Prerequisites: ECON G6211 and ECON G6212 or the instructors permission. This course covers topics at the frontier of international trade research, placing an emphasis on theory. Previous topics include: trade patterns, offshoring, inequality, unemployment, trade and matching, firm organization, and trade policy.
Prerequisites: biology, ecology, genetics, and evolution. Introduction to the applied science of maintaining the earths biological diversity, its landscapes, and wilderness. Focus on the biological principles relevant to the conservation of biodiversity at the genetic, population, and community and landscape levels.
Selected topics in electrical and computer engineering. Content varies from year to year, and different topics rotate through the course numbers 6900 to 6909.
Selected topics in electrical and computer engineering. Content varies from year to year, and different topics rotate through the course numbers 6900 to 6909.
The world has underestimated the impact of disinformation and information operations that exploit the surveillance capitalism model of social media. From the seeding of and experimentation with metanarratives and exploiting its design to spread viral content in 2014, the impact is at three levels: the individual on these platforms, the group they belong to (real-life examples of the Asch conformity studies), and at a macro level - emerging human behavior. This insidious manipulation has led to more than 71% of the world under authoritarian rule, helping elect illiberal leaders democratically. The political, social, and psychological damage caused by the intensive dissemination of online mis/disinformation has been profound, and the problem has gone well beyond platform business models, algorithms, and micro-targeting. We’re now looking at a broad, systemic problem with many moving pieces.
The good news: much has been learned about how to address the problem so we will emphasize the research, policies and regulations that are being tried around the world. This semester we are paying particular attention to the aftermath of the 2024 election landscape and the strange post-truth environment we find ourselves in.
The first part of this course will focus on understanding mis/disinformation online. What exactly is it? Why should we care? What are the implications for Democracy? Who is the cast of characters creating mis/disinformation online? After we’ve understood these topics we will examine the fixes being proposed and tried globally. We will consider both the demand and supply side of the problem and the national context shapes the solutions being tried. We will look at the pros and cons of efforts to promote responsible news consumption, enhance media literacy, fact-checking, and new regulations. We will also discuss content moderation, platform liability, disclosure requirements for election advertising, and support for journalism.
This course will examine the major debates, contested genealogies, epistemic and political interventions, and possible futures of the body of writing that has come to be known as postcolonial theory. We will examine the relationships between postcolonial theory and other theoretical formations, including post-structuralism, feminism, Marxism, subaltern studies, Third Worldism, Global South Studies, and Decolonial Theory. We will also consider what counts as “theory” in postcolonial theory: in what ways have novels, memoirs, or revolutionary manifestos, for example, offered seminal, generalizable statements about the (settler) colonial and postcolonial condition? How can we understand the relationship between the rise of postcolonial studies in the United States and the role of the U.S. in the post-Cold War era? How do postcolonial theory and its insights about European and American imperialism contribute to analyses of contemporary globalization?
Selected topics in electrical and computer engineering. Content varies from year to year, and different topics rotate through the course numbers 6900 to 6909.
Selected topics in electrical and computer engineering. Content varies from year to year, and different topics rotate through the course numbers 6900 to 6909.
Final report required. This course may not be taken for pass/fail credit or audited.
Prerequisites: the instructors permission. (Seminar). This course aims to contribute to your professional development while preparing you to teach University Writing, Columbia’s required first-year writing course. By the end of this course, you should have a basic grasp of the goals and structure of University Writing, the principles that inform its design, and the kinds of materials used in the course. While the course has an immediate goal—to prepare you for your fall teaching assignment—it aims simultaneously to enrich your teaching in the broadest sense. Your fall University Writing syllabus, as well as your lesson plans and homework assignments for the first eight classes, are due for review on August 1, 2016. This course will give you opportunity to prepare these materials throughout this semester with the support of the UWP directors, senior instructors, and advising lecturers. This course is the first of your ongoing professional development obligations as a UW instructor. You must successfully complete G6913 to teach in the UWP. Every subsequent semester, you will be required to attend a staff orientation, attend at least one workshop, and meet with your mentor and advising UWP director. All instructors new to the UWP must take this 1-credit, ungraded course during the fall of their first year of teaching. The course is intended to guide instructors through their first semester and emphasizes the practical application of the knowledge and expertise developed in G6913. Successful completion of the course is required for continuation as a UWP instructor.
This course is an immersive, intellectually rigorous and interactive exploration of the main issues and trends within managing people and building organizational culture. The course is designed to endow students with the essential skills for effective people management within diverse organizational and cultural environments. Through a blend of theory, simulations, role-play, and case studies, this course delves into the intricacies of attracting, retaining, (re)skilling and sustaining talent in the ever-evolving workplace from the viewpoint of managing performance and building resilient organizational cultures. Students will engage in hands-on learning experiences reflecting real-life challenges such as designing organizational architectures, fostering inclusive workplaces, designing incentives and reward systems, and navigating complex negotiations for talent retention. The curriculum bridges theoretical frameworks with practical execution, enabling students to develop robust strategies for building and nurturing dynamic cultures that align with organizational goals. Topics include crafting compelling visions and mission statements, developing frameworks for continuous talent development, establishing optimal incentive structures for performance management and implementing conflict resolution mechanisms that foster a collaborative and productive organizational climate. By the course's end, students will be adept at managing and enhancing human capital to drive organizational success and adaptability in a rapidly changing global market.
The course takes a theoretical and critical look at the field from the instructor’s many years of experience working in technology and development, from organizations as diverse as Microsoft Research India to UN Women. ICTs have the power to fundamentally transform the lives of billions. Yet technological solutions are often offered as a “silver bullet”, not grounded in broader socio-economic networks. The course will discuss several case-studies in order to ground theory in practice, and will introduce students to several initiatives which have enabled “development” through ICTs, such as India’s Aadhaar, Kenya’s M-Pesa and others. We will also have participation from invited guest speakers. Through a group assignment, students will apply the principles and good practices explored in the course to develop a concrete digital development proposal. Students who are interested in careers in international development with a focus on technology will find this course a useful foundation.
Topics to help CS/CE and EE graduate students’ communication skills. Emphasis on writing, presenting clear, concise proposals, journal articles, conference papers, theses, and technical presentations. Credit may not be used to satisfy degree requirements.
Prerequisites: EESC GU4008, and advanced calculus, or the instructors permission. The current climate and its variations over Earth history are interpreted as consequences of fundamental physical processes, including radiative transfer, the atmosphere and ocean circulation, and the carbon cycle. Perturbations to climate, resulting from changing atmospheric composition or insolation, are examined using a combination of simple interpretative models and full Earth System Models.
The rapid proliferation of Generative AI is spurring creativity and changing industries but also fueling deception and fraud and fundamentally altering the global informational ecosystem. Global governments, multi-lateral institutions, and technologists around the globe are looking for ways to maintain fidelity in the brave new synthetic world.
This course will delve into one of the most promising approaches to mitigating risks: digital content provenance. An emerging open standard, which emphasizes transparency and authenticity in what we see and hear online, is backed by nearly 2,000 companies and has been embraced by global governments – most notably by the White House’s Executive Order on AI (October 2023). We will examine why the world needs provenance in digital content, how it works (What is a PKI? What is a certificate authority? Why is an open standard necessary?), how it is deployed (what are the technologies available) and how various industries from government, media, Gen AI, and are already using provenance to increase fidelity and trust in what we see and hear online. We will also examine its pathways to being legislated and assess if this will become the law of States, Nations, and even Internationally recognized standard.
We will include guest speakers from government, technology, technology, and private industry to help explain why/how digital content provenance is essential for society and the economy.
Students interested in the nexus of technology, Gen AI, policy development, and global security will be interested in this course. This course will give students a solid understanding of the theories and pillars of digital content provenance and the opportunity to use and test the emerging technologies associated.
Prerequisites: ECON G6412, ECON G6411, ECON G6215, ECON G6211. Corequisites: ECON G6212, ECON G6216, ECON G6412. This course will critically examine mainstream approaches to economic theory and practice, particularly in the areas of macroeconomic stabilization policy, poverty reduction, economic development, environmental sustainability, and racial and gender inequality. Topics will vary from year to year, but may include responses to the credit crisis and Great Recession, global warming and international negotiations, globalization, the measurement of poverty and inequality, different approaches to poverty reduction, AIDS and malaria, mass imprisonment, childrens wellbeing, the IMF and the World Bank, intellectual property in an international context, racial disparities in life expectancy, public pension systems in developed countries, health care, and homelessness. The course will also examine biases in economic discourse, both among policy makers and scholars.
Each week we will examine a variety of case studies covering topics such as: the ethics of information design, algorithmic bias, deceptive user experience patterns, social media and commodification, safe spaces in virtual environments, the development of autonomous systems and smart cities, the relationships between artificial intelligence and copyright, democracy and media, and media activism and community organizing. Throughout the semester, students will select three ethical problems to research, including two case studies and one essay/ opinion piece. Using primary sources, photo, video, and graphics, students will capture pressing ethical issues. They will learn to navigate frameworks for ethical decision making, ethical management systems, and develop “codes” of ethics, and value statements. Students will also have the opportunity to engage in hands-on “ethical” user experience research during class exercises where they test websites, apps, and products. Finally, guests will be invited to the course to share their experience with developing ethical frameworks as media, design, and technology professionals.
Cities are expanding, and many are becoming “smarter.” Big data is being collected through sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT), while artificial intelligence (AI) processes this data. As smart cities evolve, policymakers must understand both the opportunities and risks of AI and be equipped with strategies to manage them effectively.
To responsibly implement AI in public services, it is crucial that these initiatives address urban challenges in a transparent, accountable, and equitable manner. This course explores strategies for achieving this, drawing from human-centered design (HCD), human-centered AI (HCAI), explainable AI (XAI), and deliberative democracy. Throughout the course, students will develop a nuanced understanding of the potential opportunities and risks associated with AI in smart cities. They will be introduced to strategies that mitigate these risks, such as HCD, HCAI, and XAI. Students will apply these approaches to case study research and craft policy recommendations for an urban governance challenge in a city of their choice. By engaging with this work, they will gain experience in mapping current and future user journeys related to urban challenges.
Additionally, students will become familiar with the 'Three Horizons Method,' using it to identify opportunities for disruption and innovation. This method will also help inform wise action in the face of uncertainty. Students will synthesize their findings into personas and journey maps, leveraging these insights to propose innovative solutions that address complex urban governance issues.
Prerequisites: Instructor-Managed Waitlist & Course Application.
This introductory course for second-year SIPA students covers the fundamentals of persuasive speechwriting for politics, business, and advocacy organizations.
While theory is covered in the first class, emphasis is placed on building practical skills throughout the semester’s remaining six classes. Students will be expected to draft, edit, and deliver their own speeches throughout the semester. Along the way, they’ll develop the research, writing, and editing skills to shape and articulate a compelling message, while collecting techniques to meet deadlines and overcome the dreaded “writer’s block.”
This course addresses practical topics including: Why do some speeches persuade, while others fall flat? How does a writer effectively capture the voice of the person they’re writing for? How are speeches tailored for specific audiences, venues, and occasions? Are there ethical responsibilities when writing speeches that can confirm, change, or create mass behavior? As AI tools become increasingly sophisticated, how should a speechwriter approach questions of sourcing, fact-checking, and fundamentally human aspects of writing such as humor and creativity?
By the end of the semester, students will have three full speeches to use as writing samples.
The course is taught by speechwriter, political strategist, and New York Times bestselling author Lauren Peterson. Lauren spent several years working as a speechwriter to Hillary Clinton, including on her 2016 presidential campaign, and helped the former Secretary of State launch and produce her award-winning podcast, You and Me Both. Previously, she worked as a senior advisor and writer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and as a senior writer on President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. While Lauren is a fierce believer in the ability of speeches to shape public discourse and move listeners to action, she feels just as strongly that digital tools are essential to reaching audiences in the modern era of communications. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Lauren has written about figure skating for The Washington Post, parenthood for Romper, and LGBTQ conception for The Bump. She has appeared on MSNBC and been featured in Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, and Fusion’s “30 Women Who Will Change the 2016 Election.&rdqu
Prerequisites: Instructor-Managed Waitlist & Course Application.
This introductory course for second-year SIPA students covers the fundamentals of persuasive speechwriting for politics, business, and advocacy organizations.
While theory is covered in the first class, emphasis is placed on building practical skills throughout the semester’s remaining six classes. Students will be expected to draft, edit, and deliver their own speeches throughout the semester. Along the way, they’ll develop the research, writing, and editing skills to shape and articulate a compelling message, while collecting techniques to meet deadlines and overcome the dreaded “writer’s block.”
This course addresses practical topics including: Why do some speeches persuade, while others fall flat? How does a writer effectively capture the voice of the person they’re writing for? How are speeches tailored for specific audiences, venues, and occasions? Are there ethical responsibilities when writing speeches that can confirm, change, or create mass behavior? As AI tools become increasingly sophisticated, how should a speechwriter approach questions of sourcing, fact-checking, and fundamentally human aspects of writing such as humor and creativity?
By the end of the semester, students will have three full speeches to use as writing samples.
The course is taught by speechwriter, political strategist, and New York Times bestselling author Lauren Peterson. Lauren spent several years working as a speechwriter to Hillary Clinton, including on her 2016 presidential campaign, and helped the former Secretary of State launch and produce her award-winning podcast, You and Me Both. Previously, she worked as a senior advisor and writer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and as a senior writer on President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. While Lauren is a fierce believer in the ability of speeches to shape public discourse and move listeners to action, she feels just as strongly that digital tools are essential to reaching audiences in the modern era of communications. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Lauren has written about figure skating for The Washington Post, parenthood for Romper, and LGBTQ conception for The Bump. She has appeared on MSNBC and been featured in Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, and Fusion’s “30 Women Who Will Change the 2016 Election.&rdqu
Seismic waves in layered media, matrix methods, free vibrations of the Earth, dislocation theory, source mechanics.
The overall goal of this course is to improve the writing skills of international students in the MIA and MPA degree programs. The course requirements will include weekly short exercises (definitions of key terms and abstract concepts, summaries of statistical data, summaries and critiques of seminal concepts and theories, and descriptions of processes and procedures) and longer assignments (an argumentative essay, case study and short research paper). Students will also learn to revise and edit their work as well as to integrate sophisticated rhetorical and syntactic structures. To improve the accuracy and clarity of their writing, the course will review the aspects of grammar that pose particular problems for international students.
What rules and expectations should online platforms such as Google, Facebook/Meta, X, OpenAI Instagram, TikTok, Uber use to govern themselves? How do technology companies work to mitigate socio-technical harms arising from their products? How do geopolitical questions and conflicts manifest on online platforms—for instance, how should social media platforms handle gruesome images and unverified information emerging from current wars across the globe? One discipline is at the core of these questions:
Trust & Safety,
which is the study of how online services are abused and/or cause societal and individual harms, and the potential responses to mitigate these harms.
Provides students the opportunity to present work in progress or final drafts to other students and relevant faculty to receive guidance and feedback.
MRST Directed Readings, Independent study. Students should meet with the Program Director and Program Manager before registering for this course.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
Selected topics in computer science (advanced level). Content and prerequisites vary between sections and semesters. May be repeated for credit. Check “topics course” webpage on the department website for more information on each section.
ENGL 6998 GR is a twin listings of an undergraduate English lecture provided to graduate students for graduate credit. If a graduate student enrolls, she/he/they attends the same class as the undergraduate students (unless otherwise directed by the instructor). Each instructor determines additional work for graduate students to complete in order to receive graduate credit for the course. Please refer to the notes section in SSOL for the corresponding (twin) undergraduate 1000 or 2000 level course and follow that course's meeting day & time and assigned classroom. Instructor permission is required to join.
ENGL 6998 GR is a twin listings of an undergraduate English lecture provided to graduate students for graduate credit. If a graduate student enrolls, she/he/they attends the same class as the undergraduate students (unless otherwise directed by the instructor). Each instructor determines additional work for graduate students to complete in order to receive graduate credit for the course. Please refer to the notes section in SSOL for the corresponding (twin) undergraduate 1000 or 2000 level course and follow that course's meeting day & time and assigned classroom. Instructor permission is required to join.
ENGL 6998 GR is a twin listings of an undergraduate English lecture provided to graduate students for graduate credit. If a graduate student enrolls, she/he/they attends the same class as the undergraduate students (unless otherwise directed by the instructor). Each instructor determines additional work for graduate students to complete in order to receive graduate credit for the course. Please refer to the notes section in SSOL for the corresponding (twin) undergraduate 1000 or 2000 level course and follow that course's meeting day & time and assigned classroom. Instructor permission is required to join.
ENGL 6998 GR is a twin listings of an undergraduate English lecture provided to graduate students for graduate credit. If a graduate student enrolls, she/he/they attends the same class as the undergraduate students (unless otherwise directed by the instructor). Each instructor determines additional work for graduate students to complete in order to receive graduate credit for the course. Please refer to the notes section in SSOL for the corresponding (twin) undergraduate 1000 or 2000 level course and follow that course's meeting day & time and assigned classroom. Instructor permission is required to join.
ENGL 6998 GR is a twin listings of an undergraduate English lecture provided to graduate students for graduate credit. If a graduate student enrolls, she/he/they attends the same class as the undergraduate students (unless otherwise directed by the instructor). Each instructor determines additional work for graduate students to complete in order to receive graduate credit for the course. Please refer to the notes section in SSOL for the corresponding (twin) undergraduate 1000 or 2000 level course and follow that course's meeting day & time and assigned classroom. Instructor permission is required to join.
First part of two-term MA Thesis sequence for MRST MA Students.
Examines representations of the mafia in American and Italian film and literature. Special attention to questions of ethnic identity and immigration. Comparison of the different histories and myths of the mafia in the U.S. and Italy. Readings includes novels, historical studies, and film criticism. (NOTE: This is the graduate section of CLIA GU3660 which meets W 6:10p-10:00p)