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The CCRA blog is authored by Columbia undergraduate researchers, who are invited to reflect on all aspects of the research process and their own undergraduate research experiences, beginning (but not ending) with the Core.
Category Archives: Archives
My HRSP (Humanities Research Scholars Program) Journey: The Fruits of a Failed Project
Okay, I might be exaggerating a little when I say that I “failed” in my research, but bear with me, and I’ll explain why I think the failure of my project was more fruitful than if it had “succeeded.” In … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Faculty Mentors, Funding, Historic Sites, major research, Summer Research, The Humanities
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Lost in “Translation”: Reflections on Language and Research
As my six weeks with the Humanities Research Scholars Program (HRSP) began, I felt enthusiastic optimism. I knew my project was ambitious, and that it would challenge me in unexpected ways (my biceps, sore after carrying a pile of dictionaries … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, major research, New York City, Summer Research, The Humanities
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Another Apology for Idlers or An Apology for Idlers in Archives
My first introduction to any kind of archive was in high school when, on a teacher’s recommendation, I visited the Prelinger Library—a small library, just one large room, and open to anyone, in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, and … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Libraries, The Humanities
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Literature as an Archive
In recent years, I have wrestled with certain dilemmas historical scholarship poses. A central one is how do we contemplate, write about, and represent people who do not appear within the archive? In the past, historical scholarship have been very … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Libraries, major research, postgraduation plans, Senior Thesis, Uncategorized
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Humanities Research Scholars Program: A Deep Dive!
Next in our series of deep dives into specific fellowships is the Humanities Research Scholars Program, or HRSP! (The first deep dive on the Laidlaw Scholars Program is linked here.) HRSP provides five rising juniors in Columbia College with funding, … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, major research, STEM research, Summer Research, The Humanities, Uncategorized
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Meditations on the Archival Turn
Ann Laura Stoler described the shift in historical studies from “archive-as-source to archive as subject” as the “archival turn,” a shift in the intellectual paradigm necessitated, in part, by desires to write subaltern histories. Rather than reading archives along the … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Historic Sites, Libraries, major research, Senior Thesis, The Humanities, Writing
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Reflections from the Archive: Stanford’s M0618 Arturo Islas Papers Collection
This winter break, as I pieced together the beginnings of my senior thesis on Arturo Islas’s novel The Rain God (1984), I stumbled upon an archival treasure trove—M0618, the “Arturo Islas Papers.” Comprising a hefty 56-box collection, M0618 chronicles four … Continue reading
Posted in Adversity, Archives, Coursework, Libraries, Life, major research, Senior Thesis, The Humanities, Uncategorized, Writing
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Me and Research – A Mostly Affectionate Relationship
Whether it has been for a long-term project like my senior thesis or for a final paper, conducting research always has its highs and lows. I remember distinctly the first time I had to write a final paper for a … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, courses, Coursework, Faculty Mentors, Libraries, major research, Senior Thesis, The Humanities
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“What is the one thing that you hate the most about the research experience?”
I will speak candidly here: my mother did not attend college, neither did her parents or her parents’ parents. When forms ask me to input my parents’ education level, I leave my father blank (don’t ask, I am just as … Continue reading
Posted in Adversity, Archives, Coursework, Libraries, Life, The Humanities, Uncategorized, Writing
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‘Basquiat x Warhol’: Extending the Art Humanities Syllabus
In the 1980s, Basquiat and Warhol, two iconic New York City artists that defined the contemporary art scene during the late 20th century, collaborated on a series of works that were exhibited. Now, these works are back in the … Continue reading
Posted in Art, courses, Coursework, Historic Sites, Media, The Canon, The Core, The Humanities
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