CORPORATE FINANCE

Prerequisites: BUSI PS5001 Introduction to Finance/or Professor Approval is required Students will learn the critical corporate finance concepts including financial statement analysis; performance metrics; valuation of stocks and bonds; project and firm valuation; cost of capital; capital investment strategies and sources of capital, and firm growth strategies. At the end of this course students will understand how to apply these concepts to current business problems.

• Department: Enterprise Risk Management
• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: John D Van Ness
  Info
• 3 points

Regional Climate science and forecasting

Regional climate & foreca

Effective climate adaptation requires the wise application of climate information to decision making on an everyday basis. Many decisions in society are at local scales, and regional climate information considered at appropriate scales and in appropriate forms co-developed by scientists, forecast providers and users is central to the concept of climate services. Students will build an understanding of the dynamics of climate variability and change at regional and local scales, along with the sources of modern climate information used to help manage climate-related risks and adapt to climate change. This includes hands-on Climate Data Analysis and proactive Risk Analysis using historical climate data, real-time monitoring, climate forecasts, and climate change projections.

• Department: Climate School
• T 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Andrew Robertson
  Info
• 3 points

PROFESSIONAL&WORKPLACE COMM IN ENGLISH

• Department: Engineering
• F 10:40 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
• Instructor: Hyoseon Lee
  Info
• 0 points

MASTERS COLLOQUIUM

• Department: English and Comparative Literature
• Instructor: Rebecca Kastleman
  Info
• 4 points

ANALYSIS OF FILM LANGUAGE

• Department: Film
• T 2 p.m.-5:45 p.m.
• Instructor: Annette Insdorf
  CULPA: 10 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

MODA THESIS PREP

The MODA Thesis Prep is a required course for MODA students who plan to commence their thesis in the Fall of the following semester. The course introduces students to the fundamentals of an MA thesis; the process of identifying and developing an appropriate topic; the distinctions between a written/scholarly, or an exhibition-based thesis; formulating a proposal; and an introduction to the research and writing process that will be undertaken during the thesis year. As a central aspect of modern and contemporary art historical writing is determining one’s methodological approach––i.e. the “how” of the argument––during the course of the semester, key methodologies used in modern and contemporary art history will be reviewed, helping students to identify an appropriate approach to pursue with their select topic.

• Department: Art History and Archaeology
• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Janet L Kraynak
  Info
• 3 points

Markets and the Economy

• Department: Business Economics
• F 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
• F 12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
• S 12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
• S 3:45 p.m.-6:45 p.m.
• Instructor: Conor Walsh
  Info
• 1.5 points

OPTIONS AND FUTURES

The course seeks to familiarize students with the basic derivatives (futures and options contracts).  Both have played a role in the markets for many-many years (before the emergence of modern derivative markets in the 70s).  Following the beginning of standardization at CBOE (1973) we have witnessed a dramatic growth in options markets and options are now traded on many exchanges around the world (CBOE, PHLX, NYSE etc.) Huge volumes of options are also traded over the counter (OTC), particularly on foreign exchange and interest rates.  Many options are traded daily in the markets on a wide array of underlying assets from commodities to financial instruments (stocks, bonds, indexes, currencies, futures etc.) to… weather! The appearance of exotic options has driven volumes even higher in the OTC market providing investors with even wider possibilities for customizing risks borne and hedging against risks.

• Department: Enterprise Risk Management
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Ted Jastrzebski
  Info
• 3 points

INDEPENDENT STUDY

• Department: Engineering
• W 3 p.m.-4:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Hyoseon Lee
  Info
• 0 points

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING

Students will examine the generally accepted account principles (GAAP) underlying financial statements and their implementation in practice. The perspective and main focus of the course is from the users of the information contained in the statements, including investors, financial analysts, creditors and, management. By the end of this class students will be able to construct a cash flow statement, balance sheet and decipher a 10K report.

• Department: Enterprise Risk Management
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Melissa Hall
  Info
• 3 points

Climate Change and Disaster Management

Climate Change Disaster M

As climate related disasters continue to grow, the impacts of climate change and sustainable development on disaster threats and vulnerabilities are increasingly pronounced. Many of those in the field of disaster management are having to contend with increasing frequency and severity of disasters. Concurrently, disaster risk reduction and response frameworks are struggling to meet the challenge of 21st century disasters. At the same time, the field of disaster research is generating new insights into how the built environment, social structures, and ecological dynamics are intersecting to set the stage for disaster vulnerability, and thus can be better engineered for resilience. As this field continues to evolve, many who many not necessarily identify as disaster managers are also increasingly involved in disaster management in some capacity. With this, the dynamics of disaster risk reduction and disaster management are essential in working with communities and negotiating development activities in ways that are inclusive of a broad range of values, goals and incentive structures.

• Department: Climate School
• T 4:10 p.m.-6:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Jeffrey Schlegelmilch
  Info
• 3 points

CINEMA HIST I:BEGINNINGS-1930

• Department: Film
• W 2:10 p.m.-5:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Jane Gaines
  CULPA: 4 Info
• 3 points

INTRO TO THE MATH OF FINANCE

Prerequisites: MATH UN1102 and MATH UN1201 , or their equivalents. Introduction to mathematical methods in pricing of options, futures and other derivative securities, risk management, portfolio management and investment strategies with an emphasis of both theoretical and practical aspects. Topics include: Arithmetic and Geometric Brownian ,motion processes, Black-Scholes partial differential equation, Black-Scholes option pricing formula, Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes, volatility models, risk models, value-at-risk and conditional value-at-risk, portfolio construction and optimization methods.

• Department: Mathematics
• MW 7:40 p.m.-8:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Mikhail Smirnov
  CULPA: 16 Info
• 3 points

MANAGING HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN THE ORGANIZAT

Students will gain an overview of major concepts of management and organization theory, concentrating on understanding human behavior in organizational contexts, with heavy emphasis on the application of concepts to solve managerial problems. By the end of this course students will have developed the skills to motivate employees, establish professional interpersonal relationships, take a leadership role, and conduct performance appraisal.

• Department: Human Capital Management
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• M 8:30 p.m.-10 p.m.
• Instructor: Aaron S Wallen
  CULPA: 1 h-index: 5 Info
• 3 points

Banking and Technology: Financial Servic

This course offers students a strategic and applied framework for understanding the transformative impact of financial technology (FinTech) on the global banking and financial services industry. Through case studies, industry analysis, and collaborative projects, students will explore how traditional banks, fintech unicorns, big tech firms, and non-bank financial players are reshaping the competitive landscape.

The course traces the evolution of fintech across core sectors, including payments, lending, and capital markets, while examining the rise of disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, open banking, and digital currencies, including CBDCs, cryptocurrencies, and decentralized finance. Students will also analyze the regulatory and governance challenges emerging from rapid innovation in financial services.

Emphasizing strategic thinking, leadership, and applied analysis over technical specialization, the course culminates in an individual research paper and a team-based final project. It is designed for students aspiring to leadership roles in the evolving global digital financial ecosystem.

Delivered in person over seven weeks, this 1.5-elective course is open to graduate students across the School of Professional Studies and other Columbia University programs. There are no specific competencies, prerequisite knowledge, or prior coursework in the discipline required to enroll.

• Department: Technology Management
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Richard Goldberg
  Info
• 1.5 points

Proseminar

Proseminar is designed to offer beginning MA and PhD students an overview of (i) the major sub-disciplinary areas that are gathered under the umbrella term ‘classics’, making it a fundamentally interdisciplinary field of enquiry, and (ii) the diverse methodologies that are standardly applied in many subfields of classical research and publication.

• Department: Classics
• F 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• F 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Elizabeth K Irwin
  CULPA: 7 Info
• Instructor: Katharina Volk
  CULPA: 7 Info
• 1 points

ORAL HISTORY WORKSHOP

• Department: Oral History
• R 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Amy A Starecheski
  h-index: 5 Info
• 1 points

Social Impact: Business, Society & the E

Soc Impacts: Bus, Soc & E

The Social Impact: Business, Society, and the Natural Environment course explores the relationship between corporations, society, and the natural environment. Specifically, it examines the ways in which governments, (for-profit and non-profit) organizations, and investors (fail to) have positive impact and manage issues where the pursuit of private goals is deemed inconsistent with the public interest.

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

ORAL HISTORY THESIS

n/a

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

Climate Mobility

It is widely accepted that climate factors can and do affect human mobility, though the degree of their influence varies depending on local contexts. In the case of population displacement, rapid onset climate extremes have a relatively direct impact on mobility, and for longer-term migration climate factors also have been shown to play a role, often mediated by more direct drivers. There is a growing recognition that underlying institutional and structural factors (i.e., root causes) shape the way the climate stressors impact local migration decision-making, and that cultural proclivities and inequitable access to resources, markets, and political power structures often set the stage for ensuing migration flows (domestic and international). In many low income settings the donor and development assistance community are grappling with these complex nexus issues as they seek to develop policies and programs that reduce the potential for distress or mass migration. Responses to date generally fall into four categories; 1) those that address the livelihood aspects of climate migration -- e.g., by improving the prospects for local adaptation; 2) those that seek to facilitate mobility as an adaptation mechanism; 3) those that resettle people in new locations and offer migrant protections; and 4) those that seek to mitigate the impacts of those movements, including environmental impacts, on receiving communities. In high income settings, responses to current and potentially increased immigration from developing countries tends to fall into two camps: a resurgent nationalism with measures to prevent or deter migration versus more migrant-friendly policies that seek to protect migrant rights while acknowledging responsibility for historic greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, high income countries are facing climate impacts of their own such as sea level rise, riparian flooding and massive fires that have displaced thousands and prompted managed retreat from at-risk areas. All this has brought to the fore questions of equity and climate justice as marginalized populations everywhere are often disproportionately affected and least compensated. This interdisciplinary course focuses on the social, demographic, economic, political, environmental and climatic factors that shape human mobility, while addressing the legal categories of international mobility (e.g., migrant versus refugee). We explore underlying drivers of the various types of migration – from forced to voluntary and those forms in between – in ord

• Department: Climate School
• R 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Alexander M Desherbinin
  Info
• 3 points

DATA ANALYSIS FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Prerequisites: One semester of undergraduate statistics The data analysis course covers specific statistical tools used in social science research using the statistical program R. Topics to be covered include statistical data structures, and basic descriptives, regression models, multiple regression analysis, interactions, polynomials, Gauss-Markov assumptions and asymptotics, heteroskedasticity and diagnostics, models for binary outcomes, naive Bayes classifiers, models for ordered data, models for nominal data, first difference analysis, factor analysis, and a review of models that build upon OLS. Prerequisite: introductory statistics course that includes linear regression. There is a statistical computer lab session with this course: QMSS G4017 -001 -DATA ANALYSIS FOR SOC SCI

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Mike Z He
  Info
• 3 points

ADV ANALYTIC TECHNIQUES

This course is meant to train students in advanced quantitative techniques in the social sciences. Statistical computing will be carried out in R. Topics include: review of multiple/linear regression, review of logistic regression, generalized linear models, models with limited dependent variables, first differences analysis, fixed effects, random effects, lagged dependent variables, growth curve analysis, instrumental variable and two stage least squares, natural experiments, regression discontinuity, propensity score matching, multilevel models or hierarchical linear models, and text-based quantitative analysis.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• F 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Gregory M Eirich
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

Post-Disaster Recovery: Housing/Economic

This course is designed as an elective to the Climate and Society Master of Arts degree program. The purpose of this course is to prepare those entering the climate policy and practice workforce for addressing these challenges and solutions by providing an overview of the fields of economic and housing recovery within the context of climate change and climate driven disasters.

• Department: Climate School
• R 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• 3 points

STRATEGIC STORYTELLER

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a deep and broad understanding of stories and how they can be used in strategic communication. Drawing from a wealth of evidence-based and field-tested work on storytelling from both local and global contexts, students will learn why stories tend to be so powerful and—with a focus on the written, performed, and transmedia aspects of storytelling—gain experience in telling stories to achieve organizational objectives. Your skills will be sharpened through lively seminar discussions, storytelling exercises, workshop-style coaching, and presentations and on-camera practice.  By the end, students will walk away with a new mindset and a host of strategies that can be immediately implemented in their everyday work.

• Department: Auditing
• T 10:10 a.m.-noon
• 3 points

Strategic Thinking

Politics involves a complex interaction of competing interests.  For practitioners, it is crucial to understand how efforts are met with responses, and predicting those responses is critical to designing successful strategies.  Game theory is the formal mathematical analysis of strategic interaction across the social sciences.  This course provides a general theoretical language to the theory of games, examining the intentional thought process of rational actors in strategic environments.  Students will acquire tools for understanding the dynamics that lead to the success of a political campaign or policy-making effort.  Course topics include two-person games, dynamic games, bargaining, and signaling. Students will also examine a variety of cases.

• Department: Political Analytics
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Michael Ting
  CULPA: 4 Info
• 2 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
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Young Mi Park
  Info
• Instructor: Andrew Blum
  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
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Alexander Heil
  Info
• Instructor: Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou
  Info
• 3 points

PRED EFFCT CLIMATE CHNGE ON GLOB FORESTS

PRED EFF CLIM CHNGE GLBL FRSTS

Forests are often called the lungs of the earth, for their role in converting atmospheric CO2 into the life-sustaining Oxygen that we all breathe. Collectively, the global forests contribute to roughly 40% of the annual global carbon sink, and yet little is known about the drivers of terrestrial carbon sequestration, and the processes involved in these systems response to changes in climate. Forested landscapes also comprise some of the most critical habitats on planet Earth, by serving as refuge to diverse and often endangered flora and fauna, and as regulators of water and soils. These services are particularly important for highland regions where forests are heavily exploited and are often the primary source of water and food for marginalized human populations. This course takes an in-depth look into the current, primary literature on the direct and indirect effects of climate change on forest ecosystems around the globe, and examines some of the primary policy solutions to forest loss mitigation and sustainability. Because the instructor is from the LDEO Tree Ring Lab there will be an emphasis on using dendrochronology for understanding changes in biomass for forest environments, with emphasis on the broadleaf forests of eastern North America and the largely coniferous, fire-prone forests of the American West. Students will have access to multiple sources of data, including satellite, forest inventory, tree rings and eddy-flux measurements. The course will have a field component that will take place at the Black Rock Forest (BRF), about two hours north of NYC. Students will conduct primary research for a final project, with the goal being to develop a set of group projects related to forests and climate change. This course will prepare students to assess the impacts of climate extremes on forest systems and to understand the complexities of response possibilities from diverse ecosystems.

This course will combine lectures and assigned course readings to develop the framework for understanding global forest response to climate change. Each class will begin with a 5-question mini-quiz based upon the assigned readings and the previous lecture. This class will discuss the questions asked, techniques used and key findings of the papers, with discussions led by the students. The class includes a field trip to Black Rock Forest (dates TBD) where students will collect data for use in a class project, thereby providing the opportunity to develop skills in field research and data analysis.

• Department: Sustainability Science
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Mukund P Rao
  Info
• 3 points

CURATING ORAL HISTORIES

This seminar is one of our core course, in which students will learn and practice the skills required to conceptualize, conduct, analyze and curate oral history interviews. In Curating Oral Histories we focus our attention on the curation and amplification of oral histories, including archiving, online presentation, museum exhibits, oral history documentary, advocacy, and teaching oral history. Our work this semester will emphasize interpretive processes, collaborative work, and how the public perceives and receives oral history.  Students will be expected to be primarily working on their own thesis or capstone projects. Our core question:
 How do we present oral histories, with all of their length, depth, complexity and intersubjective richness, in an accessible way to a public audience without sacrificing those qualities we so value?

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

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
• M 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Sandhya Kajeepeta
  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: Sustainability Management
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Christoph J Meinrenken
  h-index: 15 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 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Kim Matsoukas
  Info
• 3 points

Earth Studio: Toward Climate Justice and

Earth Studio: Climate Jus

“Earth Studio: Toward Climate Justice and Resilience: Caribbean Basin
is a (3) credit elective course offered in the Columbia Climate School Masters of Climate and Society Program.
Taught in a collaborative format with GSAPP’s Water Urbanism Design (UD) Studio, this course will explore climate justice and action through the intersections of urban planning, design, and policy in support of communities and ecologies on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

• Department: Climate School
• R 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Johanna Lovecchio
  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.
• Instructor: Gregory M Eirich
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

RES SEM IN QUANT MTHS-SOC SCI II

RES SEMINAR 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
• M 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Sandhya Kajeepeta
  Info
• 3 points

Climate Change Law and Policy

This course surveys the legal and policy mechanisms, and political and social forces, that can be utilized to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases and to adapt to a warming planet. We will start with a brief introduction to the kinds of policy challenges that climate change poses to international and domestic legal regimes.  The course will then consider the international, federal, state and local legal regimes applicable to climate change, with an emphasis on U.S. law and policy.

In particular, the course will cover the negotiation, implementation and current status of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, the Copenhagen Accord, the Paris Agreement, the Glasgow Climate Pact and the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan. The focus will then turn to the past and proposed actions of the U.S. Congress, the executive branch and the courts, as well as regional, state and municipal efforts. The Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Policy Act will receive special attention, as will the authority of an administration to reverse prior policy. We will examine efforts in the U.S. and other countries to use the courts to force action on climate change.

We will evaluate the various legal tools that are available to address climate change, including cap-and-trade and carbon offsets; command-and-control regulation; litigation; and securities disclosures. Implications for international human rights, environmental and climate justice, international and intergenerational equity will be discussed.

• Department: Climate School
• M 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Sheila Foster
  Info
• 3 points

Food Systems & Climate Interactions

Food Syst. & CLMT Interac

This graduate-level course provides an overview of current and future anthropogenic climate change impacts on food systems and vice versa. The first half of the course will explore the relationship between climate change impacts across food systems and how we grow, transport, process, and consume food impact climate and environmental change. The second half of the course will explore mitigation and adaptation measures across food systems. Throughout the course, we will undertake deep-dive case studies to provide local context to this complex relationship between climate change and food.

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

CINEMA HIST IV:AFTER 1990

CINEMA HIST IV: AFTER 1990

• Department: Film
• T 9:10 a.m.-1:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Racquel Gates
  Info
• 3 points

ILLNESS/DISABILITY NARRATIVES

• Department: Narrative Medicine
• W 6:10 p.m.-9 p.m.
• Instructor: Mary E Sormanti
  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 6:10 p.m.-8 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
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Celine S Ruben-Salama
  Info
• Instructor: Jessica M Thurston
  Info
• 3 points

Black Ecologies

African and African Diasporic peoples have been central to the creation and transformation of global ecologies and landscapes. As the birthplace of humankind, the African continent features the longest archaeological record in the world, with abundant, yet often underrepresented, material and historical evidence for remarkable Indigenous African innovations in the areas of technology, food production, and resource and land use. This course specifically examines Black ecologies preceding and then radically transformed by the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Beginning in the late fifteenth century, the enslavement of millions of Africans and their forced translocation to the Americas and Caribbean precipitated ecological transformations on all sides of the Atlantic, as African peoples, knowledge, resources and ecological inheritances were appropriated by the European mercantile system. Enslaved Africans transformed American landscapes via extractive industries of plantations and mines and suffered the emergence of toxic landscapes and disease alongside Native American communities. Africans also recreated African ecologies as they created livelihoods and landscapes of resistance and freedom in the Americas. The legacies of the Atlantic Era maintain a persistent dynamic in which African and African Diasporic communities experience disproportionate burdens of environmental injustice today. The concept of Black ecologies reflects the marginality, systemic racism and dispossession experienced by Black peoples and their landscapes. Black ecologies also allow us to understand African and African Diasporic ecological innovations, resistance and resilience, and the pathways to future sustainability and justice they promise.

• Department: Climate School
• R 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Kristina Douglass
  Info
• 3 points

INTRO TO LIFE INSURANCE

• Department: Actuarial Science
• M 6:10 p.m.-8:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Regina Dolgoarshinnykh
  CULPA: 2 Info
• 3 points

NUMERICAL METHODS IN FINANCE

Prerequisites: some familiarity with the basic principles of partial differential equations, probability and stochastic processes, and of mathematical finance as provided, e.g. in MATH W5010. Prerequisites: some familiarity with the basic principles of partial differential equations, probability and stochastic processes, and of mathematical finance as provided, e.g. in MATH W5010. Review of the basic numerical methods for partial differential equations, variational inequalities and free-boundary problems. Numerical methods for solving stochastic differential equations; random number generation, Monte Carlo techniques for evaluating path-integrals, numerical techniques for the valuation of American, path-dependent and barrier options.

• Department: Mathematics
• TR 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Jaehyuk Choi
  Info
• 3 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

Genetics

Prerequisites: BIOL UN2005 and BIOL UN2006 or the equivalent. General genetics course focused on basic principles of transmission genetics and the application of genetic approaches to the study of biological function. Principles will be illustrated using classical and contemporary examples from prokaryote and eukaryote organisms, and the experimental discoveries at their foundation will be featured. Applications will include genetic approaches to studying animal development and human diseases.  All students must get permission from the instructor to be added from the waitlist.

• Department: Biological Sciences
• TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• 3 points

Disaster Research Methods

The field of disaster research is relatively new in the United States, as a specific field of study, with the first disaster research center being founded in the early 1960s. The field itself is now highly multi-disciplinary, drawing from the social sciences, anthropology, political science, computer science, engineering, earth sciences, psychology, and medicine and public health. These academic fields have intersected with the practice community by informing holistic emergency planning for all members of a community. Furthermore, these research outputs have informed federal and state policy, the private sector, and community organizations to inform program design and implementation. Translating research into practice remains a constant challenge in this rapidly evolving field. The methodological approaches to disaster research are just as diverse and have become increasingly complex with the advent of big data, the ubiquity of spatial information, and novel cross-disciplinary research. As a new era of compound and cascading disasters has triggered a constant “response” mode within the field of emergency management, the need for practitioners and research with a fluency in research and evaluation methods is required to critically evaluate or generate high quality and ethically based research.

• Department: Climate School
• T 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Jonathan J Sury
  Info
• 3 points

DECISION MODELS & MANAGEMENT

This course provides an introduction to computer-based models for decision-making.  The emphasis is on models that are widely used in diverse industries and functional areas, including finance, accounting, operations, and marketing.  Applications will include advertising planning, revenue management, asset-liability management, environmental policy modeling, portfolio optimization, and corporate risk management, among others. The applicability and usage of computer-based models have increased dramatically in recent years, due to the extraordinary improvements in computer, information and communication technologies, including not just hardware but also model-solution techniques and user interfaces.  Twenty years ago working with a model meant using an expensive mainframe computer, learning a complex programming language, and struggling to compile data by hand; the entire process was clearly marked “experts only.”  The rise of personal computers, friendly interfaces (such as spreadsheets), and large databases has made modeling far more accessible to managers.  Information has come to be recognized as a critical resource, and models play a key role in deploying this resource, in organizing and structuring information so that it can be used productively.

• Department: Sustainability Management
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Lucius J Riccio
  CULPA: 4 Info
• 3 points

History of the Climate Crisis

The climate crisis is a defining feature of contemporary life. How did we get here? This course considers the historical, social, ethical, and political life of global warming in an effort to better understand the present climate age. Themes and topics include: the origins of fossil fuel-based energy systems and the cultural life of oil; the history of climate science and the geopolitics of climate knowledge production; the emergence of climate change as a global political issue; debates about political responses to climate change versus market-based approaches; the question of culpability and who should be held responsible for causing global warming; and the recent emergence of a global climate justice movement and its relationship to racial justice and indigenous rights movements.

• Department: Climate School
• T 4:10 p.m.-6:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Leah V Aronowsky
  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.
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 3 points

Climate Risk Assessment

This graduate-level course surveys the many components that go into climate risk assessment, with an emphasis on climate impacts and vulnerability.  We will survey the latest research on climate hazards, with an emphasis on the types of extreme weather events that have the largest societal impacts.  We will then explore these impacts in detail, by sector and system.  We will next investigate determinants of vulnerability, and how vulnerability magnifies climate impacts.  We then query how climate solutions can be integrated into risk assessments in a recursive manner. Throughout the course, we will strike a balance between foundational (‘IPCC-type’) examples on the one hand, and emerging topics like compound extreme events and existential risk on the other.  Throughout the course we will study and employ a number of risk assessment methodologies, based on case studies from within the private, public, and non-profit sectors.

• Department: Climate School
• R 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Radley M Horton
  Info
• 3 points

Extreme Weather Events and Climate Chang

Extreme Weather and Clima

This seminar class will give an overview of the current knowledge of extreme weather events and the impact of anthropogenic climate change on their characteristics. We will start the course by defining extreme weather events and the current state-of-the-art knowledge of how anthropogenic activities influence them, including trends, detection and attribution, as well as future projections. We will discuss the methods typically used for analyzing extreme events and what are the existing uncertainties. The existing warning systems and forecasts for extreme events will be briefly discussed, including their communication and impacts and possible mitigation measures.

• Department: Climate School
• R 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Suzana J de Camargo
  Info
• 3 points

Survey & Polling Methodology

Survey research has played a pivotal role in politics for the better part of the last century, with a wide range of campaign and public policy professionals conducting surveys to gain insight into the thoughts, feelings, and opinions of the electorate and citizenry as a whole. Since the early 2000s, the use of survey experiments has become exponentially more prevalent in the political realm as a way to assess attitudes, anticipate reactions, or measure causal relationships. Recent trends point to the growing importance of the internet and social media to conduct surveys and the linkage of survey data with the wealth of publicly available personal information as well as with information on individuals’ social and economic behavior. In this course, students will learn about the strengths and weaknesses of survey research as well as limitations associated with survey design and various analytical techniques, and they will acquire concrete knowledge of practical tools used in campaigns, advocacy, and election forecasting. Students will be introduced to a set of principles for conducting survey research and analyzing survey data that are the basis for standard practice in the field. Students will be familiarized with terminology and concepts associated with survey questionnaire design, sampling, data collection and aggregation, and survey data analysis to gain insights and to test hypotheses about the nature of human and social behavior and interaction. The course will present a framework that will enable students to evaluate the influence of different sources of error on the quality of data.

• Department: Political Analytics
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Kelly T Rader
  Info
• 2 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: Panos Mourdoukoutas
  Wikipedia 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: Sustainability Management
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Bridget C Murphy
  Info
• 3 points

Spatial Analysis of Food Security

Spatial Analysis Food Sec

Globally, over 2 billion people are suffering from moderate-to-severe food insecurity and the Sudan famine being the first famine declared in 2025 since 2020. One key aspect to understanding food insecurity is its spatial distribution and trends that contribute to how food secure a population is. This course will teach students how to collect and analyze spatial data related to food security, as well as touch on important topics in food insecurity. The course will focus on taking real-life food security questions and applying spatial analysis techniques to these questions. In the course, we will cover an introduction to spatial analysis, natural experiments in geography, applying remote sensing to food insecurity, climate shocks and food security, and seasonal forecasting and food security.  

This class will have a lecture aspect, which will mainly focus on topics in food security and how they relate to data collection, and a lab section, which will be an opportunity for students to collect data directly, clean the data, and analyze the data using the R programming language with spatial research methods. Example topics in class will be climate variability and food insecurity, policies that can successfully address food insecurity, and understanding spatial aggregation in food security statistics and how that can influence interpretation. These topics will then be further explored in the lab section of the class: specifically focusing on downloading weather data for time series analysis, using a convergence of datasets to map hotspots, and investigating how survey data intersects with spatial datasets.

• Department: Climate School
• T 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Sarah L Blakeley
  Info
• 3 points

ESG - Corporate Strategy

Publicly traded companies are increasingly challenged to contribute to sustainable development and improve quality of life for everyone. The years ahead will reveal the negative side effects and blind spots of conventional strategy tools, which often focus on short-termism, profit maximization, and share price. Historically, social expectations of businesses have been limited to the creation of wealth for owners and shareholders as well as the creation of jobs and economic development for the communities in which they operate. This limited set of expectations has allowed managers to focus on profit maximization as their primary objective and source of value creation. 

Transformative business models, however, will become increasingly important as businesses face the challenges of climate change, resource scarcity and social inequity that dominate today’s competitive business landscape. Acquiring the skills to help navigate these conditions will be essential to businesses that seek to thrive and foster a more sustainable world and create shared stakeholder value. 

This course will explore the fundamental role of business in contributing to a more sustainable and just world and the emerging strategies companies are using to align business value creation with social and environmental impacts.  How corporations successfully balance the expectations and interests of stakeholders with profit maximization will be explored. This course will also identify the impacts, risks, and opportunities that leadership must assess and develop strategies to address. The course will explore the benefits of ESG/Sustainability in business, how for-profit businesses can thrive in a competitive setting while still creating long-term stakeholder value, and how companies have embedded ESG strategies, plans and programs to address their related challenges and opportunities. In addition, the course will consider business drivers and macro forces that inform ESG strategy and key concepts and tools that are essential to developing value generating ESG strategies that are good for people, planet, and enterprise profitability.

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

INDUSTRY INSIDER

This course gives students visibility into the rapidly changing communication industry and the wide range of careers available. Curated site visits take us inside world-class agencies and corporate/nonprofit organizations to see how they use strategic communication in the real world. Students gain firsthand exposure to leading practitioners while learning the dynamics of collaboration between internal and external stakeholders. Relevant coursework provides additional perspective.

• Department: Strategic Communication
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Juli Falkoff
  Info
• 3 points

STRATEGIC NEGOTIATION IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS

STRAT NEG IN COMPLEX SYST

Negotiation today requires navigating complexity, interpreting incomplete data, managing uncertainty, and fostering trust in environments where clarity is scarce and stakes are high. Practitioners must address information gaps and asymmetry, regulatory pressures, and power dynamics while aligning diverse interests and shaping agreements that endure.

This course prepares students with skills to negotiate effectively across healthcare, technology, and business—domains where outcomes hinge on data limitations, contractual nuance, and shifting stakeholder priorities. Trust and credibility are emphasized as essential currencies, especially when agreements depend on long-term relationships, compliance, and cross-functional collaboration.

Guest speakers from multiple industries will share practical insights into negotiating across roles and power structures. Their perspectives will underscore the value of preparation, trust-building, and adaptive strategies for navigating uncertainty in dynamic environments.

Students will:


Build and apply negotiation frameworks in complex, multiparty environments.

Learn how to extract meaning from structured (quantitative) and unstructured (qualitative) data.

Develop data-informed narratives to guide decision-making and stakeholder alignment.

Practice identifying cognitive bias, ethical tension, and strategic leverage points.

Engage in simulations and case studies grounded in real-world contracting and influence challenges.


Note for NECR Students
: As an elective offered by the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (NECR) program, this course builds on students’ conflict negotiation skills (PS5105) and their application in healthcare. Students will further engage with concepts on the influences and cultural understandings of conflict parties, and conflict analysis (PS5124 and 6050). The aforementioned courses will contribute to the understanding of this course’s content and should, in general, be taken before this elective.

• Department: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Rodney K Jr. Erb
  Info
• 3 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

GEO INFO SYSTEMS (GIS) FOR SUST SCIENCE

Many environmental and sustainability science issues have a spatial, location-based component. Increasingly available spatial data allow location-specific analysis and solutions to problems and understanding issues. As result, analyzing and identifying successful and sustainable solutions for these issues often requires the use of spatial analysis and tools. This course introduces common spatial data types and fundamental methods to organize, visualize and analyze those data using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Through a combination of lectures and practical computer activities the students will learn and practice fundamental GIS and spatial analysis methods using typical sustainable science case studies and scenarios. A key objective of this course is to provide students with essential GIS skills that will aid them in their professional career and to offer an overview of current GIS applications. In the first part, the course will cover basic spatial data types and GIS concepts. The students will apply those techniques by analyzing potential impacts of storms on New York City as part of a guided case study. A mid-term report describing this case study and the results is required. In the second part, building on the basic concepts introduced in the first part, students will be asked to identify a sustainable science question of their choice that they would like to address as a final project. Together with the instructor they will be developing a strategy of analyzing and presenting related spatial data. While the students are working on their projects additional GIS method and spatial analysis concepts will be covered in class. At the end of the course Students will briefly present their final project and submit a paper describing their project. This course does not assume that students have had any previous experience with GIS.

• Department: Sustainability Science
• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Frank Nitsche
  CULPA: 1 h-index: 29 Info
• 3 points

MATH FINANCE PRACTITIONERS SEMINAR II

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
• R 7:40 p.m.-8:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Jaehyuk Choi
  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

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

METHODS WORKSHOP

Introducing students to a series of methods, methodological discussions, and questions relevant to the focus of the Masters program: urban sociology and the public interest. Three methodological perspectives will frame discussions: analytical sociology, small-n methods, and actor-network theory.

• Department: Sociology
• R 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Yao Lu
  h-index: 25 Info
• 4 points

Computing and Research Methods for Clima

Nearly all subdisciplines in climate now rely on aspects of data science to understand problems and evaluate solutions. Climate science is generating “big data” including petabytes of observations from sources such as NASA and even more from climate models. With this big, complex data burden comes the need for advanced data science techniques such that scientists can better understand our climate system and explore possible solutions to the challenge of climate change. 

This course is a broad introduction to research computing and data science drawing from examples in climate science. Students will learn how to work with, analyze, and visualize big datasets. The course will utilize the scientific python ecosystem, Unix/Linux, shell scripting, terminal commands, git/github, and other techniques.

• Department: Climate School
• T 1:10 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Daniel Westervelt
  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.
• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Nicole C Dicrecchio
  Info
• Instructor: Benjamin Kinsella
  Info
• 3 points

Sovereign Finance, Climate and Developme

Sovereign Finc, Climate,

The ability of many emerging market and developing economy (EMDE) countries to meet their climate financing objectives depends to a large extent on their cost of capital, which in turn is impacted by the actual and perceived risks of their sovereign debt.  According to the Jubilee Report published in June 2025 by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the Columbia University Initiative for Policy Dialogue, 54 countries spend over ten percent of their revenues on interest payments, and 3.3 billion people live in countries that spend more on interest than healthcare.  EMDE countries need workable tools to reduce financing costs and manage sovereign debt in order to fund their development needs and to achieve the climate objectives set out in their nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement.  

This course will explore the roots of the problem, including the pro-cyclical nature of sovereign financing and refinancing; the role of international financial institutions and credit rating agencies; and the main obstacles to resolving sovereign debt distress in an orderly and timely way, contrasting resolution tools for sovereign debt with those available in the private sector.  Drawing on real-world case studies, we will look at structural innovations that could help debottleneck climate finance, and how effective they can be.  We will consider several prominent proposals to reorient the global financial architecture, focusing on whether and to what extent they can reduce EMDE funding costs and unlock financing for sustainable development and climate investment.

• Department: Climate School
• F 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• 1.5 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

Applied Climate II

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
• 0.5 points

Applied Climate II

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
• Instructor: Andrew J Kruczkiewicz
  Info
• Instructor: Radley M Horton
  Info
• 0.5 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.
• R 2 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Charles R Riemann
  Info
• Instructor: Gregory A Kossinets
  Info
• 3 points

Global Institutions and the Architecture

Global Inst. & Climate Fi

This course explores the role of international institutions—including the IMF, World Bank, UN agencies, Multilateral Environmental Agreements, regional development banks, and national development banks—in shaping the global response to climate change. We will analyze how mandates, governance structures, financial instruments, and geopolitical dynamics shape the capacity of these institutions to mobilize and allocate climate finance. 

The course emphasizes how current institutions emerged from historical conditions (e.g., the Bretton Woods system, the dollar’s role as anchor currency, and mechanisms to prevent financial instability), and how those legacies both enable and constrain climate finance today. Students will examine reform debates and the rise of new institutions (e.g., AIIB, BRICS’ New Development Bank) as potential complements or alternatives to the prevailing institutions.  

Site visits to the IMF and World Bank in Washington, D.C. and the United Nations Headquarters in New York will provide first-hand exposure to the workings of these institutions.  The class will also have live video interactions with other global institutions.

• Department: Climate School
• F 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Jeffrey D Sachs
  CULPA: 15 Wikipedia Info
• 1.5 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.
• R 2 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Charles R Riemann
  Info
• Instructor: Gregory A Kossinets
  Info
• 3 points

Water Governance

Water is widely recognized as the most essential natural resource for both society and Earth’s ecosystems. Yet the relationship between society and water is complex. While water is critical for livelihoods, it is also frequently a hazard. Floods, droughts, and contaminated water are formidable threats to human well-being. To deal with this dual nature of water, people have long modified the water cycle through engineering schemes like dams, reservoirs, irrigation systems, and interbasin transfer systems as well as through land use and land-cover change.

We need more than just technical solutions. Society needs a clear and robust plan to manage and govern water given its intertwined relationship with this critical resource. In Water Governance, we will explore the political, social, economic, and administrative systems that affect the use, development, and management of water resources. You will be introduced to current themes that influence water governance including sustainable development, integrated water resource management, water rights and pricing, corruption, and equity for marginal groups. These themes will be explored at the local, national, and international levels to provide you with a broad understanding of water governance issues.

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

Water Governance

Water is widely recognized as the most essential natural resource for both society and Earth’s ecosystems. Yet the relationship between society and water is complex. While water is critical for livelihoods, it is also frequently a hazard. Floods, droughts, and contaminated water are formidable threats to human well-being. To deal with this dual nature of water, people have long modified the water cycle through engineering schemes like dams, reservoirs, irrigation systems, and interbasin transfer systems as well as through land use and land-cover change.

We need more than just technical solutions. Society needs a clear and robust plan to manage and govern water given its intertwined relationship with this critical resource. In Water Governance, we will explore the political, social, economic, and administrative systems that affect the use, development, and management of water resources. You will be introduced to current themes that influence water governance including sustainable development, integrated water resource management, water rights and pricing, corruption, and equity for marginal groups. These themes will be explored at the local, national, and international levels to provide you with a broad understanding of water governance issues.

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

Water Governance

Water is widely recognized as the most essential natural resource for both society and Earth’s ecosystems. Yet the relationship between society and water is complex. While water is critical for livelihoods, it is also frequently a hazard. Floods, droughts, and contaminated water are formidable threats to human well-being. To deal with this dual nature of water, people have long modified the water cycle through engineering schemes like dams, reservoirs, irrigation systems, and interbasin transfer systems as well as through land use and land-cover change.

We need more than just technical solutions. Society needs a clear and robust plan to manage and govern water given its intertwined relationship with this critical resource. In Water Governance, we will explore the political, social, economic, and administrative systems that affect the use, development, and management of water resources. You will be introduced to current themes that influence water governance including sustainable development, integrated water resource management, water rights and pricing, corruption, and equity for marginal groups. These themes will be explored at the local, national, and international levels to provide you with a broad understanding of water governance issues.

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

Insurance for Climate Change in the Glob

Climate change is overwhelming the world’s capacity to manage climate risk. Index insurance and other financial risk transfer tools, such as derivatives, cat-bonds, and humanitarian disaster funds are being increasingly looked to as solutions to address year to year climate risk to support climate adaptation. However, success is mixed, with experiences of inadequate performance, opaqueness, exploitation, incentivization of mal-adaptation, and approaches that undermine sovereignty and governance. Co-generation and governance tools are not yet developed enough to assure that those who the financing is intended to benefit have an adequate voice in design, or understand critical limitations. There are no easy solutions, with many difficult trade-offs, unsolved problems, and justice challenges. 

In the class, students work to understand the relationship between academic research and project level challenges. The course will be an insider view of practical real world case studies. Students will use real world project materials, data, and software tools to work through the evolution of thought over time, exploring issues such as incentivization of adaptation through community driven strategies, avoiding potential pitfalls, and responsibly implementing financial solutions for large numbers of low-income people. Students will use interactive software tools, quantitative games, and project workflows to analyze case studies and cumulatively develop their own real world case study, guided by academic debates and their own insights to build their own interactive tools and finance solutions.

• Department: Climate School
• W 10:10 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Daniel Osgood
  h-index: 23 Info
• 3 points

Leadership

Successful leaders in politics, campaign management, and related professions must be able to lead change in their organizations, not only motivate and manage their teams toward a common goal. The aims that leaders seek to achieve are determined by their ability to create value, collaborate, influence, navigate uncertainty, and advance ideas, programs, and movements. In this course, students will learn about how the development of personal attributes and abilities lays the groundwork for building the core leadership competencies that are essential for high-impact management as well as changing the behavior and the culture of organizations with particular emphasis on how to successfully introduce the methods and results of analytics. Students will explore the motivations, obstacles, and interventions of change, and learn to build alliances, facilitate difficult meetings and develop a transformation plan. They will also review some of the most important academic research and business publications on change management and the implementation of analytics. The course is intended to enhance practical skills through dynamic interactions with the instructor, role-playing with classmates, and other real-world experiences.

• Department: Political Analytics
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: David Wolfson
  Info
• 2 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 program will encounter a range of scientific problems throughout their Science-specific courses that require a strong working knowledge of computer programming.  This course provides an introduction to scientific programming using Python. Computer coding skills gained in the course will prepare students for coursework in the Master of Science in Sustainability Science program as well as to succeed in a career having a programming component.  Students enrolled in this course will learn through lectures, class discussion, and hands-on exercises that address the following topics:


Basics of computer programming, including precision of variables, arrays and data structures, input/output, control flow, and subroutines.

Applying Python to read common scientific data formats, including NetCDF for gridded climate and other environmental data.

Applying Python for data analysis, with a focus on popular machine learning methods including linear regression, decision trees, neural networks, principal component analysis, and clustering.

Applying Python to visualize scientific data through basic X-Y plots as well as images of data fields on a global map.


This course will train students to analyze and model scientific data using Python in order to better understand current and future environments and their interactions with human systems.  By learning analysis and modeling with Python, students will be better able to inform sustainability policy, management, and decision-making.

• Department: Sustainability Science
• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Michael Previdi
  Info
• 3 points

SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS

The course is designed to teach students the foundations of network analysis including how to manipulate, analyze and visualize network data themselves using statistical software. We will focus on using the statistical program R for most of the work. Topics will include measures of network size, density, and tie strength, measures of network diversity, sampling issues, making ego-nets from whole networks, distance, dyads, homophily, balance and transitivity, structural holes, brokerage, measures of centrality (degree, betweenness, closeness, eigenvector, beta/Bonacich), statistical inference using network data, community detection, affiliation/bipartite networks, clustering and small worlds; positions, roles and equivalence; visualization, simulation, and network evolution over time.

• Department: Quantitative Methods/Social Sciences
• F 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• Instructor: Gregory M Eirich
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

DATA VISUALIZATION

This course is designed to the interdisciplinary and emerging field of data science. It will cover techniques and algorithms for creating effective visualizations based on principles from graphic design, visual art, perceptual psychology, and cognitive science to enhance the understanding of complex data. Students will be required to complete several scripting, data analysis and visualization design assignments as well as a final project. Topics include: data and image models, social and interactive visualizations, principles and designs, perception and attention, mapping and cartography, network visualization. Computational methods are emphasized and students will be expected to program in R, Javascript, D3, HTML and CSS and will be expected to submit and peer review work through Github. Students will be expected to write up the results of the project in the form of a conference paper submission.

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