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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: Senior Thesis
Witnessing a Microcosm of Knowledge Production
One of the larger Columbia-induced changes to my thinking has been an interest in the process of knowledge production. This has been stimulated by my experiences in the Core, which helps us to wonder, for instance, how our understanding of … Continue reading
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Collaboration, Research, and the Senior Thesis Seminar (Part Two)
In Part One (link) of this series, Julia and Sarah spoke with our seminar instructor, Hannah Farber, about the role of collaboration in a long-term, independent research project like the senior thesis. Professor Farber shared with us how, from the … Continue reading
Posted in Faculty Mentors, Senior Thesis, Uncategorized
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Collaboration, Research, and the Senior Thesis Seminar (Part One)
Research can be a lonely endeavor. Many of the crucial steps—reading, writing, mulling things over—are best executed individually. Spending excessive time pondering a niche, strange question can have an isolating effect. And long hours in the lab, library, or archive … Continue reading
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Marathoning and the Yearlong Thesis
As a senior in the urban studies program, the yearlong thesis is a requirement for graduation and, at least in the four months since I began my work, a deeply formative experience. But from what I can tell, the experience … Continue reading
Posted in Columbia Libraries, Libraries, Senior Thesis
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Wonder and the Core
Recently I went to the Met with a friend. Having both taken Art Hum, we decided to play a game in the Medieval wing: we would prohibit ourselves from reading the explanatory signs, and instead try to deduce the very … Continue reading
Posted in Museums, New York City, Senior Thesis, The Core
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In Search of an Original Contribution
When I began the senior thesis process, my seminar instructors made it clear that my project should address a “gap in the scholarship” in order to make an “original contribution.” This terrified me. I had serious doubts that I, at … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Faculty Mentors, Libraries, Senior Thesis, Uncategorized
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Senior Spring Reflections: The Early Days
As the Class of 2025 prepares to take on its last semester of college this spring, Rose Research Fellows Alan Chen and Janus Yuen (CC‘25) discuss how they first found their way to their programs of study and areas of … Continue reading
Posted in Faculty Mentors, major research, postgraduation plans, Senior Thesis, Study Abroad, Summer Research, The Canon, The Core, The Humanities
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Hunting for the Right Archives
In my last blog post, I wrote about the preparation that goes into preparing to write a senior thesis, especially in Columbia’s history department. Since then, I’ve received a few questions on archives: how to locate them; how to plan … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Coursework, Historic Sites, Interviews, Libraries, major research, Senior Thesis
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Preparing to Prepare to Write a Senior Thesis in History
Officially, the preparation for writing a thesis in the history department begins in the spring prior to the yearlong process of writing a thesis. Every March or so, the department will reach out to declared history majors and call for … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Faculty Mentors, major research, Senior Thesis, The Humanities
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Researching in Small Archives: Tips and Advice
Today I’m here to talk about my experiences with small archives, which have been not only invaluable to my research but also some of my fondest research memories. I will first introduce these archives, explain some aspects of how they … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Historic Sites, Libraries, major research, New York City, Senior Thesis, The Humanities, Uncategorized
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