Founded 1998 Seminar Number 667 This seminar provides a forum where issues that define the institutional, intellectual and social history of Columbia University will be given scholarly consideration. Speakers will consist of a mix of “outside” specialists in American academic history and Columbia “insiders” who have had a direct involvement with a particular issue and […]
Read MoreModern East Asia: Japan
Founded 1960 Seminar Number 445 The Modern Japan Seminar is concerned with the history, politics, society, and culture of Japan from the late nineteenth century to the present. It emphasizes interdisciplinary dialogue among historians, anthropologists, sociologists, literary critics and other scholars from the New York area institutions. The seminar meets regularly to discuss a paper […]
Read MoreThe City
Founded 1962 Seminar Number 459A This seminar undertakes a wide-ranging consideration of the city—its history, functions, problems, and glories. Sessions are devoted to urban cultural and social history, and to the meaning of physical form and landscape of both American and world-wide cities. The heterogeneous nature of the seminar’s membership is reflected in the variety […]
Read MoreModern Greek
Founded 2005 Seminar Number 703 The seminar’s title emphasizes the language—modern Greek—over the metropolitan nation-state, modern Greece. By so doing, the seminar uses the enduring and versatile nature of the language as a symbol for broader themes that, both diachronically and synchronically, depict the tension between sameness and difference, between the continuities and discontinuities that […]
Read MoreModern British History
Founded 2004 Seminar Number 701 The seminar in Modern British History brings together historians from New York area institutions, together with literary scholars, political scientists, philosophers and others working historically, to hear research papers by visiting scholars, to discuss recent books in the field of modern British history (from the late seventeenth century to the […]
Read MoreEarly China
Founded 2002 Seminar Number 691 The seminar focuses on early Chinese civilization from the Neolithic Age to the Han Dynasty and brings together scholars from all Early China related fields: history, archaeology, art history, literature and language, religion and philosophy. The seminar will facilitate interregional exchanges by inviting distinguished Sinologists from other parts of the […]
Read MoreReligion in America
Founded 1997 Seminar Number 661 This seminar explores the role of religion in American society from cross-disciplinary perspectives: history, anthropology, literature, sociology, theology, material culture, etc. Both “religion” and “America” are broadly defined: “religion” takes into account multicultural and multifarious religious expressions in an increasingly pluralistic setting; “America” includes not merely the United States but […]
Read MoreBuddhist Studies
Founded 1990 Seminar Number 629 The seminar discusses issues and ongoing research in Buddhist Studies, as well as the interface between Buddhist Studies and other humanistic and scientific disciplines. Buddhism has been a powerful cultural and intellectual, as well as religious, current in all of the Asian civilizations. Its manifestations engage the scholarly concern of […]
Read MoreShakespeare
Founded 1982 Seminar Number 581 This seminar explores issues of interest to the current Shakespeare scholarship. Principal topics include the relation of play-script to performance, the implications of recent changes in textual study, the relevance of texts to the social and political world in which they were produced, and the impact of contemporary theory on […]
Read MoreOttoman and Turkish Studies
Founded 1974 Seminar Number 551 From its inception, this seminar adopted an interdisciplinary approach to Turkic studies, and its members represent many fields. At the same time, their interests span more than twelve centuries. In most years, the program covers a selection of topics reflecting current research of members. Special anniversaries such as the Atatürk […]
Read MoreWomen and Society
Founded 1974 Seminar Number 545 This seminar is devoted to the interdisciplinary study of women in their historical and social contexts, as well as feminist historiography. Among the topics the seminar considers are the status and function of women historically; cross-cultural and sociological perspectives on women; representations of women in literature, media, and the arts; […]
Read MoreThe History and Philosophy of Science
Founded 1973 Seminar Number 533 This seminar is devoted to exploring substantive as well as methodological issues in the history and philosophy of science. Science is construed broadly and the issues considered range from epistemic and historiographic questions to issues of relevance and accountability. Topics include the presuppositions and practice of a range of life […]
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