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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: courses
Learning to Read the Core
As the fall semester approaches, first-years across campus are engaged– excitedly, nervously, or maybe even frantically– in the hallowed Columbia tradition of reading the first six books of The Iliad. SparkNotes has been consulted, copious amounts of highlighter have been … Continue reading
Posted in courses, The Core, The Humanities
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In Book and Song: Finding Meaning in a New Medium
As part of my Music Humanities course in the Fall, I was asked to write about an object of musical significance. The idea of the assignment is to allow students to summon what they have learned in the class to … Continue reading
Posted in courses, Coursework, New York City, The Canon, The Core, The Humanities
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Between Classroom and Core Studio: Professor Jennifer Rhodes on Education and the Arts
On a warm Friday afternoon in September, I wandered into my first ever session of the Core Studio, an initiative spearheaded by Professor Jennifer Rhodes. Upon entry, Rhodes introduced the focus of the workshop: Clay vessels inspired by Enheduanna, the … Continue reading
Posted in Art, courses, New York City, The Canon, The Core, The Humanities
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In Defense of Dante
Students of Literature Humanities will encounter a speech in the fifth canto of Dante’s Inferno. The speaker is a woman named Francesca. She is telling Dante about how she fell in love with the man next to her, resulting in … Continue reading
Posted in courses, major research, The Core, The Humanities
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FLI @ Columbia: Losing Your Mind In Seminar? Some Tips & Tricks
As the sixth week of the fall semester wraps up, I return to a feeling of frustration with my History seminars I know all too well. Despite enrolling in at least one History seminar every semester since my sophomore spring, … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, courses, Faculty Mentors, major research, postgraduation plans, Senior Thesis, Uncategorized
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On The Swim Test
It’s late, a Saturday night near the end of January. I’ve signed up to take the swim test the next day in the early afternoon. I feel unsettled, anxious, even paranoid. Usually, to prepare for a test, I have some … Continue reading
Posted in Adversity, courses, Life, New York City, The Core, Uncategorized
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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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‘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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The Core and Creative Conversations: Or, A Vindication of University Writing
My final Contemporary Civilization paper was entitled “Creativity and the Core.” It ran through Plato’s metaphor of the soul as a horse-drawn chariot; Foucault’s description in Discipline and Punish of an execution by dismemberment – being pulled apart by horses; … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, courses, Coursework, Historic Sites, The Canon, The Core, The Humanities
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Sailing In Search Of Second Wind
The other day I had the opportunity to see one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, in person, celebrating the life and work of another of my favorite authors, Ray Bradbury. Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and The Graveyard Book pleasantly haunted … Continue reading
Posted in courses, Historic Sites, Life, The Humanities, Uncategorized, Writing
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