The Columbia College curriculum and its academic policies are determined by the following faculty committees:
Committee on Instruction
The Committee on Instruction (COI) is responsible for approving proposals for new majors and other academic programs, new courses, and policy changes. The COI also provides leadership on a range of academic matters, consulting with a broad range of faculty, students, and administrators where relevant. The COI is a joint Columbia College and School of General Studies committee. Questions? Contact cc-gs-courses@columbia.edu.
Committee on Instruction Members: 2019-2020
- Co-Chair: Dean James J. Valentini, Dean of Columbia College
- Co-Chair: Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch, Dean of the School of General Studies
- Professor Chloe Bulinski, Department of Biological Sciences
- Professor Yinon Cohen, Department of Sociology
- Professor Steven Goldstein, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Professor Saskia Hamilton, Barnard College
- Professor Robert Hymes, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures
- Associate Professor Dorothea Lasky, School of the Arts
- Professor Szabolcs Marka, Department of Physics
- Professor Barclay Morrison, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Vice Dean of Undergraduate Programs, School of Engineering and Applied Science
- Professor Molly Murray, Department of English and Comparative Literature
- Professor Oliver Simons, Department of Germanic Languages
- Professor Mark Van De Mieroop, Department of History
- Professor Katja Vogt, Department of Philosophy
- Professor Keren Yarhi-Milo, Department of Political Science
Student Representatives:
Ex-Officio:
- Lisa Hollibaugh, Dean of Academic Affairs, Columbia College
- Victoria Rosner, Dean of Academic Affairs, School of General Studies
- Andrew Plaa, Dean of Advising for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering
- Marlyn Delva, Dean of Students, School of General Studies
- Amy Kohn, Associate Director, Academic Affairs, Columbia College
- Mandeep Singh, Assistant Director, Academic Affairs, School of General Studies
New Approved Courses
The following new courses have been approved for the Fall semester of the 2019-2020 academic year. As new courses are added to the list frequently, please visit this site for updates. Additional courses and major/concentration requirements may be found in the Columbia College Bulletin.
Last updated August 28, 2019.
Fall 2019
| DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM | COURSE NO. & DESIGNATOR | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| African American and African Diaspora Studies | AFAS UN1002 | Major Debates in African American Studies |
| African American and African Diaspora Studies | AFAS UN3943 | Senior Pro Seminar |
| Anthropology | ANTH GU4142 | Language, Culture, Power |
| Anthropology | ANTH UN3662 | Principles of Art in Archaeological Practice |
| Anthropology | ANTH UN3663 | The Ancient Table: Archaeology of Cooking and Cuisine |
| Anthropology | ANTH UN3724 | Anthropological Approaches to American Studies |
| Anthropology | ANTH UN3763 | AIDS, The Arts, Body Cultures |
| Art History and Archaeology | AHIS UN2105 | Greek Myths Seen Through Ancient Greek and Roman Art |
| Art History and Archaeology | AHIS UN2427 | Twentieth-Century Architecture |
| Art History and Archaeology | AHIS UN3100 | Hellenistic Sculpture: Intellectuals, Gods, Kings & Fishermen |
| Art History and Archaeology | AHIS UN3314 | Inganno and Engaño: Art and the Rhetoric of Deceit between Spain and Italy |
| Art History and Archaeology | AHIS UN3450 | Art and Empire |
| Art History and Archaeology | AHIS UN3451 | Latinx Artists Coast to Coast |
| Art History and Archaeology | AHIS UN3611 | Korean Art in the Age of Global Encounters |
| Art History and Archaeology | AHIS GU4150 | Tourism, Nature, and the North American Landscape |
| Art History and Archaeology | AHIS GU4748 | A History of Architectural Theory |
| Art History and Archaeology | AHIS GU4749 | Bauhaus and Architecture |
| Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race | CSER UN3932 | US Latinx History |
| Classics | CLCV GU4106 | Religions of the Roman World |
| Classics | CLST UN3104 | The Early Silk Road and World of the Indian Ocean (2500 BCE–1000 CE) |
| Committee on Global Thought | CGTH GU4100 | Diaspora and Transnationalism: Critical Reflections on the Politics of Homeland |
| East Asian Languages and Cultures | VIET UN3101 | Third Year Vietnamese I |
| East Asian Languages and Cultures | EAAS UN3124 | The Supernatural and Boundaries in East Asian Literature and Performance |
| East Asian Languages and Cultures | JPNS UN3601 | Tokyo Olympics Japanese - N2 Level Proficiency |
| East Asian Languages and Cultures | JPNS GU4012 | Fourth Year Business Japanese I |
| East Asian Languages and Cultures | EAAS GU4123 | Japanese Documentary Films |
| East Asian Languages and Cultures | HSEA GU4222 | China’s Global Histories: People, Space, and Power |
| East Asian Languages and Cultures | JPNS GU4610 | Tokyo Olympics Japanese - N1 Level Proficiency |
| East Asian Languages and Cultures | EAAS GU4810 | Women and Literary Culture in Japan |
| East Asian Languages and Cultures | HSEA GU4814 | Space and Place in Urbanizing Tibet: Indigenous Experiences in China |
| East Asian Languages and Cultures | HSEA GU4815 | Faith and Empire: Art and Politics in Tibetan Buddhism |
| Ecology, Evolution, Environmental Biology | EEEB UN3023 | Scientific Analysis and Presentation |
| Ecology, Evolution, Environmental Biology | EEEB GU4005 | Conservation Policy |
| Ecology, Evolution, Environmental Biology | EEEB GU4129 | Zoo Conservation |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENTA GU4725 | Technologies of Modern Drama |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENTA UN3340 | Environmental crisis on the Shakespearean Stage |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL UN3241 | African American Literature: The Essay |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL UN3306 | 8 Ways of Looking at Beckett |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL UN3351 | SEVENTEENTH CENTURY POETRY (DONNE, HERBERT, MARVELL) |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL UN3398 | Odd Women in Victorian England |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL UN3579 | Castaways and Containers: Modernity at Sea |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL UN3629 | American Nature Poetry: Whitman, Dickinson, Stevens, Frost, Moore |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL UN3637 | Poetry and Catastrophe |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL UN3722 | Hollywood’s Countercultural Cinema: Movies of the 1970’s |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL UN3791 | True Crime: Fact and Feeling, 1927-Present |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENTA UN3942 | Drama and the American Dream |
| English and Comparative Literature | CLEN GU4015 | Vernacular Paleography |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL GU4213 | Staging Early Modern London |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL GU4391 | Nineteenth Century Thrillers |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL GU4400 | Romanticism |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL GU4506 | Post-War American Literature: 1945- |
| English and Comparative Literature | CLEN GU4567 | Du Bois, Gramsci, Ambedkar: Three Men on Emancipation |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL GU4637 | Literature and Health Humanities |
| English and Comparative Literature | CLEN GU4723 | 18th C Comparative Novel |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL GU4794 | Heroes, Loves, and Visionaries: English Literature to 1500 |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL GU4636 | Science Fiction |
| English and Comparative Literature | CLEN GU4771 | The Literary History of Atrocity |
| English and Comparative Literature | ENGL GU4913 | The Novel Now: Contemporary Fiction in English |
| Film | FILM UN2296 | Arab and African Filmmaking |
| Film | FILM UN3931 | French Queer Cinema |
| Film | FILM GU4952 | Film TV and Internet in Brazilian Re-democtratization |
| French and Romance Philology | FREN UN3883 | French Civilization through Graphic Novels and Cinema |
| French and Romance Philology | FREN UN3920 | "Blanchite" Thinking Whiteness in French |
| French and Romance Philology | FREN GU4716 | Francophone Romance, Love, Sex, Intimacy in the French Colonial World |
| French and Romance Philology | FREN GU4627 | Communism or Democracy? A French Debate at the end of the 20th Century |
| Germanic Languages | CLYD GU4250 | Memory and Trauma in Yiddish Literature (in English) |
| HIST UN1786 | History of the City in Latin America | |
| History | HIST UN2051 | Europe in the Age of Total War- 1900-1950 |
| History | HIST UN3019 | Rivers, Politics, and Power in the United States |
| History | HIST UN3069 | History of the American Middle Class |
| History | HIST UN3087 | Madness to Prozac: The Sciences of the Self in the Modern Era |
| History | HIST UN3099 | Socialist Stuff: Material Culture of the USSR and Post-Soviet Space, 1917-Present |
| History | HIST UN3298 | Popular Culture in Modern African History |
| History | HIST UN3562 | The Seven Years’ War (1754-1763), Global Perspective: Europe, Asia, Africa, and Americas |
| History | HIST UN3815 | Populism in Contemporary Latin America |
| History | HIST UN3897 | From Mussolini to Bolsonaro: The Latin American Right in a Transnational Perspective |
| History | HIST GU4085 | Slavery in the Roman World |
| History | HIST GU4121 | Margins of Historiography |
| History | HIST GU4562 | Black Britain, 1919-2019 |
| Inst. for Israel and Jewish Studies | JWST GU4510 | Rules and Reasons: Israeli Law vs. Jewish Law |
| Italian | ITAL UN3341 | Art Itineraries: Italian through Art |
| Italian | ITAL UN3660 | Terrorism in Literature and Film: Cultural Reflections between Italian Red Brigades & 9/11 |
| Italian | ITAL GU4065 | Introduction to Fashion |
| Italian | ITAL GU4068 | Out of Italy: The Italian Language Across Europe and the Mediterranean (1200-1700) |
| Linguistics | LING UN3102 | Endangered Languages in the Global City: Lang, Culture, and Migration in Contemporary NYC |
| MESAAS | MDES UN3046 | Religion in Modern South Asia: Concepts and Histories |
| MESAAS | MDES UN3131 | Crisis and War in the Horn of Africa: What Crisis? Whose Story? |
| MESAAS | MDES UN3263 | Cannabis and Culture: Hashish, Law and Social History in Egypt |
| MESAAS | MDES GU4238 | THEMES IN MODERN THEOLOGY Modern Questions, Classical Engagements |
| MESAAS | MDES GU4259 | Arabic War Narrative |
| MESAAS | MDES GU4640 | Advanced Urdu |
| MESAAS | MDES GU4712 | Reading and Grammar Review in Persian |
| Music | MUSI UN3343 | Shades of Brown: Music in the South Asian Diaspora |
| Music | MUSI UN3344 | Curating Popular Music: From Song Pluggers to Spotify |
| Music | MUSI UN3346 | REIMAGINING RESISTANCE:SOUND AS SUBVERSION IN 20TH & 21ST CENTURY AMERICAN EXPERIMENTALISM |
| Music | MUSI GU4801 | Music and the Electrical Imaginary |
| Music | MUSI GU4802 | Sound, Music, and Death |
| Music | MUSI GU4810 | Sound: Foundations |
| Philosophy | PHIL UN3756 | Critical Philosophy of Race: What is Race? |
| Physical Education | PHED UN1111 | Cardio Fitness - Hybrid |
| Physical Education | PHED UN1112 | Mindful Walking |
| Physical Education | PHED UN1113 | Yoga and Meditation |
| Physical Education | PHED UN1114 | The Mindful Student |
| Political Science | POLS UN3541 | Intergroup Relations and Politics: Prejudice, Discrimination, Cooperation, and Conflict |
| Political Science | POLS UN3768 | Experimental Research |
| Political Science | POLS GU4403 | The Political Economy of China |
| Psychology | PSYC UN3621 | Creativity and the Good Life |
| Psychology | PSYC UN3624 | Adolescent Mental Health: Causes, Correlates, Consequences |
| Psychology | PSYC GU4242 | Seminar on the evolution of language |
| Psychology | PSYC GU4281 | The Psychology of Curiosity |
| Psychology | PSYC GU4627 | Seminar in Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive, and Related Disorders |
| Religion | RELI UN3309 | Modern Islamic Thought |
| Religion | RELI GU4206 | History, Time, and Tradition |
| Religion | RELI GU4311 | Fanon: Religion, Race, Philosophy in Africa and beyond |
| Religion | RELI GU4613 | Silence |
| Religion | RELI GU4617 | Image Theories in Chinese Religions |
| Slavic Languages | CLRS UN3310 | Crime, Punishment and Redemption: Russian Literature on Trial |
| Slavic Languages | UKRN GU4006 | Advanced Ukrainian Through Literature, Media, and Politics |
| Sociology | SOCI UN1203 | The Social Animal in the Digital Age |
| Sociology | SOCI UN2235 | Sexuality in Social Context |
| Sociology | SOCI UN3937 | Sociology of Human Rights |
| Sociology | SOCI GU4411 | Politics and Society in Central Eastern Europe |
| Sociology | SOCI GU4982 | Risk and Intimacy |
| Statistics | STAT UN1010 | Statistics for Activists |
| Sustainable Development | SDEV GU4101 | Qualitative Research Methods for Sustainable Development |
| Visual Arts | VIAR UN3133 | Color: Theory and Practice |
| Women’s and Gender Studies | WMST GU4350 | Performing Feminist Activisms in Contemporary Latin America |
Committee on the Core
The Committee on the Core (COC) is responsible for all matters regarding the Core Curriculum. Questions? Contact Toni Gunthrope-Hardee: tg2030@columbia.edu.
Committee on the Core Members: 2019-2020
- James J. Valentini, Dean of Columbia College
- Professor Noam Elcott, Department of Art History and Archaeology, Chair of Art Humanities
- Professor Patricia Grieve, Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures, Chair of the Committee on the Global Core
- Professor David Helfand, Department Astronomy, Chair of Frontiers of Science
- Professor Emmanuelle Saada, Departments of French and History, Chair of Contemporary Civilization
- Professor Elaine Sisman, Department of Music, Chair of Music Humanities
- Professor Joanna Stalnaker, Department of French, Chair of Literature Humanities
- Professor Nicole Wallack, Department of English and Comparative Literature, Director of the Undergraduate Writing Program
Student Representatives:
Ex-Officio:
- Ivana N. Hughes, Director, Frontiers of Science
- Lisa Hollibaugh, Dean of Academic Affairs, Columbia College
- Victoria P. Rosner, Dean of Academic Affairs, School of General Studies
- Larry Jackson, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Core Curriculum and Undergraduate Programs
- Toni Gunthrope-Hardee, Associate Director of Academic Affairs, Faculty and Student Support
Committee on Science Instruction
The Committee on Science Instruction (COSI) is responsible for all matters relating to the science requirement and providing leadership on matters related to undergraduate science education. Questions? Contact Amy Kohn: ask130@columbia.edu
Committee on Science Instruction Members: 2019-2020
- Professor Tulle Hazelrigg, Department of Biological Sciences
- Professor David Helfand, Department of Astronomy, Frontiers of Science
- Professor Jae Woo Lee, Department of Computer Science
- Professor Shaw-Hwa Lo, Department of Statistics
- Professor Caroline Marvin, Department of Psychology
- Professor Jerry McManus, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Professor Shahid Naeem, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology
- Professor Mary Putman, Department of Astronomy
- Professor David Reichman, Department of Chemistry
- Professor Ovidiu Savin, Department of Mathematics
- TBD, Department of Physics
Student Representatives:
Ex-Officio:
- James J. Valentini, Dean of Columbia College
- Ivana Hughes, Department of Chemistry, Director of Frontiers of Science
- Lisa Hollibaugh, Dean of Academic Affairs
- Victoria Rosner, Dean of Academic Affairs, School of General Studies
- Larry Jackson, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Core Curriculum and Undergraduate Programs
- Amy Kohn, Associate Director of Academic Affairs
Committee on the Global Core
The Committee on the Global Core (CGC) is responsible for all matters relating to the Global Core requirement, including determining the list of courses approved for the requirement. Questions? Contact globalcore@columbia.edu.
Faculty interested in proposing new courses for the Global Core requirement can view information regarding the process.
Committee on Global Core Members: 2019-2020
- Chair: Professor Patricia Grieve, Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures
- Professor Courtney Bender, Department of Religion
- Professor Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Department of French and Romance Philology
- Professor Madeleine Dobie, Department of French and Romance Philology
- Professor David Lurie, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures
- Professor Avinoam Shalem, Department of Art History and Archaeology
Student Representative:
Ex-Officio:
- James J. Valentini, Dean of Columbia College
- Lisa Rosen-Metsch, Dean of The School of General Studies
- Victoria P. Rosner, Dean of Academic Affairs, School of General Studies
- Lisa Hollibaugh, Dean of Academic Affairs, Columbia College
- Shannon Marquez, Dean of Undergraduate Global Engagement
- Larry Jackson, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Core Curriculum and Undergraduate Programs
Interested Students
If you are a current student at Columbia College and you are interested in learning more about how decisions about the curriculum are made, consider serving as a student representative on one of these committees! Learn more about the application process.