Students are expected to have completed a year of high school physics and chemistry. It would be best to have also taken college level physics and chemistry.
Renewable energy is generated from natural processes that are continuously replenished. Aside from geothermal and tidal power, solar radiation is the ultimate source of renewable energy. In order to have a sustainable environment and economy, CO2 emissions must be reduced (and eventually stopped). This requires that the fossil fuel based technologies underlying our present electricity generation and transportation systems be replaced by renewable energy. In addition, the transition to renewable technologies will move nations closer to energy independence and thereby reduce geopolitical tensions associated with energy trading. This course begins with a review of the basics of electricity generation and the heat engines that are the foundation of our current energy systems. This course will emphasize the inherent inefficiency associated with the conversion of thermal energy to electrical and mechanical energy. The course then covers the most important technologies employed to generate renewable energy. These are hydroelectric, wind, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, geothermal, biomass/biofuel, tidal and wave power. The course ends with a description of energy storage technologies, energy markets and possible pathways to a renewable energy future.
This course provides an examination of the role the technology leader plays in the daily operations and performance management of an organization. The course focuses on how tech leaders can manage both up and down within their organizations through critical examination of current IT topics such as Outsourcing, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Architecture (as a strategy), Information Security, Risk Management, IT Governance, and determining/communicating the business value of IT. Students leave the course with a deep understanding of the dramatically different priorities, skills, and actions required to succeed as an IT leader.
An examination of the legal issues and challenges confronting today’s technology executives. The course covers copyright, patent infringement, outsourcing contracts, electronic commerce law, intellectual property, and methods of establishing and monitoring legal policies as they relate to the use and security of current and emerging technologies. Course content may be amended at any time in response to changes in legislation as well as developments in the industry.
Strategic advocacy is defined as establishing personal and functional influence by means of cultivating alliances and defining opportunities adding value to the revenues and profits of any organization. This course focuses on the processes and competencies necessary for initiating strategically focused technology-related business conversations. Particular attention is given to the transitions in focus and mindsets necessary for moving from a technical/functional to a business model orientation. Conceptual frameworks, research, and practical applications are part of the design. Topics include: the political economy of exercising executive influence; expert and strategic mindsets; strategic learning and planning; and mapping the political territory. Students will apply theory to their own career related challenges.
This course will lead participants through a series of case studies of environmental contamination of water and soil, both natural and man-made, from a perspective of their contribution to the global burden of disease. Participants will critically examine datasets documenting toxic exposure in developing countries and around New York City. Participants will have the opportunity to deploy some field kits and compare their results to laboratory measurements. An emphasis on empowerment through measurement, mapping, and sharing of information will lead to a discussion of regulation, policies, and mitigation.
Energy Management is the cornerstone of any sustainability initiative. The generation, distribution, and use of energy has a profound, continuous, and global impact on natural resources, societal structure, and geopolitics. How energy is used has significant repercussions on an organizations cash flow and profitability. For these reasons, energy issues tend to be the fulcrum upon which sustainability programs hinge. The ability to identify and articulate organizational benefits from energy savings tied to efficiency improvements and renewable energy projects is a requisite skill set for all sustainability managers. This course will provide real-world information on energy management issues from a practitioner's perspective. Through lectures, problem sets, and readings students will learn how to manage energy audits, analyze building energy performance, and evaluate the energy use and financial impacts of potential capital and operations improvements to building systems. The class will focus on understanding energy issues from a building owner’s perspective, with discussions also examining energy issues from the perspective of utility companies, energy generators, and policy makers. Best practice in energy management will always involve some level of complex engineering to survey existing conditions and predict energy savings from various improvement options. Sustainability managers need to understand how to manage and quality control these analyses and to translate to decision makers the opportunity they reveal. This course seeks to empower students to do that by providing an understanding of building systems and methods for quantitatively analyzing the potential benefit of various energy improvements.
This course provides students with a solid hands-on foundation in BIM (Building Information Modeling) and other technologies that are revolutionizing the way 21st century construction projects are delivered. Starting from the Owner’s perspective, the class sessions will explore the benefits of BIM tools/methods as used by design teams, construction managers and sub-contractors. Students work with actual industry tools to create BIM Models that extract quantities for estimation purposes, link models to construction schedules (4D simulations), generate clash reports, and effectively communicate 3D site logistics plans. Once a BIM backbone is established, discussions will lead into and highlight: advanced applications, integration opportunities, responsibilities/contractual theories and the introduction of other 3rd Party Software. This course is a recommended companion course to CNAD PS5500, the Capstone Project. Students enrolling in the course are required to have their own notebook PC meeting the noted specifications.
Prerequisites: at least four terms of Greek, or the equivalent. An intensive review of Greek syntax with translation of English sentences and paragraphs into Attic Greek.
This course will familiarize each student with the knowledge that is required to effectively utilize the contract as a tool to manage a construction project. Through a series of lectures, different topics as they relate to contract management and administration will be discussed each week. The focus of the course will be understanding key contract terms and how to apply them when managing an active construction project. Additionally, the course will focus on understanding how to manage claims and disputes, concentrating on claims related to schedule delay and productivity losses.
Whatever its size, scope, or funding, every nonprofit organization has a governing body authorized to exercise power on behalf of the community it serves, in furtherance of its nonprofit mission. In today’s environment of rapidly increasing transparency combined with the growth of the nonprofit sector, it is critical for nonprofit managers to understand how to lead and govern effectively. This Nonprofit Governance course is designed to prepare students to develop, manage, and work effectively with governing boards of directors and trustees, all of whom have the shared goal of meeting the mission of an organization. Topics include: (1) the work of the board, including legal, ethical and fiduciary oversight; strategic thinking and planning; ensuring resources; (2) the stakeholders involved in governance of an organization, including the board (composition and structure) and shared leadership with other staff and management; and (3) board culture, including board development, board dynamics, meetings, and board engagement.
The course provides an overview of the opportunities and challenges of transnational financing from public and private sources that seeks to support mitigation and adaptation investments intended to address climate change. Although there is increased and widespread commitment to taking climate action on the part of corporations, financial institutions, countries and sub-national actors, there remains a paucity of examples where a just transition has been furthered. The conditions engendered by the advent of widespread pandemics have exacerbated global differences in capacity and access to solutions. Nevertheless, the emergence of new financial mechanisms and global cooperative responses to the pandemic have revealed potential methods to finance enhancements in mitigation and adaptation in the regions where these are most lacking. We examine current capital and trade flows and their relationship to flows of embedded carbon, methods of carbon pricing and the implementation of low-carbon pathways, with an evaluation of decentralized co-benefits that can advance sustainable development. We combine analysis of carbon accounting and financial structuring to design potential investments in example decarbonization projects which integrate additionality in mitigation and adaptation, co-benefits and poverty alleviation.
This course covers the basic elements of crisis communication and the procedures for creating crisis communications plans and for reacting to crises when they occur. How best to develop various plans for different critical audiences and understand the most effective strategies for communicating your organization’s message during a crisis is explored. The course examines various types of crises that can occur with corporations and nonprofit organizations and the differences and similarities among them. How to avoid the classic and common pitfalls of crisis communication are addressed, as are ethical issues that arise during crises. Numerous case studies are discussed in class and exercises both in and outside of class are assigned so students gain experience in crisis communication situations.
In this course, students will critically analyze and consider the successes and challenges facing the NFL. Specifically, students will be tasked with identifying what accounts for its success as both a corporate and cultural institution; what lessons can be drawn from the success of the NFL that could pertain to other industries, whether in professional sports or elsewhere; and importantly, how the NFL is actually run as a business. Students will take a deep dive into a variety of subjects within the business of the NFL have first-hand access to NFL insiders from a variety of sectors within the league, and be tasked with cultivating business, marketing, leadership and general decision-making skills drawn from real-world experiences within the NFL.
This course is designed to provide students with working knowledge on how to make successful investments in sustainable companies and to prepare students to be conversationally literate in financial reporting. As you leave the school and become leaders of organizations financial literacy will be a skill set that will be vital to success no matter what career path you go down. It starts with a strong foundation in accounting and corporate finance, then moves on to ESG/Impact screening of potential investments, along with valuation techniques used to arrive at a purchase price. It will explore financial models that can aggregate multiple variables used to drive investment decisions. To understand and lead a transition to a sustainability-aware business, managers must first be familiar with the terminology, practices and consequences of traditional accounting and finance. Students will learn traditional financial and accounting methods and tools. We will examine how these methods and tools are changing to improve product and service design, resource efficiency and allocation, employee productivity and sustainability performance outcomes. Students will learn how value is created in a company and the different methods employed to create that value, conduct due diligence, discuss optimal capital structure to finance a transaction, execute a transaction, and implement a Sustainability-based value-added operating plan to the target company. The course will conclude with students preparing a persuasive investment memo and accompanying financial model to the investment committee of an impact investing asset management firm. The course also provides a practical introduction to selected non-financial accounting topics including sustainability reporting standards, ESG corporate performance indicators and corporate social responsibility report (CSR Reporting).
APPLIED ANALYTICS FRAMEWORKS & METHODS I
APPLIED ANALYTICS FRAMEWORKS & METHODS I
Weekly lectures will introduce film grammar, textual analysis, staging, the camera as narrator, pre-visualization, shot progression, directorial style, working with actors and editing. Lectures by all members of the full time directing faculty anchor the class, highlighting a range of directorial approaches with additional lectures on the techniques and aesthetics of editing. Each lecture will be supported by visual material from master film directors as well as the examples of the short films students will be required to produce in their first two semesters. For the final 7 weeks of the term, a student fellow will be available to mentor students through the planning of their 3-5 films.
Financial Psychology focuses on the intersection of human psychology and wealth
management and the basic elements of consumer behavior. Students will explore
all of the biases, behaviors and perceptions that impact client decision-making and
financial well-being. Most importantly, this course is specifically designed to help
prepare the advisor to better understand all of the factors that impact client
decisions in an effort to help them achieve their own personal goals.
Prerequisites: graduate standing. Introductory survey of major concepts and areas of research in social and cultural anthropology. Emphasis is on both the field as it is currently constituted and its relationship to other scholarly and professional disciplines. Required for students in Anthropology Department's master degree program and for students in the graduate programs of other departments and professional schools desiring an introduction in this field.
Each week, outstanding shorts from Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca, Aspen, and other international festivals will be screened and discussed. (You might see a few duds as well, for comparison purposes.) The emphasis in the first two weeks will be on shorts under six minutes, in preparation for the “3-to-5” project. The second two weeks will be devoted to films between 8 and 12 minutes long, in preparation for the “8-to-12”. The final weeks will include a variety of narratives the size of Columbia thesis films. Altogether, over forty films will be shown and discussed.
A multitude of approaches guide the practitioner when faced with a problem. In conflict resolution, these approaches stem from a range of disciplines, whether from psychology, social psychology, political science, international relations, clinical psychology or even from quantum theory and the latest advances in neuroscience. From this palette of theories, frameworks, and models, the avid and adequately equipped practitioner is able to engage with the conflicts arising from various situations. Ideally, he/she is able to prevent, reduce, mitigate or to de-escalate the conflict to such a degree that actors are able to constructively engage in handling their issues. The competence to understand the drivers and triggers of conflict, and the motives that actors have to engage in conflict is derived from the practitioner’s capacity and capability to be flexible, adaptable, and critical in deploying the knowledge and tools appropriate to resolve any conflict, whether international, communal, organizational or interpersonal. Using a combination of analysis and case studies, this course explores the intersection of theory and analysis, covering the various concepts and frameworks available in the field and applying them to current situations. The critical engagement with the discipline allows students to improve their critical thinking skills, asking a range of questions to appraise the validity of each introduced concept and model, thereby reflecting proactively on whether or not a theory is useful and applicable in explaining the myriad phenomena emerging from a conflict. Knowing when a theory is advantageous to allow for the investigation into what drives, triggers, and motivates the behaviors, attitudes, or emotions of conflict parties immerses students into the reality and practicality of dealing with complex issues and the pitfalls of making recommendations short of viable entry points for leveraging peace and bringing a potentially protracted conflict to a different pathway. The acquired competences are applicable not only towards the program, but also beyond the program as students will be empowered to reflect critically on a text, understand the internal and external validity of a theory, circumvent logical errors, focus on concise and cohesive line of argumentation, and apply results-based recommendations. These skills and competences are applicable to any position requiring analytical, writing, and presentation skills. This course builds on and expands the learnings from PS5101. It is a core course, allo
Prerequisites: At least one semester of calculus. A calculus-based introduction to probability theory. Topics covered include random variables, conditional probability, expectation, independence, Bayes rule, important distributions, joint distributions, moment generating functions, central limit theorem, laws of large numbers and Markovs inequality.
Prerequisites: STAT GR5203 or the equivalent, and two semesters of calculus. Calculus-based introduction to the theory of statistics. Useful distributions, law of large numbers and central limit theorem, point estimation, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, maximum likelihood, likelihood ratio tests, nonparametric procedures, theory of least squares and analysis of variance.
Prerequisites: STAT GR5203 and GR5204 or the equivalent. Theory and practice of regression analysis, Simple and multiple regression, including testing, estimation, and confidence procedures, modeling, regression diagnostics and plots, polynomial regression, colinearity and confounding, model selection, geometry of least squares. Extensive use of the computer to analyse data.