This course will further your awareness and understanding of the French language, culture and literature, provide a comprehensive review of fundamental grammar points while introducing more advanced ones, as well as improve your mastery of oral, reading, and writing skills. By the end of the course, you will be able to read short to medium-length literary and non-literary texts, and analyze and comment on varied documents and topics, both orally and in writing.
Prerequisites: GERM UN2101 or the equivalent. If you have prior German outside of Columbia’s language sequence, the placement exam is required.
Intermediate German UN2102 is conducted entirely in German and emphasizes the four basic language skills, cultural awareness, and critical thinking. A wide range of topics (from politics and poetry to art) as well as authentic materials (texts, film, art, etc.) are used to improve the 4 skill. Practice in conversation aims at enlarging the vocabulary necessary for daily communication. Grammar is practiced in the context of the topics. Learning and evaluation are individualized (individual vocabulary lists, essays, oral presentations, final portfolio) and project-based (group work and final group project).
Prerequisites: GREK UN1101- GREK UN1102 or the equivalent. Selections from Attic prose.
Prerequisites: GRKM UN1101 and GRKM UN1102 or the equivalent. Corequisites: GRKM UN2111 This course is designed for students who are already familiar with the basic grammar and syntax of modern Greek language and can communicate at an elementary level. Using films, newspapers, and popular songs, students engage the finer points of Greek grammar and syntax and enrich their vocabulary. Emphasis is given to writing, whether in the form of film and book reviews or essays on particular topics taken from a selection of second year textbooks.
This course focuses on learning Khmer (the national language of Cambodia) for students who have completed Elementary Khmer II. Students will be able to communicate in every day conversation using complex questions/answers. The course focuses on reading, writing, speaking, and listening to Khmer words, long sentences, and texts. The course is also emphasized on grammar, sentence structure and their use in the right context. This course is applied to persons who want to continue to learn Khmer and want to pursue the language study in the future.
Prerequisites: LATN UN1101 & UN1102 or LATN UN1121 or equivalent. Selections from Catullus and Cicero.
Intermediate instruction in spoken grammar and verbal comprehension skills, with special attention to developing technical vocabularies and other verbal skills appropriate to students' professional fields.
Prerequisites: PUNJ W1101-W1102 or the instructor's permission. Further develops a student's writing, reading, and oral skills in Punjabi, a major language of northern India and Pakistan.
Prerequisites: SINH W1101-1102 or the instructor's permission. In this course, learners will continue practicing all four language skills through every day dialogues, writing letters, and describing basic situations. In addition, they will be introduced to Sinhala literature and learn how to read and comprehend basic Sinhala texts, such as newspaper articles. Finally, they will be introduced to current affairs as well as social, artistic, and cultural events and issues in Sri Lanka. The class uses a highly interactive classroom style supplemented by extensive use of video - both prepared and student-produced - and other computer-assisted tools. Please note this course is offered by videoconferencing from Cornell as part of the Shared Course Initiative.
Prerequisites: SPAN UN1102 or SPAN UN1120 or or a score of 380-449 in the departments Placement Examination. An intensive course in Spanish language communicative competence, with stress on oral interaction, reading, writing, and culture as a continuation of SPAN UN1102 or SPAN UN1120. All Columbia students must take Spanish language courses (UN 1101-3300) for a letter grade.
Prerequisites: SWHL W1101-W1102 or the instructor's permission. A review of the essentials of Swahili grammar; detailed analysis of Swahili texts; practice in conversation. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Prerequisites: WLOF W1101-W1102 or the instructor's permission. Further develops a student's knowledge of Wolof, a major language of West Africa spoken primarily in Senegal and Gambia. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Prerequisites: YORU W1101-W1102 or the instructor's permission. In this course, learners will continue practicing all four language skills through every day dialogues, writing letters, and describing basic situations. In addition, they will be introduced to Yoruba literature and learn how to read and comprehend basic Yoruba texts, such as newspaper articles. Finally, they will be introduced to current affairs as well as social, artistic and, cultural events and issues in Nigeria. The class uses a highly interactive classroom style, supplemented by extensive use of video - both prepared and student-produced - and other computer-assisted tools. Please note this course is offered by videoconferencing from Cornell as part of the Shared Course Initiative.
Prerequisites: ZULU W1201-W1202 or the instructor's permission. Provides students with an in-depth review of the essentials of the Zulu grammar. Students are also able to practice their language skills in conversation.
Prerequisites: FREN UN2121 Intermediate Conversation is a suggested, not required, corequisite Prepares students for advanced French language and culture. Develops skills in speaking, reading, and writing French. Emphasizes cross-cultural awareness through the study of short stories, films, and passages from novels. Fosters the ability to write about and discuss a variety of topics using relatively complex structures.
Prerequisites: GREK UN1101- GREK UN1102 or GREK UN1121 or the equivalent. Detailed grammatical and literary study of several books of the Iliad and introduction to the techniques or oral poetry, to the Homeric hexameter, and to the historical background of Homer.
Prerequisites: LATN UN2101 or the equivalent. Selections from Ovids Metamorphoses and from Sallust, Livy, Seneca, or Pliny.
Prerequisites: SPAN UN2101 or a score of 450-625 in the departments Placement Examination. An intensive course in Spanish language communicative competence, with stress on oral interaction, reading, writing and culture as a continuation of SPAN UN2101. All Columbia students must take Spanish language courses (UN 1101-3300) for a letter grade.
This architectural design studio course explores modes of visualization, technologies of mediation and environmental transformations. These explorations will be used as catalysts for architectural analysis and design experimentation.
Introducing design methodologies that allow us to see and to shape environmental interactions in new ways, the studio will focus on how architecture may operate as a mediator
– an intermediary that negotiates, alters or redirects multiple forces in our world: physical, cultural, social, technological, political etc. The semester will progress through three projects that examine unique atmospheric, spatial and urban conditions with the aid of multimedia visual techniques; and that employ design to develop creative interventions at the scales of an interface, space and city.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisite: PSYC BC2107 Psychology of Learning Lecture. Students conduct experiments analyzing learning and memory in rats and humans. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN1440 Experimental Psychology: Learning and Motivation (which includes PSYC UN1441 Learning and Motivation Lab).
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001 Introduction to Psychology or COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering the basic methods, results, and theory in the study of how experience affects behavior. The roles of early exposure, habitation, sensitization, conditioning, imitation, and memory in the acquisition and performance of behavior are studied.
The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN1440 Experimental: Learning and Motivation.
Prerequisites: SPAN UN1108 or scoring at this level on the department’s Spanish as a Heritage Language Placement test (https://columbia-barnard.vega-labs.com).
The principal aim of SPAN UN2108 is to build upon and further develop the knowledge of Spanish that heritage learners bring to the classroom – from SPAN UN1108 and/or from family and neighborhood exposure to the language. This course cultivates intermediate-level formal speaking, listening, reading, and writing abilities.
Spanish heritage language courses at Columbia/Barnard focus on the development of communicative abilities and literacy from sociolinguistic and sociocultural approaches. Throughout the semester, students will be reviewing spelling patterns, building vocabulary, acquiring and effectively using learning strategies, and strengthening composition skills in Spanish. Cultural projects and readings reinforce learners’ understanding of the multiple issues related to Hispanic cultures in the United States and in other Spanish-speaking societies.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: BC2110 Perception Lecture. Laboratory course to accompany BC2110. Students conduct experiments of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling, and learn to report their findings. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN1480 Perception and Attention (which includes PSYC UN1481 Perception and Attention Lab); and UN2230 Perception and Sensory Processes.
This course will introduce students to the principal ways in which translation has been practiced and theorized in the Western tradition. We will consider, cultural, literary and philosophical theories of translation, as well as the role of translation and translators in today's globalized world. Topics covered will include: translation in the context of postcolonialism, globalization and immigration; the translation of children’s literature; subbing and dubbing in film and television, including fansubbing; translation and ecology; translation and justice; machine translation; linguistic rights; debates about mono- versus plurilingualism. We will also consider, less extensively, the place of interpreting (i.e. oral translation primarily in legal and medical settings). Specialists from the New York area will come to speak about current needs and challenges in the field of community interpreting. On the literary level, we will examine the role played by foreign languages (and translation) in the creative process of contemporary writers. We will read a number of “language memoirs,” narratives that recount the authors’ complex and sometimes agonized relation to acquiring a second language (Eva Hoffman, Xiaolu Guo, Alice Kaplan et al). For one of the assignments you will write the beginning of your own language history. We will also read and study in depth Brian Friel’s play
Translations
. This play is about the replacement of Irish (Gaelic) place names with English names as a result of an ordnance survey in the early 18th century. The course aims to help students improve their translation skills by translating (mostly literature) from your second language (your L2, as the linguists call it) into English, by critically assessing published translations, and by evaluating each other’s' translations-in-progress (including one of the professor's). There will be a number of guest lecturers (translators, editors, writers, interpreters, etc).
Prerequisite for the course:
Intermediate or advanced level proficiency in any language other than English. This course is a foundational and required course for students wishing to complete a Translation Studies Minor.
Is there an essential difference between women and men? How do questions about race conflict or overlap with those about gender? Is there a normal way of being queer? Introduction to philosophy and feminism through a critical discussion of these and other questions using historical and contemporary texts, art, and public lectures. Focus includes essentialism, difference, identity, knowledge, objectivity, and queerness.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001 Introduction to Psychology or COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering an introduction to problems, methods, and research in perception. Discussion of psychological studies of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. Note that this lecture
can
be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2109, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN1480 Perception and Attention; and PSYC UN2230 Perception and Sensory Processes.
Discussion section for ANTH2017.
Discussion section for ANTH2017.
Discussion section for ANTH2017.
Discussion section for ANTH2017.
The first half of a one-year sequence in intermediate Korean for students who have completed First-Year Chinese I and II or the equivalent.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: PSYC BC2125 Psychology of Personality Lecture. Laboratory consists of experiments related to the principal approaches to personality and their implications for personality development, psychological adjustment, and everyday behavior. Students will participate in all stages of personality research: conceptualizing a personality construct, designing and administering tests, identifying individual differences, and carrying out a study.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering the principal approaches to personality and their implications for personality development, psychological adjustment, and everyday behavior. Note that this lecture
can
be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2124, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2610 Introduction to Personality; and PSYC UN2680 Social and Personality Development.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: PSYC BC2129 Developmental Psychology Lecture. Laboratory course involving experiments related to cognitive, linguistic, perceptual, motor, social, affective, and personality development from infancy to adolescence. The course offers an opportunity for direct observation of children; major areas of research at each level of development are covered.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: PSYC BC2129 Developmental Psychology Lecture. Laboratory course involving experiments related to cognitive, linguistic, perceptual, motor, social, affective, and personality development from infancy to adolescence. The course offers an opportunity for direct observation of children; major areas of research at each level of development are covered.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001 Introduction to Psychology or COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering cognitive, linguistic, perceptual, motor, social, affective, and personality development from infancy to adolescence. Note that this lecture
can
be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2128, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2280 Introduction to Developmental Psychology.
This course is designed for intermediate dancers who are interested in maintaining their established ballet technique as well as advancing their knowledge and familiarity with the classical vocabulary. Students of Ballet III should have completed two semesters of Ballet II or it’s equivalent, or one semester of Ballet III or its equivalent, and have a firm mental and physical understanding of barre exercises (plié, battement tendu, battement dégagé, rond de jambe à terre, battement fondu, frappé, and grand battement), as well as general center concepts such as adagio, waltz, pirouettes, and petit allegro (including changement, glissade, jeté, and assemblé). This is a graded, semester long, two credit course.
Prerequisites: BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: BC2138 Social Psychology Lecture. Laboratory course covering contemporary theory and research on social thought and behavior. Issues such as person perception, attitudes, attraction, aggression, stereotyping, group dynamics, and social exchange will be explored. The application of theory and research to addressing social problems will be discussed.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering contemporary theory and research on social thought and behavior. Issues such as person perception, attitudes, attraction, aggression, stereotyping, group dynamics, and social exchange will be explored. The application of theory and research to addressing social problems will be discussed. Note that this lecture
can
be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2137, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2630 Social Psychology.
This course is designed for advanced intermediate dancers who are interested in maintaining their established ballet technique as well as advancing their knowledge and familiarity with the classical vocabulary. Students of Ballet IV should have completed two semesters of Ballet III or its equivalent, or one semester of Ballet IV or its equivalent, and have a firm mental and physical understanding of ballet technical exercises. These include all barre exercises (plié, battement tendu, battement dégagé, rond de jambe à terre, battement fondu, battement frappé, and grand battement), as well as center exercises including adagio, waltz, pirouettes, petit allegro, and grand allegro. Focus of this class will be on how to practice ballet safely, efficiently, musically, and joyfully.
This is a graded, semester long, two credit course. This class is offered in person only, and no remote learning option will be available.
This course examines the conceptual foundations that support feminist and queer analyses of racial capitalism, security and incarceration, the politics of life and health, and colonial and postcolonial studies, among others. Open to all students; required for the major in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) and the Interdisciplinary Concentration or Minor in Race and Ethnicity (ICORE/MORE).
Prerequisites: PSYCBC1001 Introduction to Psychology or its accepted equivalent. . An introduction to the study of abnormal behavior and various psychological disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders. The course broadly reviews scientific and cultural perspectives on abnormal behavior with an emphasis on clinical descriptions and diagnosis, etiology, treatment, and research methods. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2620 Abnormal Behavior.
Enrollment for this class is by instructor approval and an application is required. Please fill out the form here:
https://forms.gle/bPsV7rcf5RWB35PM9
This introductory course for the Interdisciplinary Concentration or Minor in Race and Ethnicity (ICORE/MORE) as well as Majors/Minors in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) is open to all students. We focus on the critical study of social difference as an interdisciplinary practice, using texts with diverse modes of argumentation and evidence to analyze social differences as fundamentally entangled and co-produced. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this course, the professor will frequently be joined by other faculty and guest speakers who bring distinct disciplinary and subject matter expertise. Some keywords for this course include hybridity, diaspora, borderlands, migration, and intersectionality.
Every day there are thousands of individuals interacting with the legal system. Are
they mentally competent to stand trial? How can a judge decide if it is in the best
interests of a child to live with one, or both (or neither) parent(s)? What is the risk of
a violent offender repeating the offense? What kinds of information influence juries?
Does mediation work to solve disputes? Forensic psychologists apply their
knowledge of psychology specifically in legal matters. This semester will focus on
the broad area of forensic psychology, exploring important legal cases relevant to
forensic psychology, police psychology, what constitutes expert testimony, how
assessments are conducted, and working as a psychologist in the correctional system.
This lecture course examines the social, cultural, and legal history of witchcraft, magic, and the occult throughout European history. We will examine the values and attitudes that have influenced beliefs about witchcraft and the supernatural, both historically and in the present day, using both primary and secondary sources. This course will pay specific attention to the role of gender and sexuality in the history of witchcraft, as the vast majority of individuals charged in the witch hunts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were indeed women. We will also study accusations of witchcraft, breaking down the power dynamics and assumptions at play behind the witch trials, and the impacts of these trials on gender relations in European society. This class will track the intersections of magic and science throughout the early-modern period, and the reconciliation of belief systems during the Enlightenment. We will carry our analysis into the modern period, touching on Victorian spiritualism and mysticism, McCarthyism in the United States, and contemporary goddess worship. We will conclude the semester with an investigation into the role of witchcraft in discussions of gender, race, and sexuality in popular culture.
Prerequisites: Must attend first class for instructor permission. Students create maps using ArcGIS software, analyze the physical and social processes presented in the digital model, and use the data to solve specific spatial analysis problems. Note: this course fulfills the C requirement in Urban Studies.
Prerequisites: MDES W1210-W1211 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Prerequisites: MDES W1210-W1211 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Prerequisites: Instructor permission. This is an intensive course that combines the curriculum of both First and Second Year Arabic in two semesters instead of four, and focuses on the productive skills (speaking and writing) in Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha). Students are exposed intensively to grammar and vocabulary of a high register. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to move on to Third Year Arabic. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
An examination of the diverse values, meanings and identities that comprise American pluralism, the moral and political clashes and communities that emerge from them, and the sociological concepts that make sense of them. Part One explores larger macro-themes (American exceptionalism; individualism and community; religion and secularism; pleasure and restraint in post-Puritan America; race, immigration and identity). Part Two explores the interplay between these large themes and cultural polarization in post-Trump America, with special focus on the cultural forces at play in the 2024 presidential election: red states, blues states and cultural sorting; changing conceptions of liberalism and conservatism; class divisions and the global rise of cultural populism; the concept of “epistemic tribes” and media silos; fights over religion and race, sexuality and family; the current war on “wokeness” and the debate on free expression.
An intensive study of key features of German grammar, with an emphasis on skill-building exercises and practical solutions to common problems of writing and speaking on the intermediate level; aims at building confidence in using simple and more complex sentence structures.
An introduction to basic concepts in cognitive psychology. Topics include theories and
phenomena in areas such as attention, memory, concepts and categories, language, reasoning,
decision making, and consciousness.
An intensive study of key features of German grammar, with an emphasis on skill-building exercises and practical solutions to common problems of writing and speaking on the intermediate level; aims at building confidence in using simple and more complex sentence structures. For an additional point, students will hand in a weekly 150-200 word summary in German in which they highlight what they have learned, explain the rules and applications of the linguistic feature on hand. In the last portion of the summary students will reflect on their learning process during each week to document their progress. Individual meetings with the Professor to clarify and practice student specific grammar issues will be scheduled.
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or PSYC UN1010 or the instructors permission. Memory, attention, and stress in human cognition.
Prerequisites: SODBX1111 Must be enrolled on Scholars of Distinction Program This is the course associated with the Barbara Silver Horowitz Scholars of Distinction program. It is for students in that program. Note at the end of their second year, the students will have developed a project for the summer between their second and third years at Barnard. During their third year, they will develop a robust research project connected to or deriving from that summer’s work.
This class explores contemporary jazz movement using music from both American and Diasporic pop culture.
Students can expect to work on technique, performance, groove, musicality, and retention of choreography (additional emphasis on story-telling).
There will be opportunities for discussions of professional development pertaining to navigating a career in dance (auditioning, submissions, agencies/representation, etc) on evaluation days.
Prerequisites: Intermediate level of dance or permission of the instructor. This Course introduces intermediate level students to urban dance styles, focusing on foundations and origins of hip-hop dance, street dance culture, and the physical vocabularies of hip-hop and freestyle dance. Classes are geared to condition the body for the rigors of hip-hop technique by developing strength, coordination, flexibility, stamina, and rhythmic awareness, while developing an appreciation of choreographic movement and structures. Compositional elements of hip-hop will be introduced and students may compose brief movement sequences. The course meets twice weekly and is held in the dance studio. Prerequisite: Intermediate level of a dance form or permission of the instructor.
In West Africa, dance is part of daily life. It is used to mark occasions such a birth, death, harvest, and marriage. It is also used to unite the community in times of crisis. West African dance is not as much a strict technique as it is a movement coming from the spirit and the rhythm of the drum and the energy of the people. While there are certain steps that go with specific rhythms, it leaves space for the individual interpretation and improvisations which is an important element. Dancing is more about the communication between dancer and drummer. The movement of West African dance tends to be energetic and big. It is very expressive, and the energy is outward.
Some African dance steps are taken directly from daily activities such as planting or hunting. Most, however, are an expression of joy or release of the spirit. Dancing is done by communicating with a drummer to create positive energy. It is a way to enjoy oneself and each other. In African dance, the name of the dance is the same as the name of the rhythm played by the drummer. The individual steps that make up the dance do not have names. In this course, we are going to be learning various West African dances such as Sikko, Socco, Kuku, Mandiany, Farakorroba, Sunu, Soli, Lamba, Mandjo, Diambadong, Doundounba, Kaolask, Thieboudjeune, Niarry---gorong, Ekongkong, Wolossodong, Zaouly, Ngorong, Niakka, Maraka, Djansa and Lengeng/Kutiro.
Prerequisites: DNCE BC2252 or permission of instructor.
In West Africa, dance is part of daily life. It is used to mark occasions such a birth, death, harvest, and marriage. It is also used to unite the community in times of crisis. West African dance is not as much a strict technique as it is a movement coming from the spirit and the rhythm of the drum and the energy of the people. While there are certain steps that go with specific rhythms, it leaves space for the individual interpretation and improvisations which is an important element. Dancing is more about the communication between dancer and drummer. The movement of West African dance tends to be energetic and big. It is very expressive, and the energy is outward.
Some African dance steps are taken directly from daily activities such as planting or hunting. Most, however, are an expression of joy or release of the spirit. Dancing is done by communicating with a drummer to create positive energy. It is a way to enjoy oneself and each other.
In African dance, the name of the dance is the same as the name of the rhythm played by the drummer. The individual steps that make up the dance do not have names.
In this course, we are going to be learning various West African dances such as Sikko, Socco, Kuku, Mandiany, Farakorroba, Sunu, Soli, Lamba, Mandjo, Diambadong, Doundounba, Kaolask, Thieboudjeune, Niarry-gorong, Ekongkong, Wolossodong, Zaouly, Ngorong, Niakka, Maraka, Djansa and Lengeng/Kutiro.
This course introduces students to the African-based dances of Cuba, including dances for the Orisha, Rumba, and the immensely joyful “Rueda de Casino” style of Salsa. In addition to learning rhythms, songs, and dances, we will have an ongoing, informal discussion about the historical and contemporary significance of Afro-Cuban dance performance, making connections to personal experience through practice and ongoing reflection. We engage Afro-Cuban music and dance as a living and evolving tradition, where culture, artistry, and history are intimately bound.
This course will survey historical and modern developments in machine intelligence from fields such as psychology, neuroscience, and computer science, and from approaches such as cybernetics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, connectionism, neural networks, and deep learning. Emphasis will be placed on the conceptual understanding of topics. The course does not include, nor require a background in, computer programming and statistics. The overall goal is for students to become informed consumers of artificial intelligence applications.
An upper-level exploration of Afro-Cuban Dance focused on performance. Building on the foundation of Afro-Cuban Dance: Orisha, Rumba, Salsa, this course is a deeper dive into aesthetic principles, cultural themes, and improvisation as performance in the African dance context. Students explore multiple distinct dances and learn to engage the storytelling and cultural significance of each dance through improvisation with the drums. The course culminates with final, in-class presentations. Open to experienced movers and students who have completed Afro-Cuban Dance: Orisha, Rumba, Salsa. Permission of instructor required.
Advanced technique and repertory in hip hop. Classes are geared to condition the body for the rigors of hip-hop technique by developing strength, coordination, flexibility, stamina, and rhythmic awareness, while developing an appreciation of choreographic movement and structures. Compositional elements of hip-hop will be introduced and students may compose brief movement sequences. The course meets twice weekly and is held in the dance studio.
The purpose of this course is to provide a basic introduction to accounting, including the
foundations of accounting concepts, the underlying mechanics, and the overall perspective required
to become intelligent users of accounting information. The course will focus on the main
financial statements, the nature of accrual measurement, and the information perspective. In addition,
we will explore some accounting methods in detail, such as revenue recognition, assets,
liabilities, and equity.
The overarching perspective is that accounting reports provide information that is useful for
a variety of purposes. In the course, I will also provide insights into how the financial markets
use accounting information to evaluate executives, predict future stock returns, assess firms’
riskiness, and allocate society’s resources to their most productive uses.
This course focuses on perception and cognition in social life. We start by addressing the core social motivations we experience in everyday life (e.g., our desire to feel like we belong to a group). Next, we examine how these motivations shape our basic sensory experiences—for example why we can’t help but anthropomorphize inanimate objects or enjoy holding hands with our partner. We then examine the mental strategies we use to meet our social needs, such as how we figure out other people’s thoughts and feelings, as well as our own. Finally, we wrap up by examining how these motivations, perceptions, and cognitions play out not just within one mind – but also between minds in everyday social interaction. This course will not only teach you the fundamental science behind the social mind. It will also let you see your own social life through a whole new lens.
The definition of ecological problems in experimentally tractable ways; the design of experiments and analysis of ecological data; class projects on population ecology. Students conduct individual projects during last month of term.
Prerequisites: BIOL BC1500, 1501, 1502, 1503 or equivalent
Theodosius Dobzhansky—an influential evolutionary biologist who spent much of his career at Columbia University—famously wrote, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Evolution underlies all biodiversity, from the COVID-19 virus to redwood trees, from New York rats to our own bodies and minds. This course introduces students to the evolutionary processes at all scales, from molecular evolution and population genetics within single species, to macro patterns of diversification and evolution in deep time as studies through phylogenies and the fossil record. The overarching goal of the course is for students to gain a solid command of the major concepts in evolutionary theory and how they are interweaved with all life around us.
Prerequisites: (BIOL BC1500) and (BIOL BC1502) and (BIOL BC2280) and (BIOL BC1501) and (BIOL BC1503) This lab provides an introduction to animal behavior research, including current research approaches and practical applications of these findings. Students will complete two main projects. The first is a group project using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, which will involve observing, recording, and analyzing reproductive behaviors. The second is an independent project that will be designed, conducted, and analyzed by students using publicly available animal behavior resources and/or data. Both projects will incorporate critical thinking, problem solving and experimental design, with an emphasize on scientific writing and oral presentation skills.
This class focuses on how we gather reliable scientific evidence about human biology and public health. The aim is to help students better interpret and evaluate the scientific evidence that they will encounter throughout their lifetime, in primary papers but also as presented in news, advertisement, and politics. To these ends, students will be introduced to basic definitions and concepts in statistics and epidemiology, including point estimates and measures of uncertainty, p-values, error rates, association and causation, different study designs, and selection bias. Readings will draw from a textbook as well as the primary literature. The second half of the course will turn to dissecting the representation and misrepresentation of scientific evidence presented in different venues. It will draw primarily from the textbook “Calling Bullshit” and include discussions of timely examples from the news.
Prerequisites: MDES UN1301 and MDES UN1302 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of reading, writing and speaking of Armenian. In Intermediate Armenian I, students learn to communicate about a wide range of topics. Such topics include biographical narration, cooking and recipes, health and well-being, holidays and celebrations, travel and geography, etc. At this level, students continue to develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening while perfecting the grammatical concepts to which they were introduced in the first year. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
An introduction to the Islamic religion in its premodern and modern manifestations. The first half of the course concentrates on “classical” Islam, beginning with the life of the Prophet, and extending to ritual, jurisprudence, theology, and mysticism. The second half examines how Muslims have articulated Islam in light of colonization and the rise of a secular modernity. The course ends with a discussion of American and European Muslim attempts at carving out distinct spheres of identity in the larger global Muslim community.
Used in 2016 by then presidential candidate, Donald Trump, in reference to his female opponent, Hillary Clinton, the phrase “nasty woman” has become a badge of honor and a rallying cry for women’s empowerment.
The origin of the word “nasty,” attested in the 14th century, indicates highly unpleasant qualities- nauseating or unclean, in a literal or figurative way. It also came to evoke indecency and obscenity- and religious traditions have a long history of such depiction of women.
After introducing some key texts on the otherness and objectification of women (including by Aristotle, Beauvoir, Kristeva, Nussbaum, and Butler), we will examine a number of female characters- goddesses, prostitutes, and virgins - in the Mesopotamian, Greek, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic corpus that fit the definition of nasty. We will also analyze some of the underlying tropes of impurity and danger that characterize nastiness involving bodily fluids, sexuality, and knowledge. Spanning theology, literature, movies, and popular culture the course aims to be a survey of religious-based misogyny as well as women’s responses in their pursuit of agency.
Examines the shaping of European cultural identity through encounters with non-European cultures from 1500 to the post-colonial era. Novels, paintings, and films will be among the sources used to examine such topics as exoticism in the Enlightenment, slavery and European capitalism, Orientalism in art, ethnographic writings on the primitive, and tourism.
Modern III continues training in contemporary/modern technique for the beginning-intermediate level dancer, emphasizing alignment and musicality while expanding on the dancer’s physical and intellectual understanding of articulation, phrasing, dynamics, performance and focus. Our class will incorporate relevant principals from classical modern techniques along with contemporary aesthetics, improvisation and reflection. Our class aims to create a space that is in support of your artistic development, aesthetic fluency, and creative explorations as a dancer
Modern IV is a contemporary technique class for the intermediate to advanced-intermediate level dancer, emphasizing alignment and musicality while expanding on the dancer’s physical and intellectual understanding of articulation, phrasing, dynamics, performance, and focus. Our class will incorporate relevant principles from classical modern techniques with contemporary aesthetics, improvisation, and reflection. Our class aims to create a space that is in support of your technical and aesthetic development as a dancing practitioner, performer, and creator.
Course Description:
This intermediate Contemporary Caribbean Dance class draws from different Caribbean dance styles. This Caribbean fusion class explains different cultural dances, focusing on African Diaspora principles and practices such as syncopation in body and in music.
Based on many of the dance of the Caribbean Islands, students learn to identify dances and rhythms that draw from traditions, such as Arara, Palo, Salsa, Rumba, Tambu, Tumba, Merengue, Reaggaton, Cha Cha Cha, Zouk and Afro Dance, as well as more contemporary styles such as “Technica Cubana” and learn to apply them in contemporary combinations. The course is designed for students who have some dance training and are looking to widen their understanding of different dances and learn to use different body parts that are not traditionally used in modern dance but are recognizable in Jazz, hip hop and current offerings in popular