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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: Uncategorized
Advice For Those of Us Interested in Research for Student Publications
It is a wonderful thing to be paid for your research. That being said, outside of what you could call the traditional undergraduate research economy—fellowships, scholarships, etc.—student-run journals, magazines and reviews afford Columbia students plenty of opportunities to publish their … Continue reading
Posted in Funding, Life, major research, Media, The Humanities, Uncategorized, Writing
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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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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Core
While most students really connect to at least one or two texts in the syllabus, many students experience Contemporary Civilization as a painful slog through the dregs of Western philosophy, a subject widely felt to be as stale as it … Continue reading
Posted in courses, Coursework, Life, The Core, The Humanities, Uncategorized
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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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Sapere aude! Have the courage to reason for yourself!
When Immanuel Kant penned those words at the end of the 18th century, Europe was ostensibly emerging from a dogmatic, intellectual slumber in which well-intentioned heterodox reasoning demanded great courage. That being said, perhaps my most sobering observation regarding academic … Continue reading
Posted in Archives, Coursework, Life, The Core, The Humanities, Uncategorized
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The Politics of The Core
What would Thomas Hobbes say about Covid-19 lockdowns? Would John Stuart Mill approve of the restriction on speech in the form of Twitter and Facebook banning Donald Trump from their platforms after the January 6, 2021 attack on the US … Continue reading
Posted in courses, Coursework, COVID-19, Life, The Core, The Humanities, Uncategorized
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Using Core Texts for Life Inspiration
The end of the school year is a time that initiates reflection on our academic involvements as well as the social dynamics that defined these experiences. Thus, it seems meaningful to me to spend some time reflecting on and attempting … Continue reading
Posted in Coursework, Life, The Core, Uncategorized
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How Do You Balance Taking Classes and Having a Job?
The mindset behind taking classes as a student and having a job as an entry-level employee are very different. While taking classes, we want to absorb knowledge and ask questions under high intellectual demand. While working as an employee, however, … Continue reading
Posted in Life, New York City, postgraduation plans, The Core, The Humanities, Uncategorized
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The Beauty of Suffering in Classical Poetry
“Arms and the man I sing who, forced by fate/And haughty Juno’s unrelenting hate, Expelled and exiled, left the Trojan shore” (The Aeneid, I, 1-3). All of us have a desire to be part of a larger story. Almost everyone … Continue reading
Posted in Coursework, Life, The Core, The Humanities, Uncategorized
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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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