This site serves as a central source of information for first-year students at Barnard. There will be regular updates with explanations of academic policies, procedures and deadlines; information from academic programs and departments; and announcements about opportunities for fellowships, grants and scholarships -- so bookmark this site and check it often!
New Sections of Elementary Italian I and American Sign Language I!
Do you still need to sign up for a class that completes the language requirement? New sections of Elementary Italian I and American Sign Language I have just been added to Vergil. No prior knowledge of either language is required.
We are excited to welcome you to campus, Barnard Class of 2029!
As you know, registration will re-open for you on Vergil at the end of NSOP, on Friday, August 29th. During this registration period, certain Columbia classes that were not available for registration in July will be available for registration on Vergil. If there is space available in a class that appears in the list below, you are welcome to register for it directly. If the class is full, and running a waitlist, you may certainly join that waitlist and see what happens during the first two weeks of term. As there are no guarantees that a space will become available in a full course, it would be wise to have a plan B.
A class for a language or level of language not offered at Barnard
Musical instrument instruction
Introductory courses in the following majors
Computer Science:
COMS W1004 Introduction to Computer Science
COMS W3134 Data Structures in Java
COMS W3157 Advanced Programming
Environmental Science:
EESCUN 2100 Earth’s Environmental Systems: Climate Systems
EESCUN 2200 Earth’s Environmental Systems: Solid Earth
SDEV UN2300 Challenges of Sustainable Environment
Mathematics:
MATH UN1205 Accelerated Multivariable Calculus
MATH UN1207 Honors Math A
MATH UN1208 Honors Math B
Statistics:
STAT UN1101 Introduction to Statistics
STAT UN1201 Introduction to Calculus-based Statistics
Exceptions to this list are unlikely to be approved. If you have a compelling case for one, please speak with an adviser during NSOP (or with your assigned pre-major adviser after NSOP) about the petition process. And again – have a back-up plan.
| Sample Room in Sulz |
Hello First-Years!
Please take a look at the following list of open history courses for the Fall 2025 semester provided by the History Department, which satisfy various the Foundations requirements! For more information, you can click on this link here.
South Asian Diasporas, with Prof. Rao (BC2859)
This course focuses on the migration of people originating from the Indian subcontinent into a global horizon, and the multi-dimensional array of economic, political and cultural relationships produced between diasporic communities, their places of origin, and their places of arrival.
Check out this course if you:
- Would like to read fiction in addition to historical scholarship
- Want to learn how to annotate reading materials
- Are excited to learn more about NYC through walks in the city and short ethnographic write-ups
Early America to 1763, with Prof. Lipman (BC2549)
This course examines the three critical centuries from 1492 to 1763 that transformed North America from a diverse landscape teeming with hundreds of farming and hunting Native societies into a partly-colonized land under the sway of the Spanish, French, and British empires.
Check out this course if you:
- Want to learn more about Indigenous nations, European colonies, and the Atlantic slave trade
- Want to read primary sources on the culture of enslaved peoples, witchcraft, Native politics, and colonial rebellions
History of Globalization, with Prof. Alacevich (BC2963)
This course explores the history of globalization and its interpretations over the past six centuries. We will discuss constitutive elements of globalization, such as empires, trade and capitalism, slavery, and migratory movements, its environmental and ecological dimensions, and how it intersects with questions related to sovereignty, hegemony, and inequality.
Check out this course if you:
- Are interested in mixing historical, economic, and sociological analysis
- Want to get the big picture of global phenomena like trade wars, global inequality, and Migrations, and their historical roots
- Would like to improve your ability to interpret graphs but fear they are too complex and scary (they are not)
- Of interest to students of: history, economic history, economic sociology, international political economy
Intro to European History from the Renaissance to the French Revolution, with Prof. Valenze (BC1101)
From 1450 to 1789, Europeans pursued their wildest desires for riches, power, truth, and beauty. The legacy of their ideas and actions shape our world today: Renaissance ideals and education; conflicts generated by long-distance trade; religious rebellion and toleration of difference; innovative scientific inquiry; transformative modes of production and consumption; and fearless curiosity associated with the word “enlightenment.”
Check out this course if you want to:
- Experience history through art images and music
- Find out how people in earlier centuries lived, worked, what they wore, and what they ate
- Learn how to formulate good historical questions and write better essays
Introduction to the Global Middle Ages, with Prof. Delvaux (BC1062)
This course introduces students to medieval history and the methods historians use to study the premodern world. Topics include the fall of Rome, the rise of Christianity, the Islamic Conquests, the Polynesian and Viking expansions, the Black Death, and more.
Check out this course if you:
- Are interested in big stories that still shape the world around us
- Want to learn how archaeology and artifacts are used by historians
- Think medieval pop culture is cool and want to know more about it
Global Environmental History, with Prof Cagloti BC2385
This class introduces students to the field of environmental history from a global perspective. Environmental history is the study of the relationship between nature and society over time. It deals with the material environment, cultural and scientific understandings of nature, and the politics of socio-economic use of natural resources. The class welcomes students from the natural and social sciences, as well as the humanities.
Check out this course if you are interested in:
- The origins of climate change
- Global history
- The ways in which the environment shaped human history
- How different societies cared for, managed, and exploited the natural environment in history
- How power relations are shaping the politics of the current climate crisis
World Migration, with Prof. Moya BC2980
This course explores the role of migration in the evolution and global spread of our species and in the emergence of race, ethnicity, inequalities, and mixing. Sessions on prehistory, ancient Rome & Egypt; the spread of Judaism, Christianity and Islam; Viking, Mongol, and Arab invasions; colonialism and slavery; the European, Chinese and Indian diasporas; and current migrations and debates.
Check out this course if you:
- Have an interest in thinking through the deep historical context of an issue of immense contemporary significance in our city, country, and world
