Attention First Year CC students:

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You must complete both University Writing and Frontiers of Science during your first year, unless you have special permission.

If you do not take these Core courses, you will be placed on Academic Probation.

Please contact your advisor immediately if you are not currently in either Frontiers or UWriting.

CORE REGISTRATION DEADLINES REMINDER:

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1) Last Day to ADD the following Core Classes: TODAY - Monday, September 8, 2008

• Frontiers
• Lit Hum
• CC
• Art Hum
• Music Hum
• UW

This means that after today students will no longer be able to register for these classes or petition the Core office to register for/ switch sections of these Core classes.


2) Last Day to DROP a Core Class: Friday, September 12, 2008

This means that after that date, students will no longer be able to drop those Core classes listed.

Students with questions should contact their Advising Deans.

ATTENTION FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS!

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Students in need of switching their section of University Writing as well as students attempting to reverse the order of their enrollment in UW and Frontiers of Science should go to the Undergraduate Writing Program office:
310 Philosophy Hall, FRIDAY August 29, 2008
From 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM

About University Writing Section Changes
Students will only be accommodated in the case of schedule conflicts with other Core courses or required classes or similar obligation. Students cannot be guaranteed a section change: it will be allowed only if there is space available. Sections of University Writing will not be oversubscribed.

About Reversing the order of University Writing and Frontiers of Science
Students with a compelling reason to reverse the order of their enrollment in University Writing and Frontiers of Science may petition as well. Petitions must include a strong argument for the request. Even then, the granting of a petition is not guaranteed as it depends on space availability in both courses.

ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS!

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CORE REGISTRATION:
Tuesday, September 2 to Monday, September 8, 2008
Center for the Core Curriculum, 202 Hamilton Hall
During this time, students unable to register in or change sections of the Core courses listed may file petitions to do so at the Core office: Literature Humanities, Contemporary Civilization, African Civilization, Art Humanities, Music Humanities, Frontiers of Science.

Changes will only be made for students who have conflicts with another Core class, major requirement, or varsity athletic practice.

All requests must be made in person by filing a petition with the Core Office in 202 Hamilton.

ATTENDANCE of Core classes is always a crucial but it is particularly so during this registration period– if you miss the first two classes, you will not be guaranteed a seat.

Last day to ADD a Core Class: Monday, September 8, 2008
After this date students MAY NOT add a Core class. Students with questions and concerns should see their Advising Deans.

Last day to DROP a Core Class: Friday, September 12, 2008 by 5 PM
After this date students MAY NOT drop their Core classes. Students with questions and concerns should see their Advising Deans. This Core Drop date happens much earlier than the regular drop date, so it is imperative that students keep this deadline in mind as they work out their schedules. NOTE TO FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS: Literature Humanities, University Writing or Frontiers of Science CANNOT BE DROPPED…

Letter from Frontiers of Science head, Prof. Helfand

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PROFESSOR HELFAND'S LETTER TO CC FIRST-YEARS
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Dear Students:

As part of your Columbia experience this year, you will be taking Frontiers of Science, the latest addition to Columbia's Core Curriculum.

Some of Columbia's most distinguished scientists from a variety of scientific disciplines will present the latest discoveries in their fields, and explore the unknowns on the frontiers of our current knowledge to speculate on the discoveries to come in your future. Our goals for the course are straightforward:

1) to demonstrate the dynamic mode of inquiry we call science while enriching your perspective on the universe, and
2) to inculcate some of the habits of mind that inform this rational approach to the world.

Students entering Columbia come from a rich variety of backgrounds and, particularly as far as their exposure to science is concerned, arrive with a wide range of experiences (from the good to the bad to the ugly).

In order to provide a self-assessment of your experience and to illustrate many of the quantitative reasoning skills Frontiers requires, I have prepared an electronic book, "Scientific Habits of Mind". It is probably unlike any "science" text you have had in high school. It is not very long, and it is not crammed with bold-faced words to memorize or equations to plug and chug through with your calculator. Many of the ideas discussed may be familiar.

It is our experience, however, that while many students may have seen the concepts presented, not all have truly mastered them or feel comfortable exercising their knowledge of them. Thus, we strongly suggest that you read "Habits" this summer. In the first three chapters, short self-assessments are provided; these can be used to determine whether you need to brush up on the skills highlighted in these chapters. Concepts from later chapters, also essential to Frontiers but possibly less familiar to you, will be covered in seminar. There will also be a weekly help room, where you will find assistance in mastering these (possibly less familiar) concepts.

You can access Scientific Habits of Mind (for free) at:

http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/mmt/frontiers/

NB. If you are accessing this from off-campus (which we hope you do) you need the following name and password:

username: science
password: openmind

I would be interested in any feedback you have that could help me improve the book for future students; feel free to contact me with comments (djh@astro.columbia.edu).

Sincerely yours,

David J. Helfand
Chair, Dept. of Astronomy
co-Chair, Frontiers of Science

LAST DAY TO DROP A CORE CLASS is Friday, February 1.

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REMINDER

THE LAST DAY TO DROP A CORE CLASS is Friday, February 1.
This means that after this Friday, students may not drop their Core classes.

This only applies to the following Core classes:

• University Writing
• Frontiers of Science
  
• Literature Humanities
• Contemporary Civilization
• Art Humanities
  
• Music Humanities

This early deadline does not apply to other Core classes (i.e. Major Cultures, languages, PE, etc.) which can still be dropped according to the regular SEAS/CC deadlines.

Last Week to Add a Class

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The Change of Program/Registration period ends this Friday.

Change of Program/Registration
Monday, January 28 - Friday, February 1

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REMINDER

The last day to ADD a Core class via on-line registration or via petitions is TODAY: Monday, January 28 (end of Core Registration).

THE LAST DAY TO DROP A CORE CLASS is Friday, February 1.
This means that after this Friday, students may not drop their Core classes.

A VERY Important Message from the Center for the Core Curriculum

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Dear Student,

This is to remind you of the changes in Core registration that we communicated to you in November.

Specifically, we want to remind you that there is a new, earlier deadline for dropping Core classes. That date is Friday February 1.

Please read below for details.

The Core Registration Period: Tuesday, January 22 - Monday, January 28

Currently, students who are unable to effect changes in their Core classes via on-line registration can do so by filing petitions at the Center for the Core Curriculum, in 202 Hamilton Hall (as in the past, Frontiers of Science discussion sections can ONLY be changed by petition at the Center for the Core Curriculum in 202 Hamilton).

Please be reminded that during the Core registration period (January 22 through 28) students registered for Core classes must attend class or they will be dropped after two absences.

The last day to ADD a Core class via on-line registration or via petitions will be Monday January 28 (end of Core Registration).

THE LAST DAY TO DROP A CORE CLASS is Friday, February 1.
This means that after Friday, February 1, students may not drop their Core classes.

As you see, the Core drop date happens much earlier than the regular drop date, so it is imperative that you keep this earlier deadline in mind as you work out your schedule.

We thank you for your cooperation.

Best wishes,
The Center for the Core Curriculum.

Student Forum on the Core

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On Thursday, November 29th, the Student Representatives on the Committee on the Core will be holding an open forum on the Core Curriculum. Any and all undergraduate students are encouraged to come to voice their ideas, opinions, and thoughts about the Core.

Through this and future forums, we hope to create open communication among students about the core, keep students informed and educated about the mechanics of its administration, and provide a safe and productive environment in which students may voice their concerns. The forum is open to all years, first-years to seniors, and also to all opinions, points of view, and experiences. We urge you to come hear and be heard, and to bring your friends.

Please direct all questions to cocreps@columbia.edu. If you cannot make it on the 29th but would be interested in future discussions, send us your email address to be on a mailing list.

Student Forum on the Core
Date: Thursday, November 29th
Time: 8-10pm
Room: 717 Hamilton

We hope to see you there!

LAST DAY TO DROP A CORE CLASS: Friday, February 1, 2008

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Dear Student,

In response to the complaints of first- and second-year students who have been unable to register for Art and Music Humanities, the Center for the Core Curriculum and the Chairs of Art and Music Hum have done a study.

The study found that in fall 2007 alone, the number of students who dropped Art and Music Hum adds up to four sections. This means that over time, students who have registered for Art and Music Hum and then dropped their sections have effectively locked first- and second-year students out of these required classes. At the same time, there are so many juniors and seniors who have not taken these classes that seats for first- and second-year students are severely limited. To remedy this situation, a new “drop policy” for Core classes has been introduced to help diminish the problem.

Please read the following very carefully as you register for Spring 2008.

The Core Registration Period: Tuesday, January 22 – Monday, January 28

The Core Registration process will remain the same.

During this time, students who are unable to effect changes in their Core registration on their own via on-line registration, can do so by filing petitions at the center for the Core Curriculum, in 202 Hamilton Hall (as in the past, Frontiers of Science discussion sections can ONLY be changed by petition at the Center for the Core Curriculum in 202 Hamilton).

Please be reminded that during the Core registration time (January 22 through 28) students registered for Core classes must attend class or they will be dropped after two absences.

The last day to ADD a Core class via on-line registration or via petitions will be Monday January 28 (end of Core Registration).

The last day to DROP a Core class will be Friday February 1 (end of Change of Program period); this is the new policy:

THE NEW POLICY: The LAST DAY TO DROP A CORE CLASS will be:

Friday, February 1, at 5:00 PM.

This means that after Friday, February 1, at 5:00 p.m., STUDENTS MAY NOT DROP THEIR CORE CLASSES.

This new “Core drop date” happens much earlier than the regular drop date, so it is IMPERATIVE that you keep this earlier Core deadline in mind as you work out your schedule. You will be reminded often of this new policy between now and February 1 and you will not be granted exemption from it on the basis that you did not know it was in effect. We thank you very much for your cooperation.

Best wishes,

The Center for the Core