Contemporary Civilization

Syllabus

CC Reader

Chair of Contemporary Civilization: Michael Stanislawski, 605 Fayerweather; (212) 854-2482

Contemporary Civilization C1101-C1102: Introduction to contemporary civilization in the west. The central purpose of “Contemporary Civilization” or “CC” is to introduce students to a range of issues concerning the kinds of communities— political, social, moral, and religious—that human beings construct for themselves and the values that inform and define such communities; the course is intended to prepare students to become active and informed citizens. Founded in 1919 as a course on War and Peace Issues, Contemporary Civilization has evolved continuously, while remaining a constant and essential element of the Columbia College curriculum. The course asks students to read closely texts in various traditions of argument and to construct arguments of their own, both in speech and in writing, about some of the explicit and implicit issues these texts raise.

Both the form and the content of the course contribute to the achievement of its aims. The discussion format is intended to respond in a palpable way to the exis-tence in these traditions of different and often conflicting points of view; to embody the possibility of reasoned discourse among people who hold disparate convictions; and to help students sharpen their own skills of thought and argument about matters of current personal and civic concern through participating in and extending the debates of the past. The Contemporary Civilization syllabus introduces students to a set of ideas and arguments that have played a formative role in the political and cultural history of our time, alerts them to ideas that have not held an influential role in that history, and acquaints them with some exemplars of critical thinking about alternative cultures, institutions, and practices.

Because Contemporary Civilization is a one-year course, readings are necessarily selective. While these readings change from time to time, the factors that lead to adoption of a text always include historical influence, the presentation of ideas of enduring importance, and the demonstrated ability of a text to provoke produc-tive discussion. Among the readings currently required in the course are the Bible, the Qur’an, and works by Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Machiavelli, Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Hume, Smith, Rousseau, Kant, Burke, Tocqueville, Mill, Hegel, Marx, Darwin, Nietzsche, DuBois, Freud, and Woolf.

Registration Procedure

All information concerning registration in COCI C1101-C1102 is included in the registration materials sent to students. Students normally take Contemporary Civilization in their second year at Columbia.

On-Line Resources

• Core Curriculum Home Page
• Contemporary Civilization Resource Page for Instructors
• Contemporary Civilization Syllabus

Contemporary Civilization

COCI C1101x-C1102y Introduction To Contemporary Civilization 4 pts. Taught by members of the Departments of Anthropology, Classics, English and Comparative Literature, French, German, History, Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, Slavic Languages, and Sociology; and members of the Society of Fellows. A study in their historical context of major contributions to the intellectual traditions that underpin contemporary civilization. Emphasis is on the history of political, social, and philosophical thought. Students are expected to write at least three papers to complete two examinations, and to participate actively in class discussions.

COCI C1101y-C1102x Introduction To Contemporary Civilization 4 pts. The course description is the same as for COCI C1101x-C1102y above. These are ôreverseÆÆ sections and are open only with permission of the director of the Core Curriculum.

Course Number	Call Number/ Section	Days & Times/ Location	Instructor
Autumn 2008 :: COCI C1101
COCI 1101	17396 001	MW 9:00a - 10:50a 206 Broadway Residence Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	17847 002	MW 9:00a - 10:50a 109 Hartley Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	28396 003	MW 9:00a - 10:50a 301 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	28749 004	MW 9:00a - 10:50a 318 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	26281 005	MW 9:00a - 10:50a 306 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	27781 006	MW 9:00a - 10:50a 111 Carman Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	29280 007	MW 11:00a - 12:50p 111 Carman Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	27193 008	MW 11:00a - 12:50p 401 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	50506 009	MW 11:00a - 12:50p 306 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	47193 010	MW 11:00a - 12:50p 206 Broadway Residence Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	55942 011	MW 11:00a - 12:50p 304 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	64691 012	MW 11:00a - 12:50p 301 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	50780 013	MW 11:00a - 12:50p 303 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	52279 014	MW 11:00a - 12:50p 302 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	53780 015	MW 11:00a - 12:50p 109 Hartley Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	55279 016	MW 2:10p - 4:00p 413 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	57529 017	MW 2:10p - 4:00p 509 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	59280 018	MW 2:10p - 4:00p 303 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	60780 019	MW 2:10p - 4:00p 302 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	62281 020	MW 2:10p - 4:00p 404 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	63529 021	MW 2:10p - 4:00p 306 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	41246 023	MW 2:10p - 4:00p 309 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	41548 024	MW 2:10p - 4:00p 407 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	46496 025	MW 4:10p - 6:00p 111 Carman Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	46897 026	MW 4:10p - 6:00p 616 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	47196 027	MW 4:10p - 6:00p 511 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	47496 028	MW 4:10p - 6:00p 302 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	47848 029	MW 4:10p - 6:00p 306 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	48196 030	MW 4:10p - 6:00p 206 Broadway Residence Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	48496 031	MW 4:10p - 6:00p 222 Pupin Laboratories	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	50797 032	MW 4:10p - 6:00p 301 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	25798 033	MW 6:10p - 8:00p 111 Carman Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	26198 034	MW 6:10p - 8:00p 303 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	26648 035	MW 6:10p - 8:00p 302 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	27997 036	TuTh 9:00a - 10:50a 302 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	28448 037	TuTh 9:00a - 10:50a 111 Carman Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	28750 038	TuTh 9:00a - 10:50a 306 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	48442 039	TuTh 9:00a - 10:50a 304 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	58442 040	TuTh 9:00a - 10:50a 303 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	51529 041	TuTh 2:10p - 4:00p 307 Pupin Laboratories	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	53280 042	TuTh 2:10p - 4:00p 111 Carman Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	54779 043	TuTh 2:10p - 4:00p 424 Pupin Laboratories	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	56529 044	TuTh 2:10p - 4:00p 313 Pupin Laboratories	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	58029 045	TuTh 2:10p - 4:00p 304 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	59780 046	TuTh 2:10p - 4:00p 306 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	61279 047	TuTh 2:10p - 4:00p 109 Hartley Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	63029 048	TuTh 2:10p - 4:00p 507 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	41147 049	TuTh 4:10p - 6:00p 313 Pupin Laboratories	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	41496 050	TuTh 4:10p - 6:00p 309 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	41846 051	TuTh 4:10p - 6:00p 304 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	42196 052	TuTh 4:10p - 6:00p 303 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	42496 053	TuTh 4:10p - 6:00p 425 Pupin Laboratories	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	42998 054	TuTh 4:10p - 6:00p 302 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	43347 055	TuTh 4:10p - 6:00p 206 Broadway Residence Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	43696 056	TuTh 4:10p - 6:00p 301 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	46549 057	TuTh 6:10p - 8:00p 306 Hamilton Hall	Instructor To Be Announced
COCI 1101	47346 058	TuTh 6:10p - 8:00p 109 Hartley Hall	Instructor To Be Announced