Climate Change Decision-Making

This course presents decision science to students, showing it to be a source of concepts and techniques to promote more extensive and effective climate action. It emphasizes the relevance of decision science to students who are planning professional careers in climate-focused organizations and sectors, while also being of value to students who plan future studies in academic and professional programs.

As is widely recognized, there has been insufficient progress towards the goals of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations at safe levels and of adapting to existing and projected climate impacts. Understanding how individuals and organizations make decisions is a key step to reducing this gap. Decision science can help design resources (finance, regulation, governance, information and communications) in ways that promote action. 

The field of decision science emerged decades ago, drawing on psychology, economics and other social science fields to address problems of poor decision-making in areas such as finance and health. Recent research has extended this field to climate action. It has clarified   the obstacles that impede climate decision-making in many settings, and it has developed techniques to improve these decisions. There is an increasing body of empirical research that tests the effectiveness of these techniques in a wide variety of settings.

This course familiarizes students with central concepts and methods of decision science. The modules of the course focus on specific concepts and on techniques linked to them, drawing on concrete examples from climate-relevant domains such as disaster risk reduction, health, energy, water and food security.  The readings include studies which assess the effectiveness of specific techniques to support climate decisions. The course covers a range of different approaches. It shows that each of these can be useful to address obstacles to effective decision-making, but there is no silver bullet. Instead, the course provides students with means to select the decision techniques that are effective to address specific issues in specific contexts.

• Department: Climate School
• W 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Ben S Orlove
  Info
• 3 points

Roots and Branches of Oral History: Part

OH Roots and Branches 2

The goals of Roots and Branches of Oral History: Part 2 are:

To introduce students to Indigenous and de-colonial oral history practices, histories, and futures.

• Department: Oral History
• T 10:10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Instructor: Francine D Spang-Willis
  Info
• 2 points

CINEMA HIST III:1960-1990

• Department: Film
• M 2:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Annette Insdorf
  CULPA: 10 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

CLOSE READING: GIVING AND RECEIVING ACCO

CLOSE READING: GIVING + R

• Department: Narrative Medicine
• M 2:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• M 6:10 p.m.-9 p.m.
• T 1:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Danielle R Spencer
  h-index: 5 Info
• 4 points

ORAL HIST:FIELDWORK/DOCUMENTN

This seminar is the first half of a two-semester practicum in which students will learn and practice the critical skills required to conceptualize, conduct, analyze and disseminate oral history projects in a range of contexts and communities.

 

In the Fall semester, we will learn project design, approaches to interviewing and other genres of oral history, remote and in-person audio recording, transcribing, indexing, and digital archiving. Students will have the option of working on oral history projects conducted in partnership with Fieldwork Partners or working on their own projects. 

 

By the Spring semester course on Curating Oral Histories, students will be expected to be primarily working on their own projects. In the Spring we will focus most of our attention on the analysis and dissemination of oral histories, including audio editing, online presentation, museum exhibits, and other public oral history genres. Our spring work will culminate in a collaboratively curated interactive public exhibit

• Department: Oral History
• W 10:10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Instructor: Amy A Starecheski
  h-index: 5 Info
• 5 points

INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING

Students will learn fundamental marketing concepts and their application. By the end of this class you will know: the elements of a market, company strategy, how to identify customers and competition, the fundamental elements of the marketing mix (product, price, placement and promotion) how to research consumer behavior, and pricing strategies. Students will have extensive use of case study projects. Please note that there are separate online and in-person versions of the course, and the modalities offered may vary by semester. Be sure to check the modalities of the sections offered and enroll in the correct modality for your situation.

• Department: Strategic Communication
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• W 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• Instructor: Young Mi Park
  Info
• Instructor: Jacqueline Strayer
  Info
• 3 points

COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS

This course is about cost-benefit analysis and the economic evaluations of policies and projects. Cost benefit analysis (CBA) consists of a comprehensive set of techniques used to evaluate government programs. It is now routinely applied in such program areas as transportation, water projects, health, training and education, criminal justice, environmental protection, urban policy and even in the international arena such as foreign direct investment. Many of the techniques of CBA can also be applied to private sector decision-making. The objective of CBA is to determine whether the benefits of a particular program, policy or decision outweigh its costs. The techniques used to determine this are sometimes quite simple, but on other, increasingly frequent occasions are highly sophisticated. Sophisticated cost benefit studies are based on a framework that utilizes the basic concepts of economic theory. In addition, statistical and econometric analyses are often needed to estimate program effects from diverse available data. The course has two parts: methodology and practice. The goal is for students to be practically adept to undertake an independent cost-benefit analysis.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Anyi Wang
  Info
• Instructor: Alexander Heil
  Info
• 3 points

RES SEM IN QUANT MTHS-SOC SCI I

RES SEMINAR I

This course is designed to expose students in the QMSS degree program to different methods and practices of social science research. Seminar presentations are given on a wide range of topics by faculty from Columbia and other New York City universities, as well as researchers from private, government, and non-profit settings. QMSS students participate in a weekly seminar. Speakers include faculty from Columbia and other universities, and researchers from the numerous corporate, government, and non-profit settings where quantitative research tools are used. Topics have included: Now-Casting and the Real-Time Data-Flow; Art, Design - Science in Data Visualization; Educational Attainment and School Desegregation: Evidence from Randomized Lotteries; Practical Data Science: North American Oil and Gas Drilling Data.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Gregory M Eirich
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

RES SEM IN QUANT MTHS-SOC SCI I

This course is designed to expose students in the QMSS degree program to different methods and practices of social science research. Seminar presentations are given on a wide range of topics by faculty from Columbia and other New York City universities, as well as researchers from private, government, and non-profit settings. QMSS students participate in a weekly seminar. Speakers include faculty from Columbia and other universities, and researchers from the numerous corporate, government, and non-profit settings where quantitative research tools are used. Topics have included: Now-Casting and the Real-Time Data-Flow; Art, Design - Science in Data Visualization; Educational Attainment and School Desegregation: Evidence from Randomized Lotteries; Practical Data Science: North American Oil and Gas Drilling Data.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Sandhya Kajeepeta
  Info
• 3 points

THEORY & PRACTICE OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSME

THEORY & PRAC LIFE CYCL ASSMNT

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a methodology to assess the environmental impact of products, services, and industrial processes is an increasingly important tool in corporate sustainability management. This course teaches both the theoretical framework as well as step-by-step practical guidelines of conducting LCAs in companies and organizations. Particular emphasis is placed on separating the more academic, but less practically relevant aspects of LCA (which will receive less focus) from the actual practical challenges of LCA (which will be covered in detail, including case studies). The course also covers the application of LCA metrics in a companies’ management and discusses the methodological weaknesses that make such application difficult, including how these can be overcome. Product carbon footprinting (as one form of LCA) receives particular focus, owing to its widespread practical use in recent and future sustainability management.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Christoph J Meinrenken
  h-index: 15 Info
• Instructor: Kim Matsoukas
  Info
• Instructor: Adriana B Kliegman
  Info
• 3 points

THEORY & PRACTICE OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSME

THEORY & PRAC OF LIFE CYC

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a methodology to assess the environmental impact of products, services, and industrial processes is an increasingly important tool in corporate sustainability management. This course teaches both the theoretical framework as well as step-by-step practical guidelines of conducting LCAs in companies and organizations. Particular emphasis is placed on separating the more academic, but less practically relevant aspects of LCA (which will receive less focus) from the actual practical challenges of LCA (which will be covered in detail, including case studies). The course also covers the application of LCA metrics in a companies’ management and discusses the methodological weaknesses that make such application difficult, including how these can be overcome. Product carbon footprinting (as one form of LCA) receives particular focus, owing to its widespread practical use in recent and future sustainability management.

• Department: Auditing
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Adriana B Kliegman
  Info
• 0 points

DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

• Department: Biological Sciences
• TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Alice Heicklen
  CULPA: 15 Info
• 3 points

RES SEM IN QUANT MTHS-SOC SCI II

This course has two goals.  One, it is designed to expose students in the QMSS degree program to different methods and practices of social science research.  Seminar presentations are given on a wide range of topics by faculty from Columbia and other New York City universities, as well as researchers from other settings. Two, it is also designed to give students important professional development skills, particularly around academic writing, research methods and job skills.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Gregory M Eirich
  CULPA: 1 Info
• Instructor: Sandhya Kajeepeta
  Info
• 3 points

Climate Justice: Theory, Practice & Poli

Clim Justice: Theory -> P

• Department: Climate School
• R 8:40 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
• Instructor: Sheila Foster
  Info
• 3 points

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION MGMT

This course examines the strategic role for communication in driving organizational outcomes. It covers key aspects of communication management, including how to plan, implement and measure strategic communication initiatives. Students learn to assess organizational needs, identify stakeholders and draft messaging that speaks credibly to a variety of constituencies, both internal and external. We also emphasize fundamental business skills, such as interpreting financial reports and understanding the language of business.

• Department: Strategic Communication
• W 10:10 a.m.-noon
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• W 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Andrea Legnani
  Info
• Instructor: Gabriel Amor
  Info
• Instructor: Tim Gingrich
  Info
• Instructor: Matthew Sawyer
  Info
• 3 points

ILLNESS/DISABILITY NARRATIVES

• Department: Narrative Medicine
• W 12:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• Instructor: Sayantani T Dasgupta
  CULPA: 2 Info
• 4 points

MARKETING STRATEGY

Prerequisites: BUSI PS5020 Introduction to Marketing/or Professor Approval is required Students will develop analytical skills used to formulate and implement marketing driven strategies for an organization. Students will develop a deeper understanding of marketing strategies and how to implement tactics to achieve desired goals. Students will work on case study projects in both individual and team based projects. By the end of this course, you will be able to develop a marketing strategy based on market assessments and company needs.

• Department: Strategic Communication
• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Sandy Becker
  Info
• 3 points

CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING AND S

CORP SUST REPORTING & STR

The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of trends and best practices in corporate communications relating to sustainability, with a particular focus on global sustainability reporting frameworks and green marketing communications. It is designed for those who hold/will hold positions in organizations with responsibilities for communicating the sustainability goals, challenges and achievements, as well as accurately and honestly communicating the environmental aspects of an organization's products and services. Increasingly, large corporations are creating c-suite roles or dedicated departments to oversee this function. More typically, multiple functions contribute information such as: Corporate Communications, Marketing, Community Affairs, Public Policy, Environmental Health & Safety, R&D, Facilities, Operations and Legal. Benefits of reporting range from building trust with stakeholders, and uncovering risks and opportunities; to contributing to stronger long-term business strategy, and creating new products and services.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Jessica M Thurston
  Info
• Instructor: Suzanne M Klatt
  Info
• Instructor: Carl A Otto
  Info
• 3 points

Experiments

Field experiments have become increasingly important ways of studying the effectiveness of political interventions, be they campaign tactics for mobilizing or persuading voters, fundraising tactics for political or charitable efforts, lobbying, recruiting volunteers, or influencing administrative or judicial outcomes through direct communication.  In this course, we will discuss the logic of experimentation, its strengths and weaknesses compared to other methodologies, and the ways in which experimentation has been -- and could be -- used to investigate political phenomena. We will discuss a wide array of applications.  Students will learn how to interpret and design experiments. In order to better understand the nuances of experimental design and analysis, we will roll up our sleeves and reanalyze some of the data from the weekly readings.

• Department: Political Analytics
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Donald P Green
  CULPA: 2 h-index: 87 Info
• 2 points

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: DEVELOP/IMPLEMENT NEW

This course is designed for students interested in entrepreneurship and becoming CEO/Founders or leaders in industry as innovators and operators. The class is appropriate for those with a strong interest in new ventures or innovation at the corporate level, or for those who want to develop an entrepreneurial mindset even if you have no plans to start a business. This includes potential entrepreneurs, those interested in the financing of new ventures, working in new ventures, or a portfolio company, or in broader general management of entrepreneurial firms. Entrepreneurial topics include: the entrepreneurial journey, founders & co-founders, the art of the pitch, shaping opportunities, traditional business models, business models for the greater good, the lean startup method and the hypothesis-driven approach, technology strategy, product testing, marketing strategy, entrepreneurial marketing, venture financing and emerging developments. Academic readings, analysis of case studies, class discussions, independent exercises, reading assessments, team work, guest speakers, investor panels, weekly deliverable options and a final investor pitch are the main modalities used to help you learn and assist you on your entrepreneurial path. There are no prerequisites for this course.

• Department: Technology Management
• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Michael E Jr McGuire
  Info
• 3 points

HLTH PROM/DISEASE PREVNT CLRKSHIP I

• Department: Dental and Oral Surgery
• Instructor: Folarin Odusola
  h-index: 5 Info
• 0 points

PHYSICAL DIAGNOSIS

• Department: Dental and Oral Surgery
• 0 points

Climatic Change: Storytelling Arts, Zeit

This course brings students from The School of the Arts and The Climate School together to explore new and compelling approaches to navigating climate solutions in the worlds we create and the stories we tell in theater, film, television, digital, visual art, and creative writing. In our current era of rapid change and transformation, artists and environmentalists have an important role to play in grasping the zeitgeist through an integrated lens of science, culture, and imagination.

Interdisciplinary collaboration in storytelling can drive feelings of understanding and agency by articulating the massive social changes that are imminent and the emotional uncertainties around climate. There’s a rapidly growing audience for these stories — but there are way too few of them. Delving into key areas of environmental concerns, students will learn how to access and analyze systems of science-based research and innovation, and build new muscles in storytelling, cultural strategies and longterm thinking for a wide range of artistic visions. Arts students will strengthen climate literacy and sciencethinking skills; Climate students will strengthen storytelling skills. We will study the connection between stories and audiences, including multi-cultural perspectives across the platforms where we consume arts and entertainment today. Together we will explore a multitude of narrative structures and styles of storytelling and we will produce fresh thinking for this generation around the role that climate storytelling can play in popular culture and adapting to change. Students will track their evolution of their vision over the span of the course, culminating in Week/Class 11: The Republic of Zeitgeist & Our Future, where students lead and co-teach this class around our collective visions for what our future should be.

Students will participate through creative writing assignments, student-led discussions and team exercises, and watching & reading climate content. We will practice collaborative strategies to explore new ways to tell creative and complex human stories in the arts and assess effective ways to shift culture to imagine and adapt to what life on a transformed global scale may become for all of us.

• Department: Climate School
• T 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Lydia Pilcher
  Info
• 3 points

GHG EMISSIONS: MEASURING AND MINIMIZING

GHG EMISSIONS CARBON FOOT

Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are now at a record high, and the world’s scientific community agrees that continued unabated release of greenhouse gases will have catastrophic consequences. Many efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, both public and private, have been underway for decades, yet it is now clear that collectively these efforts are failing, and that far more concerted efforts are necessary. In December 2015, the world’s nations agreed in Paris to take actions to limit the future increase in global temperatures well below to 2°C, while pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5°C. Achieving this goal will require mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors, both public and private. Critical to any attempt to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions is a clear, accurate understanding of the sources and levels of greenhouse gas emissions. This course will address all facets of greenhouse gas emissions accounting and reporting and will provide students with tangible skills needed to direct such efforts in the future.

Students in this course will gain hands-on experience designing and executing greenhouse gas emissions inventories for companies, financial institutions and governments employing all necessary skills including the identification of analysis boundaries,  data collection, calculation of emissions levels, and reporting of results. In-class workshops and exercises will complement papers and group assignments. A key component of this course will be critical evaluation of both existing accounting and reporting standards as well as GHG emissions reduction target setting practices.

This course will introduce many of the challenges facing carbon accounting practitioners and will require students to recommend solutions to these challenges derived through critical analysis. Classes will examine current examples of greenhouse gas reporting efforts and will allow students the opportunity to recommend improved calculation and reporting methods.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Jonathan C Dickinson
  CULPA: 1 Info
• Instructor: Ryan A Meinke
  Info
• Instructor: Anthony M Guerrero
  Info
• Instructor: Ryan A Meinke
  Info
• 3 points

SECURITY ANALYSIS

Prerequisites: BUSI PS5001 Intro to Finance and BUSI PS5003 Corporate Finance or Professor Approval required. If you have not taken PS5001 or PS5003 at Columbia University, please contact the course instructor for approval. Students will learn about the valuation of publicly traded equity securities. By the end of the semester students will be able to perform fundamental analysis (bottoms-up, firm-level, business and financial analysis), prepare pro forma financial statements, estimate free cash flows and apply valuation models.

• Department: Enterprise Risk Management
• T 8:10 p.m.-10 p.m.
• Instructor: Mario Gonzalez-Corzo
  h-index: 8 Info
• 3 points

ESG ALIGNED CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

ESG-ALIGNED CORP GOVERNANCE

Environmental, social and governance issues (‘ESG’) are moving to center stage for corporate boards and executive teams.  This elective course complements management and operations courses by focusing on the perspective and roles of the board and C-suite of corporations, financial institutions and professional firms in addressing ESG risks as well as promoting and overseeing governance aligned with ESG principles. The course focuses on the interchange between the external legal, competitive, societal, environmental and policy ‘ecosystems’ corporations face (which vary around the world) and a company’s internal structure, operations and pressures. We will use the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the UN Global Compact Principles (which incorporate all aspects of ESG) as the central frameworks to explore the concept of a corporation’s responsibility to respect and remedy human rights and environmental harms.  We will also examine the Equator Principles and other frameworks that spell out good practices for project finance and other investment decisions, and reference a wide range of the myriad indices, supplier disclosure portals and benchmarks that exist in this inter-disciplinary field.  Relevant regulations, corporate law regimes and court cases will be discussed from the point of view of what business managers need to know. While most of the course will deal with companies and firms serving global, regional or national markets, several examples will deal with the question of how the ESG ecosystem affects or offers opportunities to start-ups.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Jessica M Wasser
  Info
• 3 points

ESG ALIGNED CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

ESG ALIGNED CORP GOVERNAN

Environmental, social and governance issues (‘ESG’) are moving to center stage for corporate boards and executive teams.  This elective course complements management and operations courses by focusing on the perspective and roles of the board and C-suite of corporations, financial institutions and professional firms in addressing ESG risks as well as promoting and overseeing governance aligned with ESG principles. The course focuses on the interchange between the external legal, competitive, societal, environmental and policy ‘ecosystems’ corporations face (which vary around the world) and a company’s internal structure, operations and pressures. We will use the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the UN Global Compact Principles (which incorporate all aspects of ESG) as the central frameworks to explore the concept of a corporation’s responsibility to respect and remedy human rights and environmental harms.  We will also examine the Equator Principles and other frameworks that spell out good practices for project finance and other investment decisions, and reference a wide range of the myriad indices, supplier disclosure portals and benchmarks that exist in this inter-disciplinary field.  Relevant regulations, corporate law regimes and court cases will be discussed from the point of view of what business managers need to know. While most of the course will deal with companies and firms serving global, regional or national markets, several examples will deal with the question of how the ESG ecosystem affects or offers opportunities to start-ups.

• Department: Auditing
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Jessica M Wasser
  Info
• 0 points

SUSTAINABILITY IN THE FACE OF NATURAL DI

SUST IN FACE OF NATRL DIS

Natural hazards, naturally occurring phenomena, which can lead to great damage and loss of life, pose a great challenge for the sustainability of communities around the world. This course aims to prepare students to tackle specific hazards relevant to their life and work by providing them the scientific background and knowledge of the environmental factors that combine to produce natural disasters. The course will also train students about the methods used to study certain aspects of natural hazards and strategies for assessing risk and preparing communities and businesses for natural disasters. The course will cover a range of natural hazards, including geological, hydro-meteorological, and biological. The course will emphasize the driving physical, chemical and biological processes controlling the various hazards, and the observation and modeling methods used by scientists to assess and monitor events. Many case examples, including hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that occurred in the last five years, will be given and analyzed for the characteristics of the event, the preparation, and the response.

By providing students with a solid understanding of past natural disasters, the course prepares them to think more critically about creating more resilient communities, which can resist catastrophic events. Students will be studying the underpinning scientific principles of natural disasters but will also learn specific strategies for planning, mitigation, and response. During the course, students will master cutting-edge tools and technologies that will prepare them to work in the complex and demanding field of disaster management. After completing the course, students will be able to understand past events, communicate risk, and make critical decision related to disaster and preparedness. In increasingly unpredictable times, there is a need for more resilient and connected communities, and this particular course will train students in both the knowledge and skills needed to lead and strengthen those communities and resilience efforts at scale.

Advising Note:
Students are expected to have taken college-level Calculus, Physics, and Introductory Statistics. Students are expected to have experience with computer based data analysis (Excel, R, Matlab or Python).

• Department: Sustainability Science
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• 3 points

SUSTAINABILITY IN THE FACE OF NATURAL DI

SUST IN FACE OF NATRL DIS

Natural hazards, naturally occurring phenomena, which can lead to great damage and loss of life, pose a great challenge for the sustainability of communities around the world. This course aims to prepare students to tackle specific hazards relevant to their life and work by providing them the scientific background and knowledge of the environmental factors that combine to produce natural disasters. The course will also train students about the methods used to study certain aspects of natural hazards and strategies for assessing risk and preparing communities and businesses for natural disasters. The course will cover a range of natural hazards, including geological, hydro-meteorological, and biological. The course will emphasize the driving physical, chemical and biological processes controlling the various hazards, and the observation and modeling methods used by scientists to assess and monitor events. Many case examples, including hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that occurred in the last five years, will be given and analyzed for the characteristics of the event, the preparation, and the response.

By providing students with a solid understanding of past natural disasters, the course prepares them to think more critically about creating more resilient communities, which can resist catastrophic events. Students will be studying the underpinning scientific principles of natural disasters but will also learn specific strategies for planning, mitigation, and response. During the course, students will master cutting-edge tools and technologies that will prepare them to work in the complex and demanding field of disaster management. After completing the course, students will be able to understand past events, communicate risk, and make critical decision related to disaster and preparedness. In increasingly unpredictable times, there is a need for more resilient and connected communities, and this particular course will train students in both the knowledge and skills needed to lead and strengthen those communities and resilience efforts at scale.

Advising Note:
Students are expected to have taken college-level Calculus, Physics, and Introductory Statistics. Students are expected to have experience with computer based data analysis (Excel, R, Matlab or Python).

• Department: Auditing
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Einat Lev
  h-index: 16 Info
• 0 points

CELL BIOLOGY

• Department: Biological Sciences
• MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: Erin L Barnhart
  Info
• 3 points

C2: Carbon & Climate

This course explores the carbon cycle on Earth and its role in the climate system. Students will gain a broad overview of the cycling of carbon among the major biogeochemical reservoirs, the terrestrial biosphere (Module 1) and the ocean (Module 2), as well as their exchange with the atmosphere. Major topics include climate variability and change on human, millennial, and geological time scales (Module 3). In Module 4, we will explore perturbations to the carbon cycle from human activities, and how the use of fossil carbon since the industrial revolution has led to profound transformations in the cycling of carbon among land, oceans, and atmosphere and disrupted Earth’s climate.

• Department: Climate School
• W 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Gisela Winckler
  Info
• 3 points

SUMA PS5046 Critical ESG: Navigating Opp

This course critically examines the growing opposition to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks in the United States and globally. Students will explore the historical evolution of sustainability, the political, economic, and cultural dimensions of ESG backlash, and how this impacts ESG integration in business, policy, and investment. The objective is to prepare students to engage productively with critiques of ESG in their professional careers, whether in academia, government, or the private sector.

Through an open-discussion format, case studies, and engagement with perspectives from both ESG proponents and skeptics, students will refine their ability to articulate ESG-related arguments, navigate controversy, and develop pragmatic strategies for sustainability leadership in an increasingly polarized landscape.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Aharon Kestenbaum
  Info
• 3 points

SUMA PS5046 Critical ESG: Navigating Opp

This course critically examines the growing opposition to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks in the United States and globally. Students will explore the historical evolution of sustainability, the political, economic, and cultural dimensions of ESG backlash, and how this impacts ESG integration in business, policy, and investment. The objective is to prepare students to engage productively with critiques of ESG in their professional careers, whether in academia, government, or the private sector.

Through an open-discussion format, case studies, and engagement with perspectives from both ESG proponents and skeptics, students will refine their ability to articulate ESG-related arguments, navigate controversy, and develop pragmatic strategies for sustainability leadership in an increasingly polarized landscape.

• Department: Auditing
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Aharon Kestenbaum
  Info
• 0 points

Global Food Trade, Shocks, and Migration

Global Food Trade Shocks

In this course, we examine the complex interdependencies between global food trade systems, climate-related and socioeconomic shocks, and human migration patterns. Together, we'll explore how disruptions propagate through international food networks, analyzing these systems through the lenses of agricultural economics, climate science, and geopolitics. We will investigate how various shocks—from climate extremes and armed conflicts to market volatility and pandemics—impact food security and trigger population movements across diverse regions and scales. Throughout the semester, we'll pay particular attention to climate change as a threat multiplier that intensifies existing vulnerabilities in our global food systems. By combining data analysis, case studies, and theoretical frameworks, we'll develop a nuanced understanding of the food-climate-migration nexus that shapes our modern world. 

This multidisciplinary approach will enable us to examine concepts of resilience and evaluate diverse solutions for strengthening food systems' ability to absorb shocks, from diversified production and redundant supply chains to adaptive governance mechanisms and transformative policy interventions that enhance robustness across scales. We will specifically investigate how different metrics of resilience—including redundancy, diversity, modularity, and connectivity—can be operationalized in food trade networks to reduce vulnerability to cascading failures that often trigger migration responses. Through quantitative analysis and case studies, we'll assess how strategies such as regional food reserves, alternative distribution channels, and early warning systems affect both food security and human mobility patterns. This integrated approach allows us to explore interventions that simultaneously strengthen food systems and provide migration-sensitive adaptations, recognizing that human mobility itself can be both a vulnerability and a resilience strategy in the face of food system disruptions.

• Department: Climate School
• M 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Michael J Puma
  h-index: 23 Info
• 3 points

The Politics of Energy Transitions: From

This course examines the complex interplay between energy systems, political power, and societal transformation across historical periods—from the coal-powered dawn of the Industrial Revolution to the contemporary turn to renewables. Throughout, we focus on three interrelated threads: the political economy of energy regime shifts, the role of technological innovation in shaping these transitions, and the centrality of labor and labor politics in energy transitions. Themes and topics include: the relationship between fossil fuels and modern state formation; the centrality of energy resource control to geopolitical power; the history of electrification and its social impacts; the political dimensions of nuclear energy development; the rise of environmental movements; energy justice and democracy; corporate influence on energy policy, labor-environmental coalitions, and the contested politics of climate change mitigation. Though primarily historical in its focus, the course also draws on literature from science and technology studies, environmental sociology, political economy, energy studies, and climate policy analysis. Students will gain insight into how energy transitions both reflect and reshape political possibilities, with particular attention to recent debates surrounding the Green New Deal and other decarbonization strategies.

• Department: Climate School
• R 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Leah V Aronowsky
  Info
• 1.5 points

Designing Climate Solutions: Framing Cli

The course addresses an important issue in climate action. Much progress has been made in recent decades in identifying the causes and consequences of climate change, and in developing a wide variety of approaches to address these two. Because of these advances, options for action have multiplied. In many sectors, a set of different approaches have been proposed. Before any one of those approaches is put into practice, it is useful to weigh it in comparison to the other approaches, to see whether it fits the specific context and population best. 

This course critically examines key concepts to enable students to navigate contested terrains and design more effective approaches to climate action. Students will develop skills to critically assess climate narratives, concepts, and communicate with nuance and depth to important audiences in the climate sphere. The frameworks are assessed through a critical lens, looking at the challenges of bridging different languages–whether the six official UN languages, or national and Indigenous languages, or the languages of experts and everyday communities. The course has a strong environmental justice lens as well, looking at how seemingly slight variation in approaches can have significant consequences on marginalized communities. By the end of this course, students will have the tools to critically examine the role of frameworks and language to design impactful climate action. 

The course goes through the main concepts, starting with Module 1: Foundational Climate Systems, which unpacks our use and understanding of the concepts that provide building blocks that the climate movement is built on: nature, environment, society, economy and politics. Central Park will serve as a case study to illustrate the connections and differences between these concepts. This is followed by Module 2: Dynamic Climate Systems, which examines the concepts that describe progress of climate action and the climate movement through time: sustainability, development, resilience, transformation and Indigenous knowledge. Elizabeth Kolbert’s book H is for Hope will serve as a resource to compare these concepts.  Each concept will first be introduced through a lecture for the first half of class, followed by an integration of the concept to real-life contexts through interactive activities, grounding in documents, and projects. Module 3: Multiple Frameworks for Climate Sectors integrates the first two modules and examines their relevance for specific sectors o

• Department: Climate School
• T 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Ben S Orlove
  Info
• 3 points

Applied Climate I

This course is a core course for all Climate School students in the MA in Climate and Society and MS in Climate .5 credits in the fall and 5. credits in the spring. It is a practicum-style course focused on the application of classroom learnings in a range of professional and real-world situations.

At the beginning of the fall semesters, students will be grouped in teams and assigned a previous years’ Capstone project (a summer project that former CS students have produced in partnership with an external partner). Students will use this previous capstone project to practice skills including: stakeholder engagement strategies, communication and presentation skills, systems thinking, and project planning. 

The fall will be focused on grounding in the topic and challenge of the capstone project, stakeholder discovery and mock engagement, and evaluating its application to the New York City context. The spring will be focused on evaluation of problem definition of the client, work planning and project planning, learning from the client and/or alumni about the outcomes and contemporary challenges/applications of the project, and producing a final project as a team. By the end, students will be prepared to fully engage with their own capstone projects in future semesters, will have honed critical skills to support successful professional applications of their Climate School courses, and will have a ‘mission and values statement’ to guide their future practice as professionals.

• Department: Climate School
• F 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Johanna Lovecchio
  Info
• 0.5 points

Applied Climate I

This course is a core course for all Climate School students in the MA in Climate and Society and MS in Climate .5 credits in the fall and 5. credits in the spring. It is a practicum-style course focused on the application of classroom learnings in a range of professional and real-world situations.

At the beginning of the fall semesters, students will be grouped in teams and assigned a previous years’ Capstone project (a summer project that former CS students have produced in partnership with an external partner). Students will use this previous capstone project to practice skills including: stakeholder engagement strategies, communication and presentation skills, systems thinking, and project planning. 

The fall will be focused on grounding in the topic and challenge of the capstone project, stakeholder discovery and mock engagement, and evaluating its application to the New York City context. The spring will be focused on evaluation of problem definition of the client, work planning and project planning, learning from the client and/or alumni about the outcomes and contemporary challenges/applications of the project, and producing a final project as a team. By the end, students will be prepared to fully engage with their own capstone projects in future semesters, will have honed critical skills to support successful professional applications of their Climate School courses, and will have a ‘mission and values statement’ to guide their future practice as professionals.

• Department: Climate School
• F 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Sandra Goldmark
  CULPA: 4 Info
• 0.5 points

Applied Climate I

This course is a core course for all Climate School students in the MA in Climate and Society and MS in Climate .5 credits in the fall and 5. credits in the spring. It is a practicum-style course focused on the application of classroom learnings in a range of professional and real-world situations.

At the beginning of the fall semesters, students will be grouped in teams and assigned a previous years’ Capstone project (a summer project that former CS students have produced in partnership with an external partner). Students will use this previous capstone project to practice skills including: stakeholder engagement strategies, communication and presentation skills, systems thinking, and project planning. 

The fall will be focused on grounding in the topic and challenge of the capstone project, stakeholder discovery and mock engagement, and evaluating its application to the New York City context. The spring will be focused on evaluation of problem definition of the client, work planning and project planning, learning from the client and/or alumni about the outcomes and contemporary challenges/applications of the project, and producing a final project as a team. By the end, students will be prepared to fully engage with their own capstone projects in future semesters, will have honed critical skills to support successful professional applications of their Climate School courses, and will have a ‘mission and values statement’ to guide their future practice as professionals.

• Department: Climate School
• F 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Andrew J Kruczkiewicz
  Info
• Instructor: Radley M Horton
  Info
• 0.5 points

MATH FINANCE PRACTITIONERS SEMINAR I

MATH FINANCE PRACTITION S

This seminar offers participants the opportunity to listen to practitioners discuss a range of important topics in the financial industry.  Topics may include portfolio optimization, exotic derivatives, high frequency analysis of data and numerical methods. While most talks require knowledge of mathematical methods in finance, some talks are accessible to a more general audience.

• Department: Mathematics
• W 6:10 p.m.-7:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Jaehyuk Choi
  Info
• 1.5 points

Program Evaluation

Political campaign managers, policymakers, lobbying firms, advocacy organizations, and other professionals operating in the political arena need to be able to distinguish effective programs from ineffectual ones. Electoral campaigns, policy-making initiatives, advocacy efforts, lobbying operations, social movement activities, and media investigations can all be assessed through a program evaluation lens, enabling improved data-based decision-making regarding whether an existing program should be continued, expanded, enhanced, or discontinued. Program evaluation techniques can also be used to assess the potential impact of new programs and to improve the effectiveness of program administration. This course focuses on methods for evaluating program designs, evidence collection, analysis, and interpretation, frameworks for decision-making, and reporting and communicating findings. Students will build upon the foundational knowledge that was established during the Strategic Thinking course and develop practical skills related to various types of program evaluation.

• Department: Political Analytics
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Michael Schwam-Baird
  Info
• 2 points

INTERNSHIP IN SOCIAL RESEARCH

This course gives students two credits of academic credit for the work they perform in such an social science oriented internships.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• Instructor: Gregory M Eirich
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 1 points

CRITICAL URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SUSTAI

What are urban infrastructures that promote sustainability? Such infrastructure must reduce environmental pollution at all scales, provide necessary urban services efficiently and enhance urban resilience to multiple potential crises. Sustainable infrastructure also must promote social and economic equity and environmental justice. And sustainable infrastructure must be economically feasible. This class will use these concepts to evaluate urban infrastructure and identify challenges to making urban infrastructure sustainable. Importantly, the course will use theories of urban transitions to help identify the drivers of potential change in infrastructure development and envision the emergence of sustainable infrastructure. This class will examine these notions across the energy, transportation, water supply and waste water treatment, buildings, health and open space urban sectors.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Peter J Marcotullio
  Info
• 3 points

New York City s Climate Policy From Sa

NYC Climate Policy Sandy-

Following the events of Hurricane Sandy, New York City has emerged as a leading city for climate action, pushing forward and experimenting with a broad range of climate policies and tools, including climate adaptation and resilience measures, decarbonization actions and legislation, environmental justice, and fossil fuel divestment, among others. 

This course will offer a focused study of New York City’s approach to confronting our climate crisis.  This will include an exploration of the many actions taken by NYC, their effectiveness, and proposals to build upon or improve them. This course is designed to encourage active participation and practical application of the material. The assignments and activities aim to help students build a solid understanding of key concepts while developing analytical skills, which will then apply to real-world scenarios. Guest lecturers with experience in New York City’s climate policy actions may join from time to time.

• Department: Climate School
• R 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Daniel A Zarrilli
  Info
• 1.5 points

INTERNSHIP IN SOCIAL RESEARCH II

INTERNSHIP IN SOCIAL RSRC

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• Instructor: Gregory M Eirich
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 1 points

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY

This course emphasizes the perspectives of foundational thinkers on the evolution and dynamics of social life. Readings address key sociological questions; including the configuration of communities, social control, institutions, exchange, interaction, and culture.

• Department: Sociology
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Peter Bearman
  CULPA: 19 Wikipedia h-index: 54 Info
• 4 points

International Climate Finance

Course Objectives 

By the end of this course, you should be able to: 


Understand and critically engage with the varied narratives, objectives, and instruments of climate finance, and how they apply across sectors, regions, and institutional settings. 


Understand and analyze the roles of key actors—governments, multilateral institutions, investors, insurers, and civil society—and the financial and legal mechanisms that shape capital flows. 


Identify and assess the persistent challenges in climate finance, including disparities in access and cost of capital, weak institutional coherence, and gaps between risk frameworks and climate impact. 


Critically evaluate current tools and approaches—such as blended finance, credit guarantees, insurance products, and rating systems—and engage with proposals for structural reform.

• Department: Climate School
• T 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Lisa E Sachs
  Info
• 3 points

PRACTICUM IN DATA ANALYSIS

This practicum course is meant to offer valuable training to students. Specifically, this practicum will mimicthe typical conditions that students would face in an internship in a large data-intense institution. Thepracticum will focus on four core elements involved in most internships: (1) Developing the intuition andskills to properly scope ambiguous project ideas; (2) practicing organizing and accessing a variety oflarge-scale data sources and formats; (3) conducting basic and advanced analysis of big data; and (4)communicating and “productizing” results and findings from the earlier steps, in things like dashboards,reports, interactive graphics, or apps. The practicum will also give students time to reflect on their work, andhow it would best translate into corporate, non-profit, start-up and other contexts.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Nicole C Dicrecchio
  Info
• 3 points

PRACTICUM IN DATA ANALYSIS II

This practicum will mimic the typical conditions that students would face in an internship in a

large data-intense institution. The practicum will focus on four core elements involved in most

internships:

• developing the intuition and skills to properly scope ambiguous project ideas;

• practicing organizing and accessing a variety of large-scale data sources and formats;

• conducting basic and advanced analysis of big data; and

• communicating and “productizing” results and findings from the earlier steps, in things

like dashboards, reports, interactive graphics, or apps.

The practicum will also give students time to reflect on their work, and how it would best

translate into corporate, non-profit, start-up and other contexts.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Nicole C Dicrecchio
  Info
• 3 points

INTERNSHIP IN SOCIAL III

INTERNSHP III

Students enrolled in the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences M.A. program have a number of opportunities for internships with various organizations in New York City. Over the past three years, representatives from a number of different organizations – including ABC News, Pfizer, the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, Merrill Lynch, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – have approached students and faculty in QMSS about the possibility of having QMSS students work as interns. Many of these internships require students to receive some sort of course credit for their work. All internships will be graded on a pass/fail basis.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• Instructor: Gregory M Eirich
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 1 points

PRACTICUM IN DATA ANALYSIS

This practicum course is meant to offer valuable training to students. Specifically, this practicum will mimicthe typical conditions that students would face in an internship in a large data-intense institution. Thepracticum will focus on four core elements involved in most internships: (1) Developing the intuition andskills to properly scope ambiguous project ideas; (2) practicing organizing and accessing a variety oflarge-scale data sources and formats; (3) conducting basic and advanced analysis of big data; and (4)communicating and “productizing” results and findings from the earlier steps, in things like dashboards,reports, interactive graphics, or apps. The practicum will also give students time to reflect on their work, andhow it would best translate into corporate, non-profit, start-up and other contexts.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Charles R Riemann
  Info
• 3 points

PRACTICUM IN DATA ANALYSIS

This practicum course is meant to offer valuable training to students. Specifically, this practicum will mimicthe typical conditions that students would face in an internship in a large data-intense institution. The practicum will focus on four core elements involved in most internships: (1) Developing the intuition andskills to properly scope ambiguous project ideas; (2) practicing organizing and accessing a variety oflarge-scale data sources and formats; (3) conducting basic and advanced analysis of big data; and (4)communicating and “productizing” results and findings from the earlier steps, in things like dashboards,reports, interactive graphics, or apps. The practicum will also give students time to reflect on their work, andhow it would best translate into corporate, non-profit, start-up and other contexts.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Charles R Riemann
  Info
• 3 points

SUSTAINABLE FASHION AND STARTUP STRATEGY

SUST FASHION & STARTUP ST

Fashion’s consistent ranking among the top 3 global polluters has become a decades old fact struggling to gain a proportionate response among the brand startup and sourcing community. With industry revenues set to exceed $1 trillion, there is an opportunity to critically address existing revenue models predicated on traditional metrics, such as constant growth, and singular bottom lines. The course attempts to create a nexus between the fashion entrepreneur and systems thinker to explore strategic solutions that address sustainability though an environmental, social and economic lens. The aim is to foster a mindful, yet critical discourse on fashion industry initiatives, past and present, and to practice various tools that help transition existing organizations and incubate new startups towards sustainable outcomes.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Ammar Belal
  Info
• 3 points

STATISTICS, DATA ANALYSIS, AND CODING FO

STATS, DATA, ANLYS&CODING

Students in the Master of Science in Sustainability Science will encounter a range of scientific problems throughout their Science-specific courses that require a strong foundational level of mathematical and statistical knowledge.  In addition, course-work will involve computer coding to read, analyze, and visualize data sets.  This course provides an overview of essential mathematical concepts, an introduction to new concepts in statistics and data analysis, and provides computer coding skills that will prepare students for coursework in the Master of Science in Sustainability Science program as well as to succeed in a career having a sustainability science component.  In addition to an overview of essential mathematical concepts, the skills gained in this course include statistics, and coding applied to data analysis in the Sustainability Sciences. Many of these skills are broadly applicable to science-related professions, and will be useful to those having careers involving interaction with scientists, managing projects utilizing scientific analysis, and developing science-based policy. Students enrolled in this course will learn through lectures, class discussion, and hands-on exercises that address the following topics: Review of mathematical concepts in calculus, trigonometry, and linear algebra; Mathematical concepts related to working on a spherical coordinate system (such as that for the Earth); Probability and statistics, including use of probability density functions to calculate expectations, hypothesis testing, and the concept of experimental uncertainty; Concepts in data analysis, including linear least squares, time-series analysis, parameter uncertainties, and analysis of fit; Computer coding skills, including precision of variables, arrays and data structures, input/output, flow control, and subroutines, and coding tools to produce basic X-Y plots as well as images of data fields on a global map.

• Department: Sustainability Science
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: James L Davis
  h-index: 57 Info
• 3 points

PROSEMINAR I

The Proseminar fulfills two separate goals within the Free-Standing Masters Program in Sociology. The first is to provide exposure, training, and support specific to the needs of Masters students preparing to move on to further graduate training or the job market. The second goal is to provide a forum for scholars and others working in qualitative reserach, public sociology, and the urban environment.

• Department: Sociology
• R 5 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Denise Milstein
  CULPA: 9 h-index: 5 Info
• 1 points

FIELD WORK I

This two-semester sequence supports students through the process of finding a fieldwork site, beginning the field work required to plan for and develop a Masters thesis, and the completion of their Masters thesis.

• Department: Sociology
• F 8:10 a.m.-10 a.m.
• Instructor: Denise Milstein
  CULPA: 9 h-index: 5 Info
• 1 points

THESIS SEMINAR I

This seminar gives you an opportunity to do original sociological research with the support of a faculty member, a teaching assistant, and your fellow classmates.

• Department: Sociology
• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• R 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Denise Milstein
  CULPA: 9 h-index: 5 Info
• Instructor: Adam Reich
  CULPA: 7 Info
• 3 points

NATURAL LANG PROCESSING SOCIAL SCIENCES

Social scientists need to engage with natural language processing (NLP) approaches that are found in computer science, engineering, AI, tech and in industry. This course will provide an overview of natural language processing as it is applied in a number of domains. The goal is to gain familiarity with a number of critical topics and techniques that use text as data, and then to see how those NLP techniques can be used to produce social science research and insights. This course will be hands-on, with several large-scale exercises. The course will start with an introduction to Python and associated key NLP packages and github. The course will then cover topics like language modeling; part of speech tagging; parsing; information extraction; tokenizing; topic modeling; machine translation; sentiment analysis; summarization; supervised machine learning; and hidden Markov models. Prerequisites are basic probability and statistics, basic linear algebra and calculus. The course will use Python, and so if students have programmed in at least one software language, that will make it easier to keep up with the course.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Patrick Houlihan
  Info
• 3 points

THE COMPELLING COMMUNICATOR

The ability to communicate effectively is a key competency for professionals. As emerging industry leaders, understanding the audience, framing the message, and using media channels to achieve specified objectives are critical skills, whether written or spoken. Through a variety of written and oral assignments, students learn to apply foundational communication theory to inform and engage stakeholders. The first part of the course focuses on written deliverables, emphasizing audience-framed messaging and developing simple, clear and persuasive content. The second part transitions to enhancing spoken delivery and presentation skills where students gain experience in speechwriting, storytelling and using data visualization to motivate an audience to act.

• Department: Strategic Communication
• T 10:10 a.m.-noon
• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• T 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Kevin Visconti
  Info
• 3 points

GIS & SPATIAL ANALYSIS-SOC SCI

Prerequisites: Undergraduate Statistics This course introduces students to basic spatial analytic skills. It covers introductory concepts and tools in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and database management. As well, the course introduces students to the process of developing and writing an original spatial research project. Topics to be covered include: social theories involving space, place and reflexive relationships; social demography concepts and databases; visualizing social data using geographic information systems; exploratory spatial data analysis of social data and spatially weighted regression models, spatial regression models of social data, and space-time models. Use of open-source software (primarily the R software package) will be taught as well.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• T 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• Instructor: Edwin Y Grimsley
  Info
• 3 points

MODERN DATA STRUCTURES

This course is intended to provide a detailed tour on how to access, clean, “munge” and organize data, both big and small. (It should also give students a flavor of what would be expected of them in a typical data science interview.) Each week will have simple, moderate and complex examples in class, with code to follow. Students will then practice additional exercises at home. The end point of each project would be to get the data organized and cleaned enough so that it is in a data-frame, ready for subsequent analysis and graphing. Therefore, no analysis or visualization (beyond just basic tables and plots to make sure everything was correctly organized) will be taught; and this will free up substantial time for the “nitty-gritty” of all of this data wrangling.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Thomas Brambor
  h-index: 9 Info
• 3 points

MACHINE LEARNING SOC SCI

Prerequisites: basic probability and statistics, basic linear algebra, and calculus This course will provide a comprehensive overview of machine learning as it is applied in a number of domains. Comparisons and contrasts will be drawn between this machine learning approach and more traditional regression-based approaches used in the social sciences. Emphasis will also be placed on opportunities to synthesize these two approaches. The course will start with an introduction to Python, the scikit-learn package and GitHub. After that, there will be some discussion of data exploration, visualization in matplotlib, preprocessing, feature engineering, variable imputation, and feature selection. Supervised learning methods will be considered, including OLS models, linear models for classification, support vector machines, decision trees and random forests, and gradient boosting. Calibration, model evaluation and strategies for dealing with imbalanced datasets, n on-negative matrix factorization, and outlier detection will be considered next. This will be followed by unsupervised techniques: PCA, discriminant analysis, manifold learning, clustering, mixture models, cluster evaluation. Lastly, we will consider neural networks, convolutional neural networks for image classification and recurrent neural networks. This course will primarily us Python. Previous programming experience will be helpful but not requisite. Prerequisites: basic probability and statistics, basic linear algebra, and calculus.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• F 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Mazen Asaad
  Info
• Instructor: Kyle Horn
  Info
• 3 points

PROJECTS IN ADVANCED MACHINE LEARNING

ADV MACHINE LEARNING

Machine learning algorithms continue to advance in their capacity to predict outcomes and rival human judgment in a variety of settings.  This course is designed to offer insight into advanced machine learning models, including Deep Learning, Recurrent Neural Networks, Adversarial Neural Networks, Time Series models and others.  Students are expected to have familiarity with using Python, the scikit-learn package, and github.  The other half of the course will be devoted to students working in key substantive areas, where advanced machine learning will prove helpful -- areas like computer vision and images, text and natural language processing, and tabular data.  Students will be tasked to develop team projects in these areas and they will develop a public portfolio of three (or four) meaningful projects.  By the end of the course, students will be able to show their work by launching their models in live REST APIs and web-applications.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Alexander Peterhansl
  Info
• 3 points

ORAL HISTORY INTERNSHIP

• Department: Oral History
• R 3:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Amy A Starecheski
  h-index: 5 Info
• 2-4 points

THE AUTHENTIC LEADER

Effective leaders are able to think critically about problems and opportunities, imagine unexpected futures, craft a compelling vision, and drive change. In this course, we study the theoretical underpinnings of leadership communication, relying on empirical evidence as a guide for practice. Students gain important perspective on leadership styles, mastering the competencies required for a variety of contexts.

• Department: Strategic Communication
• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Jenny M Fernandez
  Info
• 3 points

Quantum Physics Laboratory

The “Quantum Physics Lab” will give students in the Quantum Science and Technology Masters program hands-on experience in quantum physics and its applications. Students will work in small groups on several distinct experiments through the semester. Each experimental project might last for 3-4 weeks, comprising the steps outlined in the Program below. Initial experimental offerings include: a quantum optics (entangled photon) platform, a Josephson junction experiment, a nitrogen vacancy (NV) center for direct manipulation of quantum states, along with experiments on nuclear magnetic resonance, quantum conductance and the quantum Hall effect. We expect to add additional experiments in the near future.

Students will observe and measure fundamental quantum behaviors, reinforcing material they are learning in the Masters lecture courses, while simultaneously being introduced to forefront technology that will be the basis of the second “quantum revolution” that could eventually lead to revolutionary applications in electronics, computing, energy technology and medical devices.    

Program:

1 x 230 min lab meeting per week (small group work)

Background research on selected experiments, and associated physics and instrumentation

Data analysis, discussions with instructor and teaching assistants

Project writeups and presentations

• Department: Physics
• T 1:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Abhay N Pasupathy
  CULPA: 10 Info
• 3 points

DIGITAL MEDIA & ANALYTICS

Digital media opens new opportunities for increasingly targeted communications across a variety of channels, which rapidly expands the importance of analytics in tracking and measuring key performance indicators (KPIs). This course prepares students to work within data- and model-driven environments with an emphasis on using analytics to develop insights and support strategic decisions.

• Department: Strategic Communication
• R 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• Instructor: Mariana Y Pinos
  Info
• 3 points

VIDEO PRODUCTION FOR VISUAL STORYTELLING

VIDEO PRO FOR VISUAL STOR

Students will have hands-on learning experiences using camera controls and techniques and optics to accentuate psychological and atmospheric aspects surrounding the subject. Additionally, through visual storytelling, composition and basic color theory students will understand how to incorporate theories of cinematic language to emphasize the mood and perception of the story. This course will cover basic lighting techniques for the interview in a hands-on practical experience that will strengthen participants’ camera, cinematography and storytelling skills. Students will complete the course by creating a final short video, having collaboratively conceptualized, filmed, interviewed and shot the necessary B-roll to structure a basic visual storytelling piece with the use of image, sound and basic editing.

• Department: Oral History
• W 3:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Oscar Frasser
  Info
• 4 points

APPLIED ANALYTICS IN ORGANIZATIONAL CONT

APP AN IN ORG CONTEXT

• Department: Applied Analytics
• M 8:10 p.m.-10 p.m.
• S 10:10 a.m.-noon
• R 8:10 p.m.-10 p.m.
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Jennifer Tsao
  Info
• Instructor: Anjana Bhattacharyya
  Info
• Instructor: Huan Liu
  Info
• Instructor: Panagiotis Tarhanidis
  Info
• Instructor: Mani Vannan
  Info
• 3 points