Prerequisites: SPAN UN1108 or scoring at this level on the department’s Spanish as a Heritage Language Placement test (https://columbia-barnard.vega-labs.com).
The principal aim of SPAN UN2108 is to build upon and further develop the knowledge of Spanish that heritage learners bring to the classroom – from SPAN UN1108 and/or from family and neighborhood exposure to the language. This course cultivates intermediate-level formal speaking, listening, reading, and writing abilities.
Spanish heritage language courses at Columbia/Barnard focus on the development of communicative abilities and literacy from sociolinguistic and sociocultural approaches. Throughout the semester, students will be reviewing spelling patterns, building vocabulary, acquiring and effectively using learning strategies, and strengthening composition skills in Spanish. Cultural projects and readings reinforce learners’ understanding of the multiple issues related to Hispanic cultures in the United States and in other Spanish-speaking societies.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: BC2110 Perception Lecture. Laboratory course to accompany BC2110. Students conduct experiments of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling, and learn to report their findings. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN1480 Perception and Attention (which includes PSYC UN1481 Perception and Attention Lab); and UN2230 Perception and Sensory Processes.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001 Introduction to Psychology or COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering an introduction to problems, methods, and research in perception. Discussion of psychological studies of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. Note that this lecture
can
be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2109, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN1480 Perception and Attention; and PSYC UN2230 Perception and Sensory Processes.
The modern short story has gone through many transformations, and the innovations of its practitioners have often pointed the way for prose fiction as a whole. The short story has been seized upon and refreshed by diverse cultures and aesthetic affiliations, so that perhaps the only stable definition of the form remains the famous one advanced by Poe, one of its early masters, as a work of fiction that can be read in one sitting. Still, common elements of the form have emerged over the last century and this course will study them, including Point of View, Plot, Character, Setting and Theme. John Hawkes once famously called these last four elements the "enemies of the novel," and many short story writers have seen them as hindrances as well. Hawkes later recanted, though some writers would still agree with his earlier assessment, and this course will examine the successful strategies of great writers across the spectrum of short story practice, from traditional approaches to more radical solutions, keeping in mind how one period's revolution -Hemingway, for example - becomes a later era's mainstream or "commonsense" storytelling mode. By reading the work of major writers from a writer's perspective, we will examine the myriad techniques employed for what is finally a common goal: to make readers feel. Short writing exercises will help us explore the exhilarating subtleties of these elements and how the effects created by their manipulation or even outright absence power our most compelling fictions.
Prerequisites: PORT UN1102 or PORT UN1320. Prerequisites: this course is an intensive and fast-paced coverage of both PORT UN2101 and PORT UN2102. Students MUST demonstrate a strong foundation in Portuguese and meet the following REQUIREMENT: A- or higher in PORT UN1102 or PORT UN1320. If you fulfill the above requirement, you do not need the instructors permission to register. HOWEVER the instructor will additionally assess student proficiency during the Change of Program Period. Students who do not have the necessary proficiency level may not remain in this course. This course replaces the sequence PORT UN2101-PORT UN2102.
Prerequisites: This course is an intensive and fast-paced coverage of both SPAN UN2101 and SPAN UN2102. Students MUST demonstrate a strong foundation in Spanish and meet the following REQUIREMENTS: a score ABOVE 480 on the Departments Placement Examination; or A- or higher in SPAN UN1120. If you fulfill the above requirements, you do not need the instructors permission to register. HOWEVER, the instructor will additionally assess student proficiency during the Change of Program Period. Students who do not have the necessary proficiency level may not remain in this course. Replaces the sequence SPAN UN2101-SPAN UN2102. All Columbia students must take Spanish language courses (UN 1101-3300) for a letter grade.
We will be working on pronunciation, vocabulary acquisition, listening comprehension, and oral expression. Activities will include listening comprehension exercises, skits, debates, and oral presentations, as well as discussions of films, songs, short films, plays, news, articles, short stories or other short written documents. Although grammar will not be the focus of the course, some exercises will occasionally aim at reviewing particular points. The themes and topics covered will be chosen according to students’ interests.
We will be working on pronunciation, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and oral expression. Activities will include listening comprehension exercises, skits, debates, and oral presentations, as well as discussions of films, songs, short films, news, articles, short stories or other short written documents. Although grammar will not be the focus of the course, some exercises will occasionally aim at reviewing particular points.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: PSYC BC2125 Psychology of Personality Lecture. Laboratory consists of experiments related to the principal approaches to personality and their implications for personality development, psychological adjustment, and everyday behavior. Students will participate in all stages of personality research: conceptualizing a personality construct, designing and administering tests, identifying individual differences, and carrying out a study.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: PSYC BC2125 Psychology of Personality Lecture. Laboratory consists of experiments related to the principal approaches to personality and their implications for personality development, psychological adjustment, and everyday behavior. Students will participate in all stages of personality research: conceptualizing a personality construct, designing and administering tests, identifying individual differences, and carrying out a study.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering the principal approaches to personality and their implications for personality development, psychological adjustment, and everyday behavior. Note that this lecture
can
be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2124, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2610 Introduction to Personality; and PSYC UN2680 Social and Personality Development.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: PSYC BC2129 Developmental Psychology Lecture. Laboratory course involving experiments related to cognitive, linguistic, perceptual, motor, social, affective, and personality development from infancy to adolescence. The course offers an opportunity for direct observation of children; major areas of research at each level of development are covered.
Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001 Introduction to Psychology or COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering cognitive, linguistic, perceptual, motor, social, affective, and personality development from infancy to adolescence. Note that this lecture
can
be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2128, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2280 Introduction to Developmental Psychology.
Once associated with images of fishnet-costumed fans of
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
, the concept of the “cult film” has gone increasingly mainstream in recent years. This course seeks to assess the popularization of the phenomenon, asking: what exactly
is
a cult film? And what does the mainstreaming of the concept suggest about our changing relation to today’s media environment?
Whereas most types of film can be defined through widely recognized elements of story and setting (tumbleweed, deserts, gunfights: it’s a western), this is far from being the case with cult. Some have defined the cult film as “created” by audiences (again,
Rocky Horror
); others in terms of nonclassical or aberrant modes of textuality (e.g., various forms of “bad taste” cinema). This course, however, seeks to go beyond audience- and text-based definitions, instead placing cult within a series of historical contexts:
as an outgrowth of film industry practices that sustained the
low cultural status
of certain movie types during the classical Hollywood cinema (e.g., B movies, exploitation, etc.);
as the product of
audience reception
practices, shaped by the politics of cultural taste and “camp” viewing practices that first coalesced during the “midnight movie” phenomenon of the late 1960s/1970s;
as sustained by the
transnational flow
of media content, offering new frameworks for understanding “national” cinemas.
In offering such an approach, this course seeks to isolate the different uses to which “cult” has been put, in order to indicate how pervasive and adaptable the idea has recently become. As we will see, the cult phenomenon implies both a perspective on the past, hence inseparable from the experience of nostalgia, as well as an engagement with our media-driven present.
Per syllabus- required discussion section for Film UN2132 American Film: Cult & Exploitation
This course surveys the American film genre known as
film noir
, focusing primarily on the genre’s heyday in the 1940s and early 1950s, taking into account some of its antecedents in the hard-boiled detective novel, German Expressionism, and the gangster film, among other sources. We will consider a wide variety of critical and theoretical approaches to the genre, and will also study a number of film noir adaptations and their literary sources.
This course is designed for intermediate dancers who are interested in maintaining their established ballet technique as well as advancing their knowledge and familiarity with the classical vocabulary. Students of Ballet III should have completed two semesters of Ballet II or it’s equivalent, or one semester of Ballet III or its equivalent, and have a firm mental and physical understanding of barre exercises (plié, battement tendu, battement dégagé, rond de jambe à terre, battement fondu, frappé, and grand battement), as well as general center concepts such as adagio, waltz, pirouettes, and petit allegro (including changement, glissade, jeté, and assemblé). This is a graded, semester long, two credit course.
Per syllabus- required discussion section for Film UN2136: American Film: Film Noir
Prerequisites: BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: BC2138 Social Psychology Lecture. Laboratory course covering contemporary theory and research on social thought and behavior. Issues such as person perception, attitudes, attraction, aggression, stereotyping, group dynamics, and social exchange will be explored. The application of theory and research to addressing social problems will be discussed.
Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering contemporary theory and research on social thought and behavior. Issues such as person perception, attitudes, attraction, aggression, stereotyping, group dynamics, and social exchange will be explored. The application of theory and research to addressing social problems will be discussed. Note that this lecture
can
be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2137, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2630 Social Psychology.
This course is designed for advanced intermediate dancers who are interested in maintaining their established ballet technique as well as advancing their knowledge and familiarity with the classical vocabulary. Students of Ballet IV should have completed two semesters of Ballet III or its equivalent, or one semester of Ballet IV or its equivalent, and have a firm mental and physical understanding of ballet technical exercises. These include all barre exercises (plié, battement tendu, battement dégagé, rond de jambe à terre, battement fondu, battement frappé, and grand battement), as well as center exercises including adagio, waltz, pirouettes, petit allegro, and grand allegro. Focus of this class will be on how to practice ballet safely, efficiently, musically, and joyfully.
This is a graded, semester long, two credit course. This class is offered in person only, and no remote learning option will be available.
This course examines the conceptual foundations that support feminist and queer analyses of racial capitalism, security and incarceration, the politics of life and health, and colonial and postcolonial studies, among others. Open to all students; required for the major in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) and the Interdisciplinary Concentration or Minor in Race and Ethnicity (ICORE/MORE).
Enrollment for this class is by instructor approval and an application is required. Please fill out the form here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7cC2KI_K83siu2DxEx784GLaFDyxv9T_e7XPTvAN0fpITSQ/viewform?pli=1
This introductory course for the Interdisciplinary Concentration or Minor in Race and Ethnicity (ICORE/MORE) is open to all students. We focus on the critical study of social difference as an interdisciplinary practice, using texts with diverse modes of argumentation and evidence to analyze social differences as fundamentally entangled and co-produced. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this course, the professor will frequently be joined by other faculty from the Consortium for Critical Interdisciplinary Studies (CCIS), who bring distinct disciplinary and subject matter expertise. Some keywords for this course include hybridity, diaspora, borderlands, migration, and intersectionality.
Every day there are thousands of individuals interacting with the legal system. Are
they mentally competent to stand trial? How can a judge decide if it is in the best
interests of a child to live with one, or both (or neither) parent(s)? What is the risk of
a violent offender repeating the offense? What kinds of information influence juries?
Does mediation work to solve disputes? Forensic psychologists apply their
knowledge of psychology specifically in legal matters. This semester will focus on
the broad area of forensic psychology, exploring important legal cases relevant to
forensic psychology, police psychology, what constitutes expert testimony, how
assessments are conducted, and working as a psychologist in the correctional system.
Recommended preparation: high school chemistry and physics; and one semester of college science. Exploration of how the solid Earth works, today and in the past, focusing on Earth in the Solar system, continents and oceans, the Earth's history, mountain systems on land and sea, minerals and rocks, weathering and erosion, glaciers and ice sheets, the hydrological cycle and rivers, geochronology, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, energy resources. Laboratory exploration of topics through examination of rock samples, experimentation, computer data analysis, field exercises, and modeling. Columbia and Barnard majors should plan to take W2200 before their senior year to avoid conflicts with the Senior Seminar.
Prerequisites: Must attend first class for instructor permission. Students create maps using ArcGIS software, analyze the physical and social processes presented in the digital model, and use the data to solve specific spatial analysis problems. Note: this course fulfills the C requirement in Urban Studies.
(Formerly R3130) This studio course will provide the students with a foundation in the ceramic process, its history, and its relevance to contemporary art making. The course is structured in two parts. The first centers on the fundamental and technical aspects of the material. Students will learn construction techniques, glazing and finishing methods, and particulars about firing procedures. This part of the course will move quickly in order to expose the students to a variety of ceramic processes. Weekly assignments, demonstrations, and lectures will be given. The second centers on the issue of how to integrate ceramics into the students current practice. Asking the question of why we use ceramics as a material and, further, why we choose the materials we do to make art. Rigorous group and individual critiques focusing on the above questions will be held. The goal of this course is to supply the students with the knowledge and skill necessary to work in ceramics and enough proficiency and understanding of the material to enable them to successfully incorporate it into their practice. If the class is full, please visit http://arts.columbia.edu/undergraduate-visual-arts-program.
The intermediate workshop in nonfiction is designed for students with some experience in writing literary nonfiction. Intermediate workshops present a higher creative standard than beginning workshops and an expectation that students will produce finished work. Outside readings supplement and inform the exercises and longer written projects. By the end of the semester, students will have produced thirty to forty pages of original work in at least two traditions of literary nonfiction. Please visit
https://arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate
for information about registration procedures.
Second Year Chinese I, CHNS2201UN, 4 points. You are required to take First Year Chinese II, CHNS2202UN, 4 points with this course.
Instructor:
Lingjun Hu
Prerequisites
: One (1) year of college-level Chinese or the equivalent
Texts
: Jingua Chinese (Columbia University staff, published by Peking University Press; traditional and simplified characters)
Consolidates and develops language skills used in everyday communication. Texts are presented in the form of a narrative that provides language situations, sentence patterns, word usage, and cultural information. Comprehensive exercises rely on highly structured practice in vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Semi-formal and literary styles are introduced in later lessons as transition to more advanced levels of Chinese language study. The first half of the course emphasizes skills for conducting everyday tasks such as shopping, making telephone calls, seeing a doctor, or looking for a job. The second half focuses on aspects of Chinese culture: the social norms of politeness and gift-giving, traditions such as inter-generational relationships and marriage ceremonies, customs such as special foods and holidays. While providing practical training, the course aims to raise the student's linguistic competence in preparation for advanced studies in Mandarin.
To enroll in this course, you must apply to the
Virtual Columbia Summer Chinese Language
program through the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE).
Global Learning Scholarships
available.
Tuition
charges apply.
Please note the program dates are different from the Summer Term A & B dates.
Prerequisites: JPNS C1102 or the equivalent. Further practice in the four language skills. Participation in a once a week conversation class is required.
Prerequisites: KORN W1102 or the equivalent. Consultation with the instructors is required before registration for section assignment. Further practice in reading, writing, listening comprehension, conversation, and grammar.
Prerequisites: MDES W1210-W1211 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
Second Year Chinese II, CHNS2202UN, 4 points. You are required to take First Year Chinese I, CHNS2201UN, 4 points with this course.
Instructor:
Lingjun Hu
Prerequisites
: One (1) year of college-level Chinese or the equivalent
Texts
: Jingua Chinese (Columbia University staff, published by Peking University Press; traditional and simplified characters)
Consolidates and develops language skills used in everyday communication. Texts are presented in the form of a narrative that provides language situations, sentence patterns, word usage, and cultural information. Comprehensive exercises rely on highly structured practice in vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Semi-formal and literary styles are introduced in later lessons as transition to more advanced levels of Chinese language study. The first half of the course emphasizes skills for conducting everyday tasks such as shopping, making telephone calls, seeing a doctor, or looking for a job. The second half focuses on aspects of Chinese culture: the social norms of politeness and gift-giving, traditions such as inter-generational relationships and marriage ceremonies, customs such as special foods and holidays. While providing practical training, the course aims to raise the student's linguistic competence in preparation for advanced studies in Mandarin.
To enroll in this course, you must apply to the
Virtual Columbia Summer: Chinese Language
program through the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE).
Global Learning Scholarships
available.
Tuition
charges apply.
Please note the program dates are different from the Summer Term A & B dates.
Prerequisites: MDES W1210-W1211 or the equivalent. A continuation of the study of the language of contemporary writing. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
An introduction to the potential of digital sound synthesis and signal processing. Teaches proficiency in elementary and advanced digital audio techniques. This course aims to challenge some of the tacet assumptions about music that are built into the design of various user interfaces and hardware and fosters a creative approach to using digital audio workstation software and equipment. Permission of Instructor required to enroll. Music Majors have priority for enrollment.
Prerequisites: Instructor permission. This is an intensive course that combines the curriculum of both First and Second Year Arabic in two semesters instead of four, and focuses on the productive skills (speaking and writing) in Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha). Students are exposed intensively to grammar and vocabulary of a high register. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to move on to Third Year Arabic. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class.
An intensive study of key features of German grammar, with an emphasis on skill-building exercises and practical solutions to common problems of writing and speaking on the intermediate level; aims at building confidence in using simple and more complex sentence structures.
Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. The seminar provides exposure to the varieties of nonfiction with readings in its principal genres: reportage, criticism and commentary, biography and history, and memoir and the personal essay. A highly plastic medium, nonfiction allows authors to portray real events and experiences through narrative, analysis, polemic or any combination thereof. Free to invent everything but the facts, great practitioners of nonfiction are faithful to reality while writing with a voice and a vision distinctively their own. To show how nonfiction is conceived and constructed, class discussions will emphasize the relationship of content to form and style, techniques for creating plot and character under the factual constraints imposed by nonfiction, the defining characteristics of each authors voice, the authors subjectivity and presence, the role of imagination and emotion, the uses of humor, and the importance of speculation and attitude. Written assignments will be opportunities to experiment in several nonfiction genres and styles.
An intensive study of key features of German grammar, with an emphasis on skill-building exercises and practical solutions to common problems of writing and speaking on the intermediate level; aims at building confidence in using simple and more complex sentence structures. For an additional point, students will hand in a weekly 150-200 word summary in German in which they highlight what they have learned, explain the rules and applications of the linguistic feature on hand. In the last portion of the summary students will reflect on their learning process during each week to document their progress. Individual meetings with the Professor to clarify and practice student specific grammar issues will be scheduled.
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or PSYC UN1010 or the instructors permission. Memory, attention, and stress in human cognition.
Prerequisites: chns un1112 or the equivalent. See Admission to Language Courses. Continuation of CHNS UN1112, with a focus on reading comprehension and written Chinese. Traditional characters. CC GS EN CE
This course is the first half of Accelerated Korean for Heritage Speakers. This course is designed specifically for heritage students who have some previous knowledge of Hangul and basic sentence patterns of everyday Korean. Upon completion of this course, students may advance to Accelerated Korean for Heritage Speakers II to complete the college's two-year foreign language requirement in one year.
This is a course designed for the students enrolled in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program. It should be taken fall and spring semesters of a student's third and fourth years at the college (for a total of 6 course credits total over the two years). The goal of this course is to become familiar with academic research and writing, as well as the culture of colleges/ universities in order to prepare students to apply to graduate school and earn the PhD.. The program hones academic writing skills (research papers, project and grant proposals, academic reflections designed to facilitate intentional goal setting and planning), teaches skills related to scholarly presentations (oral and written), as well as familiarizes students with academic culture in particular diversity, equity and inclusion issues and concerns in the academy. Students are expected to attend all the events and meetings associated with the program.
Prerequisites: SODBX1111 Must be enrolled on Scholars of Distinction Program This is the course associated with the Barbara Silver Horowitz Scholars of Distinction program. It is for students in that program. Note at the end of their second year, the students will have developed a project for the summer between their second and third years at Barnard. During their third year, they will develop a robust research project connected to or deriving from that summer’s work.
This course will provide a critical survey of the development of electronic and computer music and sound from around the globe. From early experiments and precursors in the late 19th century through to modern-day experimental and popular music practices, this course aims to trace the development of technologies used in the production of electronic and computer derived sound and music alongside the economic, cultural, and social forces that contribute to the development of audiences. The course will focus intently on listening through a series of curated playlists in an effort to unpack style and genre distinctions. Readings and listening examples will be paired with small, hands-on assignments, that demonstrate the effect of music making tools on the process and structure of musical genres and styles ranging from the experimental practices of musique concrete, drone, and harsh noise to the mainstream practices of dub, techno, vaporwave, hyperpop, and hip hop and more.
Prerequisites: BIOL BC1500, BIOL BC1501, BIOL BC1502, BIOL BC1503 or the equivalent. Survey of plant biology emphasizing evolutionary and ecological perspectives on mating and reproduction, physiology, anatomy, and morphology.
In West Africa, dance is part of daily life. It is used to mark occasions such a birth, death, harvest, and marriage. It is also used to unite the community in times of crisis. West African dance is not as much a strict technique as it is a movement coming from the spirit and the rhythm of the drum and the energy of the people. While there are certain steps that go with specific rhythms, it leaves space for the individual interpretation and improvisations which is an important element. Dancing is more about the communication between dancer and drummer. The movement of West African dance tends to be energetic and big. It is very expressive, and the energy is outward.
Some African dance steps are taken directly from daily activities such as planting or hunting. Most, however, are an expression of joy or release of the spirit. Dancing is done by communicating with a drummer to create positive energy. It is a way to enjoy oneself and each other. In African dance, the name of the dance is the same as the name of the rhythm played by the drummer. The individual steps that make up the dance do not have names. In this course, we are going to be learning various West African dances such as Sikko, Socco, Kuku, Mandiany, Farakorroba, Sunu, Soli, Lamba, Mandjo, Diambadong, Doundounba, Kaolask, Thieboudjeune, Niarry---gorong, Ekongkong, Wolossodong, Zaouly, Ngorong, Niakka, Maraka, Djansa and Lengeng/Kutiro.
Bharatanatyam is typically studied as a theater dance form, and as a spiritual practice. In this class, traditional and contemporary teaching approaches are combined to introduce the participant to an overview of technical and performative aspects of the form. An example of the adjusted structure of the classes is that we begin each class with hatha yoga based stretches and dance warm ups that specifically target the kind of joint articulation that the form presupposes.
We focus on the basic stance, the
ardha-mandi
, along with the technique of stamping as exemplified in the series of
adavu,
(basic combinations of hand, foot and rhythmic movement.) Following the progressive difficulty of the
adavu
system itself, more challenging combinations of hand and footwork will be introduced. Head and eye techniques will be introduced first in isolation then in combination.
The last stage of this class involves learning a short abstract dance to music especially pre-recorded for a particular version of a dance genre and adjusted for difficulty level. This is in order to experience how the parts of the technique are integrated and to experience the state of performing. Students will be invited to perform at informal showings.
This course introduces students to the African-based dances of Cuba, including dances for the Orisha, Rumba, and the immensely joyful “Rueda de Casino” style of Salsa. In addition to learning rhythms, songs, and dances, we will have an ongoing, informal discussion about the historical and contemporary significance of Afro-Cuban dance performance, making connections to personal experience through practice and ongoing reflection. We engage Afro-Cuban music and dance as a living and evolving tradition, where culture, artistry, and history are intimately bound.
For undergraduates only. Examines the fundamental concepts of financial accounting and finance, from the perspective of both managers and investors. Key topics covered include principles of accrual accounting; recognizing and recording accounting transactions; preparation and analysis of financial statements; ratio analysis; pro-forma projections; time value of money (present values, future values and interest/discount rates); inflation; discounted-cash-flow (DCF) project evaluation methods; deterministic and probabilistic measures of risk; capital budgeting.
Prerequisites: (BIOL BC1500) and (BIOL BC1502) and (BIOL BC2280) and (BIOL BC1501) and (BIOL BC1503) This lab provides an introduction to animal behavior research, including current research approaches and practical applications of these findings. Students will complete two main projects. The first is a group project using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, which will involve observing, recording, and analyzing reproductive behaviors. The second is an independent project that will be designed, conducted, and analyzed by students using publicly available animal behavior resources and/or data. Both projects will incorporate critical thinking, problem solving and experimental design, with an emphasize on scientific writing and oral presentation skills.
Educational Psychology is a survey course that focuses on research-based concepts and principles of human learning, development, motivation, and cognition, and how that information is applied to the field of education. The implications of psychological theory for educational research and practice will be discussed. Current views of educational issues in childhood will be examined with an emphasis on the complex interaction between social, cognitive, behavioral and societal factors involved in education.
An overview of the major developments in the art and industry of cinema in Latin America, ranging from its earliest days to the most recent works of the digital era. The interaction of Latin American filmmakers with international movements such as neorealism, modernism, cinema vérité, and postmodernism will be addressed. Among the filmmakers to be studied are Luis Buñuel, Glauber Rocha, Raúl Ruiz and Lucrecia Martel. Students will discover the major industrial tends as well as artistic currents that have defined Latin American cinema, as well as have the chance to analyze a number of key works both in terms of their varying approaches to filmmaking as well as their resonance with political/social/historical issues.
The global success of film directors Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuarón, and Guillermo del Toro has attracted much attention to the New Mexican Cinema. Yet this «Nuevo cine mexicano» cannot be understood without knowing the traditions of Mexico’s intricate film history. This course explores the numerous tendencies of Mexican cinema through the analysis of its most representative genres, features, and directors since the so called Golden Age (1938-1957). An in-depth analysis of films such as Emilio Fernández’s
La perla
(1947), Luis Buñuel’s
Los olvidados
(1950), Jomi García Ascot’s and María Luisa Elío's
En el balcón vacío
(1962), Alejandro Jodorowsky’s
La montaña sagrada
(1973), and Arturo Ripstein's
Profundo carmesí
(1996) will contribute to define the characteristics of the most relevant «national» genres – from 1940s melodramas to 1970s psychedelic movies and 1990s crime films. The study of the New Mexican Cinema of Iñárritu (
Amores perros
, 2000), Cuarón (
Y tu mamá también
, 2001), and del Toro (
El laberinto del fauno
, 2006) will comprise an examination of the complex relationship between the US and Mexican film industries, as well as a critique of the very notion of «national identity» in today’s globalized world. We will also analyze new tendencies in commercial, experimental, and documentary Mexican films – including Carlos Reygadas'
Luz silenciosa
(2007) and Pedro González
Rubio's Alamar
(2009).
This class focuses on how we gather reliable scientific evidence about human biology and public health. The aim is to help students better interpret and evaluate the scientific evidence that they will encounter throughout their lifetime, in primary papers but also as presented in news, advertisement, and politics. To these ends, students will be introduced to basic definitions and concepts in statistics and epidemiology, including point estimates and measures of uncertainty, p-values, error rates, association and causation, different study designs, and selection bias. Readings will draw from a textbook as well as the primary literature. The second half of the course will turn to dissecting the representation and misrepresentation of scientific evidence presented in different venues. It will draw primarily from the textbook “Calling Bullshit” and include discussions of timely examples from the news.
(Formerly R3330) The fundamentals of sculpture are investigated through a series of conceptual and technical projects. Three material processes are introduced, including wood, metal, and paster casting. Issues pertinent to contemporary sculpture are introduced through lectures, group critiques, discussions, and field trips that accompany class assignments. If the class is full, please visit http://arts.columbia.edu/undergraduate-visual-arts-program.