<p>Is there any Econonomics or social science option in the Core at all, or just the readings you do in Contemporary Civilization? In what sort of depth do you look at the CC texts?</p>
<p>The core takes up about a third of your classes, so you certainly have room to take economics or social science courses also, whatever your major. The only specific econ option in the core would be within the Major Cultures requirement. If you choose to take two courses on the Major Cultures list about the same part of the world (as opposed to one course each about two other cultures), the second course can be from a variety of departments, including economics. For example, an introductory course on Japan, a second course on the economy of Japan.</p>
<p>The core curriculum has changed over the years in style and content-for a history see the following link</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/oasis/index.php[/url]”>http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/oasis/index.php</a></p>
<p>In the early years of the core, condensed selections from numerous authors were read in and “anthology” style exposing the student to a huge selection of ideas but none in much depth. Something I believe in the 1970’s this was changed to the reading of individual authors in depth, reading their treatise either in full or in significant summary. For example if you are interested in economics, your will probably read a significant portion of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations or Marx ‘s various critiques of capitalism. Although some of these, and other texts, can be repetitive, you do indeed read them in depth for not only an understanding of content but style as well.</p>
<p>the SEAS core requires principles of econ, the CC core has no econ or social science requirement</p>