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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: Libraries
Where is the FUN in Funding? – Finding Funding as an Undergraduate Researcher in the Humanities
As Researchers in the humanities, we are all well aware that our noble pursuits, unfortunately, require one thing: money. We are also well aware that filtering through multiple databases to find that one niche fellowship that aligns with your … Continue reading
Posted in Coursework, Faculty Mentors, Funding, Libraries, Life, New York City, postgraduation plans, Senior Thesis, Study Abroad, The Humanities
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Visiting Libraries at other Universities for Research: A Guide!
This summer, I had the opportunity to conduct research for my senior thesis that I’m writing for the Department of History on the topic of Zhang Ailing, a transnational Chinese writer with support from Columbia’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute. As … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Libraries, Senior Thesis, Summer Research, The Humanities
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Modern Approaches to the Canon
On the first day of Literature Humanities or Contemporary Civilizations, you were probably asked to ruminate on what a canon is. Responses to this question vary, yet they typically conform to two distinct categories. Some students hew to the orthodox … Continue reading
Posted in courses, Libraries, The Canon, The Core, The Humanities
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A Month in Paris Researching Olivier Messiaen
I spent the month of July in Paris as an Undergraduate Research Fellow, researching the influence of Indian classical music, specifically the 120 desitālas, on 20th-century composer Olivier Messiaen’s body of work. Much of the previous research done on Messiaen’s music … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Libraries, major research, Summer Research, The Humanities, Uncategorized
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On Writing a Senior Thesis: Notes from the Field
I originally wanted to write a blog post on the Core this month, connecting some seminal idea from a philosopher in Contemporary Civilizations to our day-to-day lives as Columbia students. However, every time I tried to begin writing, I found … Continue reading
Posted in Coursework, Faculty Mentors, Libraries, major research, Senior Thesis, The Humanities
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How to Narrow Down Your Research Interest – or Should You?
This blog intends to answer one of the frequently asked questions in the office of URF (Undergraduate Research & Fellowships): Help! I want to go to grad school, but I don’t know how to narrow my research interests from … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Coursework, Faculty Mentors, Libraries, Life, major research, postgraduation plans, The Humanities, Uncategorized
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How to Make the Archive a Place for Discovery
Archival research often yields fruitful discoveries in the humanities and social sciences, including but not limited to history, philosophy, literature, or the history of art and archaeology. Reflecting on my research trip to Yale’s Beinecke Library, I would like to … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, COVID-19, Libraries, major research
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Research and Columbia Libraries: A Guide to Maximizing Your Resources
Research settings look different for everyone but relying on textual resources and supporting documents to substantiate a claim remains consistent throughout all research types and environments. Nonetheless, finding a place to start with respect to navigating Columbia’s many libraries or … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, Libraries, major research, Uncategorized
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The Evolution of A Thesis’ Archetype
Every department goes through the senior thesis process differently. Some have their students complete a thesis in junior year, some require 4 semesters of continuous work. In this article, I would like to share how my thesis idea has evolved, and … Continue reading
Posted in courses, Faculty Mentors, Libraries, Senior Thesis, Uncategorized
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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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