Applying to Medical or Dental School in 2027?

Students who are considering applying to medical or dental school in Summer 2027 are invited to attend a virtual session on Tuesday, October 13th at 5:30PM to learn more about Barnard's Committee Process, which helps prepare students and graduates for their professional school applications.

Register here to attend, and reach out to Dr. Amanda Dye (amdye@barnard.edu) to be added to our applicant mailing list! 

Applications for Fall 2026 EMP open!

Juniors and seniors from all majors and career interests are invited to apply to the Fall 2026 Executive Mentorship Program (EMP). Selected students will attend a series of three meetings with guest speakers who hold leadership positions in diverse organizations and businesses. Students will have the opportunity to hear about leaders' unique career paths, their approaches to management and leadership, and make what we hope will be long-term, valuable connections across fields. Learn more and see examples of past speakers here. 

Submit your application by Sunday, October 25 at 11:59 PM. Questions? Please email Amanda Dye at amdye@barnard.edu.

MPH 4+1 Info Session on October 20th!

Barnard’s accelerated 4+1 pathways give students the opportunity to combine a liberal arts education with a master’s degree at Columbia University. Over the course of the fall semester, we’ll offer info sessions about all of the 4+1 pathways, starting with the Mailman School of Public Health. 

Join this virtual session on Tuesday, October 20th at 12:00PM to learn more about public health education, the structure of the curriculum for 4+1 students, navigating financial aid for the MPH, and best practices for the application process. 

You can RSVP here for the info session if you are interested!

Summer Programs Interest Form now available!

Wondering about what to do over the summer? Thinking about internships? Considering working as an RA in a STEM lab? Want to serve your community? Barnard offers opportunities to obtain funding for research and internships, enroll in courses in NYC and abroad, and more. Read more about many of our programs here. 

To get the latest updates about future opportunities, please complete the 2027 Summer Programs Interest Form to add yourself to our mailing list.

Career Well-Being Certificate Program kicks off next week!

The Beyond Barnard Career Well-Being Certificate Program is designed for Barnard students and led by Peer Career Advisors, who support their peers through an interactive series of career development workshops. Whether you’re exploring career paths, preparing for an internship, or getting ready for your first full-time role, the program provides practical tools, guidance, and experiences to help you build confidence and strengthen your career readiness. The five core sessions will take place on Thursdays at 6:00PM between October 15 and November 19. Learn more and register for the first session now!

2026-2027 Class Dean Daily Walk-In Hours! -- Will be changing to 3-4PM starting October 12th!

Got a quick question?

Need to talk to someone ASAP? You can meet with any available dean on call and speak with them either in-person or virtually over Zoom!

If you want to be sure you can talk at length, please make an appointment via our Slate online scheduler or contact us at doas@barnard.edu or 212-854-2024

-----

Every weekday (Monday-Friday) from 3:30-4:30PM Eastern Time -- Will be changing to 3:00-4:00PM starting October 12th!

• Enter waiting room via this Walk-In Hours Zoom Link or visit 105 Milbank Hall
  
• 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, call the office at 212-854-2024 during business hours.

STEM Fellowships Info Session next Tuesday, October 13th!

Please see the information down below for an upcoming Fellowships for STEM Students Info Session, which is taking place next Tuesday, October 13th at 1PM. This is a great opportunity for you to attend if you are interested!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fellowships for STEM Students Info Session

When: Tuesday, October 13th at 1PM

Register on Handshake: https://barnard.joinhandshake.com/edu/events/2008124

Interested in funding for undergraduate STEM research, graduate study, or national science awards like the Goldwater Scholarship or NSF GRFP? Join Beyond Barnard for an overview of top fellowship opportunities for STEM students, key application timelines, and tips on building a competitive application. All STEM majors are welcome!

Student Drop Requests in Vergil ~ Submit by October 13th

Now that the Registration deadline has passed, students will need to request to drop any courses prior to the drop deadline of Tuesday, October 13th. 

To submit a Drop Request from your Schedule: 

• Step 1: Click 'Manage Registration'
  
• Step 2: Click 'Drop' 
  
• Step 3: Provide a reason for the request.
  
• Step 4: Click on the blue 'Proceed to Request Drop' button. 
  

This request will be routed for approvals, and once approved the student will need to go into Vergil to accept the drop so the course will be dropped from your schedule.

Please be sure you are not dropping courses that will put your term enrollment below full time study.

**NEW PROCESS** You can request permission to late-add in Vergil 3rd week of classes only!

During the 3rd week of classes, students can request a late-add into courses using the approval workflow in Vergil.

When looking at the course information, instead of the Register or Join Waitlist buttons, you will now see a “Request Add” button:




If you request to add, it will be routed to the course’s instructor as well as any other necessary people or offices for approval.
 

If approved, you will need to go in and confirm registration to be added

Students can see the status of their requests from the “My Registration Requests” on the Vergil homepage. 

Any late-adds after the third week will require a petition to the Committee on Programs and Academic Standing (CPAS). Contact your dean if you need to consult about that.

Introduction to African Studies: Past, Present and Future (AFRS 2004) available for Fall 2026!

Please see the information down below for a lecture class being offered this semester from the Africana Studies Department! There are lots of seats still available, so if you are a First Year or transfer student and are looking for a course, feel free to register for this course if you are interested!

-----

FALL 2026

Class times: Milbank 325 Monday & Wednesday 10:10 – 11:25 

Office Hours: Monday 2 – 3:30  https://calendar.app.google/8bzgvPW2W3n5xPZa7

Abosede George (she, her) ageorge@barnard.edu

 

Course Description:

This class explores the idea of Africa, past, present, and speculative future, across a range of fields of knowledge production. Topics covered will include histories of African Studies in the U.S. and beyond, histories and legacies of colonialism on the continent, social movements, pan-Africanism, globalization, and Afro-futurism.  We will engage with academic, artistic, and popular artifacts to understand how they work and the work that they do for ideas of Africa. Our weekly texts will foreground the work of African knowledge producers. This is a discussion intensive lecture course where we will explore questions of method, context, bias, and effect in our conversations. In this class, we engage with each other in a spirit of collaboration and contention; we speak from grounded and not abstracted positions; we embrace multiple truths and the possibility of unresolved contradictions; we maintain an intersectional understanding of our identities and our standpoints; we assume accountability for our own thoughts and actions.

 Each year, Intro to African Studies is a little different.  This year I have replaced the final exam with a research project on FESTAC ’77 (Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture) which took place across Nigeria, almost exactly 50 years ago.  In anticipation of the golden anniversary, and in collaboration with artists and scholars around the world, our class will be learning about FESTAC and researching the past and present of key questions, agendas, figures, and ambitions that animated this historic gathering. We will be researching and workshopping collectively while advancing our individual academic or artistic projects.

Tools:

Canvas will be used for Syllabus, Announcements, Class Readings, Grading.

Assignments:

- Map Quiz: 5%

- Participation 10%                                                                                                               

- Opening Presentations: Each of you is responsible for one opening presentations of +/- 10 minutes. Your presentations must close with 3 – 5 discussion questions for the class to take up.  For your presentations, do NOT simply read your discussion questions out loud.  Instead, consider the following: What background information might enrich class discussions of the readings?  For example, what historical, political, and social contexts should we be aware of before we begin discussion?  What are some of the primary themes/topics/points of contention in this week’s readings?  How would you analyze this week’s readings in relation to previous weeks? What’s the bigger question?      10%

- Class symposium: For this assignment, each student will be assigned the role of presenter, discussant, or audience member. Each role bears distinct requirements. See below.  10%

- Reading Responses posted on Courseworks by 10.m. before the start of the relevant class session.         15%

In no more than 500 words your reading response should state:

Topic / Description / What is this work about?  What are the interventions or apparent goals of the work?  What is the method for creating the work? Where relevant, what is the research method the author employs?  What is the conclusion / argument of the work in short? What is your response to, critique of, question for, or thought about, the work? How do you see it being in conversation with other works in the course?

- Midterm Exam                                                                                                             25%

- Final Paper/Project                                                                                                      25%

            Brainstorm Session

            Research Proposal Presentation

            Draft 1

            Final Draft

 

- Extra Credit                                                                                                              4 pts max

You can earn extra credit by attending an African Studies event on campus and writing a two page reflection that includes a description of the event, its highlights, and how you connect it to our class.

Attendance: You are expected to attend all classes.  More than two absences will result in a failing grade.  Excessive lateness counts as an absence, as does missing a scheduled meeting.   

Policies:

- There will be no make-up quizzes or exams. Late reading response papers will not be accepted.

-Students are responsible for material covered during class meetings. I don’t review class discussions during office hours.

 -Absences for severe health issues, interview appointments, college-related athletic obligations, and the like, are excused if substantiated by a notice from your advisor, your coach, your dean, or some written evidence of the conflict.

-Students who may need disability related accommodations are strongly encouraged to notify the professor as soon as possible, preferably within the first week of classes.  Students who need testing or classroom accommodations must be registered in advance with CARDS in 101 Altschul or with Disability Services at Columbia. 

- Students who are facing other challenges that threaten to impair their academic performance are advised to notify the professor immediately issues emerge. I may be able to help you.  Barnard students are also strongly advised to make full use of the Furman Counseling Center which can facilitate access to resources for stress, trauma, grief, coping, healing and the many real issues we are facing in our individual and collective lives.

Visit: https://barnard.edu/health-wellness/student-counseling

-AI Policies. 

1. Generative AI Tools are only allowed in this class if they perform a function that the student ordinarily cannot. For example, translating text in an unknown language to a language the students does know. Tools programmed for basic Recording, basic Researching, undergraduate Writing, Rendering Visuals, and competencies that most undergraduates should be able to master are prohibited in this class. 

2. Recognizing that it is sometimes impossible to opt-out of AI compiled research (i.e. the average Google search top results) students are encouraged to bypass these and make use of the more robust research tools your tuition has paid for, such as those accessible through CUL. In the event that you are not able to opt-out of GenAI outputs, students are responsible for confirming the accuracy of the output provided by the Gen AI tools, checking the tools for bias, and disclosing when their work may have been influenced by said involuntary tools.

3 Failure to adhere to these policies will reduce assessments of student work.

 A+ (Above 96) / A (94 -96) / A- (90-93) / B+ (87-89) / B (84-86) / B- (80-83) / C+ (77-79) / C (74-76) / C- (70-73) / D+ (67-69) / D (64-66) / D- (60-63) / F (59 and under)

 Wed 9/9          Introductions

Mon 9/14        Gilbert and Reynolds, 7 Ideas of Africa

                        Binyavanga Wainana, “How To Write About Africa”

Wed 9/16        Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, “The Pasts and Future of African Studies in the U.S.” Rethinking Africa’s Globalization. Vol. 1 179 – 228    

Mon 9/21         Cheik Anta Diop, “Origin of the Ancient Egyptians” in Egypt Revisited, ed. Ivan Van Sertima. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction, 1989. 9-37

Wed 9/23         MAP QUIZ

Amina Mama, “Is it Ethical to Study Africa?” African Studies Review 50.1                        (2007): 1-27

Mon 9/28        Sylvia Tamale, Decolonization and Afro-Feminism (2020) Chapt 1 & Chapt 2

Wed 9/30        Centime Zeleke, “Social Science is a Battlefield” from Ethiopia in Theory

Mon 10/5         Paul Lovejoy, “The ‘Middle Passage’: The Enforced Migration of Africans across the Atlantic,” Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, ProQuest”

Edward Alpers, “The Other Middle Passage: The African Slave Trade in the Indian Ocean” in Migration and the Making of the Modern World (2007) 20 – 38

Wed 10/7        VIDEO: Ousmane Sembene, Borrom Sarret aka La Noire De aka Black Girl. Decent English subtitles found here: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sptKbtXIn4o>

Mon 10/12       Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy, The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage: Toward a New Relational Ethics (2018) Chapt 0, Chapt 1.

Watch morning presentations from “The Restitution Debate” conference at Columbia, October 2019

https://italianacademy.columbia.edu/events/restitution-debate-african-art-global-society

Wed 10/14       Ngugi Wa Thiongo, “The Language of African Literature” in Decolonising the Mind

Mon 10/19      Mkandawire, Thandika. “Running While Others Walk: Knowledge and the Challenge of Africa’s Development.” Africa Development / Afrique et Développement, vol. 36, no. 2, 2011, pp. 1–36.             

Wed 10/21      MIDTERM EXAM REVIEW SESSION

Mon 10/26      MIDTERM EXAM

Wed 10/28      “Festac ’77 – Lagos Festival” Dir. Philip Gaunt, UNESCO TV Co-produced by Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO and Nigerian Television Authority, 1977. https://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/document-29

Enohoro, Ife. “THE SECOND WORLD BLACK AND AFRICAN FESTIVAL OF ARTS AND CULTURE: LAGOS, NIGERIA.” The Black Scholar, vol. 9, no. 1, 1977, pp. 26–33.

Monroe, Arthur. “FESTAC 77-THE SECOND WORLD BLACK AND AFRICAN FESTIVAL OF ARTS AND CULTURE: LAGOS, NIGERIA.” The Black Scholar, vol. 9, no. 1, 1977, pp. 34–37.

Wed 11/4        Qudus Onikeku,”Ghostly Moves” https://www.qudusonikeku.com/about

---, “The Epic Return of Orí Olókun: FESTAC ’77 @50, and The Problem with Restitution.” https://www.qudusonikeku.com/single-post/the-epic-return-of-or%C3%AD-ol%C3%B3kun .

Mon 11/9         Guest Lecture

Wed 11/11      Library Visit – Primary research and Brainstorm Session.  Goal: settle on a research topic/question. Notes, doodles, process materials as a whole are important, not just the final research topic / question.

Mon 11/16      Research Proposal: Find at least five primary source records / texts reflecting the past and present of your topic.  Create a one paragraph annotation for each. Separately write up to one page or draw a mind map that describes how the records/texts you will be using are going to be placed in dialogue with each other. Your research proposal consists of the one-page project description, the annotations of your primary sources, and a Project Title. 

Wed 11/18      Research proposal presentations to the class. Everyone will make a short presentation on their proposed research project.  You will describe the topic and lay out your central research questions. You may want to share a particular record/source with the class and discuss how it relates to the topic you are going to pursue.

Mon 11/23      Work at home on a 1^st draft of your paper or project.  Do not use A.I. prompts to generate or assemble it. The first draft is allowed to be a “dreck” draft. But it should contain an intro, a body, and all of your thoughts and ideas to this point even if they’re not fully developed or perfectly placed.  It is a place to lay out your ideas, a basis for discussing ideas with me, and it is meant to be developed further not perfected on the first go round. 

Mon 11/30      Submit your first draft. 

Schedule one-on-one meeting with Prof George. https://calendar.app.google/SzaRgzz6AHXozbUY6

FILM: Wanuri Kahiu, PUMZI (2009) https://vimeo.com/46891859

Wed 12/2        One on one feedback meeting with Prof George.

Mon 12/7         Nnedi Okarafor, “African Futurism Defined” https://nnedi.blogspot.com/2019/10/africanfuturism-defined.html

“Mother of Invention” Slate Magazine, Feb 21, 2018 https://slate.com/technology/2018/02/mother-of-invention-a-new-short-story-by-nnedi-okorafor.html

Wed 12/9         Class symposium. For this session students will be assigned one of three roles: Presenter, Discussant, Audience.  Presenters will present their research project to the class in much the same way as our weekly presentations went in the first half of the semester, this time about your own research.  Discussants will receive the presentation outline at least 48 hours ahead of time, they will listen closely to the presentation and offer remarks and questions that address common themes among the presenters, points of conflict, or other relationships that discussants may identify among the presentations.  Audience members will offer remarks and questions that emerge from hearing the presentations “cold.” Clarity of presentation, close listening, quality of remarks and questions relative to familiarity with the project, will be evaluated for this segment.

Mon 12/14      Class review session.

Submit the final draft of your research paper/project by 5p.m.

Applications for The CJC for the Arts Grant are now open (Deadline: November 9th, 2026)

The CJC for the Arts Grant funds expenses related to senior theses or other independent 

projects in film, studio art, dance, theater, or related fields. Applications are submitted 

electronically at https://slate.barnard.edu/register/cjcartsgrant by 9AM on Monday, November 9, 2026 and must include a proposal, budget, and a letter of support from a Barnard or Columbia faculty member.  

 

The following materials are required:   

 

1. Detailed Proposal (maximum two pages, double-spaced, one-inch margins): 

 

     a. What exactly is the purpose of your proposed project? Describe central idea(s) or 

theme(s) and propose a working title. 

    

     b. How have you prepared and what are your qualifications? How does your proposed 

project build on your experience in your field and, if appropriate, related fields? Be specific: 

What coursework, course projects, and/or extracurricular experience has prepared you for this 

project? Give a brief explanation of the project’s genesis. How does the project grow out of what 

you’ve learned to this point? 

      

     c. Place your project in context: As appropriate, explain briefly how your project is related to 

current thinking or practice in your field? How is your project influenced, or inspired, by certain 

ideas or trends in your field? And/or how will the project respond to these ideas or trends? 

Provide the Committee with some relevant intellectual context. Note: for visual arts students, 

consider the following quotations: 

          i. “Projects that are modeled after major movements in contemporary art will be executed 

in the studio….” (from the catalogue description for AHIS BC3530, “Advanced Studio”). 

          ii. “Students are encouraged to incorporate what they learn in their lectures and seminars 

into their own body of work. Unlike in many visual arts programs, Barnard studio arts courses 

and seminars emphasize the reinterpretation of artistic practice rather than a reliance on 

‘traditional knowledge’…” (from the department’s website). How, then, will your work be modeled 

after—and/or be a reinterpretation of –a major idea or ideas in contemporary art? 

 

2. 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.  (Students will be prompted to enter the name and email of their recommenders, 

which will generate an email requesting direct submission of the letter of support.)  

 

3. Proposed Budget: A one-page detailed budget, preferably in chart form. What materials will 

you need beyond those already available to students in your department? What, if any other 

expenditures, will you have? What is the minimum amount that will allow you to move forward 

with your project? Past grants have generally been in the $250 -$700 range.

  

Proposals will be reviewed and assessed by the Faculty Committee on Honors at their 

November 2026 meeting. 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. Please 

direct any questions to Dean Erica Siegel by email at esiegel@barnard.edu or by making an appointment.