Do you have too many friends? Have you ever wondered why you're single? Has there ever been a teacher who didn't like you? Do you want a more peaceful world? Ever been short on money?

Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" has helped millions of people since it was published during the Great Depression, and it can help you too!

Come to practice being more likable! I might even bring cookies, depending on interest ;)


Prerequisites
Be able to speak English or bring a friend with you who speaks your native language

Japanese Traditional Court Music (Gagaku) and Baroque Chamber Music will be covered. We will look at the history and practices of each type of performance, and compare and contrast musical elements as well as the ways in which they related to their respective societies. Lots of beautiful excerpts to listen to and discuss!

An overview of the field of civil engineering. Students will be exposed to examples of civil engineering projects, and will learn about the fundamental concepts behind structural design like mathematical analysis and constructing free-body diagrams.

Biomass is often touted as a source of green, sustainable energy, but with everything that's said about it, things get confusing fast. What does "green" mean? How can we define "sustainable"? Can biomass energy compete with wind and solar power? What will the future look like? In this class you will hear a perspective from someone who's spent the last five years working in the trenches on these very issues.


Prerequisites
Some chemistry helpful but not necessary

This course will bring to light how lasers work. Further, the history behind lasers will be illuminated. Finally, applications of lasers will be highlighted.

How to run web application in Vagrant


Prerequisites
Have a Mac

Micro-Gravity, low temperatures, flying debris, and other charactristics of being in space create a very unique, extreme, yet fascinating environment for engineers to work in. In this course you will find out about existing challenges of this extreme environment, learn about our designs of space tools such as asteroid anchors, and brainstorm your own! Tentative: materials used by a former astronaut for his class may be referred to.


Prerequisites
Interest in space!

Heard of Michel Foucault but have no idea what he's about? Want a simple introduction to his philosophy? We will explore a very basic introduction to Foucault's ideas.

Throughout most of history, it has been the case that discussions of morality have been restricted to the domains of philosophy and religion, but with advents in neuroscience, game theory, and evolutionary biology primarily, we are beginning to develop scientific answers to questions of right and wrong. This presents the necessity of a moral framework for understanding these developments. This class will look at the data impinging on moral thinking and examine potential ideas to incorporate this data into moral theory.

An examination of the modern philosophies of pluralism, relativism, and postmodernism: the dangers of diversity aimed at disunity, and the problems that arise from giving every worldview equal footing in the modern day.


Prerequisites
None

On What Matters by Derek Parfit has been described by some as a magnum opus of modern moral philosophy. In this short lecture, we will cover several interesting arguments toward supporting what he calls a "Non-Metaphysical Non-naturalist Cognitivism." Talking about this briefly we will also discuss various arguments he puts forward regarding subjectivism and its contradictions leading to a support of object-given theories; and finally I will talk about whatever other interesting topics I run into between now and then.


Prerequisites
None necessarily other than a concern about the good and a vested interest in discussing what it is. So having some familiarity with telic and deontic theories will be of some groundwork use but is not necessary.

Examining the historical and philosophical rise of the secular society: starting with the Enlightenment and progressing into the modern age. Covers issues relating to the genealogy of morals, the mechanics of confronting evil, and humanism.


Prerequisites
World, European, or American History Course covering the Enlightenment Era and important philosophical contributions.

Come learn about Kigo, Gitaigo, Giseigo, Kireji and other concepts to enrich your understanding of Haiku. Trace the history of Haiku as it emerged from Renku and other forms. Write your own!
This course is tripartite in nature: focusing on history, appreciation, and composition.

The “Two Lenses” lecture examines the relationship between the cultural aspect and ethical aspect to human rights law and the general notion of human rights, which make up the two lenses by which human rights violations and measures of adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 are evaluated. It considers a wide range of case studies in such countries as Malawi, Sudan, Liberia, and the like; in such revolutions as South Sudan’s (and its ensuing civil war), Haiti’s, Latin America’s, the Arab Spring, and the United States’; and in such practices as genital mutilation (especially in females), early and arranged marriages, chiefdom, and religious rites; and challenges the students to think critically about the lens with which these are typically associated and evaluate these associations. Transitory instances of human rights violations and adherences will also be discussed. An overlying theme that will be frequently synthesized into case studies and concept discussions is the role of westernization and the westernization of human rights as a whole. Within this framework, students will leave with a broadened understanding of human rights and current events and be able to utilize the case studies and concepts as catalysts for discussion and debate in the future.


Prerequisites
A background in world history may prove helpful in contributing to and engaging in discussion, though it is certainly not required.

Git is a powerful tool used by programmers across the world to keep track of their work and changes. We will go through a few key commands and how to use them effectively. This course will be interactive, so bring your laptops!


Prerequisites
Please install the git command on your computer before class. https://git-scm.com/downloads

In this class, we will learn the fundamentals of programming using the JavaScript language.

JavaScript is the de-facto language of the web; a lot of interesting use cases of js in non-web specific contexts have recently been implemented.

In this class, we will briefly cover some HTML/CSS and then we will learn programming fundamentals with javascript and build a small web app or two.

** bring a laptop!
** Please download Sublime Text
See here: http://www.sublimetext.com/2


Prerequisites
Beginners Welcome!

We will explore a complicated commands (like reflog and cherry picking), git configuration, and git's big ideas. This class will move at a faster pace than Part I.


Prerequisites
https://columbia.learningu.org/teach/Splash/2016_Spring/catalogpreview/335 Or a basic familiarity with git.

Numbers, presentations, graphs, interpretations, and perspectives! No longer will you cringe when faced with a confusing data set. Have no fear, stats is here! This course will enable students to think critically be able to graph, organize, and analyze data. In addition, students will be given a chance to collect their own data based on what they're passionate about. This course is definitely recommended for those who are planning to take a future statistics course such as AP Statistics or statistics in college. Bear in mind that this course is not meant to be challenging or a burden but rather a safe space where students can share what they find difficult in mathematics in general and work on it, which I'm hoping will lead to eventual confidence in future math courses. Feel free to ask me any questions regarding high school or college in general!


Prerequisites
Students should have some knowledge of algebra.

Functional Programming (FP) is computer programming with mathematical functions, and it is taking over the industry! Although Haskell is considered by many to be the best language for FP, it is notoriously tough to get started with the language. We will cover the minimum necessary to get started with Haskell (this includes a lot of branches of math, some lambda calculus, category theory, etc.) Come find out why Haskell is so great!


Prerequisites
Ideally, any course on computer programming or a year of experience with Java or Python (or similar). But really, a love of math and an interest in programming is okay too! I suggest a minimum grade level as 11, but if you feel you are up for it, please give it a try!

This course goes through a couple of the unintuitive things that you can do with number theory and cryptography. No math background is needed.

Comparison of Windows vs. Mac OSX vs. Linux. A comparison on programming languages. An overview of the stack from hardware to software. Other interesting things.


Prerequisites
An interest in interesting things.

Given a set of distributions which describe losses on assets in a portfolio, what's the probability of the portfolio losing more than $1bn?

These are the kinds of questions we can answer with random variables, which are ways that mathematicians deal with uncertainty. We're going to talk about random variables here, and build up some of the ways we use them. By the end, we'll approach the answer to that question (that part might be hard).


Prerequisites
Some experience with mathematical proofs would be good; not because we'll be doing proofs, but because it's good math practice. If you're familiar with random variables, a good part of this class might be too basic for you.

Emergence of Free and Open Source Software culture, Basic introduction to Linux based operating systems (e.g. Ubuntu) and how to use Virtualbox to try out various operating systems


Prerequisites
Familiarity with computers and curiosity about Linux

An introduction to the theory underlying the numbers we use in everyday life. Ever wonder why addition works the way it does, or why certain things, like the symmetries of a triangle almost work like addition or multiplication? Come learn group theory then!


Prerequisites
Ability to do addition and multiplication

Computers have defeated human beings at chess, Go, jeopardy, and many more things -- but, do they even think?

This class examines the question of machine thought (what it might mean, how we would know, etc.) and traces answers offered in philosophy and sciences.


Prerequisites
Inquistiveness. Other than that, nothing! It's a discussion, so I'll send out things you might like reading before class.

A brief mathematical introduction to Feynman diagrams for particle physics. Learn how to use Feynman diagrams and their purpose in Particle physics.


Prerequisites
Calculus Knowledge of Multi-variable calculus would help

Did you know that the heart can beat more than 2 billion times in a lifetime?

If the heart stopped suddenly, cells in the body can die within minutes.

How does the heart function? What happens in a heart attack? What are some healthy habits that help keep the heart in good shape?

This class is an introduction to the cardiac anatomy, function, as well as diseases.


Prerequisites
None

Cognitive illusions are the result of the shortcuts our brains make while interpreting incoming information and making decisions. This class focuses on very compelling cognitive illusions centered on memory, perception, and attention. This course will be independent of the second cognitive illusions course, so feel free to sign up for either one or both classes!

Have you ever wondered why your friends are acting weird? Have you ever wanted to hit on someone, but don't know how? Have you ever wondered about fundamental human nature?

Well, if you answered "yes" to any of those questions, come check out Brain Gain: all the best parts of psychology without the boring multiple choice tests!


Prerequisites
It would be nice if you knew what a brain was. And a human

Have you ever wondered where we get all of our medicines, from the pills we take every day to the expensive regimens administered in the ICU of hospitals? Why are some medicines "natural" and others not? And are "natural" medicines really any different, or better for us?

Come learn about meds, in this class designed for all eager minds!

Pyromania is an underappreciated part of a modern chemistry education.

The historical chemistry of gunpowder, from black powder to modern smokeless gunpowder, is a fascinating look at some of the principles behind how chemists solve challenging problems. Also explosions.

Please note that we will not actually be blowing anything up.


Prerequisites
If you do not know some chemistry you will probably be confused.

This course is for PASSIONATE high school scientists looking to succeed in high school, college, and science fairs.

There are 2 parts to this course.
A. For all young scientists
B. For students who are looking for tips on succeeding at science research fairs

As a alumna of science research fairs, a lack of passion was observed among contestants.
Your very passion is not only the key to success in science fairs, but also in college.
In this course the following will be discussed:

A.
1. Science in society
2. Why science: What scientific passion can do for you

B.
1. Your research
2. The science fair
3. Preparing your research

If you have any questions, please email me: yarim.lee@columbia.edu


Prerequisites
A passion and interest in science (Background in science research)

This course will review some of the basics of neuroscience. Then we'll cover some of the more modern findings and techniques in neuroscience. Including: addiction, learning, movement, optogenetics, mouse genetic engineering and fluorescent proteins.


Prerequisites
Basic (non-AP) biology, including genetics and neuroscience is desired.

We all have an intuitive notion of attention, but what is it really? In this course we'll explore the study of attention, a topic which has become widely popular in neuroscience lately. We'll discuss the many types of attention studied scientifically and what is known about their biological basis.

This course is an introduction to genetics, how DNA is replicated,how you go from gene to protein, and the technology that allows us to manipulate DNA

Did you know that your brain and your body’s immune system can communicate with one another, or that the brain has its own specialized immune cells? Learn about how your brain and immune system influence one another through a brief introduction to the field of psychoneuroimmunology.


Prerequisites
Basic biology and an interest in the brain.

Elementary topics (fingerprinting, blood spatter, glass/bullet patterns, etc).


Prerequisites
(1) Willingness to examine your fingers, (2) a lack of fear towards water, and (3) burning desire to figure out what the first two mean.

Cognitive illusions are the result of the shortcuts our brains make while interpreting incoming information and making decisions. This class focuses on very compelling cognitive illusions centered on judgment. decision making, and self-perception. This course will be independent of the first cognitive illusions course, so feel free to sign up for either one or both classes!

***This will be Part II of Science & Politics; if possible, participation in Science & Politics I is highly recommended.***

Are you interested in science, in media, or in both? If so, join me as we discuss the role that science, and scientists, play in American media. Some topics we will discuss include:
- How should we think about scientific research in the news?
- How can we evaluate scientific research, as a lay audience, or can we?
- What is the most fair way to discuss all sides of a scientific debate?


Prerequisites
***This will be Part II of Science & Politics; if possible, participation in Science & Politics I is highly recommended.*** *** You will have an assignment BEFORE class! ***

***This will be Part I of Science & Politics; if possible, participation in Science & Politics II is highly recommended.***

In science class, we learn the scientific method as a process designed to uncover truth, and to investigate the world around us in an unbiased and empirical way. Still, science is conducted by people, and scientists have historically had a complicated relationship with religion and politics. Come learn about some of the ways in which science and politics have clashed or worked together in the United States! We will focus on lead poisoning & leaded gasoline.

Worried about college? Stop thinking about college and start worrying on building your legacy while in college!

If you have an entrepreneurial mind, this class is for you. If you are an intelligent and brilliant student, this class is for you. If you are a below average student, THIS CLASS IS FOR YOU!

This class will cover the importance of thinking outside the box, how to innovate and create, how to build a company, brand a company and the logistics behind starting your own corporation while still studying in college. This course is designed to inspire students to become the next generation leaders and owners of big corporations.


Prerequisites
Ambition and passion!

With over 1 billion people worldwide playing video games, it is clear to see that video games have become a fundamental past time for our generation. We have come a long way from the days of 8-bit pixels and classic damsel in distress tropes...right? Maybe not as much as you might think. We'll be covering everything from Minecraft to Mario, so come and learn about the history of various dimensions of diversity (ethnic, gender, ability, etc.) in video games over the past 30+ years, as well as the very real consequences this lack of diversity poses to our society.

Play-Doh. In this class, we explore the frontiers of the physical universe, as we examine the object's chemical properties, societal significance, and history as a toy and art form (and as wallpaper cleaning putty, which is why it was made).

There will be real Play-Doh in this class.


Prerequisites
None.

What is gender? How does race affect our lives today? What does it mean to be queer? These are some of the questions that we will ask in this interactive introduction to identity. In this class, we will explore the cultural contexts surrounding identity, with an emphasis on intersectionality. We will examine the concepts of privilege, power, and identity, and how those concepts form a framework for interpreting the world.

Using this information, we will also work on skills that will help enable a richer understanding of media and better interpersonal relationships. We will examine relevant cultural phenomenon as well as personal experience, so please feel free to bring in personal stories, questions, and/or examples!

There will be snacks.


Prerequisites
Willingness to engage in dialogue about marginalized voices

Explore the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts that underlie music! We'll learn about what sound is, how musical instruments work, and why music sounds good. This class incorporates topics in classical waves, including Fourier transforms.


Prerequisites
Very helpful, but not required: High school physics, calculus All enthusiastic students are welcome to attend!

Human consciousness has always lent thought to the Afterlife. From the Egyptian Book of the Dead to Modern Day, we've been occupied with question of what happens to us when we die. This course will give an overview and an analysis of how this concern has effected human history and the make up of the modern era.

New York was the financial, commercial and industrial center of the North. It provided thousands of recruits for the war effort. Yet, the city itself, so long tied to the south by the slave and cotton trades, was ruled by Democrats who wanted nothing to do with emancipation or to be forced to send conscripts to die in the South. It was split along racial, class and confessional lines that would explode in the draft riots of 1863. This class will explore how the city endured its as the prominent American commercial hub, and who came out on top after the war.

Were the "Dark Ages" really dark? This course will focus on the cultural, religious, and political developments that occurred in Western Europe during the Carolingian era.


Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course, just a love of history and an interest in the Middle Ages.