Professional Development/Internship Requ
PD/Internship Requirement
- Department: International and Public Affairs
- 0 points
Global Climate Change and Public Policy
Climate change is one of the world’s most critical challenges, and though quite prominent in today’s news it remains a complex and multifaceted issue. What is the current understanding of the anthropogenic impacts on global climate, ecosystems, and biodiversity? How are different economic sectors, geographic regions, and countries contributing to this? How are these impacts predicted to affect future global economic growth prospects, agricultural productivity, poverty, and society at large? Who bears the potential costs and benefits? What can be done?
Using climate change as a unifying focus, this course examines the role of public policy in managing human impacts on the environment. Students are introduced to the theories and concepts of environmental economics, and using these they explore, discuss, and analyze current national and global environmental challenges. They learn the public policy approaches being used to address these challenges, and how these policies influence and interact with the role of the private sector and international frameworks such as the Paris Agreement.
Through coursework and case studies from both the developing and developed world, students gain an understanding of the complex nature of global environmental change and the importance of human-based activities in driving it. Case studies lead to the introduction of sector-based issues (e.g. promoting renewable energy and organic agriculture), innovative policy approaches (e.g. environmental trading schemes, mitigation banking, carbon taxes), and key terms used by the global conservation community to frame and promote discussion of these issues (e.g. ecosystem services, natural capital, water-energy-food nexus).
Coursework includes lectures, required reading, multimedia presentations, online research, and guest speakers. Students are expected and encouraged to participate in class discussions, raise questions, and contribute to small group exercises and presentations.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Michael Bennett
Info - 0 points
Drawing Intensive: Developing a Portfoli
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
Studio arts courses are offered in conjunction with Columbia University's School of the Arts.
This week-long class focuses on preparing the drawing portion of a fine art portfolio application for college submissions. As the week progresses, each student receives an in-depth critique from the instructor of their current work and of their plan for their portfolio. The course is focused on completing several large projects so as to showcase observational drawing skills, ranging from still life to architectural space to self-portraiture, as well as conceptual skills.
The course combines video demonstrations of drawing techniques, individual conferences with the instructor as well as online group critiques, and virtual studio visits with professional artists. Critical issues in art are addressed once a week through group writing prompts and online discussion, so as to generate meaningful debates as a context for studio work. An online demonstration of how to professionally document and edit work in Photoshop for a digital application concludes the week.
Participants are encouraged to contextualize their creative process through language and writing, with assigned creative writing prompts, short presentations, and an ongoing sketchbook practice. A final blog houses a virtual exhibit and work is shared regularly within the community on a social media platform.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Ioana I Manolache
Info - 0 points
THE ETHICS OF TECH
This course probes the evolving ethical, political, and social questions that have begun to emerge as a result of rapid technological transformations in the 21st Century. Students are introduced to selections of classical moral and political philosophy, which provides a critical vocabulary for discussing a broad range of concerns that have animated the emerging field of tech and ethics. We discuss issues associated with AI, algorithmic bias, data and privacy, free speech and content regulation, and antitrust claims against tech giants, among other topics. Participants debate specific issues and write sample policy reports based on case studies.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Michelle Chun
CULPA: 12 Info - 0 points
Introduction to Corporate Finance
This introductory-level course is intended for students who have an interest in learning more about how corporations make business decisions and fund those decisions. The aim of the course is to provide students with an understanding of both sound theoretical principles of finance and practical tools of financial decision-making.
The course provides a brief introduction to the fundamentals of finance, emphasizing their application to a wide variety of real-world situations in corporate decision-making and financial intermediation. Key concepts and applications include the time value of money, risk-return tradeoff, cost of capital, interest rates, discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis, net present value, internal rate of return, hurdle rate, and payback period.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Raheem A Haji
Info - 0 points
Exploring Topics in Linguistics
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
This course examines five intriguing areas of linguistics that relate to crucial 21st Century social issues. Starting with fossils and skulls, we explore where language came from, how it evolved, and how it differs from animal communication. Next, we look at language variation (in the form of accents, dialect, and slang) and imposed linguistic policies (such as spelling) that manipulate our native abilities to communicate. We move onto pragmatics, the study of how language use varies based on context, audience, formality, speaker intentionality, and even gender identity. Next, we explore language taboos (curse words, censorship) and language prestige (the social value placed on different speaking styles). We finish with an analysis of the Internet's impact on language (memes, texting, the possible decline of "proper" English, and the limitations of AI communication).
Students work in the morning with texts, lectures, and films, covering the principles of linguistics and the relevant literature. In the afternoon, they problem-solve by working through case studies and analyzing linguistic evidence via databases and other web resources. Guest speakers who are active in their fields add a level of detail and specificity to the course.
Participants gain a deeper understanding of the role of language in their society and linguistics as an interdisciplinary tool for greater insight into how we live.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Cindy Mercer
Info - 0 points
Neuroscience of Psychiatric Disorders
NEUROSCI OF PSYCH DISORDE
Neuroscience is the study of the neural processes and mechanisms underlying human function and behavior. It is an interdisciplinary field that combines the ideas explored in the field of psychology with the science that governs the brain and body. In order to understand the etiology of disorders such as addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia, it is crucial to understand how molecular, cellular, and endocrine changes contribute to disease progression.
In this course, students learn about how the laws of neurons and neurotransmitters direct brain processes. Class time is devoted to interactive lectures, discussions, and assignments designed to help students understand the neuroscience of addiction, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia. Outside of class, students explore case studies of neuropsychiatric disorders so as to fully understand the extent of debilitation and possibilities for recovery.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Hameda Khandaker
Info - 0 points
Neuroscience and the Law
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
In this course we look at how the brain functions, what the legal issues are, how the technologies that attempt to understand and address brain functioning work, and why this is pertinent to the legal system. Participants learn how to deal with the rising tide of neuroscientific information being proffered in litigation and in the legal policy context. They see how research studies are used in contexts outside the laboratory and are challenged to critically assess and evaluate not only the scientific principles but also their legal and ethical implications.
The course focuses on brain functioning as it influences behavior and responsibility principles. The legal principle of culpable conduct and its implications are addressed, and appropriate penalties and punishment for criminal conduct are discussed. Students are asked to address fundamental questions about what it means to be morally and legally responsible, and what, if anything, neuroscience can provide to our assessments of individual responsibility for actions.
Discussions transition from case-specific inquiries to first principles, namely: How do the separate domains of law, science, and behavior relate to one another? What are the purposes and roles of law in society? How may science help or hinder those purposes? And what can science tell us about behavior that might be legally relevant, and how?
Some of the topics that may be addressed include the Frye and Daubert standards for the admissibility of expert testimony, objective assessments of subjective complaints of pain, inaccurate eyewitness testimony, cross-racial witness identification, applicable jury instructions employing principles of science, memory and emotion, lie detection, adolescent brain function and implications for sentencing and criminal liability, addiction, artificial intelligence, and cognitive enhancements.
The course requires daily reading and active class participation; it is taught in a law school format, using the Socratic method. Assigned readings include scientific studies and articles from medical journals as well as prominent legal cases, including some lengthy U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Florina Altshiler
Info - 0 points
Minds, Brains, and the Nature of Conscio
How is the mind related to the brain? Are sensations, beliefs, and desires immaterial or physical states? What are the different types of consciousness and how, if at all, are they related? How do we know that beings besides ourselves possess mentality? Can robots possess minds?
We explore these questions via a philosophical analysis of a number of attempts to explain the nature of the mind and mentality. The course begins with dualist attempts to characterize the mind as a non-physical soul that possesses immaterial mental states such as beliefs and hopes, and proceeds to an investigation of recent efforts to understand the mind and mentality as physical phenomena. Some historically influential answers to the question what is a mind and what is mentality? are critically assessed, including (i) substance dualism, (ii) mind-brain identity theory, and (iii) functionalism. In the latter part of the course, issues such as the nature of consciousness as well as how to make sense of the causal efficacy of mentality are discussed.
Course readings include such influential works as René Descartes’s Meditations on First Philosophy, J.J.C. Smart's "Sensations and Brain Processes,” Hilary Putnam’s “The Nature of Mental States,” and Thomas Nagel’s “What is it Like to be a Bat?” Course activities include class debates, group presentations, the designing of thought experiments, critical writing exercises, and close textual analysis.
The broad goal of the course is to sharpen students’ analytical reading and writing skills, while the more specific objectives are to give them a solid understanding of issues in the philosophy of mind as well as an understanding of the methods of philosophy.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Jared Peterson
Info - 0 points
Painting Intensive
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
Studio arts courses are offered in conjunction with Columbia University's School of the Arts.
In this course aimed at introducing students to basic acrylic painting techniques, each day the instructor introduces a new assignment through a live tutorial. Each assignment is complemented by a short art history lecture, which aids the students in thinking about content alongside studio progress. Students receive guidance from the instructor as they work from home on their paintings.
At the end of each day, students present their results to the class; the online platform serves as a virtual group crit. The works are reviewed by the instructor prior to the next session. Each student receives individualized, specific comments as to how to proceed with their work.
Participants also learn how to prepare a final portfolio for college applications.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Miguel Cardenas
CULPA: 4
Info
- 0 points
Social Psychology: Understanding Human B
This course introduces students to major psychological theories and research on human social behavior. We look at why humans often help each other but also why they hurt each other. Topics covered include empathy, prejudice, helping, compliance, bullying, conformity, and the development of personality. A variety of psychological methods for predicting and preventing anti-social behavior are discussed.
The course establishes a strong grounding in scientific principles and methodology. Students are encouraged to think about how empirical methods can be used to measure complex social phenomena, to recognize and appreciate experimental rigor, and ultimately to question common assumptions about human behavior found in ordinary discourse and the popular press.
Students typically spend a portion of each day watching live lectures and a portion in learning activities such as group work, discussion, online experiments, and behavior and personality tests. Outside of class, in addition to doing assigned reading, students complete homework assignments in which they apply what they have learned to real-world social situations. For example, observing behavior in their local communities and surveying their family and friends. The data they collect is pooled, analyzed, and discussed by the whole class.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Alison Martingano
Info - 0 points
The Networked Self: Identity in the Digi
As the line between humans and technology becomes increasingly blurred, the proliferation of social media platforms is transforming conceptions of identity, community, and citizenship. This course aims to build on the premise that technology changes not only what we do but also who we are. We draw upon established theories of identity formation, self-presentation, and impression management in order to map the intersection between new media technologies and the evolving processes by which identities are constructed, maintained, and represented. We consider how these developments are providing new opportunities for individual expression and collective empowerment, while at the same time contributing to a growing sense of fragmentation, polarization, and uncertainty.
Central to this course is the understanding that self and identity are both the product of social interaction, and a force impacting the societies which help create them. Toward that end, through a combination of readings, lectures, discussions, videos, short papers, group work, and oral presentations, students investigate the connections between social media and the following topics: 1) The development of the “commodified self” and “self-branding.” 2) “Digital surveillance” and the “managed self.” 3). Expanding opportunities for the expression of historically “marginalized” identities, including race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. 4). New avenues for the formation and mobilization of oppositional (or resistance) identities, including collective identification with political movements spanning the ideological spectrum from the far left to the far right.
The central goal of this course is to provide students with a deeper appreciation for how digital technologies are fundamentally redefining traditional understandings of self and society, as well as to push participants to think more critically about their own place in what promises to an increasingly networked future.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Timothy Novak
Info - 0 points
Wealth and Democracy in the United State
WEALTH & DEMOCRACY IN US
This course considers the relationship between wealth and democracy, in theory, in history, and in practice today. Topics investigated include the following: political and legal debates about campaign finance reform from the late 20th century to the present, including whether money is speech and whether campaigns should be publicly financed; the role of the wealthy in American politics as candidates and as donors/funders; and the nature and problem of political corruption.
Readings are drawn from philosophers and political theorists, contemporary studies of the impact of wealth on American democracy, and key Supreme Court decisions including Citizens United. Other sources include film excerpts and press accounts. Students also benefit from several guest speakers working on issues pertaining to campaign finance and related issues of money and politics on the local, state, and/or national level.
Morning sessions are generally devoted to helping students achieve a firm grasp of the theoretical and factual arguments found in the readings, through a combination of presentations by the instructor and class discussion. Afternoon sessions allow students to put these theories and facts to work in written and oral form, working both individually and in small groups.
In addition to completing and discussing reading assignments, students write position papers and participate in debates in which they marshal ideas from the sources studied to justify and defend their positions.
Our ultimate goal is not to establish the proper role of money in politics, but to more deeply understand different ways of thinking about wealth and democracy that have shaped the past and present, and that offer us possibilities for the future.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Geoffrey C Upton
Info - 0 points
THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE UNIVERSE
ORIGIN & EVOL OF UNIVERSE
The origin and evolution of the Universe is one of the greatest (and oldest) questions ever asked. In a little over a century,
cosmology has matured as a discipline due to improvements in our understanding of fundamental physics
and technological advances allowing us to map the Universe in unprecedented detail and perform complex calculations.
This course is an introductory review of the standard cosmological model, a quantitative description of the universe that explains
with only six numbers a wide range of observed phenomena, from the chemical composition of the Universe, to the abundance
and distribution of galaxies. The course includes in-class interactive exercises to illustrate how simple mathematical models can shed light on seemingly
complex systems. We will discuss how the ideas on which the standard model rests won over alternative ideas,
and how scientists are still working to solve some outstanding puzzles, such as the unknown nature of dark
matter and dark energy.
Prerequisites: One year of high-school physics and calculus are strongly recommended. Experience with Python programming is useful
for some of the in-class exercises, but not necessary.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Jose Manuel Zorrilla Matilla
h-index: 7 Info - 0 points
Understanding Blockchain, AI, and Machin
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
This course provides an overview of the world of blockchain, AI, and machine learning. We explore artificial intelligence and machine learning and seek to understand the philosophical and ethical issues, relationship with consciousness and self-awareness, the categories and applications of the different families of AI algorithms, and what challenges and opportunities lie in the future. We then open the hood and look inside blockchain to see what it is, how it has evolved, and where it is headed, including Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. We examine how these technologies will impact the future of work. Students are encouraged to think about the impact of these technologies on society and how they might become leaders and shapers in these fields.
Participants acquire an understanding and appreciation of these technologies so they can explore further on their own. The course is taught through a mix of instruction, discussion, and guest speakers.
Please note: This course is not a computer programming course and requires no prior knowledge or experience, but rather looks at these emerging technologies more broadly from business, social, political, and cultural perspectives.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Lindsley Medlin
Info - 0 points
Cyber-Threat Intelligence
CYBER-THREAT INTELLIGENCE
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Michael J Gibbons
Info - 0 points
Comedy Writing Intensive
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
In this course students are introduced to the key tenets of writing and performing comedy. With the guidance of professional New York City performers and writers, they learn how to generate writing through improvisational comedy. Budding comedians and comedy writers learn how to make people laugh both on and off the page, a skill that can take practitioners down a variety of career paths on stage and in film and television. Participants hone their comedic sensibilities with a wide variety of exercises and readings, and build confidence by learning the art of Yes, and! Subject areas may include sketch comedy, improvisational comedy, and stand-up. The course includes asynchronous work, which students are expected to complete between class sessions. Courses in creative writing are offered in conjunction with the Writing Program at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Overseen by Chair of Creative Writing Lis Harris, Professor Alan Ziegler, and Director of Creative Writing for Pre-College Programs Christina Rumpf, the creative writing courses are designed to challenge and engage students interested in literary creation, providing them with a substantial foundation for further exploration of their creative work.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Paulina M Pinsky
Info - 0 points
Medicine as a Career Choice: Thinking Li
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
Becoming a physician—mastering the intricacies of the human body and working to heal when illness occurs—has long been considered a noble pursuit, but it’s not all guts and glory. It takes a particular kind of mind; one that can focus on the smallest details while keeping the big picture in sight. A doctor must see the forest and the trees.
This course is an investigation into how a physician thinks. This unique world is dissected through brain games, interactive lectures, thought experiments, and group projects. Discussion also covers what it takes to get into medical school, what it’s like to go through medical school and residency, and what it means to be a doctor in today’s society.
Potential topics to be discussed include the following:
Logic and reasoning
Evidence-based medicine
Human psychology and its influence
The crossroads of media, myth, and medicine
Ethics
Malpractice
Medicine's history and future
Participants gain a deeper knowledge of the medical world as well as what it takes to think like a doctor—and acquire mental tools that can be utilized in any aspect of life.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Shibrah Jamil
Info - 0 points
Medicine as a Career Choice: Thinking Li
THINKING LIKE A DOCTOR
Becoming a physician—mastering the intricacies of the human body and working to heal when illness occurs—has long been considered a noble pursuit, but it’s not all guts and glory. It takes a particular kind of mind; one that can focus on the smallest details while keeping the big picture in sight. A doctor must see the forest and the trees.
This course is an investigation into how a physician thinks. This unique world is dissected through brain games, interactive lectures, thought experiments, and group projects. Discussion also covers what it takes to get into medical school, what it’s like to go through medical school and residency, and what it means to be a doctor in today’s society.
Potential topics to be discussed include the following:
Logic and reasoning
Evidence-based medicine
Human psychology and its influence
The crossroads of media, myth, and medicine
Ethics
Malpractice
Medicine's history and future
Participants gain a deeper knowledge of the medical world as well as what it takes to think like a doctor—and acquire mental tools that can be utilized in any aspect of life.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
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Instructor:
Mayra Rodriguez
Info - 0 points
Dream Writing
From the ancient Greek and Chinese oracles and Taemong (birth dreams) of Korea to the sofas of Freud and Jung to contemporary Yanomami shamans and Hollywood’s Dreamworks, throughout a vast array of cultures and eras, dreams have been a source of inspiration, healing, and insight. In this course we aim to reconnect with the imaginative power of dreams primarily by writing and interpreting our own, while reading extensively in dream literature. While composing and sharing our own dreams on a daily basis with foremost attention to dreams as a source for discovery and literary artistic production, we experiment with a variety of compositional, mnemonic, and lucid techniques. Readings and audio-visual texts from writers, theorists, and filmmakers such as Patricia Garfield, Jeremy Seligson, Robert Moss (especially his “six masters of the ‘three only things’”), Joan of Arc, Lucrecia de León, Harriet Tubman, Mark Twain, Wolfgang Pauli, Winston Churchill, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Richard Linklater provide guidance and inspiration.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Loren S Goodman
Wikipedia Info - 0 points
Economics, Entrepreneurship, and Social
Can economic growth be reconciled with sustainability? Can social entrepreneurs find solutions to climate adaptation challenges? How do we incentivize fishermen to conserve the world’s fisheries? Can microfinance loans to the entrepreneurial poor reduce global poverty? What practices can businesses adopt to align their bottom lines with sustainability? How can we do well while doing good – and while embracing principles of equity, access, participation, and human rights?
In the context of policies, course participants are introduced to key concepts and skills associated with social entrepreneurship, finance, and economics and are consequently enabled to think proactively about solving some of the world’s biggest problems – while also probing how profitability and social justice might intersect and at times come into conflict.
Students are introduced to economic concepts such as supply and demand, utility, macro- and microeconomics, the time value of money, and the use of indicators. They also engage with key concepts relating to business formation and management, raising funds using debt or equity, and financial accounting.
Participants begin to see some of the largest social problems we face today as essentially economic challenges – and are then asked, through a mix of projects, debates and case studies, to come up with potential solutions, their work culminating with a social enterprise pitch competition.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Isabelle Marie F Delalex
Info - 0 points
Entrepreneurship: From Idea to Early Des
This intensive ten-session course takes an applied, practical approach to the development, testing, and validation of customer or community-driven product solutions. By learning and applying contemporary design-thinking concepts and tools, students generate innovative solutions to important customer or community problems. During the program, students identify and define a major problem to be solved, work with real customers to better understand the problem from their perspective, generate multiple solutions, then choose a solution to test with real customers. Students acquire practical knowledge and tools focusing on the development, testing, and validation of new products that solve real customer problems and needs, from idea to early product development.
Students can expect to learn how to:
identify and articulate customer problems in an accurate way, reflecting how individuals truly experience the problem and its challenges
create effective customer surveys to help validate your assumptions on customer problems (pain points), solutions, and benefits (expected outcomes)
assess current solutions provided in the marketplace in order to build on best practices as well as identify gap areas
develop a minimal viable product in order to gain additional feedback on specific solution features
measure and validate customer needs fulfillment or social impact assumptions
develop a solution (business or social enterprise) model to test your assumptions about customer interests, acceptance, and use
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Jack McGourty
CULPA: 67 Info - 0 points
Law at the Cutting Edge of Technology
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
This class explores the application of legal principles to advancements in technology, including social media, drones, video games, cryptocurrency, and smartphone apps. In learning about these particular topics, students gain a more general understanding of some of the most important concepts underlying much of U.S. law.
We analyze the law of nuisance and trespass through the lens of Pokemon Go, and we look at the legal concept of negligence by examining product liability issues arising from injuries related to autonomous vehicles and SnapChat filters. The class then explores how the right to privacy is impacted in the physical world by drone technology, and how privacy interests are impacted in the digital world by data gathering platforms such as Facebook. We look at legal issues having to do with the future of money, gaining a basic understanding of blockchain and its role in cryptocurrency and fractional asset ownership through tokenization. Finally, through a study of “influencer” marketing, we explore advertising, marketing, and contract law through a case study of the infamous Fyre Festival.
Students learn through a combination of lecture, discussion, debate, and group work. Content and learning examples are presented in various forms, including PowerPoints, short videos, images, in-class demonstrations, and a guest speaker. Students complete a culminating project involving an oral small group presentation.
Through this immersive learning experience, participants gain a broad understanding of the law as well as enhanced analytical and problem-solving skills. They learn how to approach complex, dynamic legal problems and methodically analyze all relevant factors so as to arrive at logical, evidence-based results. Further, they practice collaborative co-creation and public speaking as they work in small groups on their culminating oral presentations.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Hilary Silvia
Info - 0 points
Human Rights in the 21st Century: Challe
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
Are human rights still relevant in promoting social justice and freedom in the 21st Century? Human rights law and advocacy have been central to international politics since the end of World War II. However, recent rises in authoritarianism and anti-liberal regimes have raised new questions on whether the human rights framework is still capable of addressing injustices in the modern world. This course introduces students to the law and practice of human rights as well as the challenges of enforcing rights in an international environment that has grown increasingly hostile to principles of human dignity and personal freedom.
In the first part of the course, students review the philosophical foundations of human rights and then examine human rights from two perspectives. First, the legal perspective introduces them to basic principles and rules of international law and the main international organizations and mechanisms designed for promoting and enforcing human rights. Second, they adopt the role of social scientist. We debate evidence on the effectiveness of human rights law and discuss challenges of enforcing rights in an international system in which states are not accountable to a higher authority.
In the second part of the course, students apply their new knowledge to the problems facing human rights today. Topics include cultural relativist critiques of human rights as a Western, neo-colonialist institution, challenges from new technologies in state surveillance and autonomous weapons, and existential threats to human populations through climate change and environmental damage.
Each day participants are required to read college-level academic literature on the law and practice of human rights and engage with new ideas through group discussion and activities. The primary assignment for this course is participation in an international moot court activity, which challenges students to research and give oral arguments on a fictitious human rights case.
The course also introduces students to several different perspectives through a variety of guest lecturers.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Michelle Chun
CULPA: 12 Info - 0 points
Introduction to Finance & Investment Man
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
Participants learn the principles of finance - how stocks and bonds are valued, why investments make money, and why investment strategies work. They also gain a solid understanding of portfolio management - how investments are structured and balanced for different objectives.
We explore the structure of the financial system - what firms such as investment banks, asset managers, and hedge funds do, both for clients and for the economy. The course connects foundations of economics, both micro and macro, to the foundations of finance and to selecting investments. What is the role of risk in investment? How does the environment of the market and broader world drive the returns on investments? Why have some investments done so well in memorable history? Why have others not done well? How are the winners and losers of past investments explained by the theories? What is the role of traditional investments, such as mutual funds, and of alternative investments, like hedge funds?
As the final objective of the course, students generate their own investment strategies and portfolios.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Matthew S Cantwell
Info - 0 points
Filmmaking with iPhone & iPad
As smartphones and tablets continue to offer increasingly sophisticated capabilities, filmmakers have begun to turn to their mobile devices for both small and feature-scale projects. From Sean Baker’s Sundance feature film, Tangerine, to the Oscar-winning feature documentary, Searching for Sugar Man, mobile filmmaking has proven to be an exciting and innovative method of filmmaking.
Students in this intensive course use their iPhones or iPads to create strong, visually-driven short films with an emphasis on narrative storytelling. In the process, they learn a wide range of elementary film production techniques and build a technical and aesthetic foundation structured around film grammar, story development, script writing, sound, and editing.
In the first few days, participants learn the basic principles of mobile cinematography and gain hands-on experience as they progress from equipment assembly to on-set production protocol. They learn how to unlock the filmmaking potential of their mobile phones/tablets while taking on various key roles in the different projects - directing, cinematography, editing, and/or sound – so that each student experiences different facets of film crewing.
In the second half of the class, students work together through the stages of production: initial concept, synopsis, treatment, script, storyboards, final shooting, and editing. The instructor provides guidance throughout the process, emphasizing the students’ responsibility for carrying the project from inception to completion. In addition to film production guidance, the instructor provides practical information regarding the film industry and film schools/career paths
On the last day of the class, participants screen their completed films for review. These films can potentially be used for submission to short film festivals and as portfolio pieces for film or art school applications..
Students should arrive on the first day of class with short film ideas ready to pitch; the films are made collaboratively as group projects, so we will be able to use only some of the ideas.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Yu Cheng
CULPA: 1 h-index: 3 Info - 0 points
Introduction to Global Economics and Pub
This project-based curricular option explores the intersections of economics, policy, and international relations. The goal of the course is to provide students with an introduction to the methods and to significant content areas of global economic policy.
We examine how today's world is defined by the power of state governments, non-state actors, and networks of communication, politics, and economic exchange. We also investigate core issues facing the global community, such as growth and inequality, development, the role of corporations, sustainability, and environmental change.
The course is designed to introduce core economic concepts through experiential case studies and simulations. We explore the dynamics of corporate board meetings, international negotiations, marketing campaigns, consultancy pitches, and policy-making. Students work in teams to hone their social scientific research, writing, and presentation skills in the creation of original corporate strategy and public policy proposals.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Carl Wernicke
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Introduction to Programming with Python
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
This course, intended for students with little or no programming experience, provides an intensive introduction to Python, one of the most popular and user-friendly programming languages, and to programming in general.
Participants become familiar with fundamental computer science concepts and are challenged through the use of logic games, programming problems, and hands-on assignments to develop logical reasoning and problem-solving skills. Class time alternates between instruction in new concepts and practical exercises in applying these concepts, allowing students ample opportunities to work with algorithms and code.
By the end of this course, students should have a solid understanding of variables and user interaction, control flow statements, and using library functions. This knowledge will support them in future ventures in computer science and engineering.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Farid Razzak
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Creative Journalism
What creative possibilities do true stories hold? How can truth telling and storytelling work together? This class helps students build interviewing and reporting skills while learning about journalistic ethics and exploring forms such as feature writing, profiles, op-eds, and audio pieces. Participants read a wide variety of articles and compose a new story draft every night. Through in-class workshops, students develop their skills in ways that allow them to serve as editors and peer readers for each other and for classmates and publications at their home schools.
Courses in creative writing are offered in conjunction with the Writing Program at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Overseen by Chair of Creative Writing Lis Harris, Professor Alan Ziegler, and Director of Creative Writing for Pre-College Programs Christina Rumpf, the creative writing courses are designed to challenge and engage students interested in literary creation, providing them with a substantial foundation for further exploration of their creative work.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Laura J Palmer
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Knowledge, Reality, and Truth
Is it possible that how things “really” or “truly” are is very different from how they appear to us? Could it be, for example, that the “real world” in which we believe ourselves to live is actually a computer program, á la The Matrix? If not, then how can we know that this is not the case – what is our evidence or justification for ruling out, with certainty, such a scenario? What, if any, are the implications of skeptical scenarios for more ordinary knowledge – what, if anything, can we, as believers aiming at knowledge, learn from such apparently fantastic and improbable hypotheses? And would it make any ethical difference – would our lives be better or worse off, and in what ways – if we actually are living in the Matrix?
In attempting to answer these questions, we read selections from philosophical classics such as Plato’s Republic and René Descartes’ Meditations, as well as articles by contemporary philosophers David Mitsuo Nixon and Jim Pryor.
This course has three aims: 1) to introduce students to key themes in philosophy, particularly metaphysics and epistemology, and in so doing to show how an apparently abstruse discipline is of surprising relevance to our lives; 2) to provide students with essential tools for understanding the nature of logical reasoning and evaluating arguments; 3) to sharpen students’ abilities to express themselves clearly and cogently, in writing and especially in speaking.
Beyond thoughtful reading and active participation, students are expected to complete several short and informal writing exercises, in part as a warm-up for a longer concluding reflection on key course themes.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Alexander C Rigas
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Global Migration & Personal Identity
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Laura Vazquez Blazquez
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Natural Resources, Global Markets, and
How has the US–China trade war affected the growth of world economies? Why has Latin America, a region rich in natural resources, not been able to attain economic growth levels similar to those in Asia? What implications does a potential global water crisis pose to how nations interact with one another? How has the mix of traditional and renewable energy sources made an impact on the United States? Is it unethical to apply economic principles to natural resources?
This course examines these type of questions as it dives into the fundamentals of natural resources, their pivotal role in the development of OECD (Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development) and non-OECD economies, and the monetization impact from Wall Street to the end consumer on Main Street.
Through case study analyses of current events, students develop an understanding of global reserves and yields of natural resources, identify world consumers and producers – i.e. export (supply/origin) and import (demand/destination) hubs – along with transportation channels, and conduct deep dive analyses in group settings on the financial life of these resources and their contribution to the pace of global growth.
Complementary to these topics, participants debate the basis for responsible business procurement of natural resources – including those that are sustainable – and their effect in the global landscape.
Students gain an understanding of – and think critically about – various natural resources (agricultural, energy, mineral, and livestock) and the key challenges of international trade in an interconnected world. They also learn about the social impact of exploration and production of these raw materials. Topics explored include the relevance of geopolitical analysis, how shipping markets and freight rates/chartering are crucial to world trade, and the growing presence of private capital in shoring up global imbalances.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 10 a.m.-noon
- 0 points
Novel-Writing Intensive
This intensive, one-week course is designed to teach students the ins-and-outs of novel writing, from conception to outlining to the writing itself. Whether interests lie in literary fiction, young adult, fantasy, or any other genre, we focus on how to structure and plot a successful novel. We also touch on establishing conflict, world-building, character work, pacing, and how to create an effective scene.
Course participants share their writing in a workshop setting and receive in-depth feedback from both their peers and the instructor. By the end of the week, students will have completed an original outline and at least one full chapter of their novel. Not only does this course impart a greater understanding of what it means to craft a long-form work of fiction, it will also help students become stronger and more confident in their overall writing skills.
Courses in creative writing are offered in conjunction with the Writing Program at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Overseen by Chair of Creative Writing Lis Harris, Professor Alan Ziegler, and Director of Creative Writing for Pre-College Programs Christina Rumpf, the creative writing courses are designed to challenge and engage students interested in literary creation, providing them with a substantial foundation for further exploration of their creative work.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Rachel E Carter
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INTRODUCTION TO THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOG
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Alison Martingano
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The Supreme Court and Major Topics in U.
ACADEMIC YEAR IMMERSION COURSE
This course examines the United States Supreme Court and several of the major social and legal issues over which it has jurisdiction. Beginning with a brief introduction on how cases are heard by the Supreme Court, we proceed to a wide-ranging look inside America's most hotly debated cases and the issues that shape them. Covering both the substantive and the procedural law, students learn how to identify legitimate arguments for and against each topic and gain an understanding of constitutional challenges and limitations.
Topics under consideration may include privacy rights, freedom of speech, LGBTQ rights and the determination of sex and gender, the death penalty, legalization of marijuana, voting rights, gun control, and coronavirus-related issues.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Sharon Yamen
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Issues in Terrorism and Counterterrorism
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- S 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
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Instructor:
Sajid F Shapoo
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Expository Writing Intensive: How to Wri
Participants learn how to read challenging texts and write about them clearly and coherently, assess and think critically about their own writing, and improve writing skills through in-class exercises, homework, and revisions. Readings for the course are taken from several disciplines, including literature, history, journalism, and social sciences.
This course enables students to identify their strengths and weaknesses in writing and to improve their skills through individual and group work. We read and analyze short essays that exemplify good writing, and we learn how to define a thesis, organize an essay, and incorporate appropriate vocabulary.
Participants are required to read a text and provide a synopsis; they also create a research project to outline and write an abstract. The class uses games as a mode to learn more advanced vocabulary. By the end of the week, students will have become not only better writers but also better and clearer thinkers.
- Department: School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- U 10 a.m.-noon
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Instructor:
Anne E Summers
Info - 0 points