Do you need support this summer for an internship or research work in the field of human rights, social justice, or peace studies? The Peter Juviler and Dennis Dalton Human Rights Fellowship application is due March 13, 2026.

The Peter Juviler and Dennis Dalton Human Rights Fellowship Fund supports summer research and internships for students studying human rights, social justice, and peace studies. This fund is open to all students. To apply, you must submit a proposal, budget, a letter of support from a Barnard or Columbia faculty member, and a letter of support from an affiliate organization by Friday, March 13, 2026.

Below are guidelines for the application: 

The Proposal (two pages maximum, double spaced, one-inch margins): A narrative description of the research project and how the funds will contribute to its success. Questions to consider: 

• Where do you intend to go? 
• What will you do there and how long will you need to stay? 
• Have you made contact with any on-site individuals or institutions whose cooperation will be critical to your research? If yes, provide details. 
• How has your research grown out of your academic pursuits? 

Letter of Recommendation: The faculty letter of support should be written by a person familiar with your project and should address both the importance of this project and your qualifications. 

Proposed Budget: A one-page detailed budget, preferably in chart form. Provide details regarding  expenses including transportation, daily living costs such as lodging and food, and other fees or costs associated with your project.  Past grants have generally been in the $2500-$3000 range.  

A letter of support from an affiliate organization: The affiliate letter should be written by a person who you will work closely with and has an understanding of how you will engage with the organization. 

If your project involves human subjects, please go to the Respectful Treatment of Research Participants page and click on the link for Student as PI Worksheet, and submit the completed form with your proposal. Proposals will be reviewed and assessed by the Faculty Committee on Honors. Bear in mind that although some members of the Committee may be experts in your field, most will not be; it will be wise to tailor your proposal accordingly. Grant recipients will be required to provide a report (of up to three pages) describing how the funding contributed to their project or overall academic or intellectual growth.

Please direct any questions to Professor Timothy Vasko, Director of the Human Rights Program, at tvasko@barnard.edu or to Dean Erica Siegel at esiegel@barnard.edu.

Submit Your Electronic Application

English BC3121 (Public Speaking) open to Barnard First-Years for Spring 2026!

Hello First-Years!

As of this morning (1/16/26), English BC3121 (Public Speaking) currently has 3 spots left remaining in section 001, so if you are interested in taking this course, you may consider taking the course this semester! It is only open to undergraduates and to Barnard First-Year students only!

Please see the course information down below:

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Spring 2026 English BC3121 (Section 001)

PUBLIC SPEAKING

Call number: 00172

TR 11:40am-12:55pm

This course will introduce you to principles of effective public speaking and debate, and provide practical opportunities to use these principles in structured speaking situations. You will craft and deliver speeches, engage in debates and panel discussions, analyze historical and contemporary speakers, and reflect on your own speeches and those of your classmates. You will explore and practice different rhetorical strategies with an emphasis on information, persuasion and argumentation. For each speaking assignment, you will go through the speech-making process, from audience analysis, purpose and organization, to considerations of style and delivery. The key criteria in this course are content, organization, and adaptation to the audience and purpose. While this is primarily a performance course, you will be expected to participate extensively as a listener and critic, as well as a speaker.

Important Information about the Spring Semester and Shopping Period

 

Dear Students,   We hope your holiday break was enjoyable and that you are looking forward to the start of the spring semester. Please read the important information below, which includes details about the Spring Semester and Shopping Period.   Registering for classes   Registration will be open in Vergil from now through Friday, January 30. (Registration will be closed on weekends and on Monday, January 19). Registration start times can be viewed in Vergil.   If you are searching for a class to add to your schedule, the Course Search in Vergil allows you to search by subject, by department, by GER, by classes with open seats, etc.  See screenshots here.   •    First-year students: As a reminder, you should be registering for Barnard courses during your first year. You can easily limit your search to Barnard courses by selecting “Barnard College” in the School filter.   You can continue to make changes to your class schedule in Vergil through 9:30 p.m. on Friday, January 30, which is the final registration deadline.   By that date, be sure that you have:   •    Registered for all classes you intend to take (including any zero-credit discussion section or lab classes). Note that students cannot remain registered for two classes that overlap in time, and you must resolve any such conflicts by the registration deadline. •    Received special permission from your adviser if you are planning to take more than 19 credits this semester. To request this permission from your adviser, use this Slate form beginning Tuesday, January 20. Please note that requests to exceed 19 credits will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. You should not request permission to exceed 19 credits simply to “shop” additional classes. First-year students are not eligible to exceed 19 credits.   If you decide to drop a class after the registration deadline on January 30, you will need to request your adviser’s permission using the Drop Request form in Slate. After receiving your adviser’s approval, you must also drop the class in Vergil. Please note that students must remain enrolled in at least 12 credits per semester, except in very specific circumstances. The final deadline to drop a class (so that it no longer displays on your transcript) is Tuesday, February 24.   Attending class   •    Classes begin on Tuesday, January 20. •    You should plan to attend every class for which you are officially registered, including during the shopping period. Attendance at the first class is advised in order to secure your spot in the class because it indicates to the faculty member that you plan to remain enrolled.   •    If you are “shopping” a class (for which you have not yet been able to register), you should make every effort to attend it as well. Classroom space may constrain your ability to attend a class for which you are not registered. Please be in touch with the course instructor if that is the case.   Classroom locations and navigating campus   •    Classroom assignments are visible in Vergil. Be sure to verify the location before the first class session for each of your classes, since rooms are subject to change at the start of the semester. •    Some Barnard classes are being held in rooms on the Teachers College (TC) campus again this semester. The building names are Zankel Hall, Macy Hall, and Horace Mann. If you have a class scheduled in those rooms, please note the following details: •    The main entrance to the TC campus is at Zankel Hall on 120th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam. Please see the map here. •    Use your Barnard ID card to tap the card access reader in order to enter the campus. •    While on the TC campus, you can use Eduroam for Wifi. Click on this link for login instructions. •    Due to the construction of the new Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Center, Barnard science departments and labs have moved to new locations on the Barnard, Teachers College, or Columbia campuses. Lab class locations can be found in Vergil. The map here shows building locations on each campus. •    We encourage you to consult these revised campus maps if you need help navigating Barnard’s campus during construction.   Shopping Period    As always, you have an opportunity at the beginning of each semester to visit classes for which you are not registered, so that you can learn more about the class content and format. This may help you decide if you would like to enroll.    To aid in your decision-making, the Courseworks/Canvas sites for some Barnard classes will be open for all students to access syllabi and course materials for class shopping purposes.   •    Find the class in the Vergil Course Search  •    In Vergil, click on the Course Title  •    Click on the “View in CourseWorks” tab - this will take you to the class’ CourseWorks site. (If you don’t see the “View in Courseworks link” initially, click on the course title to display more details.)   If you are interested in shopping a Barnard class that does not have materials visible in Courseworks, the instructor may be willing to share the syllabus with you.   If you decide to enroll, be sure to officially add the class in Vergil before the January 30 deadline. If you have any questions, email registrar@barnard.edu.    Enrollment Confirmation Process   Please note that final enrollment confirmation for new and continuing students will entail finalizing both your registration for a full-time schedule of classes (or approval for a reduced courseload) and payment of the term bill (for students on payment plans, be up to date on scheduled payments). Both steps must be completed by the Friday, January 30 semester registration/add deadline.   Students who have not completed both of these steps by the deadline will be deregistered for courses and, therefore, considered not enrolled for the semester. Students will then automatically be placed on a personal leave of absence.   Registration Holds will prevent add/drop   If you have a registration hold (e.g. a hold placed by the Bursar, Dean’s Office, Health Services), you will need to clear the hold before you can add/drop courses.   Students who do not have a designated emergency and/or missing person contact person on file with the College will have a registration hold. If you received an email asking you to provide this information using this Slate form, or if you are unsure if you have provided this information, please be sure you have done that prior to the start of the semester.   The Pass/D/Fail grading option   If you are interested in electing Pass/D/Fail (P/D/F) grading for a particular course, we recommend that you speak with your academic adviser or class dean to discuss this decision and whether it will be beneficial for your specific situation and longer-term goals.   Electing or Revoking P/D/F grading for a Spring 2026 class: This option is open in Vergil through the P/D/F deadline (Monday, May 4, 2026).   •    If you are already registered for the class, click the “Manage” button and change the Grading Option to P/D/F.   •    If you are newly registering for the class, you can select the P/D/F Grading Option while registering.   •    If a class does not have the P/D/F Grading Option available in Vergil, use this Slate form to request it.   As a reminder, Barnard students are able to elect P/D/F grading for one class per term. (This is in addition to any courses that are automatically graded Pass/Fail, such as First-year Writing or Seminar, PE, etc.) If you P/D/F a class, it cannot be used towards a major or minor requirement, but it may be used to fulfill a general education requirement. Students who are facing extenuating circumstances in a particular semester can petition to elect P/D/F grading in a second course, by speaking with their class dean and then submitting a petition to the College’s Committee on Programs and Academic Standing (CPAS). Further details are available on the Registrar’s webpage.   Uncovering a ‘P’ grade for a Fall 2025 class: Uncovering is available through Friday, January 30.  Access the Pass/D/Fail option through SSOL. In SSOL, Click on “P/D/F grading,” then “PDF Option Change Request,” then “Pass/D/Fail Uncover.”   Seniors graduating at the end of the fall semester   If you are planning to graduate at the end of this semester, congratulations! Here are a few suggestions to make sure that your plans stay on track:   •    Submit the official application for graduation. The deadline is Friday, January 23.  You can find the application either in Student Planning or at portal.barnard.edu, in the Graduation tab. •    Be sure that you have registered for enough credits this fall to be eligible to graduate. If you entered Barnard as a first-year student, you will need 122 credits. If you entered Barnard as a transfer student, you will need 121 credits. Please also ensure that you are eligible to graduate per Barnard’s Academic Residency Requirement (scroll down to “Academic Residency Requirement” on this page). •    Review your online degree audit to be sure that all general education requirements are marked as complete or in progress. Check in with your major adviser (if you haven’t already) to be sure your major requirements will also be complete. •    If you are interested in enrolling in fewer than 12 credits during your final semester, you can submit that request in Slate. Please review Barnard’s Reduced Course Load Policy for more information. •    If you are planning to declare a minor, submit the request in Slate as soon as you have registered for all required classes (and no later than March 1). •    If you decide to P/D/F a class this semester, please keep in mind that, as a final semester senior, you cannot uncover the P grade later. Please make your final elections (either to elect P/D/F or to revoke a previously elected P/D/F) by the P/D/F deadline.   Deferred Exams from fall classes   If you had a serious extenuating circumstance requiring you to defer any of your final exams in December, please note the following: •    Deferred exams for Barnard classes will be administered by the faculty member. Please be in communication with your instructor regarding the timing of the exam. •    Deferred exams for Columbia classes will be administered by the Barnard Registrar’s Office on Friday, January 23. Be sure to reference the Registrar’s Office website and your Barnard email account for details.  •    If you are eligible to take exams with CARDS, please be in touch with cards@barnard.edu regarding plans for your deferred exam.   Barnard Portal   Sign in at portal.barnard.edu for important College updates, convenient links to tools like Vergil, Student Planning and Slate for Students, and access to other campus and academic resources.   Important Dates & Deadlines   Please be sure to reference the academic calendar to remain aware of the different academic deadlines, such as dropping, withdrawing and electing P/D/F for your classes.    Best wishes for a good start to the semester,   Jennifer Simmons Registrar   Holly Tedder Interim Co-Dean of the College AVP and Vice Dean of the College- Student Support

New Statistics course available for Spring 2026 semester! - STAT GR4541 Honors Machine Learning

Hello First-Years,

The Department of Statistics is offering a new course for the Spring 2026 Semester: STAT GR4541 Honors Machine Learning with Professor Samory Kpotufe.

This course counts as a substitute for STAT GU4241 Statistical Machine Learning, fulfilling the requirement for the Data Science major, and is also an approved elective for Statistics majors and joint Statistics programs. To learn more about this new course, please see the course syllabus. 

The class meets on Mon-Wed from 10:10-11:25AM (Location: Hamilton 503.)

For questions on course content, please email Professor Kpotufe at skk2175@columbia.edu. For registration questions or concerns, please email cam2362@columbia.edu.

Madness in The Welfare City: Freedom and Capture in American Social Service Systems (Anthropology BC3242) available for Spring 2026!

Hello First-Years!

The Anthropology Department would like to announce a new course being introduced for the Spring 2026 semester: Madness in The Welfare City: Freedom and Capture in American Social Service Systems (Anthropology BC3242).

You can find further information about the course down below as well as here!

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Madness in the Welfare City: Freedom and Capture in American Social Service Systems examines how contemporary welfare and nonprofit public health, housing, and mental health systems shape daily life and inner worlds. The course explores the psychic life of social service systems where care is often delivered by intermediary nonprofits. We examine how clients come to feel and/or understand that money is made off them, that they are being surveilled, manipulated, or disappeared inside care systems; and how these understandings and attendant feelings reflect the extraction and opacity characteristic of devolved social service systems.

Moving across ethnography, political anthropology, and psychoanalytic readings, we ask how these systems produce forms of distress that may appear as paranoia, withdrawal, or deadly forms of self-harm. How are madness and reason, greed and altruism, freedom and captivity, distributed in encounters with care providers on the ground?

By the end of the course, students will be able to connect political economy, affect theory, and psychoanalytic approaches to understand how decentralized welfare regimes alternately trap and exclude clients—a process that can be experienced as madness itself. Students will map a local care system for their final project.

How to search Vergil for classes with open seats or other relevant criteria

 

Did you know you can use the Course Search in Vergil to filter for classes that have open seats?

Select “Only show classes with open seats” in the search results!

There are a bunch of other useful things you can filter for, including  classes that satisfy Barnard General Education (Foundations) requirements, classes with a particular number of credits, etc. 

Is a hold preventing you from adding/dropping courses? Do you want to know when ALL of your upcoming registration times are?

Holds

If you logged into Vergil and got an orange pop-up telling you a hold is preventing you from adding/dropping,

1. Click on the word Holds and an additional pop-up will tell you want kind of hold(s) you have. 
2. If you need to accept the terms/conditions for this semester or complete a survey, do that ASAP!  
3. Otherwise, contact the office that has placed the hold to address it ASAP.
4. Even if you don't need to register/add/drop right now, this is still a problem that needs to be resolved before it causes you any future issues!

 

Registration Times 

The box next to the holds box will tell you when your next registration time is or if you are currently in a registration time.  Click on it for a list of all of your upcoming registration times. Note that you can only make any changes to your schedule during a registration time (add, drop, waitlist, leave waitlist, etc.) 

Health and Wellness - Welcome Back to Campus This Spring

Dear Barnard Students,   Welcome back to campus and to the spring semester. My name is Dr. Sarah Ann Anderson-Burnett, and I am the Assistant Vice President of Health and Wellness. I hope you had time over the break to rest and recharge. As you return to classes and campus life, our Health and Wellness team is here to support your physical and mental well-being.   Barnard Health and Wellness offers a range of confidential services to support you. Primary Care Health Service (PCHS) provides medical care, including routine visits, urgent concerns, sexual and reproductive health services, immunizations, and lab testing. To schedule an appointment, students should call PCHS directly (212-854-2091), which allows our team to help connect you with the right care as quickly as possible. We are located on the basement level of BrooksHall.    The Rosemary Furman Counseling Center, located on the first floor of Hewitt Hall, offers confidential mental health support, including individual counseling, group therapy, and urgent same-day consultations. If you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, or just need someone to talk to, Furman clinicians are available to help. To schedule an appointment or request a consultation, students should call the Counseling Center directly (212-854-2092). After-hours mental health support remains available through ProtoCall by calling our office number.   Both PCHS and the Furman Counseling Center are confidential services. This means your visits and care are private, and information is not shared with parents or guardians without your permission, except in very limited situations required by law to protect safety.   We also want to be transparent about insurance. Barnard does not bill insurance for PCHS office visits, but insurance may be billed for certain tests or procedures, which can occasionally generate an EOB with limited information. Services at the Furman Counseling Center are not billed to insurance.  If you are covered under a parent or guardian’s insurance plan, Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statements may sometimes be sent to the policyholder. Our teams will review confidentiality and billing options with you before care is provided, and you are always encouraged to ask questions.   As the semester begins, please be aware that influenza activity remains elevated across New York City. If you are feeling sick, help protect yourself and others by:   •    Wearing a mask if symptomatic •    Washing your hands frequently •    Testing if you feel unwell •    Staying home when possible •    Get the latest influenza vaccine (available at PCHS and most major pharmacies)   COVID and flu tests are available for purchase in the health vending machine on the first floor of Brooks Hall, along with other over-the-counter medications and health supplies.   If you are feeling ill, please contact Primary Care Health Service to schedule an appointment. If symptoms occur after hours (including weekends), nearby urgent care centers are available, and our after-hours team can help guide you by calling 212-854-2091.   The spring semester can bring both excitement and challenges. Whether you are navigating stress, relationships, academics, or health concerns, you do not have to do it alone. Reaching out early and staying connected to care are important steps in taking care of yourself.   We are glad to welcome you back and look forward to supporting you this semester. Please don’t hesitate to contact the Health and Wellness team if you need assistance.   Warm regards,   Sarah Ann Anderson-Burnett, MD, PhD, FAAP Assistant Vice President of Health and Wellness Director of Health Services and Quality Improvement Barnard College

Interested in taking an Anthropology Class?

Hello First-Years!

If you are looking to take an anthropology course in Spring 2026,  feel free to check out Anthropology UN3661 - SOUTH ASIA: ANTHRO APPROACHES as an available course to consider!

You may find more information about the course here!