The Beauty of Suffering in Classical Poetry

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Lorenzo Garcia

Achilles besought by Priam for the Body of His Son Hector, Photo Credit: Philadelphia Museum of Art

“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 generally remembers playing with toys as a kid and creating imaginary stories full of adventure, monsters, and heroic triumphs. At its heart, these little moments of glee and childish innocence are grounded in the search for meaning and purpose, and understanding of who we are, and if you will, why we are, right here, right now. It’s a deeply ingrained part of our nature as human beings, and as adults, we continue, albeit in what we believe to be a more sophisticated manner, this quest for understanding. Once we reach it, typically after a long and grueling road, we rejoice, saying along with Odysseus, “…,” as do those who return to their Ithacas, rejoicing that the weary labors that we undertook in order to reach the new shore are over.

Yet, often when we think we have found this purpose, we find the road we know we must travel to be a hard one, and the difficulties often intensify In one of the most subtly dramatic moments of the Gospels, after Christ forgives Peter for Peter’s denial during Christ’s passion, saying, “Feed my sheep,” Christ then predicts, “Verily, verily I say unto you, When you were young, you dressed yourself, and walked where you would: but when you shall be old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall dress you, and carry you where you would not” (Jn 21:17-18). This passage, which the Gospel writer says signified “by what death he [Peter] should glorify God” (Jn 19), shows that often at the moments of greatest joy and hope, we perceive great sorrow and pain that accompanies or awaits us. Continue reading →

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How to Narrow Down Your Research Interest – or Should You? 

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Elia Zhang

Close reading digital archives at Milstein Library, Photo Credit: Elia Zhang.

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 [all of literature], [the history of every country in the world], etc.

 

Before I begin this blog, I would like to lead with the following disclaimer: I am not currently in grad school, and I can only speak from my perspective and my personal experience researching graduate school opportunities. 

 

When applying for a research position, including short-term summer research projects and six to seven years (speaking of the norm for Ph.D. programs in the Humanities in the U.S.) of doctoral studies, candidates are always asked to present a plan for their research. What is the specific question that this research seeks to answer, what is the significance, or the stakes of this question, and what have scholars done (or have not done) to attempt to answer said question? While preparing to answer these questions, it becomes evident that as a future scholar yourself, you will have to narrow down your focus and have an understanding of the relevant sources, theories, and scholars in your proposed field.

Continue reading →

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Why Take the Core’s Religious Texts Seriously?

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Jonathan Tanaka

Samuel Johnson, The Seal of Columbia College, Photo Credit: Columbia University Archives.

Of what purpose are the Core’s religious texts to the resolutely irreligious? The notion that the works of the Core enable us to understand ourselves and our world is thrown around without substantive analysis or reflection; it’s no wonder, then, that so few seem to truly believe it. Even upon careful reflection, most would propose that the Core matters precisely because its authors set their sights on eternal truths by and through which all temporal truths must be judged, and are at least partially successful. We are thus able to understand ourselves, our world, and the relationship between the two by pondering such eternal truths with these authors and, by doing so, afford ourselves an intellectual arsenal to understand even the transient phenomena of the present. But this presupposes that the Core authors were at least in part successful in their quest for eternal truth. Why should one care about the Core, even if one thinks its works fail to grasp the truth in a thoroughgoing way?  Continue reading →

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How Do I Find A Faculty Mentor?

Posted on February 13, 2023 by Juliet Paiva

Sunrise on College Walk, Photo Credit: Juliet Paiva.

 Finding mentorship within your field is easier than you may think, but it still involves a little intentional effort. I’ve collected some tips from my personal experience and the advice of other Columbia students on how to find a faculty mentor.

I had this same question just over a year and a half ago at the start of the Fall 2021 semester as I returned to campus for the first time since the start of the pandemic in March of my Freshman year. My return to in-person classes after an entirely remote sophomore year was accompanied by an overwhelming sense of dread that I lacked any form of mentorship from faculty in the disciplines I study. Looking back now, it made sense. I hadn’t been on campus since declaring my majors and took almost exclusively lecture and core classes on Zoom. But even besides the ‘extenuating circumstances’ that were a global pandemic, it’s incredibly rare in normal times for first and second- year students to have a faculty mentor yet. So, if that is your current situation, or if you are an upperclassman and still feel a lack of mentorship, I will share how I went from feeling completely unknown by any faculty less than two years ago to having multiple professors who know me on an individual basis and who I am proud to consider my mentors. Continue reading →

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Should I Go To Grad School? Questions and Thoughts to Consider

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Elliot Hueske

A sign that you should slow down, or “stop and consider!” A street sign on West 77th street, Photo Credit: Elliot Hueske.

As a second-semester senior studying psychology and philosophy, I have found myself frequently considering post-graduate options of graduate school as opposed to work. Both disciplines that I am currently studying might seem to be oriented towards careers in academia, research, or other specialized fields that require graduate degrees. For example, psychology students often pursue empirical research in labs or become clinical therapists to help others. Philosophy students might be interested in working towards a PhD with the hopes of perhaps becoming a professor. Yet all of these potential routes have seemed too restrictive for me at this point in my life. I have been conscious of the fact that committing to a graduate program often does not lend itself to multidisciplinary approaches which is an essential facet of my personal and academic life. I have been hesitant to seek graduate programs as I was anxious that obtaining an advanced degree in one area might entail dedicating myself to that particular field for the rest of my professional life. While this is not always the case, the uncertainty and indecision surrounding it is entirely justified. Some people already know that they must attend graduate school to fulfill their professional vision, for example, a career in law or medicine. Yet many of us are still unsure. Furthermore, graduate school might feel like the straightforward choice: continue with higher education because it has worked for you so far. Yet there might be another voice encouraging you to try something new, to challenge yourself, to grow.  Continue reading →

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Contemporary Civilization and the Return of the Devotion to Western Literature

Posted on January 30, 2023 by Lorenzo Garcia

“Regarding each of the things we understand, however, we don’t consult a speaker who makes sounds outside us, but the Truth that presides within over the mind itself, though perhaps words prompt us to consult Him” (St. Augustine, On the Teacher).

A photo of Augustine of Hippo, from whom I take the first quote, Photo Credit: Painting by Philippe de Champaigne

It seems that many Columbia students have lost a great amount of faith in the process of teaching, in how it can enlighten the mind and bring us to greater contemplation of the truths in the world. No doubt, a lack of a broad understanding of the intellectual traditions of the West contributes to this plight. Continue reading →

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Discovering Humanity Through The Core

Posted on January 17, 2023 by Juliet Paiva

When reflecting on what is most valuable about the Core Curriculum at Columbia, I always think about the community it fosters. But a closely related benefit of the core, which is both a product of and a contributing factor to that sense of community, is a more internal effect that comes from the specific type of learning that takes place in most core classrooms. While this kind of learning applies to liberal arts education more broadly, Columbia’s Core is, in many ways, a shining example of the benefits of including the humanities in higher education.

Rainbows over Riverside Park, Photo Credit: Juliet Paiva.

In my experience with the Core, the unique sense of community it fosters has always stood out the most. I think back to freshman year and starting college after spending the last thirteen years at a small suburban all-girls school where I grew up alongside the same group of sixty-something other girls in my graduating class. A place where I felt like I knew everyone and everything. It was jarring to find myself in college as one first-year student out of thousands within a university of tens of thousands and all within a city of millions. Taking Literature Humanities during my first semester at Columbia allowed me to get to know a small group of my peers in a more contained setting that felt like we were all part of one collective thing. But then, even beyond my specific section of Lit Hum, almost every other Columbia College first-year student I met took the same class and was reading the same texts, but just with a different instructor in another section. Love it or hate it, the collective experience of the Core defines the Columbia College journey in a way unlike any other aspect of college life. Continue reading →

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Applying to Rhodes: A Conversation with Two Rhodes Finalists

Posted on December 19, 2022 by Elliot Hueske

A Note From the Editor: This month we had our Rose Research Ambassadors/Rhodes Finalist (E)lliot Hueske and (J)onathan Tanaka discuss their experiences preparing, applying and interviewing for the Rhodes Scholarship.

A Photo of Oxford University,
Photo Credit: Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/University-of-Oxford

 

J: Why did I apply to the Rhodes? Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of prestige associated with the Rhodes and that would be very beneficial for advancing a career inside or outside of academia. Many professors advising me were saying that a lot of Rhodes Scholars do not end up going into academia, but it’s beneficial for any career in which you’re interested – though probably not for investment banking or for many types of law. The other thing is I’m very interested in communities and, reflecting in the past on the various communities of which I’ve been a part, they’ve made me who I am. So, if you’re interested in quite high-caliber communities that really take you to whatever next threshold you’d like to achieve, something like the Rhodes would be really good because of how high-caliber members of that community are. I guess I’ve also heard of the Rhodes Scholarship for a long time, so it has been in the back of my mind for a while. How about you? 

Continue reading →

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How to Make the Archive a Place for Discovery

Posted on December 12, 2022 by Elia Zhang

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 share some tips with you, my fellow undergraduate researchers, as you embark on your first experience with archival research and materials.

Examining pencil scribbles and fragmentary materials at Yale’s Beinecke Libary, Photo Credit: Elia Zhang.

 Before delving into the exact processes of archival work, I would like to start by reminding ourselves of the context of an archive. For my current research project, for example, I started out by selecting from a vast collection of 300 boxes in Yale’s Ezra Pound Papers collection. I narrowed down my search by only examining the documents that were most relevant to my specific inquiry. But what is it that deems certain historical figures as being relegated to a position of importance and prominence in the archive?

 

What is it that makes specific figures so “important” that their personal correspondence and mundane financial records are well-cataloged and preserved for close, scholarly examination? Many factors contribute to the availability or unavailability of certain information and resources that can lead to the construction of an archive. While these systemic circumstances are beyond a researcher’s control, having a contextual awareness as you navigate the archive can help account for both the visible and the invisible which is one way of critically engaging with primary sources. 

Continue reading →

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Recovering Reason, Embracing the Words of Truth, and Delighting in the Great Books: 

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Lorenzo Garcia

“Man, the rational animal, can put up with anything except what seems to him irrational; whatever is rational is tolerable” – Epictetus, Discourses 

 Photo Credit:“Fountain pen – Wikipedia,” photo from Petar Milošević, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_pen#/media/File:Fountain_pen_writing_(literacy).jpg

 

In my last post, I included an epigraph from Euripides’ play The Phoenecian Woman, which stated that “The words of truth are naturally simple.” This is, I think, a great synopsis of the power of truth to clarify and structure our language, and also a remarkable profession of its natural or at least ideal simplicity. When we come to understand an inspiration or idea, or grow in appreciation for one, its simplicity speaks to us and calls us toward itself.  Continue reading →

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