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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: The Core
‘A Journey to the ‘Metropole’: Tracing Transnational Networks at the University of Oxford
It has always struck me as somewhat paradoxical that some of the Indian subcontinent’s most famous political activists in the twentieth-century journeyed to Britain to complete their education: from the anticolonial leader M.K. Gandhi, to the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, to … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Faculty Mentors, Libraries, Study Abroad, Summer Research, The Core, Uncategorized
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Gender and the Core Curriculum
“Someone will remember us / I say / Even in another time” ― Sappho, If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho There is something fascinating about the historical reimagination of the Core Curriculum, especially since its first course (Contemporary Civilization) was introduced to … Continue reading
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The Global Core: Exploring the World from the Classroom
One of my favorite parts about Columbia has been the freedom to intertwine my academic interests with the exploration of my Asian American identity. The primary route I have chosen to do so is through the Global Core requirement. The … Continue reading
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Musings on the Core
Perhaps it was because it was the fact that I had sat in that particular lecture hall a total of 5 times throughout my time at Columbia. Or perhaps it was the fact that in my final semester, I would … Continue reading
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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
A ‘Not To-Do’ Guide from Machiavelli: Being a Successful Columbia Student Leader
Throughout your year in Contemporary Civilizations (CC), you are exposed to, amongst other topics, perspectives on what ‘good’ civil society looks like, what ‘good’ government looks like, and what ‘good’ leaders look like. One of the main reasons why I … Continue reading
Posted in New York City, The Core, Uncategorized
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Transferring into the Core
“As the stars made themselves visible, Milkman tried to figure what was true and what part of what was true had anything to do with him.” ― Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon As a transfer student, the arrival to Columbia … Continue reading
Posted in Libraries, New York City, The Core, Uncategorized
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Peer-to-Peer: The Core as Taught by Graduate Students
“The object of education is to teach us to love what is beautiful. ― Plato, The Republic When the Core Curriculum is introduced to eager first-year students during their initial weeks on Columbia’s campus, or even earlier during a proverbial … Continue reading
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Humility and Hegel: The Value of a Broad CC Syllabus
As I read through the CC syllabus in my sophomore year, I felt that I was riding along in a high-speed train, going too quickly to take in the scenery. The syllabus was so wide-ranging and fast-paced that I struggled … Continue reading
Where Philosophy Ends and Individual Inquiry Begins
One of my favorite shows of all time is The Good Place. If you haven’t watched it yet… What are you waiting for? If you already have, you’ll know how central the exploration of different philosophies is to the show. … Continue reading
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