August Wilson

In this seminar we will read the complete published plays of August Wilson along with significant unpublished and obscurely published plays, prose, and poetry. The centerpieces of this course will be what Wilson termed his “century cycle” of plays: each work focusing on the circumstances of Black Americans during a decade of the twentieth century. As we consider these historical framings, we also will explore closely on what Wilson identified as the “four B’s” that influenced his art most emphatically: Bessie Smith (sometimes he called this first B the Blues), Amiri Baraka, Romare Bearden, and Jorge Luis Borges. Accordingly, as we consider theoretical questions of cross-disciplinary conversations in art, we will study songs by Bessie Smith (and broad questions of the music and literary form), plays, prose, and poetry of Baraka (particularly in the context of Wilson’s early Black Arts Movement works), the paintings of Bearden, and the poetry and prose (along with a few lectures and transcribed interviews) of Borges. We will use archival resources (online as well as “hard copy” material, some of it at Columbia) to explore Wilson’s pathways as a writer, particularly as they crisscrossed the tracks of his “four B’s.” Along the way we will examine several drawings and paintings (from his University of Pittsburgh archives) as we delve into the rhythmical shapes, textures, and colors he used on paper and canvas as well as in his plays. Visitors to the class will include Wilson’s musical director Dwight Andrews and at least one of his regular actors.

• Department: English and Comparative Literature
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Robert G O'Meally
  CULPA: 18 Info
• 4 points

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

• Department: Architecture, Planning and Preservation
• F 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
• Instructor: Alessandro Orsini
  Info
• 3 points

COLLECTING ARCH TERRITORIES

• Department: Architecture, Planning and Preservation
• R 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Instructor: Mark Wasiuta
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

CHINESE DOCUMENTARY CINEMA

What defines a “documentary” film? How do documentaries inform, provoke and move us? What formal devices and aesthetic strategies do documentaries use to construct visions of reality and proclaim them as authentic, credible and authoritative? What can documentary cinema teach us about the changing Chinese society, and about cinema as a medium for social engagement? This seminar introduces students to the aesthetics, epistemology and politics of documentary cinema in China from the 1940s to the present, with an emphasis on contemporary films produced in the past two decades. We examine how documentaries contended history, registered subaltern experiences, engaged with issues of gender, ethnicity and class, and built new communities of testimony and activism to foster social change. Besides documentaries made by Chinese filmmakers, we also include a small number of films made on China by western filmmakers, including those by Joris Ivens, Michelangelo Antonioni, Frank Capra and Carma Hinton. Topics include documentary poetics and aesthetics, evidence, performance and authenticity, the porous boundaries between documentary and fiction, and documentary ethics. As cinema is, among other things, a creative practice, in this course, students will be given opportunities to respond to films analytically and creatively, through writing as well as creative visual projects.

• Department: East Asian Languages and Cultures
• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Ying Qian
  CULPA: 2 Info
• 4 points

GEOGRAPHICAL INFO SYS

• Department: Architecture, Planning and Preservation
• T 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• R 5 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 3 points

EXTREME DESIGN

• Department: Architecture, Planning and Preservation
• T 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Instructor: Mark Wigley
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

FUNDAMENTALS OF DOSIMETRY

Basic radiation physics: radioactive decay, radiation producing devices, characteristics of the different types of radiation (photons, charged and uncharged particles) and mechanisms of their interactions with materials. Essentials of the determination, by measurement and calculation, of absorbed doses from ionizing radiation sources used in medical physics (clinical) situations and for health physics purposes.

• Department: Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics
• W 4 p.m.-6:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Sean L Berry
  Info
• 3 points

EARTH RESOURCES & SUSTAIN DEV

Prerequisites: none; high school chemistry recommended. This course is open to graduate students, and juniors and seniors within DEES, Sus Dev, Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, and APAM - or with the instructors permission. Survey of the origin and extent of mineral resources, fossil fuels, and industrial materials, that are non renewable, finite resources, and the environmental consequences of their extraction and use, using the textbook Earth Resources and the Environment, by James Craig, David Vaughan and Brian Skinner. This course will provide an overview, but will include focus on topics of current societal relevance, including estimated reserves and extraction costs for fossil fuels, geological storage of CO2, sources and disposal methods for nuclear energy fuels, sources and future for luxury goods such as gold and diamonds, and special, rare materials used in consumer electronics (e.g. ;Coltan; mostly from Congo) and in newly emerging technologies such as superconducting magnets and rechargeable batteries (e.g. heavy rare earth elements, mostly from China). Guest lectures from economists, commodity traders and resource geologists will provide ;real world; input.

• Department: Earth and Environmental Sciences
• TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Peter Kelemen
  CULPA: 8 h-index: 84 Info
• 3 points

History of Modern Israel

While Israel is perhaps one of the most discussed and debated state in the world – only few onlookers have a deep understanding of Israel’s complex and fragmented society and politics.

This course invites the students into a journey to the historical and current Israeli politics and society by introducing the creation of the Israeli Democracy, the main political debates, different ideological visions, and the main cleavages and demographic divisions that have driven Israeli society from 1948 through the present days.

By presenting continuation and changes in Israel history and society the students will learn about the main events in Israel history with respect to military and diplomatic issues, different groups and parties – among them, Ultra-Orthodox (Haredim), Palestinian citizens of Israel, Ethiopian Jews, Religious Zionist, Jewish settlers, Ashkenazi vs Mizrahi/Sephardic Jews – which create the fabric of Israel politics and society from its formative years to the current era. 

With an eye open to current developments, the course will also discuss new trends in Israeli politics.

In addition to the reading and primary sources, the students will watch and review films about Israeli politics and culture. At the end of the course the students will gain a better understanding of Israel and its complexities. 

Course Objectives

By the end of the course students will, (1) Understand Israel’s broad and diverse social and political spectrum, with an emphasis on historical events and core issues (the peace process, religion-state dynamics, etc.)

2. Be able to discuss and write intelligently about Israel’s history, politics and culture.

• Department: Institute for Israel & Jewish Studies
• M 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• Instructor: Avraham Shilon
  Info
• 4 points

Continuous Control Systems

Introduction to continuous systems with the treatment of classical and state-space formulations. Mathematical concepts, complex variables, integral transforms and their inverses, differential equations, and relevant linear algebra. Classical feedback control, time/frequency domain design, stability analysis, Laplace transform formulation and solutions, block diagram simplifcation and manipulation, signal ow graphs, modeling physical systems and linearization. state-space formulation and modeling, in parallel with classical single-input single-output formulation, connections between the two formulations. Transient and steady state analysis, methods of stability analysis, such as root locus methods, Nyquist stability criterion, Routh-Hurwitz criterion, pole/zero placement, Bode plot analysis, Nichols chart analysis, phase lead and lag compensators, controllability, observability, realization of canonical forms, state estimation in multivariable systems, time-variant systems. Introduction to advanced stability analysis such as Lyapunov stability and simple optimal control formulation. May not take for credit if already received credit for EEME E3601.

• Department: Mechanical Engineering
• R 4:10 p.m.-6:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Ali Dadgar
  Info
• 3 points

POLITICS IN INDIA

This course will combine study of long-term historical sociology with more short term understanding of policies and their possible effects. Though its main purpose will be to provide students with an understanding of politics after independence, it will argue, methodologically, that this understanding should be based on a study of historical sociology – plotting long-terms shifts in the structure of social power. The course will start with analyses of the structures of power and ideas about political legitimacy in pre-modern India, and the transformations brought by colonialism into that order. After a brief study of the nature of political order under the colonial state, the courses will focus primarily on the history of the democratic state after independence.

• Department: Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies
• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Sudipta Kaviraj
  Wikipedia Info
• 4 points

Zionism in History: Controversies Local

Zionism History: Controve

From its very inception on the stage of history, the Zionist idea has been a catalyst for intense controversy, both within the Zionist movement and the Jewish people, as well as among external critics. This course seeks to trace the major debates and controversies that have shaped Zionism from its founding to the present day, as they have manifested in the State of Israel.

 

The curriculum examines key questions: Is Zionism a modern development of Judaism or a completely new phenomenon that marks a historical break? Should the movement have emphasized cultural identity or political sovereignty? Why did the Zionist movement choose a Western orientation over an Eastern one? 

 

We will also examine how Zionists engaged with the Arab Revolt of the 1930s, raising relevant questions such as the policy of restraint or retaliation, and analyze the core arguments of those who define Zionism as a legitimate — even one of the most justified — national movements versus those who characterize it through colonialist frameworks.

Furthermore, the course will revisit Hannah Arendt’s controversial reflections on the 1961 Eichmann Trial and the subsequent accusations regarding her perceived lack of "
Ahavat Yisrael
" (love for the Jewish people). We will move forward to address the contemporary debate over whether anti-Zionism is inherently the same as antisemitism and explore Israeli views of anti-Zionist critiques.

 

Throughout the course, we will place special emphasis on examining controversies surrounding Israel and Zionism in comparison to other global nationalist movements.

By situating Zionist history within both global perspectives and internal debates, students will move beyond narrow political discourse to acquire a profound understanding of Israel’s past and present. Each session will be supplemented by primary sources, including films, speeches, testimonies, and interviews.

• Department: Institute for Israel & Jewish Studies
• W 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Avraham Shilon
  Info
• 4 points

INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTICS

Overview of robot applications and capabilities. Linear algebra, kinematics, statics, and dynamics of robot manipulators. Survey of sensor technology: force, proximity, vision, compliant manipulators. Motion planning and artificial intelligence; manipulator programming requirements and languages.

• Department: Mechanical Engineering
• T 4:10 p.m.-6:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Sunil Agrawal
  Wikipedia h-index: 65 Info
• 3 points

ADV MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

Principles of nontraditional manufacturing, nontraditional transport and media. Emphasis on laser assisted materials processing, laser material interactions with applications to laser material removal, forming, and surface modification. Introduction to electrochemical machining, electrical discharge machining and abrasive water jet machining.

• Department: Mechanical Engineering
• W 4:10 p.m.-6:40 p.m.
• 3 points

ROBOTICS STUDIO

Hands-on studio class exposing students to practical aspects of the design, fabrication, and programming of physical robotic systems. Students experience entire robot creation process, covering conceptual design, detailed design, simulation and modeling, digital manufacturing, electronics and sensor design, and software programming.

• Department: Mechanical Engineering
• W 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Hod Lipson
  Wikipedia h-index: 79 Info
• 3 points

Frontiers of Justice

Frontiers of Justice is designed to encourage students and equip them with the skills to become active and effective  “Change Agents” within their academic institutions and larger communities.. Oriented by the question,
What does justice look like?
, this course aims to raise political and social awareness and engagement with the challenges facing New York City and strengthen ties between Columbia University, disadvantaged communities, and city government agencies and community organizations. Through sharing ideas about how to make structural and systemic change in ways that integrate science, law, politics, history,  narrative and community engagement, the course is intended to support students in working to break down racial and ethnic barriers and toward a more fair and just society.

• Department: Psychology
• M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Nora Isacoff
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 4 points

TECHNOLOGY,RELIGION,FUTURE

This seminar will examine the history of the impact of technology and media on religion and vice versa before bringing into focus the main event: religion today and in the future. Well read the classics as well as review current writing, video and other media, bringing thinkers such as Eliade, McLuhan, Mumford and Weber into dialogue with the current writing of Kurzweil, Lanier and Taylor, and look at, among other things: ethics in a Virtual World; the relationship between Burning Man, a potential new religion, and technology; the relevance of God and The Rapture in Kurzweils Singularity; and what will become of karma when carbon-based persons merge with silicon-based entities and other advanced technologies.

• Department: Religion
• R 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: David R Kittay
  CULPA: 6 Info
• 4 points

AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE I

(Lecture). This lecture course is intended as the first half of the basic survey in African-American literature. By conducting close readings of selected song lyrics, slave narratives, fiction, poetry, and autobiography, we will focus on major writers in the context of cultural history. In so doing, we will explore the development of the African- American literary tradition. Writers include, but are not limited to, Wheatley, Equiano, Douglass, Jacobs, Harper, Dunbar, Chestnutt, Washington, Du Bois, and Larsen. Course requirements: class attendance, an in-class midterm exam, a five-page paper, and a final exam.

• Department: English and Comparative Literature
• TR 8:40 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
• Instructor: Robert G O'Meally
  CULPA: 18 Info
• 3 points

Islam in Popular Culture

This course interrogates seminal issues in the academic study of Islam through its popular representation in various forms of media from movies and television to novels and comic books. The class is structured around key theoretical readings from a range of academic disciplines ranging from art history and anthropology to comparative literature and religion.

The course begins by placing the controversies surrounding the visual depiction of Muhammad in historical perspective (Gruber). This is followed by an examination of modern portrayals of Muslims in film that highlights both the vilification of the “other” (Shaheen) and the persistence of colonial discourses centered on the “native informant” (Mamdani). Particular emphasis is given to recent pop cultural works that challenge these simplistic discourses of Islam. The second half of the course revisits Muhammad, employing an anthropological framework (Asad) to understand the controversies surrounding Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses. The obsession with a gendered depiction of Islam is then examined through an anthropological framework that sheds light on the problems of salvation narratives (Abu Lughod). The course ends with a look at the unique history of Islam in America, particularly the tension between immigrant and African-American communities.

• Department: Religion @Barnard
• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Najam I Haider
  CULPA: 8 Info
• 4 points

INTRO-POLYMERS/SOFT MATERIALS

• Department: Chemical Engineering
• MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: Christopher J Durning
  CULPA: 3 Info
• 3 points

Numerical Methods for Data Analysis

Num Methods for Data Anal

An introduction to the mathematical and computational foundations of data analysis with linear models. Develops theoretical and computational understanding of numerical linear algebra algorithms for problems including data fitting, data classification, clustering, and data reduction. Focus includes vector spaces, matrix factorization, least squares methods, and singular value decompositions. Illustrations on a variety of engineering applications, including power networks, autonomous and electric vehicles, quantum computing, medical imaging, and systems biology.

• Department: Electrical Engineering
• T 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: James Anderson
  h-index: 18 Info
• 3 points

ADVANCED HINDI I

This third year (or fifth semester) course in the Hindi-Urdu program aims to continue building upon the existing listening, speaking, reading, writing, and cultural skills in Hindi.Students will be exposed to a variety of authentic materials, such as stories, plays, newspapers, magazines, videos, and film clips. They will be expected to expand their vocabulary, enhance their grammatical accuracy, and develop their cultural appropriateness through enthusiastic participation in classroom activities and immersion in the speech community outside.

The objective of the course is to promote meaningful interaction with literary texts and strengthen students’ language skills to understand and describe situations and people in diverse academic settings of modern Hindi. Writing in the target language will be emphasized throughout the semester to enable students to use their diverse vocabulary and grammatical structures. This course will prepare students for “Advanced Hindi-II.”

• Department: Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies
• TR 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Rakesh Ranjan
  CULPA: 6 Info
• 5 points

TENSILE/COMPRESSION SURFACES

• Department: Architecture, Planning and Preservation
• T 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Instructor: Robert E Marino
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Psychology of Religion

Prerequisites: Two courses in psychology, including at least one course with a focus on research methods
and/or statistics, and permission of the instructor.
Review of theories and empirical research related to religious cognition and behavior. Topics include the
foundations of religious belief and practice, people's concepts of religious ideas, and the lack of religious
belief/identity (e.g., atheism), among others.

• Department: Psychology
• W 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Larisa H Solomon
  Info
• 4 points

Significant Others

What is the relationship between homoeroticism and homosociality? How does this relationship form conceptions of gender and sexuality in ways that might be historically unfamiliar and culturally or regionally specific? We pursue these questions through the lens of friendship and its relationship to ideas and expressions of desire, love, and loyalty in pre-modern times. We begin by considering the intellectual basis of the modern idea of friendship as a private, personal relationship, and trace it back to earlier times when it was often a public relationship of social and political significance. Some of these relationships were between social equals, while many were unequal forms (like patronage) that could bridge social, political or parochial differences.

Thinking through the relationships and possible distinctions between erotic love, romantic love and amity (love between friends), we will draw on scholarly works from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, particularly philosophy, sociology, political theory, literature, history, and art history. We will attend to friendship’s work in constituting, maintaining and challenging various social and political orders in a variety of Asian contexts (West, Central, South and East Asian), with comparative reference to scholarship on European and East Asian contexts. Primary source materials will include philosophy, religious manuals, autobiographies, popular love stories, heroic epics, mystical poetry, mirror for princes, paintings, material objects of exchange, and architectural monuments, largely from Islamic and Asian contexts.

• Department: Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Mana Kia
  CULPA: 2 h-index: 11 Info
• 4 points

RECORDED SOUND

As music moves into the 21st century, we find ourselves surrounded by an ever-evolving landscape of technological capability. The world of music, and the music industry itself, is changing rapidly, and with that change comes the opening – and closing – of doorways of possibility. What does this shift mean for today’s practicing artist or composer? With big label recording studios signing and nurturing fewer and fewer artists, it seems certain that, today, musicians who want to record and distribute their music need to be able to do much of the recording and production work on their own. But where does one go to learn how to do this – to learn not only the “how to” part of music production, but the historical underpinnings and the development of the music production industry as well? How does one develop a comprehensive framework within which they can place their own artistic efforts? How does one learn to understand what they hear, re-create what they like and develop their own style? This class, “Recorded Sound,” aims to be the answer. It’s goal is to teach artists how to listen critically to music from across history and genres in order to identify the production techniques that they hear, and reproduce those elements using modern technology so they can be incorporated into the artist’s own musical works.

• Department: Music
• M 10:10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Instructor: David Adamcyk
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

Jews in the Ancient City: Politics and M

This course will examine the experience of Jews in the cities of the eastern Roman Empire, offering a challenge to modern hypotheses of Jewish corporate stability in that setting and contributing to modern discussions of the relations between the Roman state, Greek cities, and Jewish and Christian subjects.

• Department: History
• M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Seth R Schwartz
  CULPA: 1 Wikipedia Info
• 4 points

Advanced Urdu

ADVANCED URDU

Prerequisites: Two years of prior study in Urdu or one year of Urdu for Heritage Speakers I&II courses at Columbia University, or approval of the professor. This is a one-semester course in advanced Urdu language. It will be taught in the fall semester. The goal of the course is to develop students’ linguistic skills i.e. listening, speaking, reading, writing and cultural skills in Urdu, and give students in-depth exposure to some of the finest works of classical and modern Urdu prose. Special emphasis will be given to developing a high-register vocabulary. Necessary grammar points will also be explained for developing an accurate and nuanced understanding of the Urdu language. After completing this course, students will be able to read and enjoy Urdu classics and critical academic texts related to various disciplines i.e. old tales, short stories, essays, history, satire, criticism, politics, current issues etc. along with effective speaking skills suited to active interaction in the speech community and a more advanced academic discussion for undergraduate and graduate students. Students will develop an in-depth understanding of South Asian society and culture as well. This course will prepare students to take MDES GU4635 Readings in Urdu Literature I.

• Department: Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies
• TR 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Aftab Ahmad
  CULPA: 12 Info
• 4 points

ANATOMY FOR PHYSICISTS & ENGR

ANATOMY FOR PHYSICIST & ENGR

Systemic approach to the study of the human body from a medical imaging point of view: skeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, and urinary systems, breast and womens issues, head and neck, and central nervous system. Lectures are reinforced by examples from clinical two- and three-dimensional and functional imaging (CT, MRI, PET, SPECT, U/S, etc.).

• Department: Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics
• TR 4 p.m.-5:20 p.m.
• 3 points

CONVEX OPTIMIZATION FOR ENG

CONVEX OPTIMIZATION ELCT ENG

Theory of convex optimization; numerical algorithms; applications in circuits, communications, control, signal processing and power systems.

• Department: Electrical Engineering
• R 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• 3 points

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS ADVOCACY

This course is designed to introduce contemporary children’s rights issues and help students develop practical advocacy skills to protect and promote the rights of children. Students will explore case studies of advocacy campaigns addressing issues including juvenile justice, child labor, child marriage, the use of child soldiers, corporal punishment, migration and child refugees, female genital mutilation, and LBGT issues affecting children. Over the course of the semester, students will become familiar with international children’s rights standards, as well as a variety of advocacy strategies and avenues, including use of the media, litigation, and advocacy with UN, legislative bodies, and the private sector. Written assignments will focus on practical advocacy tools, including advocacy letters, op-eds, submissions to UN mechanisms or treaty bodies, and the development of an overarching advocacy strategy, including the identification of goals and objectives, and appropriate advocacy targets and tactics.

• Department: Institute for Study of Human Rights
• F 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• 3 points

Indigenous Worlds in Early Latin America

This seminar deals with the presence of indigenous peoples in Latin American colonial societies and aims to analyze indigenous responses to conquest and colonization. How did indigenous people see themselves and interact with other groups? What roles did they play in shaping Latin American societies? What spaces were they able to create for themselves? These and similar questions will guide our discussion through the semester. Every week, we will read documents written by the indigenous people themselves, as well as academic studies of their cultures and societies. The course will offer a survey of the main indigenous groups; however, the case studies are by necessity just a selection. The seminar is conceived for students interested in race and ethnic relations and in the mechanisms of colonization and responses to it, as seen through the lenses of Latin America, between the 16th and the 18th centuries.

• Department: History
• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Caterina Pizzigoni
  CULPA: 24 Info
• 4 points

Polymer Chemistry for Sustainable Soluti

Polym Chem Sus

This course serves as a guide to the field of macromolecular materials chemistry, with a strong focus on the synthesis and design of polymers for tackling outstanding issues in polymer sustainability. The course will cover fundamental topics in polymerization techniques: step growth, conventional chain growth, ionic, controlled radical polymerizations, and ring opening polymerizations. As this course is primarily intended for engineers, great emphasis is placed on common, practical approaches to polymer synthesis and developing structure-property relationships. Fundamental topics will be expanded on using literature examples to demonstrate their applications in polymer sustainability.

• Department: Chemical Engineering
• MW 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Neil D Dolinski
  Info
• 3 points

Theory from the South

Typically, a course in social theory or political philosophy might be taught with two different emphases—as intellectual history, or as a theoretical tradition. In the first approach canonical texts are examined in relation to their political, social, economic and cultural contexts. In the second approach “classic” texts are systematically compared to one another to show both similarities and differences in their approach, and to place them in some developmental sequence. In either case, the textual corpus tends to focus on the historical experiences of the North Atlantic as both normative and universal.

Instead, this seminar focuses not merely on the placement of social theory in global contexts but rather, has as its explicit focus texts generated by thinkers who seek to theorize the geohistorical complexities of modern worldmaking through social forms and lifeworlds that stand askew to dominant approaches to the study of capitalist modernity. The South is conceived here as a set of relations and not as a place, less as a geographical location than a heuristic tool that might reorient discussion on fundamental questions about equality and difference, politics and personhood as these have taken shape as world historical questions of our time.

The seminar is particularly interested in the interface between subaltern and minority pasts as these confront material contexts of resource extraction and labor exploitation, and the distinctive manner by which embodied difference intersects social inequality. That is, we will think about the relationship between historical identities and their material substrate. Broadly speaking, the seminar will bring into conversation work generated in the Americas, especially African American scholarship that engages questions of slavery and subjectivity, black vitality, and Afropessimism together with approaches addressing problems of anticolonial politics, postcolonial sovereignty, ideas of Islamic universality, and global Marxisms. That is, we seek to direct the energies of social thought toward questions of translation, alterity, and historical comparison. A broad familiarity with colonial histories, anticolonial thought, and/or with canonical texts of social theory would be helpful, but not necessary.

The seminar will focus on key concepts such as anticolonial thought; racial capitalism, primitive accumulation; caste-race comparison; political aesthetics; and left and right populism. Readings for the seminar will include a mix of r

• Department: Comparative Literature and Society, Institute for
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Anupama Rao
  CULPA: 28 Info
• 4 points

WRITERS ON HISTORY: THOMAS MANN

WRITERS ON HISTORY:THOMAS

This seminar is devoted to examining the work of writers who address the nature and course of history in their imaginative and non-fiction work. This semester we will be exploring the work of Thomas Mann in the context of the First and Second World Wars. This will include his relation to the German “conservative revolution,” the Weimar political experience, and the United States, where he spent several years in exile. We will pay particular attention to his conceptions of modern history as expressed in his novels.

• Department: History
• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Mark Lilla
  CULPA: 57 Wikipedia Info
• 4 points

PRINCIPLES OF GENOMIC TECHNOL

Chemical and physical aspects of genome structure and organization, genetic information flow from DNA to RNA to Protein. Nucleic acid hybridization and sequence complexity of DNA and RNA. Genome mapping and sequencing methods. The engineering of DNA polymerase for DNA sequencing and polymerase chain reaction. Fluorescent DNA sequencing and high-throughput DNA sequencer development. Construction of gene chip and micro array for gene expression analysis. Technology and biochemical approach for functional genomics analysis. Gene discovery and genetics database search method. The application of genetic database for new therapeutics discovery.

• Department: Chemical Engineering
• M 5:40 p.m.-8:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Jingyue Ju
  h-index: 77 Info
• 3 points

RAD INSTRUMENT/MEASUREMENT LAB

Lab fee: $50. Theory and use of alpha, beta, gamma, and X-ray detectors and associated electronics for counting, energy spectroscopy, and dosimetry; radiation safety; counting statistics and error propagation; mechanisms of radiation emission and interaction. (Topic coverage may be revised.)

• Department: Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics
• T 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
• 3 points

ADVANCED PERSIAN I

While helping students advance their levels of oral and written expression, this course focuses on literature of the modern and medieval periods, with particular emphasis on the development of the modern novella and traditional and new forms of poetry. In addition to literature, students are introduced to a wide variety of genres from political and cultural essays and blogs to newspaper translations of the early 20th century. They will be further exposed to ta´rof in reference to a wide variety of socio-cultural contexts and be expected to use ta´rof in class conversations. Students will be exposed to popular artists and their works and satirical websites for insight into contemporary Iranian culture and politics. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

• Department: Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies
• MW 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Saeed Honarmand
  Info
• 3 points

MORPHOGENESIS:BIOL MAT SHP/STR

Introduction to how shape and structure are generated in biological materials using engineering approach emphasizing application of fundamental physical concepts to a diverse set of problems. Mechanisms of pattern formation, self-assembly, and self-organization in biological materials, including intracellular structures, cells, tissues, and developing embryos. Structure, mechanical properties, and dynamic behavior of these materials. Discussion of experimental approaches and modeling. Course uses textbook materials as well as collection of research papers.

• Department: Mechanical Engineering
• R 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• 3 points

ORIENTALISM/HIST OF OTHER

This course will examine some of the problems inherent in Western historical writing on non-European cultures, as well as broad questions of what itmeans to write history across cultures. The course will touch on therelationship between knowledge and power, given that much of the knowledge we will be considering was produced at a time of the expansion of Western power over the rest of the world. By comparing some of the others which European historians constructed in the different non-western societies they depicted, and the ways other societies dealt with alterity and self, we may be able to derive a better sense of how the Western sense of self was constructed. Group(s): C Field(s): ME

• Department: History
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Marwa Elshakry
  CULPA: 2 Info
• 4 points

Francophone Romance Love, Sex, Intimacy

The forms of domination and violence that have characterized the phenomenon of empire have always been interwoven with desire and various forms of intimacy. Personal relationships have been vectors of colonial power as well as sites of resistance. In this course we consider various ways in which love, desire and intimacy have emerged as questions in the French colonial context. The course covers a broad historical and geographic span stretching from the age of plantation slavery to the era of decolonization and from the Caribbean and Louisiana to Vietnam and Africa. We consider both the transmission of categories and practices across colonial contexts and historical transitions and regional specificities. The course methodology is interdisciplinary, drawing on insights from history, sociology and law. The primary lens is, however, be that of literature, a medium in which the personal dimensions of empire have often found expression. We consider how recurrent themes and figures of colonial desire and intimacy have taken shape across different genres and registers of writing.

• Department: French
• M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Madeleine Dobie
  CULPA: 14 Info
• 3 points

Topics in Moral Psychology

Intensive study of a particular topic in Moral Psychology.

• Department: Philosophy @Barnard
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Francey Russell
  CULPA: 2 Info
• 3 points

Machine Learning for Signals, Informatio

ML FOR SIG, INF

• Department: Electrical Engineering
• W 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: John W Paisley
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

Therapeutic Systems Design: Biomolecules

Povides a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of immunology and engineering, focusing on how these fields come together to drive innovations in biotechnology. Students will gain an understanding of the immune system and its components, along with emerging technologies in immunoengineering, such as vaccine design, immunotherapies, and advanced drug delivery systems. In addition to covering principles of modern molecular and cellular biology, the course emphasizes the practical application of engineering skills to analyze the immune system and create new therapeutic tools. Designed to prepare students for multidisciplinary collaboration, the course equips future engineers with the knowledge and skills needed to develop cutting-edge solutions in immunotherapy and beyond.

• Department: Chemical Engineering
• F 10:10 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Asher Williams
  Info
• 3 points

Heterogeneous Computing for Signal and D

HETEROGENEOUS COMPUTING

Methods for deploying signal and data processing algorithms on contemporary general purpose graphics processing units (GPGPUs) and heterogeneous computing infrastructures. Using programming languages such as OpenCL and CUDA for computational speedup in audio, image and video processing and computational data analysis. Significant design project.

• Department: Electrical Engineering
• R 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Zoran Kostic
  CULPA: 1 h-index: 24 Info
• 3 points

Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT)

IoT - INTELLIG & CONNECTED SYS

Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), Internet of Things (IoT), and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). Embedded and mobile platforms. Embedded programming. Sensors, actuators, and interfaces. Wireless networking, web services, and databases. Edge and cloud computing. Large language models (LLMs) for AIoT. Time-series data visualization and analytics. Group projects to build end-to-end AIoT systems and applications.

• Department: Electrical Engineering
• MW 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Xiaofan Jiang
  h-index: 24 Info
• 3 points

DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING

Digital filtering in time and frequency domain, including properties of discrete-time signals and systems, sampling theory, transform analysis, system structures, IIR and FIR filter design techniques, the discrete Fourier transform, fast Fourier transforms.

• Department: Electrical Engineering
• M 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Guido H Jajamovich
  Info
• 3 points

ADVANCED SANSKRIT I

This course constitutes the first half of a year-long advanced reading course in Classical Sanskrit. In 2021-2022, the focus of Advanced Sanskrit will be the genres of literary theory (alaṅkāraśāstra) and belles-lettres (kāvya). Lending equal attention to literary theory and literary practice, this course will introduce students to iconic works of Sanskrit literature along with the interpretive frameworks whereby they were analyzed, relished, and appraised. Literary excerpts may be drawn from an array of subgenres, including courtly epic (mahākāvya), epic drama (nāṭaka), literary prose (gadya), and individual verses (muktaka). Rigorous analysis of primary texts will be supplemented by occasional discussions about what implications the disciplined reading of kāvya may hold for practices such as translation, comparative literature, and transdisciplinarity. Prerequisites: Intermediate Sanskrit II or instructor’s permission.

• Department: Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies
• MW 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Jonathan Peterson
  Info
• 4 points

Aerospace Human Factors Engineering

Engineering fundamentals and experimental methods of human factors design and evaluation for spacecraft and aircraft which incorporate human-in-the-loop control. Develop understanding of human factors specific to spacecraft and aircraft design with human-in-the-loop control. Design of human factors experiments utilizing task analysis and user testing with quantitative evaluation metrics to develop a sate and high-performing operational space system. Human-centered design, functional allocation and automation, human sensory performance in the space environment, task analysis, human factors experimental methods and statistics, space vehicle displays and controls, situation awareness, workload, usability, manual piloting and handling qualities, human error analysis and prevention, and anthropometrics. Includes team design project.

• Department: Mechanical Engineering
• F 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Michael J Massimino
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

ADVANCED LOGIC DESIGN

An introduction to modern digital system design. Advanced topics in digital logic: controller synthesis (Mealy and Moore machines); adders and multipliers; structured logic blocks (PLDs, PALs, ROMs); iterative circuits. Modern design methodology: register transfer level modelling (RTL); algorithmic state machines (ASMs); introduction to hardware description languages (VHDL or Verilog); system-level modelling and simulation; design examples.

• Department: Electrical Engineering
• TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Mingoo Seok
  h-index: 31 Info
• 3 points

Indo-Islamic Culture in Literature

This course will focus on the Indo-Islamic literary traditions in South Asia, and particularly in what is now India and Pakistan, focusing on Urdu literature from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The course will emphasize the rhetorical and performative history of poetic forms in the subcontinent (including the forms of the
Ghazal
and
Nauha
, among others) and will consider how classical poetic tropes continue to inform contemporary mass culture in India and Pakistan—particularly in the song lyrics of Hindi/Bollywood cinema. The course will also consider more contemporary prose genres of Urdu-language writing (in English translation), including the literature of the Partition and the works of contemporary authors such as Naiyer Masud and Saima Iram.

Through a comparative study of texts in different genres and at different moments in history, students will consider questions such as: What aspects of contemporary literary culture in India and Pakistan can be traced to early establishment of Islamic culture in the region? How have the poetic conventions of Indo-Islamic poetry continued to resonate? How did the interaction of Hindu and Muslim literary, musical, visual, and religious cultures in the Mughal era help to generate the rich profusion of literature and music and cultural tolerance in this period?

Most of our readings in this course will Urdu literature in English translation. We will also, however, read some secondary sources in order to help us better understand the primary sources.

• Department: Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies
• R 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Timsal Masud
  Info
• 4 points

CHINA AND POLITICS OF DESIRE

A recent American newspaper headline announced that China has become “the most materialistic country the world.” Globally circulating narratives often interpret Chinese consumers’ demand for commodities as an attempt to fill a void left by the absence of the Maoist state, traditional religious life, and Western-style democracy. But things aren’t as simple as they appear. This course explores the intertwined questions of “Chinese” desire and the desire for China. Avoiding reductionist understandings of desire as either a universal natural human attribute or a particular Chinese cultural trait, we will track the production and management of desire within a complex global field. Drawing on ethnographies, films, short stories, and psychoanalytic and postcolonial theory, this course will explore the shifting figure of desire across the Maoist and post-Maoist eras by examining how academics, government officials, intellectuals, and artists have represented Chinese needs, wants and fantasies. From state leaders’ attempts to improve the “quality” of the country’s population to citizens’ dreams of home ownership, from sexualized desire to hunger for food, drugs and other commodities, we will attend to the continuities and disjunctures of recent Chinese history by tracking how desire in China has been conceptualized and refracted through local and global encounters.

• Department: Asian and Middle East @Barnard
• M 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Nicholas A Bartlett
  CULPA: 5 Info
• 4 points

GENERATIVE DESIGN

• Department: Architecture, Planning and Preservation
• T 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
• Instructor: Danil Nagy
  Info
• 3 points

HISTORY OF MODERN CHINA I

China’s transformation under its last imperial rulers, with special emphasis on economic, legal, political, and cultural change.

• Department: East Asian Languages and Cultures
• TR 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• 3 points

PRACTICUM: PLANNING THE CULTURAL SPACE

PRAC: PLAN THE CULTURAL S

• Department: Architecture, Planning and Preservation
• T 3 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Douglas Woodward
  Info
• 3 points

STABLE ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY

Prerequisites: introductory chemistry and earth science coursework. Prerequisites: Introductory Chemistry and Earth Science coursework. Given in alternate years. This class will be an introduction to the field of stable isotope geochemistry and its application to understanding current and past environmental processes. The utility of stable isotopes as tracers will be examined with respect to the disciplines of hydrology, oceanography,paleoclimatology, paleoceanography, landscape evolution, carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle dynamics. We will focus on the stable isotopes of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen in water, ice, carbonates and organic compounds and why they fractionate in the environment. The theoretical background for isotope fractionation will be discussed in class. Radiocarbon as a tracer and dating tool will also be reviewed. In addition, the mechanics of how mass spectrometers analyze different isotope ratios will be explored in class and during experiments in the laboratory. Additional key parts of the class will be a review of paper or laboratory report and student-lead reviews of published papers on relevant topics.

• Department: Earth and Environmental Sciences
• TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Braddock Linsley
  h-index: 42 Info
• 3 points

DATA VIS 4 ARCH, URB, HUM

• Department: Architecture, Planning and Preservation
• F 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
• Instructor: Jia Zhang
  Info
• 3 points

Research Training

Research training course. Recommended in preparation for laboratory related research.

• Department: Biomedical Engineering
• Instructor: Gerard A Ateshian
  Info
• Instructor: Tal Danino
  Wikipedia h-index: 18 Info
• Instructor: X. Edward Guo
  CULPA: 2 h-index: 70 Info
• Instructor: Henry Hess
  CULPA: 1 h-index: 45 Info
• Instructor: Clark T Hung
  CULPA: 5 h-index: 65 Info
• Instructor: Lance Kam
  CULPA: 7 h-index: 38 Info
• Instructor: Andrew Laine
  Wikipedia h-index: 43 Info
• Instructor: Elisa Konofagou
  Wikipedia h-index: 71 Info
• Instructor: Kam W Leong
  h-index: 126 Info
• Instructor: Helen Lu
  CULPA: 1 h-index: 54 Info
• Instructor: Barclay Morrison
  CULPA: 9 h-index: 42 Info
• Instructor: Elizabeth Olson
  h-index: 28 Info
• Instructor: Paul Sajda
  CULPA: 3 h-index: 47 Info
• Instructor: Samuel Sia
  CULPA: 1 h-index: 39 Info
• Instructor: John T Vaughan
  Info
• Instructor: Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic
  Wikipedia h-index: 132 Info
• Instructor: Qi Wang
  h-index: 24 Info
• Instructor: Nandan L Nerurkar
  Info
• Instructor: Stephen H Tsang
  Wikipedia h-index: 58 Info
• Instructor: Elham Azizi
  h-index: 10 Info
• Instructor: Jose McFaline-Figueroa
  Info
• Instructor: Treena L Arinzeh
  Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Sanja Vickovic
  Info
• 0 points

Research Training

Research training course. Recommended in preparation for laboratory related research.

• Department: Chemical Engineering
• Instructor: Christopher S Chen
  Info
• 0 points

TOPICS IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

• Department: Chemical Engineering
• MW 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• R 5:40 p.m.-8:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Sanat Kumar
  CULPA: 4 h-index: 79 Info
• Instructor: Oleg Gang
  h-index: 45 Info
• 3 points

DIRECTED READINGS

Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Topics chosen in consultation between members of the staff and students.

• Department: Classics
• Instructor: Elizabeth K Irwin
  CULPA: 7 Info
• 3 points

DIRECTED READINGS

Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Topics chosen in consultation between members of the staff and students.

• Department: Classics
• Instructor: Elizabeth K Irwin
  CULPA: 7 Info
• 1-4 points

ACQ OF CHINESE AS A 2ND LANG

For more than forty years, second language acquisition (SLA) has been emerging as an independent field of inquiry with its own research agenda and theoretical paradigms. The study of SLA is inherently interdisciplinary, as it draws on scholarship from the fields of linguistics, psychology, education, and sociology. This course explores how Chinese is acquired by non-native speakers. Students will learn about general phenomena and patterns during the process of acquiring a new language. They will become familiar with important core concepts, theoretical frameworks, and research practices of the field of SLA, with Chinese as the linguistic focus.

• Department: East Asian Languages and Cultures
• TR 10:10 a.m.-11:35 a.m.
• Instructor: Shaoyan Qi
  CULPA: 25 Info
• 4 points

ADVANCED TURKISH I

Advanced Turkish I is designed to use authentic Turkish materials around projects that are chosen by the student in a research seminar format where students conduct their own research and share it in class in a friendly atmosphere. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.

• Department: Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies
• TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Zuleyha M Fikret
  Info
• 3 points

Computational Psychology

The development of computational tools, such as artificial intelligence, has transformed daily life and many areas of research. For instance, the development of large language models such as ChatGPT, have changed the way people write and think. These computational tools also hold great potential for advancing psychological research. However, they are still unfamiliar to many students and psychologists.

In this class, you will learn about how to apply computational tools to facilitate practical problem solving in the real world and research at different stages, including before, during, and after data collection. Specifically, through a combination of lectures (which focus on the mathematical basics and developments of these computational methods), in-class engagements (which focus on translational application of the computational methods to solving new practical problems), and coding workshops (which focus on practical coding skills that implement the computational methods), I will introduce you to methods for handling complex stimuli, validating data quality, and modeling big data. Workshops will be administered via Colab using Python, so please be sure to bring a laptop to every class.

• Department: Psychology
• F 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Chujun Lin
  Info
• 4 points

BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

Prerequisites: introductory college-level biology and chemistry. An overview of the biology and ecology of the oceans with a focus on the interaction between marine organisms and the physics and chemistry of the oceans.

• Department: Earth and Environmental Sciences
• TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Andrew R Juhl
  h-index: 22 Info
• 3 points

INTRO TO PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

Prerequisites:
 Recommended preparation: a solid background in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. 
Topics:
 Physical properties of seawater, hydrography (water masses and their distribution), dispersal (advection and diffusion), ocean dynamics (Navier Stokes equation), processes (eddies, waves, tides), large-scale circulation (wind-driven gyres, overturning circulation).

• Department: Earth and Environmental Sciences
• TR 8:40 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
• Instructor: Andreas Thurnherr
  Info
• 3 points

READINGS IN OTTOMAN TEXTS I

• Department: Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies
• TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Dilek Oztoprak
  Info
• 3 points

INTRODUCTION TO SEISMOLOGY

Prerequisites: advanced calculus and general physics, or the instructors permission. Methods and underpinnings of seismology including seismogram analysis, elastic wave propogation theory, earthquake source characterization, instrumentation, inversion of seismic data to infer Earth structure.

• Department: Earth and Environmental Sciences
• TR 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Felix Waldhauser
  h-index: 37 Info
• 3 points

HUMAN RIGHTS & HUMAN WRONGS

Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Please e-mail the instructor at bc14@columbia.edu. This course will examine the tension between two contradictory trends in world politics. On the one hand, we have emerged from a century that has seen some of the most brutal practices ever perpetrated by states against their populations in the form of genocide, systematic torture, mass murder and ethnic cleansing. Many of these abuses occurred after the Holocaust, even though the mantra never again was viewed by many as a pledge never to allow a repeat of these practices. Events in the new century suggest that these trends will not end anytime soon. At the same time, since the middle of the twentieth century, for the first time in human history there has been a growing global consensus that all individuals are entitled to at least some level of protection from abuse by their governments. This concept of human rights has been institutionalized through international law, diplomacy, international discourse, transnational activism, and the foreign policies of many states. Over the past two decades, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and international tribunals have gone further than any institutions in human history to try to stem state abuses. This seminar will try to make sense of these contradictions.

• Department: Institute for Study of Human Rights
• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Bruce L Cronin
  CULPA: 13 Info
• 3 points

The Ottoman Empire: History and Legacies

This 4000-level seminar explores the Ottoman Empire with emphasis on the long nineteenth century, while also tracing how the century that followed remained profoundly marked by the afterlives of its institutions, ideas, and the disruptions it set in motion. After an overview Ottoman history and historiography, and an exploration of recent digital humanities trends in Ottoman Studies, the course proceeds in three sections: 1) imperial reconfiguration and crisis, 2) revolution, war, and genocide, and 3) afterlives of empire. Case studies spotlight the empire’s ethno-religious communities, including Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, Jews, Kurds, and Muslim refugees from the Balkans and the Russian Empire. Anchored in
The I.B. Tauris Handbook of the Late Ottoman Empire: History and Legacy
, the course aims to equip students with the conceptual and historiographical tools needed to critically analyze the Ottoman past and its enduring legacies across the modern Middle East.

• Department: Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies
• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Khatchig Mouradian
  Wikipedia Info
• 4 points

Gender-Based Violence & Human Rights

GENDER-BASED VIOL & HUM R

The term 'gendercide' highlights a range of distinct and specific forms of violence executed against human beings based on their own gender self-identification as well as patriarchal assumptions about their gender. In this course, we will examine research discerning, movements challenging, and the adjudication, and/or lack thereof, of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in several major categories traversing spatial, temporal, and ideological contexts, including: reproductive rights and health; trafficking and migration; and disaster and pandemics. It is critical to: interrogate the ideologies that drive and sustain GBV; examine in detail the harm it presents to human beings; explore what can be done to protect the security of those experiencing GBV; and to think about measures of prevention to guard additional human beings from experiencing it. The heart of the course will involve an intersectional analysis of specific case studies; highlighting the GBV associated with each case; examining the impact of GBV on human rights; and how GBV has been addressed in society. The close study of each case will assist students in illuminating intricacies, complexities, and challenges to human security in specific contexts.

• Department: Institute for Study of Human Rights
• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Julie Rajan
  Info
• 3 points

Refugees, Citizenship, Migration

Refugees Citizenship Migr

This interdisciplinary course grapples with nation-states and cities at its margins, exploring the exclusions, oppositions, silences and, in particular, the 'Others' or 'in-betweens' of the nation-state as an organizing tool. ‘Illegal migrants’, ‘refugees’, ‘asylum seekers’, ‘exiles’, ‘nomads’, ‘aliens’, and other ‘Others’: these are all in-between figures, exceptions to a political order defined by membership in the city, borders, sovereignty and nation-states. In their very existence, they represent a challenge to this political order, as social and political theorists have long recognized. This seminar explores the dynamics, contradictions and politics surrounding nation-states and their Others with particular attention to the responses to them on the part of ostensibly liberal-democratic states. We examine the relationship between citizenship, statelessness, refugee-hood and migration as exceptions to a political order defined by membership in the city, borders, sovereignty and nation-states. Students will engage with film, fiction, visual animations and displacement maps to examine key theoretical and critical interventions by scholars who examine nation-states and cities at their margins. To this end, participants will examine key theoretical interventions by Hannah Arendt, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Giorgio Agamben alongside scholars who have grappled with, contested, and developed their ideas, such as Étienne Balibar, Didier Bigo, Jacques Rancière, and Seyla Benhabib. With these texts, the participants will attempt to explore non-national or post-national alternatives to the nation-state and citizenship as a tool for planning and organization of people and space.

Taken together, this course provides an alternative to conventional scholarship on this subject. It engages with and provides an alternative to the mainstream literature to take for granted the inclusive and integrative character of nation-states and its respective memberships in the form of refugees, citizens and migrants.
At first glance, the course may appear highly theoretical, but not to worry—we will move slowly through the texts and concepts together. The instructor will also ensure that we apply the ideas discussed in class to concrete and tangible case studies with examples given to enable easier access and collective learning.

• Department: Institute for Study of Human Rights
• M 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Shourideh Molavi
  Info
• 3 points

Queer Theory

This course surveys the relationship between sociology as a discipline and the body of thought, action and critique that coheres under the term queer theory. Many people understand these two projects to be constitutionally at odds. Sociology as a discipline concerns itself with the empirical study of, as Norbert Elias wrote, “the problem of human societies.” How we do this is distinct. Sociologists have a defined set of technical skills that make use of social categories and classifications. We organize individuals by behavior and identity, document diverse cultural milieus, and even attempt to quantify the demographic details of sexual identities, practices and communities. Queer theory, on the other hand, emerged as a field of academic thought in the early 1990’s, at the apex of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The urgency of the political moment demanded new analytical tools for thinking about gender, sexuality, medicine and bodies. Queer theorists took to task the restrictive categories of gender and sexual life that relegated gay men and lesbians to sociological studies of “deviant” people and practices, in favor of rich and pointed critiques of the organization of culture, institutions and politics that renders some people and practices deviant in the first place. Queer theorists document their suspicion of methods, of categories, and of knowledge practices themselves. Social science is often the target of such critiques.

 

So, is there actually a way to do something we might call queer sociology? Or is it, fundamentally, an oxymoron? As what we think of as data becomes “bigger” and ever more categorically precise, what use has sociology for queer theory? How can a body of thought that operates from an anti-categorical impulse inform empirical work that seeks, at least in some part, to identify and observe particular types of people and particular forms of social life? In this course, we will read a set of foundational texts in the queer theoretical tradition alongside sociology that makes use of queer phenomena, frameworks and world-making projects. Expect to cover topics like ephemera, ghosts, messy affect, political lesbianism, perversion and a variety of other things you don’t typically see on a sociology syllabus. Each week, we will survey a select set of orienting ideas from queer theory–the heterosexual matrix, heteronormativity, antidisciplinarity, and homonormativity–and examine the ways in which sociologists of sexuality aim

• Department: Sociology
• T 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Tey Meadow
  h-index: 8 Info
• 4 points

Hum Rights, Activism & US Carceral State

HRs Activism US Carceral

What is the state of anti-incarceral activism today? What visions of social transformation are available for tomorrow? Mass incarceration remains one of the most pressing human rights issues in the United States. This course explores what has been done, is being done, and can be done to rethink incarceration in the U.S. and to provoke change.
We will actively engage with prominent activists at Columbia who will visit some classes during the second half of the semester.

Incarcerated people in the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn (a maximum-security federal prison) and in Rikers Island (a mixed security New York State detention center) regularly claim to be tortured (and show apparent evidence of torture), and yet their claims are rarely thoroughly examined. There has never been real accountability. Compare the New York cases to those in Chicago. From 1972 to 1991, former Chicago police commander Jon Burge and white detectives under his command systematically tortured at least 117 Black people in police custody. In May 2015, 43 years after clear evidence of torture, Chicago became the first municipality in the U.S. to provide reparations to those harmed by racially-motivated law enforcement violence, passing legislation for survivors of the Burge police torture regime. What is the difference between those tortured in Chicago and those who (at least claim to) have been tortured in New York? Decades of community activism.

• Department: Institute for Study of Human Rights
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Christia Mercer
  CULPA: 56 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

AFR-AMER RESEARCH-WRITING

• Department: African American and African Diaspora
• R 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• Instructor: Rachel Grace Newman
  Info
• 4 points