Reflecting on the Journey
"This experience also epitomizes the reality of fieldwork — while it is at times glamorous and exciting, it can also be exhausting, dangerous or, quite simply, dull. There is plenty of waiting around in the scorching sun or freezing cold. But the real beauty of it all is that the passion for the science makes all the difficulties inconsequential in the face of the great discoveries to be made."
Shawnee Traylor CC'18
Reflecting on the importance of research methods
“Because of my research [on the University's historical involvement in the slave trade] and what Columbia has been, I’m aware that the space Columbia was founded in was never intended for me as a black woman to even attend the school. But because of the Core and research, I was able to see other perspectives that were deeply challenging.... I learned a lot more about myself because I was forced to be with people who are very different from me. It’s been a powerful, deeply moving experience being here.”
Jordan Brewington CC’17
Reflecting on the importance of research methods
“For me, research meant a lot of listening, to both old and new Egyptian music. The soundtrack to the revolution was so varied, including everything from [Egyptian singer] Sayed Darwish to American pop. It took me a while to reconcile all those different musical styles with my own voice. One thing I’ve learned about myself while at Columbia is that I like a lot of different genres and methods of music making. Studying music here has granted me the time to contemplate and understand what it is I like to listen to — and from there I can understand what it is I want to compose.”
Daniel Lazour CC'16
Reflecting on the importance of research methods
“'No notebooks, no mechanical pencils will be allowed in the archives,' the librarians at Columbia’s Butler Library had warned me before I left New York. After a month of research at other French archives, I began my second month of research in France at a new archive, the Archives nationales, located approximately 45 minutes from my apartment in Paris at Pierrefitte-sur-Seine. Although it was the third archival experience of my summer, I was still on pins and needles to make sure that I didn’t break any rules."
Wallace Teska CC'16