Courses

"The Core as Praxis/Fieldwork” provides students with the opportunity to explore the connections among texts from the Core Curriculum, their work in their major field of study, and their work in a professional environment outside of Columbia’s campus. Students will be guided through a process of reflection on the ideas and approaches that they develop in Core classes and in the courses in their major, to think about how they can apply theory to practice in the context of an internship or other experiential learning environment. Students will reread and revisit a text that they have studied previously in Literature Humanities or in Contemporary Civilization as the basis for their reading and writing assignments over the semester. To be eligible, students must (1) be engaged during the semester in an internship or other experiential learning opportunity, (2) have completed the sophomore year, and (3) have declared their major (or concentration). HUMAUN2000 may not be taken with the Pass/D/Fail option. All students will receive a letter grade for the course. Students can take HUMAUN2000 twice.

"The Core as Praxis/Fieldwork” provides students with the opportunity to explore the connections among texts from the Core Curriculum, their work in their major field of study, and their work in a professional environment outside of Columbia’s campus. Students will be guided through a process of reflection on the ideas and approaches that they develop in Core classes and in the courses in their major, to think about how they can apply theory to practice in the context of an internship or other experiential learning environment. Students will reread and revisit a text that they have studied previously in Literature Humanities or in Contemporary Civilization as the basis for their reading and writing assignments over the semester. To be eligible, students must (1) be engaged during the semester in an internship or other experiential learning opportunity, (2) have completed the sophomore year, and (3) have declared their major (or concentration). HUMAUN2000 may not be taken with the Pass/D/Fail option. All students will receive a letter grade for the course. Students can take HUMAUN2000 twice.

"The Core as Praxis/Fieldwork” provides students with the opportunity to explore the connections among texts from the Core Curriculum, their work in their major field of study, and their work in a professional environment outside of Columbia’s campus. Students will be guided through a process of reflection on the ideas and approaches that they develop in Core classes and in the courses in their major, to think about how they can apply theory to practice in the context of an internship or other experiential learning environment. Students will reread and revisit a text that they have studied previously in Literature Humanities or in Contemporary Civilization as the basis for their reading and writing assignments over the semester. To be eligible, students must (1) be engaged during the semester in an internship or other experiential learning opportunity, (2) have completed the sophomore year, and (3) have declared their major (or concentration). HUMAUN2000 may not be taken with the Pass/D/Fail option. All students will receive a letter grade for the course. Students can take HUMAUN2000 twice.

"The Core as Praxis/Fieldwork” provides students with the opportunity to explore the connections among texts from the Core Curriculum, their work in their major field of study, and their work in a professional environment outside of Columbia’s campus. Students will be guided through a process of reflection on the ideas and approaches that they develop in Core classes and in the courses in their major, to think about how they can apply theory to practice in the context of an internship or other experiential learning environment. Students will reread and revisit a text that they have studied previously in Literature Humanities or in Contemporary Civilization as the basis for their reading and writing assignments over the semester. To be eligible, students must (1) be engaged during the semester in an internship or other experiential learning opportunity, (2) have completed the sophomore year, and (3) have declared their major (or concentration). HUMAUN2000 may not be taken with the Pass/D/Fail option. All students will receive a letter grade for the course. Students can take HUMAUN2000 twice.

The primary objective of this course is to become familiar with the typical phases of an internal or external consulting project. The course is designed to provide a deep understanding of the typical challenges, opportunities,  phases, and methods for conducting a successful consulting assignment for knowledge-based organizations. A  typical strategic consulting assignment includes the following phases: organization assessment, sponsor/client  relationship, gathering data, diagnosis issues, implementation, and measurement. Drawing on examples from a  variety of organizations, this course will focus directly on strategies for building a successful knowledge service or  product for organizations or institutions. We will provide knowledge of foundational frameworks and theories and  the need for tailored approaches for different clients. Students will get hands-on experience diagnosing and  proposing knowledge strategies for improving organizational effectiveness and competitiveness.

Successful consulting, whether internal or external, requires many capabilities and, at heart, is dependent on the  client-consultant relationship. Students will be engaged in working on a simulated consulting assignment based on  the current organization in which they work. Alternatively, students may discuss with the faculty to be assigned to  work with a voluntary organization seeking student input. During the term, each student will complete individual  and team assignments that build on the deliverables needed for an actual consulting assignment. By developing  expertise in strategic leadership consulting, students will gain credibility, competence, and confidence in their ability  to communicate, design, develop, and provide knowledge and change services to an organization and society.  During the semester, students will learn strategies for building knowledge services, including the models, methods,  processes, and social factors that promote successful change.

This course is designed for students who are or will be working in positions that require internal or external  organizational consulting skills or in positions that require managing organizational change initiatives. No  prerequisites.

Within this course, students will explore how practices from human-centered design (HCD) can be applied to the end-to-end data science workflow—problem (use case) definition, data collection & preparation, data exploration, data modeling, and communicating and visualizing the results— in order to build trust in data that is used to drive strategy and decision making and impact organizational change. Students will learn about fundamental human values and how methods from the behavioral sciences and HCD can inspire ethical use of data to drive strategy and change in the modern, data-driven workplace. Students will understand how keeping “humans in the loop” is beneficial, and they will develop a critical eye for assessing whether the data they rely on to make decisions at work is human-centric, particularly as we become more reliant on data science and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to inform our insights, strategies, and decision making at work.

Content & Goals: Through hands-on, project-based work, students will work individually and in project teams to practice designing human-centric information and communication experiences, leveraging audience-focused data visualizations and storytelling techniques to drive a strategic workplace objective, motivating leaders and employees into action to create traceable organizational impact that benefits people. Students will have an opportunity to practice their writing and presentation skills through practical course assignments.

Logistics: This graduate-level elective course is designed for students in Information & Knowledge Strategy but is open to other students at Columbia University. This course would be relevant to students studying management and technology more broadly. The course will be delivered in person on Columbia’s campus during the spring semester.

No prerequisites.

The purpose of this six-week course is to provide a greater understanding of the complex role the United Nations plays in world politics and the maintenance of peace and security through multilateral decision making. In this uncertain political climate, it is even more important to understand global institutions, their strengths and weaknesses and how they function. The United Nations with its 193 member states provides a mirror onto the world and if that world is fractured, the UN body will reflect those fissures.

What is the UN track record in promoting and protecting human rights? This intense six-week course will examine the UN human rights standards, mechanisms, institutions and procedures established over the past sixty years and question their effectiveness. With a particular focus on the actions (or lack thereof) of the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council and diverse international judicial institutions like the International Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court, the course will illustrate, through practical case studies, the inherent challenges associated with the protection of human dignity, the enforcement of human rights and the fight against impunity.

The United Nations recently passed its seventieth anniversary and a new Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, was selected by the Security Council to succeed Ban Ki-moon. At this critical juncture, the international system is being challenged to provide adequate responses to the rise of violent extremist groups, waves of refugees arriving in Europe, and to --†fewer but deadlier --armed conflicts. As prevention continues to be elusive and recent - mostly intrastate --armed conflicts have proven to be particularly resistant to peaceful settlement whether through mediation, the deployment of peace operations or peacebuilding projects, the question of the relevance of the UN is posed yet again. Has the Security Council been successful in using the tools at its disposal, from prevention to peace operations and enforcement measures? What has become of the Responsibility to Protect? Is a divided Security Council facing a crisis of relevance? What does it mean for peace operations sent where there is no peace to keep? What are the persisting obstacles to effective prevention? What are the lessons from the evolving partnership with regional organizations? How can peace be sustained over the long term? What will have been Ban Ki Moon's legacy? What are the prospects for UN reform and what could it look like? To address these questions and more, the course will examine the evolving role of the world organization in global security, shaped by its member states with different strategic interests and by the broader geopolitical context in which it operates.

This six week course provides an overview of the contribution the United Nations development system has made in the sphere of development. The course traces the historical evolution of the UN's contribution in the areas of development cooperation, poverty reduction, environment and climate, human rights, gender and humanitarian action. It explores the emerging role of non-state actors, in particular the private sector and civil society. The last sessions will examine in detail the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 and the recognition that to be relevant in today's rapidly changing world, the UN must commit itself to major reform. The course will draw extensively from the practical experience of the instructor.

This course explores the unique and distinct foreign policy behavior of different states in the international system. Explanations of state behavior will be drawn from many overarching international relations frameworks including but not necessarily limited to realism, liberalism, and constructivism. The effects of power, culture, institutions and history will be examined.

This course examines the foundations, decision-making processes, and substance of American foreign policy, particularly as it has developed over the past fifty years. We explore the role of American political culture, the presidency, Congress, and the foreign policy bureaucracy in helping to determine America's relationship with other states and international organizations. We pay particular attention to the recurring tensions that run through American foreign policy: isolationism v. internationalism, security v. prosperity, diplomacy v. military power, unilateralism v. multilateralism, and realism v. idealism. Each week we will explore a broad theoretical/conceptual theme and then focus on a specific topic that exemplifies a practical application of the theme.