General Core Curriculum Questions

MLELS · 07-08-2009, 11:35 PM

Hello! I just joined College Confidential and am a Columbia 2014 ED-er. I have read the helpful threads about the Core Curriculum, but still have some basic questions. I was wondering which classes are two semesters and which classes are only one? Also, and I know it varies, but how are the classes generally (or preferably) spread out over four years?

Skraylor · 07-09-2009, 08:14 AM

Columbia University in the City of New York

has all the answers to your questions.

Denzera · 07-09-2009, 12:29 PM

Generally speaking:

two semesters:
- Contemporary Civ
- Lit Hum

one semester:
- university writing (née Logic & Rhetoric)
- music hum
- art hum
- most major cultures courses
- Frontiers of Science (?)

Also depends on whether you're in CC or SEAS. SEAS students skip some of those requirements but have more sciency reqs of their own (calc, chem, physics, compsci, preprofessional class, gateway lab, etc).

MLELS · 07-09-2009, 01:14 PM

Wow...my first replies were from two of the most helpful users on this site...awesome. Anyways, trust me when I say I visit Columbia's website probably far more than I should. I was still foggy about the classes that aren't talked about as much though, so thank you, Denzera. Oh, and I'll be applying to CC.

Skraylor · 07-09-2009, 02:36 PM

The Core Curriculum | Columbia College

Quote:

Contemporary Civilization in the West (CC), a course founded in 1919 and which surveys the history of moral and political thought from Plato to the present over the span of two semesters. This course is required of all Columbia College sophomores. Masterpieces of European Literature and Philosophy, commonly know as Literature Humanities (or Lit Hum), similarly surveys, over two semesters, some of the most influential works in all of Western literature and is required of all first-year students.

Quote:

In addition to Literature Humanities, the first-year experience in the Core includes two 1-semester courses taken in alternate semesters: Frontiers of Science and University Writing.

Quote:

The text-based rigor of Literature Humanities and Contemporary Civilization is translated into visual and musical media in the two one-semester courses students typically complete before their junior year: Art Humanities and Music Humanities.

Quote:

Together with two additional semesters of science, four terms of a foreign language, and two semesters of physical education (and a swimming test!), these requirements describe an education of exceptional depth and rigor.

All quotes are from the page I linked to. The only thing that isn't really explained is the global cultures or whatever they call major cultures now.

MLELS · 07-09-2009, 07:42 PM

Thank you! And I looked for the Global Core thing...2 courses are required...in case any other prefroshers were curious.