The Core Curriculum is the set of common courses required of all Columbia College undergraduates. The hallmark of the Core is its commitment to the critical examination of serious ideas in the context of small and intensive classes. At its center stands Contemporary Civilization in the West (CC), a course founded in 1919 and which surveys the history of moral and political thought from Plato to the present over the span of two semesters. This course is required of all Columbia College sophomores. Masterpieces of European Literature and Philosophy, commonly know as Literature Humanities (or Lit Hum), similarly surveys, over two semesters, some of the most influential works in all of Western literature and is required of all first-year students. Both of these courses meet in small sections of 22 students for four hours each week and follow a common syllabus. Because of their intensity, breadth, and the close interaction among students and between students and their professors, these two courses dominate the academic experience of a student’s first two years at Columbia. In addition to fostering ties among students and faculty, these courses create a community of intellectual discourse that spills over beyond the classroom and into dormitories, dining halls, and the many café’s that surround the campus. These two courses are the academic anchor of a student’s first two years, and are also a common intellectual referent as students move on to specialize in specific disciplines.
In addition to Literature Humanities, the first-year experience in the Core includes two 1-semester courses taken in alternate semesters: Frontiers of Science and University Writing. Frontiers of Science is the latest addition to the Core. Begun in 2004 and coinciding with the College’s 250th anniversary, Frontiers of Science introduces students to cutting-edge advances in various scientific fields through weekly lectures by some of Columbia’s leading scientists. These lectures are supplemented by weekly small-group seminar discussions conducted by faculty and postdoctoral fellows. University Writing recognizes the importance of the art and skill of clear writing. A central aspect of the first year experience, this course encourages students to think explicitly about the meaning of a liberal education and to critically engage the meaning of their experiences as members of the University, residents of the great city of New York, and students in the Core Curriculum.
The text-based rigor of Literature Humanities and Contemporary Civilization is translated into visual and musical media in the two one-semester courses students typically complete before their junior year: Art Humanities and Music Humanities. Taking advantage of the unparalleled cultural wealth of our great metropolis, these courses introduce students to master works of Art and Music and equip them with the critical tools to absorb, appreciate, and evaluate visual arts and music. Like other Core classes, these courses combine the careful examination of primary works with intensive discussions that focus on how these forms of art address fundamental aspects of the human condition.
Since its inception in 1919, the Core Curriculum has evolved to meet the knowledge demands of a world that continues to grow more complex and more integrated. In step with this tradition of change, the Global Core requirement promotes learning and thought about the variety of civilizations and the diversity of traditions that have formed the modern world and continue to interact in the world today. Using the extraordinary resources of our research University, the Global Core offers students rigorous and in-depth introductions to various world civilizations and traditions of learning.
Together with two additional semesters of science, four terms of a foreign language, and two semesters of physical education (and a swimming test!), these requirements describe an education of exceptional depth and rigor. They constitute the essence of the liberal arts tradition as well as the intellectual signature of a Columbia education.