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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
Approaches to Interdisciplinary Research
It is rarely ever the case that our attitudes are binary or one-dimensional. In fact, life is characterized by the many beliefs, opinions, and preferences that we embrace. Ascribing to one thought or ideology while resisting others is not only … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, courses, Faculty Mentors, Libraries, major research, Uncategorized
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The Stress Counterweight: Interpreting the World, and the Work of CC
The numerous manifestations of stress are all becoming more salient to us. Whether we are feeling agitated, having trouble focusing, losing sleep, or clenching our jaws, the anxiety of our current historical period is reflected in our mental and physical … Continue reading
Posted in courses, COVID-19, major research, The Core, Uncategorized
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Aesthetics and Pedagogy in the Historical Core
What in the world does beauty have to do with the Core, and especially with the teaching of the Core? I did a deep dive into its history to find out. It wasn’t all that long ago that Columbia University … Continue reading
Posted in courses, The Core, Uncategorized
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Tips for writing a seminar term paper
It’s the start of a new semester and you’re drowning in new syllabi. Luckily, you glance at the reading list for your niche major seminar, and feel a glimmer of hope: the readings somehow look both interesting and manageable. This … Continue reading
Posted in courses, major research
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Eyes to See and Ears to Hear
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning” (Proverbs 9:9). It’s a fortunate staple of most undergraduate students’ experiences of the CORE curriculum at Columbia that … Continue reading
Posted in courses, The Core, Uncategorized
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Self-Reflection as a Form of Research
For all the writing, analysis, and problem-solving we do on a daily basis in college, I feel that we do not often consider self-reflection as a way to strengthen our research processes or as a kind of research in and … Continue reading
Posted in courses, major research, Uncategorized
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Using Psychology To Foster Beginner’s Mind
“Beginner’s Mind: the idea of engaging the world without preconceptions, as if you’re seeing everything for the very first time.” – Dean Valentini We make millions and millions of decisions each day. And with the many, many priorities we … Continue reading
Posted in courses, major research, Uncategorized
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Demystifying Office Hours
Welcome to the start of a new semester! I am in a bit of disbelief that this is the last one of my undergraduate Columbia experiences. I thought I would start off my posts this new year by unpacking possibly … Continue reading
Posted in courses, COVID-19, Faculty Mentors, major research, postgraduation plans, Senior Thesis, STEM research, Summer Research
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Memory & Melody: The Core Curriculum and the Musical Imagination
“Wait, the best is yet to come: Don Basilio, my / singing teacher and his factotum,/ while giving me lessons/ repeats the same theme every day.” ― Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro While Columbia’s notable Core Curriculum is particularly revered … Continue reading
Classwork to Conference Presentation: Developing a Class Paper into a Conference-Ready Research Project
If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably interested in research as an undergrad. Also, if you’re reading this blog, you may not know where to begin. In this post, I hope to demystify the process some by outlining how I … Continue reading
Posted in courses, Senior Thesis, Summer Research, Uncategorized
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