Prerequisites: STAT W3105 Intro. to Probability or STAT W4105 Probability, or the equivalent. Calculus-based introduction to the theory of statistics. Useful distributions, law of large numbers and central limit theorem, point estimation, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, maximum likelihood, likelihood ratio tests, nonparametric procedures, theory of least squares and analysis of variance.
JPNS4205OC: Third Year Japanese I, 4 points. Required to take Third Year Japanese II, JPNS4206OC for 4 points.
The 3rd Year Japanese program (JPNS4205OC & JPNS4206OC; 8 points/2 semesters) is designed for those who have completed at least two years of college-level Jap4nese or the equivalent (around 300 hours of Japanese study).
Students who want to take this course are expected to be at least at the
Intermediate-Mid level
of
the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
N1
at the beginning of the course. Please note that depending on the results of the placement test, the students may be placed in a different level than they apply for.
This class will use intermediate-level materials equivalent to
Tobira
and
Quartet I & II
or JLPT N3-N2. The coverage and materials will be contingent on the levels of students.
The goal of this course is to achieve Intermediate-High or above of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
To enroll in this course, you must apply to the
Kyoto Consortium Summer: Modern Japanese
program through the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE).
Global Learning Scholarships
available.
Tuition
charges apply.
Please note the program dates are different from the Summer Sessions Terms. Visit the
UGE
website for the start and end dates for the Kyoto Consortium Summer: Modern Japanese KCJS.
Please email
uge@columbia.edu
with any questions you may have.
Prerequisites: STAT GU4204 or the equivalent, and a course in linear algebra. Theory and practice of regression analysis. Simple and multiple regression, testing, estimation, prediction, and confidence procedures, modeling, regression diagnostics and plots, polynomial regression, colinearity and confounding, model selection, geometry of least squares. Extensive use of the computer to analyse data.
JPNS4206OC: Third Year Japanese II, 4 points. Required to take Third Year Japanese I, JPNS4205OC for 4 points.
The 3rd Year Japanese program (JPNS4205OC & JPNS4206OC; 8 points/2 semesters) is designed for those who have completed at least two years of college-level Jap4nese or the equivalent (around 300 hours of Japanese study).
Students who want to take this course are expected to be at least at the
Intermediate-Mid level
of
the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
N1
at the beginning of the course. Please note that depending on the results of the placement test, the students may be placed in a different level than they apply for.
This class will use intermediate-level materials equivalent to
Tobira
and
Quartet I & II
or JLPT N3-N2. The coverage and materials will be contingent on the levels of students.
The goal of this course is to achieve Intermediate-High or above of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
To enroll in this course, you must apply to the
Kyoto Consortium Summer: Modern Japanese
program through the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE).
Global Learning Scholarships
available.
Tuition
charges apply.
Please note the program dates are different from the Summer Sessions Terms. Visit the
UGE
website for the start and end dates for the Kyoto Consortium Summer: Modern Japanese KCJS.
Please email
uge@columbia.edu
with any questions you may have.
JPNS4206OC: Third Year Japanese II, 4 points. Required to take Third Year Japanese I, JPNS4205OC for 4 points.
The 3rd Year Japanese program (JPNS4205OC & JPNS4206OC; 8 points/2 semesters) is designed for those who have completed at least two years of college-level Jap4nese or the equivalent (around 300 hours of Japanese study).
Students who want to take this course are expected to be at least at the
Intermediate-Mid level
of
the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
N1
at the beginning of the course. Please note that depending on the results of the placement test, the students may be placed in a different level than they apply for.
This class will use intermediate-level materials equivalent to
Tobira
and
Quartet I & II
or JLPT N3-N2. The coverage and materials will be contingent on the levels of students.
The goal of this course is to achieve Intermediate-High or above of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
To enroll in this course, you must apply to the
Kyoto Consortium Summer: Modern Japanese
program through the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE).
Global Learning Scholarships
available.
Tuition
charges apply.
Please note the program dates are different from the Summer Sessions Terms. Visit the
UGE
website for the start and end dates for the Kyoto Consortium Summer: Modern Japanese KCJS.
Please email
uge@columbia.edu
with any questions you may have.
Prerequisites: STAT GU4204 and GU4205 or the equivalent. Introduction to programming in the R statistical package: functions, objects, data structures, flow control, input and output, debugging, logical design, and abstraction. Writing code for numerical and graphical statistical analyses. Writing maintainable code and testing, stochastic simulations, paralleizing data analyses, and working with large data sets. Examples from data science will be used for demonstration.
Prerequisites: MDES UN1214-UN1215, or the equivalent $15.00= Language Resource Fee, $10.00 = Materials Fee Improvement of writing and speaking skills through compositions, class discussions, and presentations in Arabic on topics such as areas and cultures of the Middle East; classical and modern Arabic literature; and current, authentic materials available from Middle Eastern sources. Review of grammatical and syntactic rules as needed.
Prerequisites: MDES UN1214-UN1215, or the equivalent. $15.00= Language Resource Fee, $10.00 = Materials Fee The continuation of S4210, above.
The seminar zero in on the relationship between Hollywood and the Chinese film industry as a case study to tease out a cluster of issues concerning the politics, economy, and culture of transnational entertainment and media practices. The course aims to introduce students to foundational texts as well as the most updated research topics and approaches concerning Chinese cinema and media. Seminar participants are encouraged to utilize the research tools learned in the class to explore their own research topics and facilitate their own research projects.
Documentaries are proliferating with increasing intensity around the world. They circulate as market commodities, forms of entertainment, and vehicles for social change. In this class we will compare different national and regional contexts of contemporary documentary, including projects created within the media industries of China, Cambodia, Chechnya, Ukraine, Nigeria, and India. We will also examine the presence of “the global” within the United States, which involves exploring questions of immigration, border-crossing, and transnational co-production. Crucial to our course will be the close analysis of how documentaries actively address civil rights struggles, oppressive government regimes, cultural trends, environmental crises, and progressive social movements to create more inclusive, equitable communities. So, too, will we examine emerging technologies (AI, virtual and augmented reality), star-studded film festivals, and the reach and impact of mega studios such as Netflix and Wanda. Guest speakers (scholars, filmmakers, programmers) working in the field will enrich our class discussions. Site visits will offer the opportunity to engage with documentary through the cultural offerings of the city. This course fulfills the Global Core requirement.
This course examines the rich legacy of theater in New York, from Broadway to Off- Broadway, encompassing the writers, directors, actors, institutions, and artists who laid the foundations of American theater and continue to shape the contemporary theatrical landscape. We will commence with an exploration of the roots of theater in NYC and how the city's growth is mirrored in the historic innovations of the art form. Each week will delve into theatrical forms and disciplines, examples of seminal texts, and current productions throughout the city. These investigations offer insights into the ways theater evolves into a quintessential New York event, guided by a producer who has shepherded award-winning shows from initial idea to Broadway for over three decades. Performances will include productions both on and off Broadway. Course fee covers tickets for up to 6 performances during the session. Shows for summer 2025 will be selected at the beginning of the course based on enrollment (shows currently under consideration include:
Pirates: The Penzance Musical, John Proctor is the Villain, The Jonathan Larson Project, Trophy Boys
, among others pending both availability and final course registration).
Please note: more Summer Theatre courses will be posted by the end of March
JPNS4217OC: Fourth Year Japanese I, 4 points. Required to take Fourth Year Japanese II, JPNS4218OC for 4 points.
The 4th Year Japanese program (JPNS4217OC & JPNS4218OC; 8 points/ 2 semesters) is designed for those who have completed at least three years of college-level Japanese or the equivalent (around 450 hours of Japanese study).
Students who want to take this course are expected to be at the
Intermediate-High level
or above of
the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
N1
at the beginning of the course. Please note that depending on the results of the placement test, the students may be placed in a different level than they apply for.
Authentic materials such as newspaper, novels, and TV news will be used alongside with instructor-created materials to study grammatical patterns equivalent to JLPT N1 and N2. In addition, the students will have the opportunity to pursue an individualized project based on their own interests and give a presentation about their project at the end of the program.
The goal of this course is to achieve Advanced-Low or above of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
To enroll in this course, you must apply to the
Kyoto Consortium Summer: Modern Japanese
program through the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE).
Global Learning Scholarships
available.
Tuition
charges apply.
Please note the program dates are different from the Summer Sessions Terms. Visit the
UGE
website for the start and end dates for the Kyoto Consortium Summer: Modern Japanese KCJS.
Please email
uge@columbia.edu
with any questions you may have.
JPNS4218OC: Fourth Year Japanese II, 4 points. Required to take Fourth Year Japanese I, JPNS4217OC for 4 points.
The 4th Year Japanese program (JPNS4217OC & JPNS4218OC; 8 points/ 2 semesters) is designed for those who have completed at least three years of college-level Japanese or the equivalent (around 450 hours of Japanese study).
Students who want to take this course are expected to be at the
Intermediate-High level
or above of
the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
N1
at the beginning of the course. Please note that depending on the results of the placement test, the students may be placed in a different level than they apply for.
Authentic materials such as newspaper, novels, and TV news will be used alongside with instructor-created materials to study grammatical patterns equivalent to JLPT N1 and N2. In addition, the students will have the opportunity to pursue an individualized project based on their own interests and give a presentation about their project at the end of the program.
The goal of this course is to achieve Advanced-Low or above of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
To enroll in this course, you must apply to the
Kyoto Consortium Summer: Modern Japanese
program through the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE).
Global Learning Scholarships
available.
Tuition
charges apply.
Please note the program dates are different from the Summer Sessions Terms. Visit the
UGE
website for the start and end dates for the Kyoto Consortium Summer: Modern Japanese KCJS.
Please email
uge@columbia.edu
with any questions you may have.
This course introduces the fundamental concepts and problems of international human rights law. What are the origins of modern human rights law? What is the substance of this law, who is obligated by it, and how is it enforced? The course will cover the major international human rights treaties and mechanisms and consider some of today's most significant human rights issues and controversies. While the topics are necessarily law-related, the course will assume no prior exposure to legal studies.
Prerequisites: STAT GU4205 or the equivalent. Prerequisites: STAT GU4205 or the equivalent. Least squares smoothing and prediction, linear systems, Fourier analysis, and spectral estimation. Impulse response and transfer function. Fourier series, the fast Fourier transform, autocorrelation function, and spectral density. Univariate Box-Jenkins modeling and forecasting. Emphasis on applications. Examples from the physical sciences, social sciences, and business. Computing is an integral part of the course.
This course introduces the Bayesian paradigm for statistical inference. Topics covered include prior and posterior distributions: conjugate priors, informative and non-informative priors; one- and two-sample problems; models for normal data, models for binary data, Bayesian linear models; Bayesian computation: MCMC algorithms, the Gibbs sampler; hierarchical models; hypothesis testing, Bayes factors, model selection; use of statistical software.
Prerequisites: A course in the theory of statistical inference, such as STAT GU4204 a course in statistical modeling and data analysis, such as STAT GU4205.
Prerequisites: (COMS W3134 or COMS W3136COMS W3137) and (COMS W3203) Introduction to the design and analysis of efficient algorithms. Topics include models of computation, efficient sorting and searching, algorithms for algebraic problems, graph algorithms, dynamic programming, probabilistic methods, approximation algorithms, and NP-completeness.
This seminar 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. The emphasis is 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 applications of artificial intelligence.
Prerequisites: STAT GU4206 The course will provide an introduction to Machine Learning and its core models and algorithms. The aim of the course is to provide students of statistics with detailed knowledge of how Machine Learning methods work and how statistical models can be brought to bear in computer systems - not only to analyze large data sets, but to let computers perform tasks that traditional methods of computer science are unable to address. Examples range from speech recognition and text analysis through bioinformatics and medical diagnosis. This course provides a first introduction to the statistical methods and mathematical concepts which make such technologies possible.
Columbia Engineering's summer on-campus research program for Undergraduate and Master's students. Additional enrichment opportunities comprised of academic and professional seminars, a weekly luncheon, and social programming.
This seminar course explores the intersection of human rights and populism, examining how the rise of populist movements, leaders, and ideologies impact democratic institutions, global politics, and the protection of fundamental human rights. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the course evaluates the sociological, economic, and cultural factors driving populist surges, as well as their consequences for civic culture, governance, and international relations. Students will analyze the implications of populism for human rights in the context of migration, authoritarianism, freedom of speech, minorities, and challenges to international and regional courts and institutions. The course will investigate both left-wing and right-wing populist movements, considering the threat they pose to human rights, their pursuit of socio-economic rights through the redistribution of wealth, and how the human rights project could and is being rethought in light of these challenges and opportunities.
Prerequisites: STAT GU4204 and STAT GU4205 A fast-paced introduction to statistical methods used in quantitative finance. Financial applications and statistical methodologies are intertwined in all lectures. Topics include regression analysis and applications to the Capital Asset Pricing Model and multifactor pricing models, principal components and multivariate analysis, smoothing techniques and estimation of yield curves statistical methods for financial time series, value at risk, term structure models and fixed income research, and estimation and modeling of volatilities. Hands-on experience with financial data.
There are many misconceptions as to what makes an appealing story for children and how to get a story published. Many novice writers are simply relating an incident as opposed to creating a story. This course will show beginner and experienced writers how to mine their lives and imaginations for ideas and how to develop those ideas into children's stories-a step by step process from inspiration to finished manuscript for picture books, early readers, emerging readers and chapter books. Students will also learn the importance of reading their writing out loud-a process that helps both reader and listener develop a better ear for the story's pace, cadence and structure. Writing for children has become incredibly popular in the past fifteen years and publishing houses have been inundated with manuscripts. Many houses have ceased accepting unsolicited manuscripts all together. This course will disclose other avenues to getting your manuscript into the hands of agents and editors.
This course explores the dynamics of protest across the Americas through the lens of performance studies. Utilizing a decolonial and feminist framework, students will analyze a variety of protest performances. Using documentaries and audiovisual footage as primary sources, we will examine how embodied artistic actions challenge power structures and catalyze political mobilization. The course engages with a wide spectrum of movements and events, including the Civil Rights Movement, the protests against the dictatorships in Chile and Argentina, the Zapatista Movement, Black Lives Matter, ACT UP, and Idle No More. Through these cases, we will critically assess how performance is used as a tool for resistance, and social justice.
How does the traveler become the travel writer? What makes good travel writing? Why does it matter today? This course examines and breaks down the very specific craft of travel writing. Simply because we like to travel, does it qualify us to write about it? Everywhere has been written about, so how do we find something fresh to say about… Paris, or even Patagonia? In this course, we both dispel, and prove, some of the myths of travel writing. Students learn to find an angle in order to uncover destinations anew and make them personal— it’s in the personal that the universal is revealed. From crafting a compelling lede and understanding the need for a strong “nut graph,” to knowing the value of dialogue in propelling the story forward, and then finding the ideal kicker to send the reader away satisfied, students dissect published stories and are sent out into “the field” (of New York City) to craft their own. Travel writing is more than, “I went here, I did this, I ate that.” From front-of-book and service pieces, to destination features, we discuss magazine and newspaper travel writing in depth, as well as touch on longer form travel writing. Finally, through exercises and assignments, students learn to craft a compelling pitch in order to approach editors.
The Young Adult (YA) publishing boom has changed the way we read—and write—coming-of-age stories. This course will introduce students to the elements that shape YA novels, and explore the fiction writing techniques needed for long projects, including narrative arcs, character construction, worldbuilding, and scene work. We’ll study work from a wide range of YA genres and authors, including Angie Thomas, Elana K. Arnold, Leigh Bardugo, Jason Reynolds, A.S. King, Elizabeth Acevedo, and more.
Students will begin to write and outline their own YA novel, and a variety of in-class writing exercises will support the development of each project. All students will workshop their own writing and respond to the work of others. By the end of class, students will have a portfolio of materials to draw from, and a richer understanding of the YA landscape and its possibilities.
People like to be liked. And writers obsess about likability in fiction. But is it that important? What about visionaries, iconoclasts, stragglers, strangers, weirdos, and cringe-inducers? What happens when there is friction between a person and their surroundings? Between people? What if a character throws aside motivations to be liked and impulses to comply?
At its heart, this is a class focused on analyzing and crafting characters. We’ll look at loners and lonely hearts, articulate big mouths, and introverted self-imploders. We’ll observe their circumstances and question how their desires encourage them to think and act. Students will regularly respond to prompts and workshop their own writing.
Our discussions will consider what choices writers make to render, shape, define, and refine characters. We’ll take on craft-oriented concerns such as: How is dialogue used to differentiate characters? How does a writer demonstrate a character’s compassion, even if their attitude stinks? How do the story's events affect the reader’s understanding of character? What elements in the narrative change—or don’t—over time to signal to the reader that a character is developing?
Throughout, students will investigate how emerging writers move from maintaining characters’ status quo and progress to allowing characters to do the unexpected. With every question, we will advance our comprehension of building dynamic representations of people in the world, how they act out, and what it takes to fit in.
Readings may include:
Nights at the Circus
by Angela Carter,
Geek Love
by Katherine Dunn, “Speech Sounds” by Octavia Butler,
McGlue
by Ottessa Moshfegh,
True Grit
by Charles Portis,
Distant Star
by Roberto Bolaño,
Home Land
by Sam Lipsyte,
CivilWarLand in Bad Decline
by George Saunders, “Friday Black” by Nana Kwame Adje Brenya, “Emergency” by Denis Johnson, “Tall Tales from the Mekong Delta” by Kate Braverman, “Me and Miss Mandible” by Donald Barthelme,
The Book of Goose
by Yiyun Li,
Mezzanine
by Nicholson Baker,
Wittgenstein's Mistress
by David Markson,
No Longer Human
by Osamu Dazai
The development of the modern culture of consumption, with particular attention to the formation of the woman consumer. Topics include commerce and the urban landscape, changing attitudes toward shopping and spending, feminine fashion and conspicuous consumption, and the birth of advertising. Examination of novels, fashion magazines, and advertising images.
Prerequisites: RUSS UN2101 and RUSS UN2102 or placement test $15.00= Language Resource Fee, $15.00 = Materials Fee , Curriculum evolves according to needs and interests of the students. Emphasis on conversation and composition, reading and discussion of selected texts and videotapes; oral reports required. Conducted entirely in Russian.
Prerequisites: RUSS GU4333 or placement test $15.00= Language Resource Fee, $15.00 = Materials Fee , Continuation of RUSS S4333H.
Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213. This course examines labor markets through the lens of economics. In broad terms, labor economics is the study of the exchange of labor services for wages—a category that takes in a wide range of topics. Our objective in this course is to lay the foundations for explaining labor market phenomena within an economic framework and subsequently apply this knowledge-structure to a select set of questions. Throughout this process we will discuss empirical research, which will highlight the power (as well as the limitations) of employing economic models to real-world problems. By the end of this course we will have the tools/intuition to adequately formulate and critically contest arguments concerning labor markets.
Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213. Equivalent to ECON UN4415. Introduction to the systematic treatment of game theory and its applications in economic analysis.
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: Johanna M.H. Fassl
Syllabus, Art in Venice
This course examines the art, architecture, and culture of Venice from the 14th to the 18th century. The goal of the curriculum is for students to acquire a firm visual literacy in order to read works of Venetian art and to familiarize themselves with the methods of art history. The course is set up as a field study, using the city as classroom and supporting site visits in and outside of Venice. The goal is to provide students with a solid visual knowledge and historical understanding of a set of key monuments, and to encourage them to think through the social, political, cultural, and intellectual forces at play in the creation of these works. Each day's choice of monuments is based on a walkable itinerary, visiting churches, confraternities, cloisters, palaces, and museums. Day trips include excursions to Padua and the Palladian villas in Vicenza and the Veneto.
Counts toward the Art History Major/Concentration at Columbia.
To enroll in this course, you must apply to the
Columbia in Venice
program through the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE).
Global Learning Scholarships
available.
Tuition
charges apply.
Please note the program dates are different from the Summer Sessions Terms. Visit the
UGE
website for the start and end dates for the Columbia in Venice program.
Please email
uge@columbia.edu
with any questions you may have.
Prerequisites: ECON UN3211 and ECON UN3213. Equivalent to ECON UN4500. The theory of international trade, comparative advantage and the factor endowments explanation of trade, analysis of the theory and practice of commercial policy, economic integration. International mobility of capital and labor, the North-South debate.
Prerequisites: Chem UN1403 and CHEM UN1404. Intense laboratory where students desiring an introduction to laboratory skills meet MTWR, 5 hours a day for four weeks in the summer term participating in experimental bench work, data analysis and safe laboratory practice. Grades depend on preparation, participation in the laboratory, short lab reports, critical thinking and experimental skill. There will be two sections for S4515. Section 001 begins June 7th and runs through July 1st. Section 002 begins July 6th and runs through July 29th.
This course will offer an immersion in both the history and the language of comics, from the newspaper strips through the early comic books to today's graphic novels. Beginning with readings that offer a theoretical framework and an analytical vocabulary, students will examine and discuss the way page layout, panel composition, color, lettering, sound effects, and more help carry and shape the narrative, as soundtracks and shot composition do in film. Readings will include wordless works by Shaun Tan, classic works by Alison Bechdel, as well as many that may be less familiar. Students will analyze the American, Asian, and European approaches to comics. Guest speakers from the comics industry will aid in developing students' analytical skills. Instructor permission is required for registration after 5/28.
CLIA4600OC: Mediterranean Humanities II in Venice. 3 points.
Prerequisite: None. Mediterranean Humanities I is not a requirement to enroll in this course. Instructor: Konstantina Zanou
What is the Mediterranean and how was it constructed and canonized as a space of civilization? A highly multicultural, multilingual area whose people represent a broad array of religious, ethnic, social and political difference, the Mediterranean has been seen as the cradle of western civilization, but also as a dividing border and a unifying confluence zone, as a sea of pleasure and a sea of death. The course aims to enhance students’ understanding of the multiple ways this body of water has been imagined by the people who lived or traveled across its shores. By exploring major works of theory, literature and cinema since 1800, it encourages students to engage critically with a number of questions (nationalism vs cosmopolitanism, South/North and East/West divides, tourism, exile and migration, colonialism and orientalism, borders and divided societies) and to ‘read’ the sea through different viewpoints. In the final analysis, Med Hum II is meant to arouse the question of what it means to stand on watery grounds and to view the world through a constantly shifting lens. The Summer version of the course is adapted to contain more material on Venice and its Mediterranean surroundings.
This course fulfills the Global Core requirement and the requirements of Columbia's Italian major and Mediterranean Studies minor. For Global Core, please note students may only receive Global Core credit for either
CLIA4500GU
or CLIA4600OC; not both.
To enroll in this course, you must apply to the
Columbia in Venice
program through the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE).
Global Learning Scholarships
available.
Tuition
charges apply.
Please note the program dates are different from the Summer Sessions Terms. Visit the
UGE
Why do we feel the way we do, how do we understand ourselves and others, and how does this relate to our social relationships? Why does all of this sometimes leave us feeling anxious, depressed, lonely and isolated? And when that happens, what we can do about it? In this seminar, we will tackle these questions using an integrative approach that blends social psychology, clinical psychology and neuroscience to uncover how our emotions and social interactions sometimes work well and sometimes falter. To do this, we will examine human behavior at multiple levels, connecting our social and emotional lives (what we experience and how we act) to cognitive processes (how our minds process information) and underlying neural mechanisms (what's happening in the brain). As the semester unfolds, we start by building an understanding of where our emotions come from, how we can manage them, how we make sense of other people and how we can form positive connections with them. This knowledge provides a foundation for taking the next step - understanding what happens when things go awry and we end up with momentary - or long-lasting - bouts of anxiety, depression, loneliness and other clinical conditions. We end by considering what may be everyone’s life goal - the pursuit of happiness - and how everything we have learned can foster that pursuit through personal actions, social connections and psychotherapeutic support. The overarching goal is to build a nuanced understanding of how and why we think and feel the way we do – about ourselves and others – that can inform both scientific and personal explorations of what “wellbeing” and “mental health” means.
Prerequisites
Equivalents of an introductory Psychology course and one more advanced lecture, lab or seminar course in Psychology or a related discipline (and/or the instructor's permission).
Mediterranean Humanities I (Med Hum) explores the literatures of the Mediterranean from the late Middle Ages until the early Eighteenth Century. We will read Boccaccio, Bandello, and Cervantes, Ottoman and Arabic travel literature, as well as the Eurasian versions of the
One Thousand and One Nights
. We will dive into the travel of texts and people, stories and storytellers across the shores of the Middle Sea, as well as into the relationship between literary texts and historiographical theories of the Mediterranean. Based on the reading of literary texts (short stories, theater), as well as letters, biographies, memoirs, and other ego-documents produced and consumed in the Early Modern Mediterranean, we will discuss big themes as Orientalism, estrangement, forced mobility, connectivity, multiculturalism and the clash of civilizations. Also, we will visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rare Books Room of Butler Library, and we will discuss movies in class.
Following in the footsteps of Fernand Braudel, we will reflect on the Mediterranean in the age of the first globalization as a laboratory of the modern global world and world literature.
This course will offer an examination of the birth and development of the Franciscan Order between 1200-1350. The topics will include Francis of Assisi, the foundation of the three orders of Franciscans, education, poverty, preaching, theology internal strife, antifraternalism, and relations with secular governments and papacy.
Prior knowledge of Python is recommended. Provides a broad understanding of the basic techniques for building intelligent computer systems. Topics include state-space problem representations, problem reduction and and-or graphs, game playing and heuristic search, predicate calculus, and resolution theorem proving, AI systems and languages for knowledge representation, machine learning and concept formation and other topics such as natural language processing may be included as time permits.
Computational approaches to natural language generation and understanding. Recommended preparation: some previous or concurrent exposure to AI or Machine Learning. Topics include information extraction, summarization, machine translation, dialogue systems, and emotional speech. Particular attention is given to robust techniques that can handle understanding and generation for the large amounts of text on the Web or in other large corpora. Programming exercises in several of these areas.
Data, models, visuals; various facets of AI, applications in finance; areas: fund, manager, security selection, asset allocation, risk management within asset management; fraud detection and prevention; climate finance and risk; data-driven real estate finance; cutting-edge techniques: machine learning, deep learning in computational, quantitative finance; concepts: explainability, interpretability, adversarial machine learning, resilience of AI systems; industry utilization
This course will explore the historical, crosscultural and contemporary dimensions of various messianic/millenarian/apocalyptic ideologies and movements, and as such will offer students here at Columbia a comprehensive and in-depth examination and understanding of the many cults, religions, movements and manifestations that have arisen throughout the planet during the past 3,000 years, whose leaders and adherents sought, and most importantly continue to seek, the coming of a new utopian, godinfused age on earth that, in the vast majority of cases, is believed to be preceded by unprecedented global crises, wars and both human and material devastation (aka The Great Tribulations). Since it has been eight years since I last taught this course here at Columbia (which I taught, under various different titles, six times between the years1999 and 2016), it needs to be extensively updated to include the numerous Millennial/Apocalyptic
manifestations that have arisen globally during this more recent period of time, the most current one perhaps being the re-election of our once and future president, Donald J. Trump, whom many of his MAGA followers (particularly his hardline Evangelical base) believe to be the Second Coming of the “Messiah” as foretold in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament (or perhaps alternatively, the Beast or Anti-Christ depicted in the latter’s Book of Revelation).
Topics from generative and discriminative machine learning including least squares methods, support vector machines, kernel methods, neural networks, Gaussian distributions, linear classification, linear regression, maximum likelihood, exponential family distributions, Bayesian networks, Bayesian inference, mixture models, the EM algorithm, graphical models and hidden Markov models. Algorithms implemented in MATLAB.
In this class we will consider the various forms and functions of humor in written prose, discussing techniques and approaches to humor writing. Students will write their own humorous stories and essays which we will read and discuss in class, focusing not only on what is or isn't funny, but on how humor can be advantageously used to increase the power of an overall piece. The class will also break down stories, novels, and essays from a variety of authors-Bill Hicks' political satire; the darkly comedic fiction of Barry Hannah and Paul Beatty; the absurd humor of Tina Fey and Baratunde Thurston; Anthony Lane's charming British snarkiness; Spy Magazine's sharply parodic voice; Woody Allen's one-liners; Lena Dunham's zeitgeist comedy-in an effort to better understand what makes their humor work. Students will be asked to write stories inspired and influenced by these authors. As we critique each other's work, we will investigate strategies related to the craft of humor writing, including self-deprecation, political satire, humor and the other, going blue, dark comedy, schtick, humor as a means vs. humor as an end, crossing the line, and how to write funny without sacrificing substance.
The course focuses on the nexus between energy and security as it reveals in the policies and interaction of leading energy producers and consumers. Topics include: Hydrocarbons and search for stability and security in the Persian Gulf, Caspian basin, Eurasia, Africa and Latin America; Russia as a global energy player; Analysis of the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on energy markets, global security, and the future of the energy transition; Role of natural gas in the world energy balance and European energy security; Transformation of the global energy governance structure; Role and evolution of the OPEC; Introduction into energy economics; Dynamics and fundamentals of the global energy markets; IOCs vs NOCs; Resource nationalism, cartels, sanctions and embargoes; Asia's growing energy needs and its geo-economic and strategic implications; Nuclear energy and challenges to non-proliferation regime; Alternative and renewable sources of energy; Climate change as one of the central challenges of the 21st century; Analysis of the policies, technologies, financial systems and markets needed to achieve climate goals. Climate change and attempts of environmental regulation; Decarbonization trends, international carbon regimes and search for optimal models of sustainable development. Special focus on implications of the shale revolution and technological innovations on U.S. energy security.
The interaction of intelligence and political decision-making in the U.S. other Western democracies, Russia and China. Peculiarities of intelligence in the Middle East (Israel, Iran, Pakistan). Intelligence analyzed both as a governmental institution and as a form of activity, with an emphasis on complex relations within the triangle of intelligence communities, national security organizations, and high-level political leadership. Stages and disciplines of intelligence process. Intelligence products and political decision-making. The function of intelligence considered against the backdrop of rapid evolution of information technologies, changing meaning of homeland security, and globalization. Particular emphasis on the role of intelligence in the prevention of terrorism and WMD proliferation.
Research training course. Recommended in preparation for laboratory related research.