Susan Ratner Speaking Series on May 1st!

Hello First-Years!

The Writing Center is hosting its annual Susan Ratner Speaking Series lecture + workshop on Friday, May 1st, with Emma McMahon Murdock. 

Emma is a fiction writer and member of Bard Prison Initiative's writing faculty. 

The lecture and grammar workshop addresses writing in three scopes: Writing as a career; Writing as a pedagogical centerpiece; Writing as the act of laying words side by side. While exploring our writing processes, we will build writing habits that deepen our practices from both pedagogical and craft perspectives.

RSVP here if you can attend all or part of the event!

First-Year Class Dean 2025-2026 Walk-In Hours! -- Walk-ins will from from 2:30-3:30PM on 4/20!

Got a quick question?

Need to talk to a dean ASAP?

If you have something complicated or want to be sure you can talk at length, please make an appointment via Dean Siegel's online scheduler.

Mondays 3:30-4:30pm Eastern Time -- Walk-ins will be from 2:30-3:30PM on 4/20

• Enter waiting room via this Walk-In Hours Zoom Link or visit 105 Milbank,
  
• We will see students on a first-come, first-served basis. 
• If we run out of time and can't see you, we apologize for the inconvenience and encourage you to schedule an appointment, to try walk-ins on a different day, or for time-sensitive matters, to call the office at 212-854-2024 during business hours.

Fridays 2:00-3:30pm Eastern Time

• Enter waiting room via this Friday Afternoon Walk-In Hours Zoom Link or visit 105 Milbank.
  
• We will see students on a first-come, first-served basis. 
• If we run out of time and can't see you, we apologize for the inconvenience and encourage you to schedule an appointment, to try walk-ins on a different day, or for time-sensitive matters, to call the office at 212-854-2024 during business hours.

NOTE: If you need to schedule an appointment with Dean Siegel, please note that she typically works remotely on Tuesdays, so all meetings will be conducted virtually over Zoom or via phone call ONLY on that day

Critical Histories of Drama, Theatre, and Performa

Good morning, First-Years!

Happy registration! We wanted to call your attention to Critical Histories of Drama, Theatre, and Performance, which also satisfies the Arts and Humanities Requirement, and "Thinking Through Global Inquiry," or "Thinking with Historical Perspective." 

This is a course description:

How does theatre think? And how do the different practices of theatre in the past reframe our thinking about theatre today? This course integrates several ways of approaching drama, theatre, and performance, from the ancient world to medieval and early modern Europe. We will be reading a wide range of plays, to get a sense of the dramatic opportunities offered by different concepts of theatre and performance, and also take in a stunning variety of aesthetic, social, and political ways of organizing performance, from the ritual spaces of ancient Sanskrit performance, through the civic space of the Athenian City Dionysia, the refined symbolic stage of Japanese Noh, medieval guild and street performance, the emerging capitalist “entertainment” theatre of Marlowe’s and Shakespeare’s London, to the manifest interaction of drama and indoor proscenium theatre with the absolute monarchies of seventeenth-century Spain and France. Throughout, we will be attentive to the work of gender and race in the drama4zed fic4ons of social power, and, toward the end of the semester, to the emerging discourse of colonialism as well. During the semester, we will also take up critical reading: the texts that explained theatre to its contemporary audiences (the Natyasastra, Plato and Aristotle, Zeami, Lope de Vega, and others) as well as recent essays taking a contemporary perspective on the past (Butler, Bhabha, Schechner). And we’ll punctuate our reading of earlier plays with contemporary performances on video, and with modern plays and performances that respond to, rework, revise, and reanimate some of these concerns, plays like Césaire’s A Tempest, or Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman, or Parks’s The America Play. 

The course meets twice a week for an interactive lecture-discussion; there is a final examination during the examination period and both short and longer writing (discussion posts, 2 papers). This course is required for Columbia Theatre/Drama and Barnard Theatre majors, but is open to all undergraduates and English majors might find the integration of literary and theatrical dimensions of dramatic writing especially useful (this course can meet a requirement for the Columbia English major, and for the theatre concentration of the Barnard English major).

Have fun on this beautiful day!

Sophia

Academic coaching drop in hours - Finals prep!

Finals are right around the corner, and the Academic Coaches in the Deans’ Office for Advising and Support are here to help you cross the finish line with tips, tricks, and a space to get stuff done! 

If you are feeling stressed about exams and papers, need help organizing your study plan, or want to learn some new study strategies, come chat with an academic coach. Drop in hours will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons in Milbank 111. 

Sign up for a time that works for you using this RSVP form

Network Science Symposium

 Good morning First-Years!

Please see the attached flyer for a symposium hosted by The Barnard Network Science Pedagogy Group. The keynote speaker, Dani Basset, is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and their bio can be found here.

Have a great day!

Sophia

Education Program - Program Planning!

Hello First-Years!

Please see the flyer down below for the Education Program Planning taking place from April 6-16 on the 7th Floor of Milstein Hall if you are interested in attending! 

Fall 2026 Registration & Modes of Thinking Requirement

Dear Rising Sophomores,   As you prepare for fall 2026 registration, we are writing to remind you that you must complete all Modes of Thinking requirements using courses taught at Barnard. (You cannot satisfy these requirements using classes taught at Columbia or at any other college or university.)     The “Modes of Thinking” requirements are as follows: •    Thinking Locally •    Thinking through Global Inquiry •    Thinking about Social Difference •    Thinking with Historical Perspective •    Thinking Quantitatively & Empirically •    Thinking Technologically & Digitally   When you are registering for fall 2026 classes, you may encounter courses that have section(s) taught at Barnard and section(s) taught at Columbia. (A sample list of such courses for fall 2026 is included at the bottom of this message.)   If you are planning to use one of these courses to satisfy a Mode of Thinking, you must make sure you register in one of the Barnard sections.     Here’s how you can tell whether a section is Barnard or Columbia:     In the Vergil course search, look at the Call Number of the class (see screenshot below). •    Barnard sections: Call numbers start with 0 •    Columbia sections: Call numbers start with 1 Important note: If you register for a Columbia section, it may temporarily display in your degree audit as satisfying the Mode of Thinking. Please do not be confused by this. Your degree audit will be corrected (removing the class from that requirement) after registration ends.   If you have any questions about this, please contact your academic adviser.   Best wishes, Jennifer Simmons Registrar   Holly Tedder Interim Co-Dean of the College AVP and Vice Dean of the College- Student Support   List of fall 2026 courses (as of 4/6/26) that have both Barnard and Columbia sections   AHUM-UN1399 COLLOQUIUM ON MAJOR TEXTS AHUM-UN1400 COLLOQUIUM ON MAJOR TEXTS ECON-UN3025 FINANCIAL ECONOMICS MATH-UN1101 CALCULUS I MATH-UN1102 CALCULUS II MATH-UN1201 CALCULUS III MATH-UN1202 CALCULUS IV MATH-UN2010 LINEAR ALGEBRA SPAN-UN1101 ELEMENTARY SPANISH I SPAN-UN1102 ELEMENTARY SPANISH II SPAN-UN2101 INTERMEDIATE SPANISH I SPAN-UN2102 INTERMEDIATE SPANISH II SPAN-UN3300 ADV LANGUAGE THROUGH CONTENT SPAN-UN3349 HISPANIC CULTURES I (SP) SPAN-UN3350 HISPANIC CULTURES II (SP)

Barnard College 3009 Broadway, New York, NY View in browser

Important Info for Gen Chem Registration!!

Hello!

If you are interested in taking General Chemistry (CHEM BC 2001), please see the information below from the Chemistry Department about registering!

1. There is one single General Chemistry course for all students at Barnard, regardless of their high school chemistry coursework. The Chemistry Department and the College have various mechanisms in place to provide support to students who are interested in taking CHEM BC2001 and have little to no prior experience in chemistry.

2. General Chemistry I at Barnard (CHEM BC2001) is a five-credit integrated lecture+lab course and is only offered in the fall semester. Students must enroll in a section of BOTH CHEM BC2001 (lecture) AND CHEM BC2012 (lab). There are no credits associated with the CHEM BC2012 course.

3. Be sure to choose a lab section that does not present conflicts with your other courses, responsibilities, and/or personal obligations, including religious observances. Enrollment in the lab sections is limited due to space constraints and safety considerations, and it may not be possible to switch lab sections at a later date.

4. All students who try to register for a section of CHEM BC2001 will initially be placed on a waitlist. Students will be admitted to the course once their registration for a lab section has been confirmed. If a student does not register for a section of CHEM BC2012, they will not be permitted to register for CHEM BC2001.

5. Once enrolled in a lab or lecture section, dropping either will forfeit your spot in the course. If you’d like to switch lab or lecture sections, please contact genchem@barnard.edu and provide your full availability for all sections and the exact details of your course conflict.

6. Contact genchem@barnard.edu with questions.

Good luck with registration!

Sophia

Apply for SIPA course: Inside the Situation Room (Fall 2026) ~ Extended deadline now April 20th!

SIPA is delighted to announce that they will be offering the course, Inside the Situation Room, for this fall 2026 semester and are inviting rising sophomores, juniors and seniors to apply!

The course is designed to teach students to understand why and how foreign policy decisions are made, drawing insights from political psychology, domestic politics, and international relations. The lessons learned from this inter-disciplinary analysis are applicable to leadership roles and decision making in government, business and other fields.

Additional details: This course includes a large lecture and weekly discussion sections. The lecture, led by Dean Yarhi-Milo and Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, will include a Q&A for the last 20 minutes or so focused on the topic of the given week. Admitted undergraduate students will also register for a required discussion section with various instructors. Course grades will be assigned by discussion section instructors.

Application Process: Please apply through the application form by Monday, April 20th at 11:59PM. The goal is to notify students by the end of April. Please note that once selected, students will be vetted by the US Secret Service.

Please see the course description down below for more information about the course:

Inside the Situation Room

The lecture is scheduled on Wednesdays from 1:10-2:50 PM. Admitted undergraduate students will also register for a required discussion section at a later date.

In an era increasingly defined by geopolitical competition and change, it is more important than ever for future policymakers to understand why and how foreign policy decisions are made. Inside the Situation Room, co-taught by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo, employs insights from diverse academic fields—including political psychology, domestic politics, and international relations—and the direct experience of high-level principals in the room to understand the key factors which underpin a country’s most crucial decisions. This course allows students to engage with a range of case studies and examine decision-making in a variety of historical and contemporary contexts, from the search for Osama bin Laden, to the 'red line' in Syria, to the war in Ukraine, to negotiating with Iran.

Students will be taught how to analyze and understand the complex interplay between individual psychology, domestic politics, public opinion, bureaucracy, the international environment, and other factors which feed into decisions about foreign policy—from crisis diplomacy to the use of force, signaling and perception, Women Peace and Security, intelligence and its analysis, the deployment of other instruments of statecraft, and more. Through this course, students will think carefully and analytically about how leaders and other actors view the world, how they arrive at their decisions, and how various social, political, and psychological factors shape the policies they devise to promote their interests abroad.

Fall 2026 registration in Vergil starts on Monday

Dear Students,   Registration for Fall classes starts next week, in Vergil. Rising Seniors begin registration on Monday; rising Juniors on Tuesday; rising Sophomores on Wednesday.     Please note that the following registration-related information has been relocated from the public-facing web pages of Barnard academic departments: •    Barnard faculty are now making course-specific information, such as application requirements or placement exams, visible in Vergil. To see this information, search for a class in Vergil and click on the Syllabus tab. •    Information about department courses specific to Fall 2026 is available at this link.    THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOUR REGISTRATION TIME   •    Add Classes to your Planner in Vergil:    •    Search for courses in the Vergil Course Search and click the “Add to Plan” button •    You can search by subject, by department, by GER, by classes with open seats, etc. See screenshots here. •    Make sure the Term in the upper-right corner is Fall 2026.  •    We highly recommend adding classes to your Planner before your registration window opens.   •    Complete the Terms and Conditions for Fall 2026 in Vergil:  •    Log in to Vergil  •    Click on the orange tile at the top in order to read and acknowledge the Terms and Conditions, which includes a Financial Responsibility Statement. •    You can do this step before your registration appointment. You will not be able to register until it is completed.   •    Complete the College’s BEAR survey: •    This is a pre-registration requirement and must be completed to avoid a registration hold in Vergil. The deadline was Friday, April 3. If you did not complete the survey, you now have a registration hold.   •    To complete the survey and have your hold lifted, check your email to find your unique survey link. •    Please note that holds are only lifted Monday through Friday, and it can take up to 48 hours for a hold to be released. We urge you to complete the survey immediately so that you can register for classes during your allocated time. •    For questions, contact oie@barnard.edu or call 212-853-6304.  All holds related to this survey will be managed by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. (Please do not contact the Registrar’s Office, as we will not be able to assist you with this hold.)   •    Check for Holds that will prevent registration.   •    If you have a hold, you will see a message at the top of the Vergil pages that says “There is a Hold on your record that is blocking registration.” Click on the “resolve your Holds” link to view the specific hold and how to resolve it.     •    Contact your adviser:   •    You are expected to have an advising meeting with your adviser before you register, to discuss class selections and areas of academic interest.   •    Your adviser will review and approve your course registration at the end of next week.   •    Find your registration appointment times:   •    Look up your upcoming registration times for Fall 2026 in Vergil. Be sure the term in the upper-right is set to Fall 2026.   •    Contact registrar@barnard.edu immediately with any questions.   THINGS TO KNOW DURING REGISTRATION   •    REGISTER IN VERGIL: Again this semester, Barnard students will be using Columbia’s Vergil registration system to register for classes. •    Registration will be open in Vergil from Monday, April 13 through Friday, April 17.   •    You can register from “My Planner”, or directly from the Course Search (using the “Register” button) •    You can see real-time seat availability and class status •    Open = there are seats available •    Full = the class is full •    Waitlist = All interested students must join the waitlist (even if the class has open seats) •    Restricted = the class is not open to Barnard students, or there is another reason you cannot add the class (e.g. you have already exceeded the 19-credit limit, the class conflicts in time with another class you are registered for, you have a registration hold, etc.). Look for the hint message that will explain the reason for the restriction. Email registrar@barnard.edu with any questions. •    19 credit maximum: Vergil will allow you to register for a maximum of 19 credits.  Permission to register for more than 19 credits can be requested in September.   •    To drop a class, click the “Manage” button on a registered class, then choose “Drop Registration.” •    Use the “Swap” feature to switch from one section of a class to a different open section. Click the “Manage” button on a registered class to see the Swap option.  (Vergil will not allow you to register for two sections of the same class.)  •    Co-requisites: For classes that have co-requisites (such as a lecture with a required discussion section or lab), you will be reminded to add both components of the class. The system will allow you to register for just the lecture and add the other components later if needed. •    Info on registering for “special” courses (e.g. voice lessons, P.E., graduate courses at Columbia, etc.) is here. •    P/D/F Elections: You can elect the p/d/f grading option for one Fall 2026 class in Vergil, either at the time of registration or anytime before the deadline.     •    WAITLISTS: You can join a max of 3 waitlists at a time.   •    Some Barnard classes will not have a waitlist option during this registration period.  They will appear as Full with no option to “Join Waitlist.” You will have another opportunity to register for these classes in August, when there may be additional seats available and/or a waitlist option. •    Some waitlists will have special instructions, such as a request to explain why you want to join a class, or an application to complete/upload.   •    After joining an auto-fill waitlist, you will be able to see your position on the waitlist in Vergil, on the right-hand panel.   •    WHAT’S STILL IN STUDENT PLANNING? •    Your online degree audit •    Newly registered courses will be added to your degree audit on a nightly basis.  (It is not real-time from Vergil.) Planned and waitlisted classes will not display in the audit. •    Your Barnard transcript, which is the official record of your classes, grades and GPA  •    Although some academic record information displays in Vergil, it is limited to only Barnard/Columbia classes. (Vergil does not reflect transfer credit, study abroad credit, AP/IB credit, etc.) Because of this, you may find that your total credits and GPA in Vergil do not match your Barnard transcript. This is ok as long as your Barnard transcript is correct.   •    WHAT’S STILL IN SLATE? •    List of classes that satisfy Foundations (General Education) requirements •    Forms to update your contact information •    Academic forms (e.g. major declaration, request to withdraw from a class, summer course approval form, etc.)   •    NEED HELP?:   •    Email Us with any questions •    Drop in to our office at 105 Milbank   Best wishes,   Jennifer Simmons Registrar

Office of the Registrar, Barnard College 3009 Broadway, New York, NY View in browser

Islam in Popular Culture Course

Good morning, First-Years!

Happy Monday! See the flyer below about Islam in Popular Culture, which counts for an Arts and Humanities credit and/or Thinking About Social Difference.

Best,

Sophia

Classics & Ancient Studies Program planning (+ Thesis Preview) on April 10th!

Hello First-Years

Please see the flyer down below for the upcoming Classics & Ancient Studies Program Planning that will take place on Friday, April 10th from 3:30PM-5PM in 214 Milbank. 

Human Rights Open House on April 8th!

Hello First-Years!

Please join the Human Rights Program for our their upcoming Open House on Wednesday, April 8 from 4PM-5PM in 119 Milstein. Come talk with faculty, meet other students, learn about the combined major, find out about Fall 2026 courses, and ask all your questions! 

Refreshments will be served. All are welcome!

Computer Science open house on April 7th!

Hello First-Years!

Please see the flyer down below for an upcoming open house for Computer Science taking place on Tuesday, April 7th from 4:00-5:30PM in Milstein 514 - CSC Social Space if your are interested!