Citizen Sleuth: Writing Compelling True
Bring your love of truth, justice, mystery, and New York City history to this writing class. Studying the elements of the city’s well-known, and not so well-known crimes, can open a lens into the race, class, and gender structures at work in our metropolis, and reveal whom they benefit, and whom they harm. The current explosion in True Crime books, podcasts, blogs, and documentaries, and the fact that women are taking control of more of these narratives cannot be ignored. Students will choose an actual criminal case from New York’s recent or not so recent history (e.g. Typhoid Mary), and write a nonfiction story driven by their point of view, which will emerge from shorter pieces and research done during the class. The coursework will cover best writing practices, such as learning the skills of legally sound, ethical reporting, interviewing people on sensitive matters, and using public records—all in the interest of uncovering and shaping the raw material into a story that needs to be told, for victims who may not always have the tools to tell them. Readings will include Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone in The Dark, Becky Cooper’s We Keep the Dead Close, James Polchin’s Indecent Advances, and excerpts from Christopher Payne’s photography book, North Brother Island, the Last Unknown Place in New York City. We will take virtual tours of public archives, the Museum of the City of New York, Central Park, and The East River, listen to Laci Mosley’s Scam Goddess, and view documentaries and films such as Strong Island, The Witness (about Kitty Genovese), and Summer of Sam. Experts on various topics will also participate as occasional guest speakers in the class.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Faculty
h-index: 37 Info - 0 points
Sex, Power, God
This course will also consider shifting notions of sex, power, and god that represent the increasingly complex relationship between identity, knowledge, and media in the modern era as we explore the concurrent changes in the social, political, and economic systems that made it possible for millions to worship the massive media culture icons of the 20th century: the Disney princess, First Lady Jackie Kennedy, and Princess Diana. By exploring these changes in the works of scholars like Tim Wu and Bernard Harcourt we will gain a deeper sense of contemporary sexual politics in “expository society” as we determine the criteria for evaluating the success of the modern celebrity. Finally, we will consider how the celebrity reality tv industrial-complex shifts notions of sex, power, and god by exploring the emergence of icons “famous for being famous” in the 21st century whose command of attention and social influence in the digital age represents power, capital, and divine myth befitting a queen: Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian West.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
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Instructor:
Faculty
h-index: 37 Info - 0 points
Queer Studies
QUEER STUDIES
Without understanding the obstacles and discrimination that a group has faced, on cannot fully appreciate that their demand for equal treatment is in fact a struggle for civil rights. Covering queer U.S. History and Culture from the early 20th Century through the present, this course introduces students to how enforcement of and reaction against institutionalized discrimination have shaped the LGBTQ experience in this country. Students will learn not just about events but often-overlooked people who shaped the course of this history - often heroically. Our study of historical sources will be supplemented by visits from influential and dynamic guest speakers in the arts and humanities. Students will have an opportunity to study our guests' work in advance and discuss it with them when they visit. This course is not restricted to students who identify as LGBTQ - this history is important for everyone, so allies are welcome and encouraged!
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Faculty
h-index: 37 Info - 0 points
Poetry on Page and Stage: Spoken Word Po
POETRY ON PAGE AND STAGE
Poetry on Page and Stage offers students an introduction to the craft of poetry with a focus on the transition from textual performance to oral performance. As a hybrid of creative writing and performance workshops, students will spend half the semester focusing on the written word. Students will perform weekly exercises to practice and explore traditional forms, discuss predecessors of American performance poetry, and offer critical exegesis on each other’s work. The second half of the class will be spent in performance. We will study current spoken word performances, voice training techniques, and intersections between acting and poetic theories. Students will critique each other’s individual deliveries, collaborate on group performances, and ultimately construct an hour long performance synthesizing a semester’s worth of work. Readings will include such authors as Sonia Sanchez, Bushra Rehman, Franny Choi, Morgan Parker, and Ntosake Shange.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
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Instructor:
Quincy Jones
Info - 0 points
Dystopia in the Margins
“Dystopia in the Margins” will explore dystopian fiction from the perspective of minority writers, specifically those belonging to the Asian diaspora. Over the course of three weeks, we will read and discuss three contemporary novels: Severance by Ling Ma, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, and On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Lee. The course is designed to cultivate critical reading and writing skills, while engaging with topics such as identity, race, class, globalization, and the impact of capitalism.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
- 0 points
Art History of the Exploited Feminist Se
AHIS of the Exploited Fem
This course will teach a history of feminist artists from the 1960s forward who have used their own trauma in their art, and explore how that has led to their personal and professional growth. Does making art out of trauma lead to exploitation of the self? Does exploitation of the self lead to empowerment? How have feminist artists navigated systems meant to oppress them, and can they operate within these systems successfully? We will explore how the trauma informed personal story can be utilized for art making, fame building, accumulation of resources and healing, and how this can be both beneficial and compromised. We will visit galleries, museums and internationally recognized artists’ studios—a triple threat of experience normally not available to the public. Class will be a mix of traditional art history lecture and discussions of our visits, assigned texts, and works viewed.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Faculty
h-index: 37 Info - 0 points
The Arguments in Your Head: Playwriting
THE ARGUMENTS IN YOUR HEA
In The Arguments in Your Head: Playwriting Workshop, we’ll explore and develop the foundational skills, techniques, and instincts that you’ll need to write a full-length play. The goal of this class is not to write a perfect play (doesn’t exist!) Rather, the goal is to let go of what you think you should be writing to impress others and instead learn to become the stewards of your own urgent questions and aesthetics principles. This workshop will be process-focused rather than outcome-focused. As your teacher, my concern is not perfection— I care about pulse. Everyone will be bringing in new, unfinished work that is a little raw and uncomfortable. No one knows what they’re doing, we’re all in the same boat! My goal for you is not to get stuck when you get lost (because if I do my job right you will get lost), but instead I hope to give you tools that help you find your way in the dark, take bold risks, and above all keep going. Every play is different and has its own rules. In order to fashion those rules autonomously we have to learn to listen deeply, follow an inarticulate hunch, and above all, be willing to fail. Be brave, playwright! This is where the wildness lives, where all the scary fun is to be had. And in the end… it’s just words on a page, ink on paper— you can always tear it up and start over. By the end of this class, you will have written a draft of a full-length play, learned how to give thoughtful feedback on the plays of your classmates, and developed a more critical eye to the plays that you read.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
- 0 points
Athena Summer Innovation Institute
ASII
The Athena Summer Innovation Institute is an intensive, 3-week boot camp that provides young women with the practical skills and knowledge they need to develop ideas that will make a difference in the world. Students will work in teams to create a new venture — start-up businesses, non-profit organizations, or advocacy campaigns — that have the power to disrupt traditional ways of doing things and create lasting change.
- MTWRF 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
- 0 points
Discover Dance in New York City
Discover Dance in NYC
The goal of this course is to explore the art of dance on a global scale and gain insight into its many purposes, meanings, and functions across cultures around the world. Students will gain a deeper understanding of why and how dance has persevered and grown as a form of human expression used to convey cultural, social, or political ideas.Students will experience dance in New York City through live class and performance viewing. We will travel across the globe to witness how dance has engaged humanity for centuries, through ritual and community, identity and culture, entertainment and performance, and technology and protest.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
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Instructor:
Caitlin Trainor
CULPA: 11
Info
- 0 points
Writing Harlem: Identity, Image, and Ide
WRITING HARLEM
This course uses a diverse variety of cultural materials produced in and about Harlem, from poetry and fiction to music, art, and film to manifestoes, sermons, and political speeches, in order to offer a broad and deep introduction to the history of uptown Manhattan. While Black Harlem forms the focal point of our investigation, the wide varieties of identities that found a home in uptown Manhattan, from the Native American, Dutch, and British periods, to the early American era, to the rise of German, Italian, Jewish, and Latinx Harlem, to the "New Renaissance" currently underway uptown, are also covered. Of particular interest is the role of women in Harlem, as farmers and traders in the Native American, Colonial, and early American periods, to writers, musicians, and sculptors during the Harlem Renaissance, to the current generation of uptown politicians, artists, and educators. A special bonus will be twice-weekly walking tours, including the opportunity to conduct oral histories with contemporary Harlemites.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
- 0 points
African-Descended Women, Slavery and Pub
This course will explore the vibrant history of activism and social organizing among African diasporic women in the Americas during slavery. It will begin by introducing important concepts in Gender and African Diaspora history, then the course will discuss vignettes of African descended women’s organizing during slavery in different areas of the Spanish Americas. Thus, exploring methods that range from cultural intellectual production, participation in the Spanish legal culture, the cultural arts and dress, religious, spiritual and military warfare, and other forms of intersectional political activism. The course will also explore key aspects of Latin American slave societies, the emergence of racial capitalism, and the complexity of racial identity from a transnational, local, and regional perspective. This course will also unpack issues of slavery and public memory in transatlantic sites throughout Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
- 0 points
The Exploration of Space
For millennia, humans have gazed in wonder at the stars. Every culture developed its own mythology to make sense of the patterns in the night sky. Then, in the last century, something amazing happened. Our technology caught up to our wonder and we learned how to “slip the surly bonds of Earth.” For the past six decades, some of our most cleverly designed machines and daring explorers have helped us dip our toes into the vast cosmic ocean that surrounds our little blue marble of a home. In this course, we will study the people, science, and technology that have brought humanity some of its most captivating and unifying moments, from Isaac Newton to Neil Armstrong, from
Sputnik
to the James Webb Telescope. At the same time, we will examine the social and political reasons why nations devote talent and resources to sending those machines and people into space in the first place. We will also study the technical and human causes of noted disasters, such as
Challenger
and
Columbia.
Finally, we will consider whether, if we are careful enough, humanity may one day evolve into a truly spacefaring civilization.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Faculty
h-index: 37 Info - 0 points
Feminist Activism and Social Justice: Th
As stated by second-wave feminists in the 1970’s and illustrated by the MeToo movement, the personal is political. In this course, we will examine the link between feminism and social policies since World War II from the French perspective. In a nation where citizens regularly march in the streets and have made social justice a pillar of society, how does activism influence law making and how do social policies influence feminism? What are the advantages and limits of the French model? How does activism differ from one country to another? What do these differences reveal about our own culture? We will focus on issues such as access to child care and education, reproductive rights, parental leave policies, and gender-based violence. We will examine these matters through scholarly works, newspaper articles, political pamphlets as well as street art and graphic novels. Course taught in English.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
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Instructor:
Elsa Stephan
CULPA: 3
Info
- 0 points
Identity & the STEM Experience
How do aspects of our identity (such as our race, gender, and beliefs about intelligence) impact our experiences and outcomes in STEM fields? Can research on the science of learning be used to help us overcome identity-based challenges in STEM disciplines? Throughout this course, we will attempt to answer these and related questions by exploring psychological research on the relationship between identity, cognition, and behavior. We will learn about how concepts such as stereotype threat, performance anxiety, and theories of intelligence impact our decision-making and performance in STEM subjects, as well as review research on how to succeed in difficult academic situations. By the end of this course, students will possess a nuanced understanding of the psychological and motivational factors that can impact STEM achievement and the techniques that can be used to thrive in the face of adversity.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Jalisha Jennifer
Info - 0 points
Exploring the Latinx Community in NYC
New York City is the largest Hispanic city in the United States with a population of 2.3 million Latinxs representing 29% of the population, with a total of 19% in the whole state. At the same time, this same population is one of the most under-served and under-represented with 38% Hispanics living under the line of poverty and 40% being uninsured. Within a Critical Discourse Analysis framework, during the four weeks students will be able to learn about some of the challenges the Hispanic communities experience while living in the city (i.e. racism, classism, gentrification, etc.) and the way these are translated into real life experiences.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
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Instructor:
Maria E Lozano
CULPA: 7
Info
- 0 points
Lean in or Dig Deep
LEAN IN OR DIG DEEP
We examine the theory and practice of two “models” of feminist leadership: liberal-individualist and radical-collective. Advocates of both models seek women’s empowerment. However, they disagree over the means and ends of women’s activism. Broadly, liberal feminists seek equal power in political institutions and corporations as well as equal access to the means for social and economic advance. Liberal feminists may pursue “reproductive rights” and consider gender-equality the mark of feminist success. Social justice feminists seek nothing less than the end of sexism and all forms of subjugation (racial, class, sexual orientation ETC.) which sustain existing anti-egalitarian, sexist, racist and hetero-normative structures. Social justice feminists may pursue “reproductive justice” and consider the transformation of existing gender, social and economic relations success.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
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Instructor:
Michelle R Smith
CULPA: 1 Info - 0 points
Leadership in Action Series
LEADERSHIP IN ACTION SERI
Leadership in action series.
- W 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Faculty
h-index: 37 Info - 0 points
Activist NY
ACTIVIST NY
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Faculty
h-index: 37 Info - 0 points
Screenwriting: The Short Form
SCREENWRITING: SHORT FORM
From film festivals to our phones, short films are everywhere. Bring your stories to the screen in this immersive workshop, which will demystify the art of screenwriting and give you the tools you need to write a great short script. You will learn how to grab viewers by their collective shirt collar and more importantly, hold their attention until the final credits roll. Emphasis will be placed on visual storytelling, the classic three-act structure, plot, character development, conflict, and dialogue. While sharing work will be the heart of the course, we’ll also take full advantage of New York City’s many great film screenings and festivals as well as its ample opportunities for eavesdropping and people-watching – an excellent source of story inspiration. By the end of the course, each student will have written three short screenplays as well as revised one of these scripts.
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
- 0 points
Chemical Connections and Happening
CHEM CONNECTIONS & HAPPEN
Transferring electrons. Making and breaking chemical bonds. These are among the atomic- and molecular-scale happenings that we will explore in this course, combining discussions of chemical principles with hands-on laboratory experiments. \ This is an auspicious year for chemistry: 2019 has been designated by the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO as the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements, in honor of the 150th anniversary of Dmitri Mendeleev’s publication of his periodic table. Along these lines, we will investigate some elemental properties through laboratory experiments on oxidation-reduction reactions and acid-base chemistry. We will also use hand-held models and computer software to visualize three-dimensional molecular structures and to calculate the distribution of electrons within molecules. Finally, we will consider connections of chemistry to philosophical, artistic, and literary questions, such as levels of “truth” in scientific theories. Curiosity and interest in chemistry are pre-requisites, but no special chemistry knowledge or background is required. Appropriate for Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Christian Rojas
CULPA: 24
Info
- 0 points
Forensic Psychology
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
This course is an examination of the interaction between the discipline of psychology and the criminal justice system. It examines the aspects of human behavior directly related to the legal process such as eyewitness memory, testimony, jury decision making, and criminal behavior in addition, the course focuses on the ethical and moral tensions that inform the law. Appropriate for Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11
- TR 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Joshua M Feinberg
Info - 0 points
Kode with Klossy Powered by Barnard
Kode with Klossy PBB
The three-week experience will teach web development and design, alongside a design-thinking approach, and students will walk away having collaborated on a final project that will demonstrate all they’ve learned. More importantly, they will walk away with the confidence and a community to support the ongoing pursuit of their passions in a technology-driven world.
- MTWRF 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
- 0 points
CONCEPTS IN MODERN BIOLOGY
This course is for students who seek a better understanding of how their everyday life and modern biology interact. As our health and policy decisions are increasingly motivated by recent events and new technologies, a fundamental understanding of biology is essential to making informed choices for ourselves and the community. This course is an introductory survey course that explores major discoveries and ideas that have revolutionized the way we view and understand biological life. The basic concepts of cell and molecular biology, genetics, and evolution, will be traced from seminal discoveries to the modern era. Students will learn critical scientific analysis to understand and communicate biological concepts, biotechnology, and bioethics.
- TR 9 a.m.-12:10 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Rishita Shah
Info - 3 points
BAD LOVE
This seminar reads stories of love gone bad, of romances that end catastrophically, that damage lovers or leave victims along the way. We will illuminate the consuming fantasy of the romance genre in its quest for “true love,” as well as a range of emotions – rage and revenge, narcissism and self-protection, obsession and oblivion – that surface in its wake. We will also look at shifting interpretations of “bad love,” from Plato, to the Galenic theory of the humors, to the sociology of court-culture, to Freudian and finally contemporary neurobiological explanations of feelings. Students are welcome to propose texts of their own interests to open this course to the widest range of interests. In addition to seminar discussion, there will be weekly individual tutorials with Professor Hamilton as well as zoom interviews with a neurobiologist and a psychologist if it can be arranged.
- TR 9 a.m.-12:10 p.m.
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Instructor:
Ross T Hamilton
CULPA: 25
Info
- 3 points
THE JAZZ OF CHEMISTRY
The contribution of chemistry to everyday life is immense. The applications of chemistry in medicine, petrochemicals, cosmetics, and fertilizers are readily apparent. However, the knowledge and applications of chemistry come in handy in many other fascinating fields, some of which may be less than obvious. Examples of areas in which chemistry plays a key role include forensic science; art restoration and forgery detection; and flavors and fragrances in food, beverages and other consumer products. The goal of this course is to provide insights and spur discussion of several areas and applications of chemistry, while gaining hands-on experience in techniques used in these fields.
- TR 1 p.m.-4:10 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Meenakshi S Rao
CULPA: 24 Info - 3 points
Intermediate French II - Summer
Advanced work in language skills. Readings in French literature.
- TR 9 a.m.-12:10 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Karen Santos da Silva
CULPA: 4
Info
- 3 points
GLOBAL QUEER CINEMAS
In this class, we will focus on contemporary queer cinema from around the world to explore how filmmakers create new visual modes of representing queerness, and how these queer cinematic narratives are informed by various local, national, cultural and political contexts. Through a comparative, transnational and intersectional approach that takes into consideration the particularities of each filmmaker’s context, we will aim to answer the following questions: How do the particularities of various cultural, national, linguistic, religious contexts affect the way queer identities are defined and depicted visually? How do these filmmakers and artists create a visual aesthetic based on their local contexts that is distinct from westernized visual narratives of queerness? How do images of queerness circulate globally and how might queer visual cultures of the Global South push back against existing paradigms of queerness in the Global North? All films for the course are subject to change, but may include titles such as
Rafiki, A Fantastic Woman, Happy Together, The Wound, Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
Additionally, we will read critical and theoretical works that will urge us to consider these films from a range of perspectives, such as queer studies, feminist film studies, disability studies, and transgender studies.
DEAD MOTHERS AND WICKED STEPMOTHERS: THE
DEAD MOTHER-WICKED STEPMO
You know them well: on one side, the scheming, jealous stepmother, obsessed with her fading youth. On the other, her husband’s virginal, naive, and beautiful daughter – whose own mother is usually dead. The conflict between them is so familiar that it feels inevitable. Where, though, did these nearly universal figures come from? Why are they so ingrained in the imaginations of people around the world and across the millennia? In this course, we’ll explore the roots of the maternal in folk and fairy tales. We’ll analyze a variety of stories and films to investigate the “absent mother,” “virginal daughter,” and “wicked stepmother” from different critical perspectives, paying special attention to analytical psychology and feminist psychoanalytic theories, to try to figure out why these figures are so compelling, so ubiquitous, and so hard to shake.
- TR 9 a.m.-12:10 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Wendy C Schor-Haim
CULPA: 11
Info
- 3 points
ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
Prerequisites: BC1001. An introduction to the study of abnormal behavior and various psychological disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders. The course broadly reviews scientific and cultural perspectives on abnormal behavior with an emphasis on clinical descriptions and diagnosis, etiology, treatment, and research methods. 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 UN2620 Abnormal Behavior.
- TR 9 a.m.-12:10 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Michael Wheaton
h-index: 31 Info - 3 points
THE ART OF THE ESSAY
NOTE: Students who are on the electronic waiting list or who are interested in the class but are not yet registered MUST attend the first day of class. Fall 2022 course description: Essay writing above the first-year level. Reading and writing various types of essays to develop one's natural writing voice and craft thoughtful, sophisticated and personal essays. Summer 2022 course description: The Art of the Essay is a writing workshop designed to help you contribute meaningfully in public discourse about the issues that matter most to you. You will write three types of essays in this class, all of which will center personal experience as valuable evidence of larger phenomena or patterns. Your essays will build in complexity, as you introduce more types of sources into conversation about your topics as the semester goes on. You will hone your skills of observing, describing, questioning, analyzing, and persuading. You will be challenged to confront complications and to craft nuanced explorations of your topics. We will also regularly read and discuss the work of contemporary published essayists, identifying key writerly moves that you may adapt as you attempt your own essays. You will have many opportunities throughout the semester to brainstorm ideas, receive feedback from me and your peers, and develop and revise your drafts. At the end of the semester, you will choose a publication to which to submit or pitch one or more of your essays.
- TR 1 p.m.-4:10 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Alexandra P Watson
CULPA: 16 Info - 3 points
Data Science for Politics
DATA SCIENCE FOR POLITICS
This course explores techniques to harness the power of ``big data'' to answer questions related to political science and/or American politics. Students will learn how to use R---a popular open-source programming language---to obtain, clean, analyze, and visualize data. No previous knowledge of R is required. We will focus on applied problems using real data wherever possible, using R's ``Tidyverse.'' In total, in this course we will cover concepts such as reading data in various formats (including ``cracking'' atypical government data sources and pdf documents); web scraping; data joins; data manipulation and cleaning (including string variables and regular expressions); data mining; making effective data visualizations; using data to make informed prediction, and basic text analysis. We will also cover programming basics including writing functions and loops in R. Finally, we will discuss how to use R Markdown to communicate our results effectively to outside audiences. Class sessions are applied in nature, and our exercises are designed around practical problems: Predicting election outcomes, determining the author of anonymous texts, and cleaning up messy government data so we can use it.
- MW 5:30 p.m.-8:10 p.m.
-
Instructor:
Michael Miller
CULPA: 18 h-index: 14 Info - 3 points