A Letter from the Dean
Columbia College, founded in 1754, is a relatively small, coeducational, residential
college situated in a large and complex university. These circumstances work to
the advantage of our students, who often enjoy the personal attention that only a
small college can provide and, at the same time, attend classes that offer an
impressive array of intellectual challenges and rewards.
In the pages of this bulletin you will find detailed and specific information about
the courses we offer in the academic year 2007–2008. All of these courses have
been approved by the interdepartmental Committee on Instruction of the Faculty
of Columbia College, whose members are listed inside. This group ensures that
each course is academically rigorous and appropriate for undergraduates.
As a result of such careful faculty attention, Columbia College has had the best
general education curriculum in the country for more than half a century. This
common curriculum, which now features a core course in science, has created and
sustained a community of discourse shared by the current student body with generations
of alumni. As with other great traditions, however, this living discourse has
not been static, but has evolved and developed across the years. And it will continue
to do so.
The vitality of any tradition depends upon its constant renewal, and for this reason,
among others, Columbia College’s general education is conducted in small seminars.
Although many excellent colleges offer one or two semesters of general education
courses, such courses tend to be taught as large lectures in large classrooms filled
with students taking notes. At Columbia College, students spend a substantial part
of their first years in small classes, reading and discussing primary works of literature,
philosophy, history, and science, debating social and political theory, and
studying fine arts and music. Through discussion and debate, through regular
writing, and through direct interaction between instructor and student, our core
curriculum helps improve each student’s ability to engage in the kinds of analytic,
discursive, and imaginative thinking that will prove indispensable both in subsequent
education and in later life.
As a small college in a large research institution, Columbia College also offers
a wide array of academic programs taught by faculty working at the frontiers of
their disciplines. Students can choose among more than seventy majors, over thirty
concentrations, and hundreds of electives, which range widely over the arts,
humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
Besides these curricular resources, there are also extensive cultural, athletic,
and recreational resources available to students at Columbia. Many opportunities
also exist for students to participate in outreach programs that assist less fortunate
members of our society.
Although virtually all of our first-year students live in residence halls, student
life at Columbia extends beyond classrooms and campus experiences. The intensity,
excitement, cultural richness, and social variety of urban New York beckon to all
of you. The spirit of Columbia College finds its full and deep expression in the
combination of our demanding curriculum, our dedicated faculty, our diverse and
talented student body, and our special location in a great university and a great
city.
I welcome you with warm wishes and great hopes.
Austin E. Quigley
Dean of Columbia College
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