Building upon M.A. Seminar I’s global approach to core issues and conversations with CGT Faculty, M.A. Seminar II tackles new topics and supports the completion of student research and writing. Multi-week modules will continue building discussions around key questions, engaging with guest speakers, and applying new perspectives to hard problems. Research workshops will address common challenges in turning research into writing, engaging sources and citation, and communicating your findings beyond the scope of this class.
First semester of the doctoral program sequence in applied statistics.
Magnetic coordinates. Equilibrium, stability, and transport of torodial plasmas. Ballooning and tearing instabilities. Kinetic theory, including Vlasov equation, Fokker-Planck equation, Landau damping, kinetic transport theory. Drift instabilities.
The Global Leadership Seminar II is one of the core classes of the MPA in Global Leadership. It provides students with concrete lessons on the practice of leadership, enables students the opportunity to interface with established leaders across the spheres of government and civil society. The course culminates with each student submitting and presenting a plan to address a global policy challenge.
Prerequisites: STAT GR6101 Continuation of STAT GR6101.
Strategic Management of Information and Communication Technologies for the Public Good” addresses the spectrum of policy issues, options, and critical decisions confronting senior managers in the public sphere. Classes will be taught by a combination of lecture, readings, and case. Each class will address policy, technical, and managerial challenges for a particular domain of practice from the introduction or use of established and leading-edge information and communication technologies (ICTs), among them cloud, mobile and social. Arenas may include, for example, health, education, energy, economic development, transportation, civic engagement, law enforcement, human resources, social services, transportation, or compliance and regulatory affairs. The cases will involve a variety of managerial dilemmas and decisions, from governance to transparency, performance management to project management, and be generalizable across multiple domains, arenas, and technologies. Our goal is to expose students to the broadest range of policy challenges, and technologies comprising ICTs in use in the principal domains of practice, giving students a comprehensive exposure to the issues and opportunities as managers encounter them today - and will in the very near future. The course is intended for general, non-technical managers and assumes no engineering capability greater than plugging in a USB stick.
Prerequisites: STAT GR6102 or instructor permission. The Deparatments doctoral student consulting practicum. Students undertake pro bono consulting activities for Columbia community researchers under the tutelage of a faculty mentor.
This is a Public Health Course. Public Health classes are offered on the Health Services Campus at 168th Street. For more detailed course information, please go to Mailman School of Public Health Courses website at http://www.mailman.hs.columbia.edu/academics/courses
Lectures cover principal topics in evolutionary biology including genetics, genome organization, population and quantitative genetics, the history of evolutionary theory, systematics, speciation and species concepts, co-evolution, and biogeography.
MIA Politics I Core.
This course introduces MIA students to foundational theories and analytical frameworks used to understand international affairs and the global political economy. Drawing on literature from international relations, comparative politics, political sociology, and economics, the course examines the evolution of international relations scholarship and key debates shaping the field. Through weekly discussions, case-based readings, and structured debates, students will critically engage with competing perspectives on power, institutions, regimes, markets, and global order. Special attention is given to American scholarly traditions and real-world applications, including contemporary issues such as war, climate change, and global inequality.
MPA Politics I Core.
This course provides an introduction to American political institutions and their role in shaping public policy. Students will examine how policy decisions, and inaction, affect critical aspects of daily life, including health care, education, public safety, and environmental protection. The course explores the structure and function of U.S. political institutions such as Congress, the presidency, courts, and federalism, and how these compare to other democracies. It also analyzes the influence of actors including interest groups, social movements, the media, and bureaucrats. Through case studies, group work, and applied analysis, students will gain a foundational understanding of the policymaking process, key trends in American politics, and the skills needed to engage with public policy in practice.
MPA Politics I Core.
This course provides an introduction to American political institutions and their role in shaping public policy. Students will examine how policy decisions, and inaction, affect critical aspects of daily life, including health care, education, public safety, and environmental protection. The course explores the structure and function of U.S. political institutions such as Congress, the presidency, courts, and federalism, and how these compare to other democracies. It also analyzes the influence of actors including interest groups, social movements, the media, and bureaucrats. Through case studies, group work, and applied analysis, students will gain a foundational understanding of the policymaking process, key trends in American politics, and the skills needed to engage with public policy in practice.
MPA Politics I Core.
This course provides an introduction to American political institutions and their role in shaping public policy. Students will examine how policy decisions, and inaction, affect critical aspects of daily life, including health care, education, public safety, and environmental protection. The course explores the structure and function of U.S. political institutions such as Congress, the presidency, courts, and federalism, and how these compare to other democracies. It also analyzes the influence of actors including interest groups, social movements, the media, and bureaucrats. Through case studies, group work, and applied analysis, students will gain a foundational understanding of the policymaking process, key trends in American politics, and the skills needed to engage with public policy in practice.
Public policy shapes how our environment, both natural and built, is managed and regulated. Policy not only creates the infrastructure and regulatory frameworks needed to support sustainability goals, but is also critical in establishing an equitable foundation that supports individual and collective change in pursuit of those goals.
This course will serve as an introduction to equity in sustainability policy: We will survey federal, state, and local policies and proposals to understand how we use policy to enhance urban resilience, mitigate environmental impacts, and also promote social and economic justice. Using an interdisciplinary approach that draws from economics, sociology, urban studies, critical theory, and more, students will develop their capacities to read and interpret policy, enhance their understanding of current policy frameworks, and strengthen their ability to engage with emerging policy developments.
Building on contemporary efforts in public policy, we will use an equity lens to focus on the human dimension of sustainability. We will explore policy frameworks and dialogues that foster more equitable outcomes, increase engagement of people most impacted, and contribute to sustainability goals. As an entry point, the course will focus on policies related to climate adaptation and urban sustainability transitions, setting the stage for students to explore equity in urban resilience efforts and to examine intersections of race, class, and other social factors with access to resources.
The course will be discussion-based and center participatory activities (e.g., student-led discussions, paired analyses, team exercises) designed to encourage students to consider policy issues from multiple perspectives—including identifying disparities and assessing opportunities for increasing equity in the sustainability policy sector. The course will also invite scholars and practitioners to share expertise and experience from the field. Students are not expected or required to have any previous experience with policy or law.
This course is required for students in Pediatric Primary Care and the Pediatric Specialty Care programs. The pathogenesis of common conditions affecting children is presented and serves as a basis for clinical management. Relevant pharmacology is presented for each of the disease entities.
The course provides an overview of the scenario analysis and climate risk modeling process for corporate issuers and government entities. There is a brief introduction to the climate models utilized by the IPCC, both global and regional. There is a description of the scenario generation and analysis process, with linkages to benchmark scenarios outlined by international bodies. This is followed by a review of the linkages between climate models and socio-economic variables in the form of integrated assessment models, Ricardian models and economic input-output analysis. There is one module on the information systems needed to ensure good adaptation and a review of best practices and guidelines for climate risk management strategies. Integrated examples of climate risk and opportunities for specific issuers are discussed in the last 2 classes. The problem sets and exercises are designed to provide practice in applying high-level guidelines and climate damage relationships to the strategies and operations of specific countries, industries and companies.
Interaction of light with nanoscale materials and structures for purpose of inducing movement and detecting small changes in strain, temperature, and chemistry within local environments. Methods for concentrating and manipulating light at length scales below the diffraction limit. Plasmonics and metamaterials, as well as excitons, phonos, and polaritons and their advantages for mechanical and chemical sensing, and controlling displacement at nanometer length scales. Applications to nanophotonic devices and recently published progress in nanomechanics and related fields.
This interdisciplinary seminar examines the role of multinational energy companies in the context of international human rights, corporate responsibility, and global governance. Drawing on case studies and legal frameworks, the course explores how extractive industries intersect with political, environmental, and social systems, particularly in transitional and emerging economies.
Key themes include the development of international human rights law, the evolving definition of corporate responsibility, environmental and minority rights, corruption and transparency, and the geopolitics of natural resource extraction. Students will investigate how transnational corporations operate in weak governance zones, how investment treaties shape state-corporate relations, and how disputes over pipelines and land use affect communities and nations alike.
The course emphasizes real-world case analysis, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, Canadian mining projects in Latin America, and recent developments in sovereign debt, investor-state arbitration, and standards for corporate conduct. Students will also evaluate the effectiveness of voluntary standards, multilateral codes, and legal instruments in shaping corporate behavior.
The fundamental purpose of this course is to facilitate an understanding of the physiological mechanisms relevant to the maternal experience, fetal life, and the neonatal period. This course will focus primarily on the physiology of normal maternal/fetal/newborn issues and cover some common complications and pathology.
MIA and MPA Politics II Core.
This seven-week course introduces students to some of the central concepts, theories, and analytical tools used in contemporary social science to understand and explain world politics. The theoretical literature is drawn from different fields in the social sciences, including comparative politics, international relations, political sociology and economics. The course introduces students to debates around race and international relations, state-making and state-failing, authoritarianism and democratization, inequality and models of globalization, America primacy and the “rise of the Asia.”
Continuation of MATH GR6151x (see Fall listing).
Prerequisites: MATH GR6151 MATH G4151 Analysis & Probability I. Continuation of MATH GR6152x (see fall listing).
MIA and MPA Politics II Core.
Global Politics & International Organizations
introduces the actors, coalitions, institutions, and processes of global politics. It creates the conceptual foundations for understanding the role of international organizations in today’s multipolar and complex (or, ‘multiplex’) world. It sheds light on how states, non-state actors, and international bureaucracies act within international organizations and how they negotiate international agreements. The discussions will focus on formal and informal decision-making processes, working methods, and power in international relations. It will highlight processes within Bretton Woods institutions (the World Bank and the IMF), as well as at the United Nations, including bargaining processes at the UN Security Council. As a spillover from global politics, the course will also explore the role of international organizations in domestic policymaking processes.
In addition to critical scholarship on international organizations and global governance, the course relies on students’ analysis of relevant proceedings and debates at the UN, original policy documents, as well as expert testimony from a range of guest speakers, who share their extensive first-hand observations as actors of global governance processes. By these means,
Global Politics & International Organizations
offers insights into the processes, challenges, and impacts of activities by international organizations to make global governance regimes stronger, more effective, and hold actors more accountable.
MIA and MPA Politics II Core.
This course examines the evolution of American foreign policy within the context of U.S. political institutions, domestic dynamics, and historical experiences. It emphasizes the interplay between foreign and domestic policy, considering how American identity, political culture, and internal debates have shaped international engagement. While grounded in key moments in U.S. history, the course also addresses recent shifts in America's global role and examines the strategic, ideological, and institutional forces that continue to influence foreign policy decisions.
This course critically examines some of the moral and historical arguments for the justification of reparations for New World slavery. We explore the state of the debate about such historical injustices -- inquiring into questions of cultural trauma, memory, and generations. Our main concern will be to connect a moral claim about repair to an understanding of the injury of slavery in the Americas. Open to graduate students only. Permission is required.
MIA and MPA Politics II Core.
This course examines the development and dynamics of political parties in the United States, with a focus on the evolution of the two-party system and its influence on American politics and policymaking. Students will explore the historical foundations of party formation, ideological shifts over time, and the distinct roles parties play at national and subnational levels. The course also analyzes the structure and impact of party primaries, as well as recent technological and communication changes that have transformed modern electoral strategy and campaign practices.
Topics in Software engineering arranged as the need and availability arises. Topics are usually offered on a one-time basis. Since the content of this course changes, it may be repeated for credit with advisor approval. Consult the department for section assignment.
MIA and MPA Politics II Core.
This course examines the unique challenges and opportunities of the Global South, integrating theoretical frameworks, historical analysis, and contemporary case studies to develop a thorough understanding of how the region confronts and navigates some of the most significant issues shaping its politics and policies. By analyzing diverse political and policy dynamics in the Global South, it encourages students to think globally and recognize interconnectedness across political systems. Over seven weeks, we examine various challenges posed by institutional legacies of colonialism, the rise of populism, democratic backsliding, corruption, and political violence, while also highlighting innovative responses emerging from the Global South through contemporary case studies.
MIA and MPA Politics Core II.
This course explores how sudden disruptions—such as elections, economic shocks, natural disasters, and conflict—can challenge or derail long-term policy efforts. Using analytical tools from game theory, economics, management, and law, students will assess how policy responses are developed under pressure and how to design adaptive programs capable of withstanding unexpected change. The course combines discussion, interactive exercises, and real-world case studies to build the strategic, ethical, and communication skills needed to lead through uncertainty. Guest speakers with firsthand experience in policymaking during crises will offer practical insights into decision-making when the stakes are high. Students will learn to anticipate and manage change, balance competing demands, and identify opportunities to advance policy goals even amid disruption.
Archaeology is a sprawling, messy discipline and the role that theory does, should, and might play in the process of archaeological data collection, analysis, and interpretation has been highly contested. Archaeologists argue over whether there is such a thing as a stand-alone ‘archaeological theory’ and what kinds of theory from other disciplines should (or should not!) be imported. This course explores a range of recent theoretical conversations, orientations, and interventions within archaeology, with an eye to understanding what is currently at stake – and what is contested – in how archaeologists think about making archaeological knowledge in the contemporary moment. In doing so, this course encourages students to think about theory in archaeology as an important form of “practical knowledge” or “know how” for archaeologists (cf. Lucas 2018).
Prerequisites: CHEM UN2443 , or the equivalent.
This course will provide an introduction to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the drug development and approval process, often referred to as the “Critical Path”. The class will begin with a review of the history and organization of the FDA, and analysis of the principle steps along the critical path, including preclinical testing, clinical testing (drug development phase 0 thru IV), Good Laboratory Practices, Good Manufacturing Practices, Good Clinical Practices, and adverse event reporting. Different types of FDA submissions (IND, NDA, ANDA, SPA, eCTD), and FDA meetings will be examined, along with accelerated drug approval strategies, orphan drug development strategies, generic drug development, and post-marketing Sponsor commitments. Throughout the class we will study the related legislation and regulations that empower FDA, and the interrelated FDA guidance documents that define FDA expectations.
This class will describe the electronic and physical structure of inorganic materials with an emphasis on colloidal quantum dots and surface science.
The scenes selected for study and practice will come from dramatic works by playwrights of the 20th and 21st centuries. For the most part these writers will be American dramatists, but exceptions may sometimes be made. The scenes being used are assigned by the instructor, sometimes by way of suggestions by the student, if the student has a particular interest in a specific writer or character. Three scenes are presented each class. Each scene will be able to work with the teacher for approximately 50 minutes. The emphasis of the working session is on process, methods of rehearsal, engagement of body and voice, employment of principles of craft, and self-analysis.
Continuation of MATH GR6175x (see Fall listing).
Human–computer interaction (HCI) studies (1) what computers are used for, (2) how people interact with computers, and (3) how either of those should change in the future. Topics include ubiquitous computing, mobile health, interaction techniques, social computing, mixed reality, accessibility, and ethics. Activities include readings, presentations, and discussions of research papers. Substantial HCI research project required.
Prerequisites: ANTH G6352 Museum Anthropology: history and theory / ANTH G6353 Politics and Practice of Museum Exhibitions; G9110, G9111 and the instructors permission. Corequisites: ANTH G6353. This course addresses the practical challenges entailed in the process of creating a successful exhibition. Developing an actual curatorial project, students will get an opportunity to apply the museum anthropology theory they are exposed to throughout the program. They will be given a hands-on approach to the different stages involved in the curation of a show, from the in-depth researching of a topic to the writing, editing and design of an exhibition that will be effective for specific audiences.
This course introduces the legal frameworks, institutions, and advocacy strategies that underpin the international human rights system. With a practitioner’s lens, students will explore civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights through treaties, customary law, and jurisprudence. Emphasis is placed on understanding where and how the law offers avenues for redress, and the evolving role of human rights advocacy in confronting modern challenges, including corporate accountability, gender discrimination, and climate justice.
Students will examine the structure and operation of key international and regional human rights mechanisms, the limits and opportunities of legal enforcement, and the relationship between international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The course integrates doctrinal learning with applied analysis through case studies, reflections, and simulations.
Attendance in the first class session is mandatory.
MPA Financial Management Core I and II.
This course introduces the principles and practices of financial reporting, with the goal of enabling students to become informed users of financial information in both public and private sector contexts. Emphasis is placed on understanding the three primary financial statements: the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows; and the accounting concepts and rules that shape them. Students will examine how financial information is prepared, disclosed, and interpreted, and will develop analytical tools to assess an organization’s financial health and operational effectiveness. Real-world financial statements will be used throughout the course to build fluency in the language and application of accounting.
MPA Financial Management Core I and II.
This course introduces the principles and practices of financial reporting, with the goal of enabling students to become informed users of financial information in both public and private sector contexts. Emphasis is placed on understanding the three primary financial statements: the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows; and the accounting concepts and rules that shape them. Students will examine how financial information is prepared, disclosed, and interpreted, and will develop analytical tools to assess an organization’s financial health and operational effectiveness. Real-world financial statements will be used throughout the course to build fluency in the language and application of accounting.
Prerequisites: STAT GR6201 Continuation of STAT G6201
This is a Law School course. For more detailed course information, please go to the Law School Curriculum Guide at: http://www.law.columbia.edu/courses/search
Prerequisites: the instructors permission prior to registration. Please contact the instructors for more information. This graduate student field survey provides an overview of the scholarly study of American politics. The course has been designed for students who intend to specialize in American politics, as well as for those students whose primary interests are comparative politics, international relations, or political theory, but who desire an intensive introduction to the ;American; style of political science.
This course introduces students to the literature on globalization and the diffusion of culture and institutions. It covers literatures in sociology and political science as well as some anthropology and history. This course will not discuss economic, financial, or migratory globalization in depth. In the first part, we will survey the major theories of the global diffusion of culture and institutions: world polity theory, global field theory, the policy diffusion literature, etc. In the second part, we discuss select topics, such as the role of local power relations in diffusion processes or the consequences of diffusion for patterns of cultural similarity and difference across the world.
Prerequisites: the director of graduate studies permission. Corequisites: ECON G6410. Consumer and producer behavior; general competitive equilibrium, welfare and efficiency, behavior under uncertainty, intertemporal allocation and capital theory, imperfect competition, elements of game theory, problems of information, economies with price rigidities.
This is a Law School course. For more detailed course information, please go to the Law School Curriculum Guide at: http://www.law.columbia.edu/courses/search
Prerequisites: the director of graduate studies permission. Concept of full employment. Models of underemployment and theory applicability, determinants of consumption and of investment, multiplier and accelerator analysis, an introduction to monetary macroeconomics, the supply side and inflation. Integration of macroeconomics with microeconomic and monetary analysis.