the capacities of their formal qualities for absorbing and reflecting the social and political issues of early America.
Introduces fundamental ideas and algorithms on networks of information collected by online services. It covers properties pervasive in large networks, dynamics of individuals that lead to large collective phenomena, mechanisms underlying the web economy, and results and tools informing societal impact of algorithms on privacy, polarization and discrimination.
This course introduces the Bayesian paradigm for statistical inference. Topics covered include prior and posterior distributions: conjugate priors, informative and non-informative priors; one- and two-sample problems; models for normal data, models for binary data, Bayesian linear models; Bayesian computation: MCMC algorithms, the Gibbs sampler; hierarchical models; hypothesis testing, Bayes factors, model selection; use of statistical software.
Prerequisites: A course in the theory of statistical inference, such as STAT GU4204 a course in statistical modeling and data analysis, such as STAT GU4205.
This course draws a map of Arab thought and culture in its multiple engagements with other cultures. It works globally along two lines: a theoretical one that accommodates conceptualizations of self-narrative in relation to shifting categories of center and margin; and a thematic one that selects a number of Arabic autobiographical texts with strong thematic concerns that cut across multiple cultures. Although Europe sounds at times more conspicuous in early 20th century autobiography, the Afro-Asian and Latin American topographical and historical itinerary and context are no less so, especially in writings we associate with societal and cultural transformations. More than historical accounts, these intellectual itineraries speak for the successes and failures of the secular ideology of the Arab nation-state. They convey the struggle of intellectuals-- as self-styled leaders, for an ideal state on the ruins of the past. The course studies a number of autobiographical works; memoirs and reminiscences that are meant to rationalize and reproduce a writer’s experience. Probably self-censored, these serve nevertheless as trajectories for a secular journey rather than one from denial to affirmation. Staunchly established in modernity and its nahdah paradigms, most of these writings are secular itineraries that rarely end in a search for faith. They are the journeys of a generation of Arab intellectuals who are facing many crises, but not the crisis of faith. They provide another look at the making of the Arab intelligentsia- and probably the Afro-Asian and Latin American one, since the early 20th century, and help us discern not only achievements on the level of education and public service , but also the mounting discontent with failures that have been wrapping the formation of the nation state. No prior knowledge of Arabic language is required.
This is a seminar for advanced undergraduates and master’s degree students, which explores the socioeconomic consequences of China’s development of a boom, urban residential real-estate market since the privatization of housing at the end of the 1990s. We will use the intersecting lenses of gender/sexuality, class and race/ethnicity to analyze the dramatic new inequalities created in arguably the largest and fastest accumulation of residential-real estate wealth in history. We will examine topics such as how skyrocketing home prices and state-led urbanization have created winners and losers based on gender, sexuality, class, race/ethnicity and location (hukou), as China strives to transform from a predominantly rural population to one that is 60 percent urban by 2020. We explore the vastly divergent effects of urban real-estate development on Chinese citizens, from the most marginaliz4d communities in remote regions of Tibet and Xinjiang to hyper-wealthy investors in Manhattan. Although this course has no formal prerequisites, it assumes some basic knowledge of Chinese history. If you have never taken a course on China before, please ask me for guidance on whether or not this class is suitable for you. The syllabus is preliminary and subject to change based on breaking news events and the needs of the class.
Prerequisites: elementary physical chemistry. Corequisites: CHEM G4221. Topics include the classical and quantum statistical mechanics of gases, liquids, and solids.
Prerequisites: (COMS W3134 or COMS W3136COMS W3137) and (COMS W3203) Introduction to the design and analysis of efficient algorithms. Topics include models of computation, efficient sorting and searching, algorithms for algebraic problems, graph algorithms, dynamic programming, probabilistic methods, approximation algorithms, and NP-completeness.
Design of concrete beams for combined torsion, shear and flexure; moment-curvature relation; bar cut-off locations; design of two-way slabs; strut-and-tie method for the design of deep beams and corbels; gravity and shear wall design; retaining wall design.
Fundamental considerations of wave mechanics; design philosophies; reliability and risk concepts; basics of fluid mechanics; design of structures subjected to blast; elements of seismic design; elements of fire design; flood considerations; advanced analysis in support of structural design.
Develops a quantitative theory of the computational difficulty of problems in terms of the resources (e.g. time, space) needed to solve them. Classification of problems into complexity classes, reductions, and completeness. Power and limitations of different modes of computation such as nondeterminism, randomization, interaction, and parallelism.
Course Overview
Often described as “twin crises,” climate change and biodiversity loss are among the most urgent sustainability challenges to be addressed in our modern era. While much focus has rightfully been placed on climate change mitigation actions at local, regional, and global scales, biodiversity loss is less often addressed by governments, institutions, industries, and individuals as a critical piece of the sustainability puzzle. In 2021, COP 15, the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, received far less media attention than COP 26, the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change. Yet climate change and biodiversity loss are inextricably linked, and without biodiversity and the associated ecosystem services and biospheric resilience upon which human society relies, a sustainable world is not possible. Moreover, certain climate change mitigation actions can actually be to the detriment of biological diversity.
Unlike a traditional conservation biology course geared towards ecologists and biologists, this course will be taught through the lens of sustainability management, equipping sustainability managers with the knowledge and direction needed to begin integrating biodiversity conservation and restoration into their professions. This course will illuminate the critical importance of biodiversity to sustainability and human well-being, the science and politics behind the current biodiversity crisis, and proposals, policies, and actions for bending the curve of biodiversity loss to create more sustainable and equitable outcomes for both humans and the non-humans with which we share our planet.
Students who seek to deepen their understanding of ecological sustainability and address the biodiversity crisis through the lens of sustainability management are encouraged to take this course. This course is an on-campus (or Hy-Flex) elective offered during the Fall semester and fulfills 3 credits within the Physical Dimensions of Sustainability Management curriculum area in the Master of Science in Sustainability Management program. Cross-registration is available to students outside of the Master of Science in Sustainability Management program, space permitting.
Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1010 or Equivalent introductory course in neuroscience or cognitive psychology This seminar will provide a broad survey of how narrative stories, films, and performances have been used as tools to study cognition in psychology and neuroscience.
Bearing capacity and settlement of shallow and deep foundations; earth pressure theories; retaining walls and reinforced soil retaining walls; sheet pile walls; braced excavation; slope stability.
Prerequisites: Pre-requisite for this course includes working knowledge in Statistics and Probability, data mining, statistical modeling and machine learning. Prior programming experience in R or Python is required. This course will incorporate knowledge and skills covered in a statistical curriculum with topics and projects in data science. Programming will be covered using existing tools in R. Computing best practices will be taught using test-driven development, version control, and collaboration. Students finish the class with a portfolio of projects, and deeper understanding of several core statistical/machine-learning algorithms. Short project cycles throughout the semester provide students extensive hands-on experience with various data-driven applications.
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 and Preferably, an additional course in psychology, focusing on cognition, development, or research methods. Instructor permission required. This seminar explores the relationship between language and thought by investigating how language is mentally represented and processed; how various aspects of language interact with each other; and how language interacts with other aspects of cognition including perception, concepts, world knowledge, and memory. Students will examine how empirical data at the linguistic, psychological, and neuroscientific levels can bear on some of the biggest questions in the philosophy of mind and language and in psychology.
Methods for organizing data, e.g. hashing, trees, queues, lists,priority queues. Streaming algorithms for computing statistics on the data. Sorting and searching. Basic graph models and algorithms for searching, shortest paths, and matching. Dynamic programming. Linear and convex programming. Floating point arithmetic, stability of numerical algorithms, Eigenvalues, singular values, PCA, gradient descent, stochastic gradient descent, and block coordinate descent. Conjugate gradient, Newton and quasi-Newton methods. Large scale applications from signal processing, collaborative filtering, recommendations systems, etc.
Prerequisites: basic physical and organic chemistry. Molecular Biophysics is an advanced special topics course with four modules: Noise and fluctuations in biophysics (Arthur Palmer), Single molecule methods (Ruben Gonzalez), Membranes and membrane proteins (Alexander Sobolevsky), and Modeling cellular networks (Karlin). Students normally would take Biophysical Chemistry I and/or Biophysical Chemistry II as prerequisites for Molecular Biophysics.
Will cover some of the fundamental processes of atomic diffusion, sintering and microstructural evolution, defect chemistry, ionic transport, and electrical properties of ceramic materials. Following this, we will examine applications of ceramic materials, specifically, ceramic thick and thin film materials in the areas of sensors and energy conversion/storage devices such as fuel cells, and batteries. The coursework level assumes that the student has already taken basic courses in the thermodynamics of materials, diffusion in materials, and crystal structures of materials.
Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 The study of industrial behavior based on game-theoretic oligopoly models. Topics include pricing models, strategic aspects of business practice, vertical integration, and technological innovation.
This course will provide an introduction to Immanuel Kant’s aesthetics in conjunction with his philosophical anthropology and philosophy of history. Our readings will be guided by Hannah Arendt’s approach to Kant’s aesthetics as the foundation of a political philosophy in her posthumously published lectures on Kant. Both Kant’s and Arendt’s texts will not only be discussed in dialogue with each other, but also in view of their responses to Burke, Nietzsche, and Benjamin. Finally, particular attention will be given to forms of philosophical writing, such as the essay and the aphorism.
The course is intended for undergraduate students and graduate students. There are no pre-
requisites. All texts are available in English translation.
The principles of surfaces and colloid chemistry critical to range of technologies indispensable to modern life. Surface and colloid chemistry has significance to life sciences, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, environmental remediation and waste management, earth resources recovery, electronics, advanced materials, enhanced oil recovery, and emerging extraterrestrial mining. Topics include: thermodynamics of surfaces, properties of surfactant solutions and surface films, electrokinetic phenomena at interfaces, principles of adsorption and mass transfer and modern experimental techniques. Leads to deeper understanding of interfacial engineering, particulate dispersions, emulsions, foams, aerosols, polymers in solution, and soft matter topics.
Theoretical, computational, and data-driven/machine learning techniques to derive, test, and validate computer models for solid mechanics (e.g., soil, rubber, and metals). Machine learning and data-driven simulations enabled by deep learning.
Utilization of data in everyday civil infrastructure. Optimization of decision-making for owners, facility managers, and policy-makers based on predictive results. Provides students with basic understanding of machine learning concepts and methods to formulate civil engineering problems to prediction problems. Introduces students to classic machine learning algorithms, deep learning algorithms, algorithmic thinking, and probabilistic views, and their applications in existing civil engineering problems.
French colonialism in the 19th and 20th centuries was marked by a relentless and often oppressive pursuit of overseas territories. Colonial cities, the focal points of the French empire, were erected in the nation’s image and characterized by wide boulevards, impressive parks and squares, and monumental buildings echoing the elegance of Paris. These urban centers, scattered across Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean, often served as administrative, economic, and cultural hubs for the colonial administration. This seminar will explore the profound impact of colonial cities as laboratories for experimenting with new ideas in city planning, infrastructure, architecture, and civic governance. Once tried and tested in the colonies, these innovative “norms and forms” were often imported back to metropolitan France, where they helped shape various aspects of its society, culture, and economy. The seminar is chronologically structured around six French colonial cities: Cap-Français, Cairo, Algiers, Casablanca, Dakar, and Hanoi. Each city is examined through the lens of a distinct set of colonial policies and practices. Cap-Français is studied from the perspective of the universalist values of the French Enlightenment and the double standard evident in the terror of the Atlantic slave trade. Cairo, while colonized for only a brief period, ignited new passions for the East and is viewed as a repository of exotic fantasies and a site for infrastructural modernization. Algiers is studied through the policy of assimilation and the destruction of Algerian religious identity. Casablanca is considered in relation to new planning practices and colonial policies of association. Hanoi is examined through cultural and architectural forms of hybridity. Finally, Dakar is viewed through colonial theories of acclimatization and hygiene policies. As we traverse the diverse landscapes of these colonial cities, this seminar invites participants to critically reflect on the enduring echoes of French colonialism, exploring how the urban experiments of the past reverberate in the present and influence our perceptions of global cities and their histories.
Prerequisites: one year of calculus-based general physics. The goal of this course is to provide a basic hands-on introduction to the practice and theory of scientific computing with applications in astronomy and astrophysics. The course will include an introduction to programming, as well as a sampling of methods and tools from the field of scientific computing. The course will include a hands-on project in which students use numerical methods to solve a research problem. Students who are interested in participating in research projects are strongly encouraged to take the course in their sophomore or junior year.
This course deals with the proteome: the expressed protein complement of a cell, organelle, matrix, tissue, organ or organism. The study of the proteome (proteomics) is broadly applicable to life sciences research, and is increasingly important in academic, government and industrial research through extension of the impact of advances in genomics. These techniques are being applied to basic research, exploratory studies of cancer and other diseases, drug discovery and many other topics. Emphasis will be on mastery of practical techniques of sample preparation, liquid chromatography/ mass spectrometry (LC/MS) with electrospray ionization, and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption and Ionization (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Database searching and interpretation for identification of proteins will be intensively studied, and practiced supported by background tutorials and exercises covering other techniques used in proteomics. Open to students in M.A. in Biotechnology Program (points can be counted against laboratory requirement for that program), Ph.D. and advanced undergraduate students with background in genetics or molecular biology. Students should be comfortable with basic biotechnology laboratory techniques as well as being interested in doing computational work in a Windows environment.
Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213 and STAT UN1201 This course uses modern microeconomic tools for understanding markets for indivisible resources and exploring ways to improve their design in terms of stability, efficiency and incentives. Lessons of market design will be applied to developing internet platforms for intermediating exchanges, for auctions to allocate sponsored search advertising, to allocate property rights such as public lands, radio spectrums, fishing rights, for assigning students to public schools, and for developing efficient kidney exchanges for transplantation.
This seminar course explores the intersection of human rights and populism, examining how the rise of populist movements, leaders, and ideologies impact democratic institutions, global politics, and the protection of fundamental human rights. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the course evaluates the sociological, economic, and cultural factors driving populist surges, as well as their consequences for civic culture, governance, and international relations. Students will analyze the implications of populism for human rights in the context of migration, authoritarianism, freedom of speech, minorities, and challenges to international and regional courts and institutions. The course will investigate both left-wing and right-wing populist movements, considering the threat they pose to human rights, their pursuit of socio-economic rights through the redistribution of wealth, and how the human rights project could and is being rethought in light of these challenges and opportunities.
Overview of electrochemical processes and applications from perspectives of materials and devices. Thermodynamics and principles of electrochemistry, methods to characterize electrochemical processes, application of electrochemical materials and devices, including batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, electrochemical sensor, focus on link between material structure, composition, and properties with electrochemical performance.
An introduction to modern cryptography, focusing on the complexity-theoretic foundations of secure computation and communication in adversarial environments; a rigorous approach, based on precise definitions and provably secure protocols. Topics include private and public key encryption schemes, digital signatures, authentication, pseudorandom generators and functions, one-way functions, trapdoor functions, number theory and computational hardness, identification and zero knowledge protocols.