Contemporary Civilization < Columbia College

Chair for Contemporary Civilization Prof. Carol Rovane Violin Family Professor of Philosophy cr260@columbia.edu

Contemporary Civilization Website

The purpose of COCI CC1101-COCI CC1102  “Contemporary Civilization,” or “CC,” as it is popularly known, is to introduce students to a range of issues concerning the kinds of communities—political, social, moral, and religious—that human beings construct, and the values that inform and define such communities. Founded in 1919 to prepare students to confront "the insistent problems of the present," Contemporary Civilization has evolved continuously while remaining a constant element of the Columbia College curriculum. The course asks students to read texts that offer a wide range of perspectives, to experiment with ideas, follow their own inquiries, and present their own perspectives about the issues that these texts raise. In doing so, students develop their skills as thinkers and communicators. 

The aim of Contemporary Civilization is not to endorse or celebrate the often conflicting— and sometimes troubling — ideas of the authors studied in class, but rather to engage with them critically. By exploring a range of perspectives, students will gain a better sense of the ideas that have shaped the world they have inherited, develop the power to imagine experiences and understand opinions different from their own, and test their own values in a way that may strengthen them or prompt revision. The ultimate goal of Contemporary Civilization is to foster a community in which students can share their perplexity, deepen their understanding of the world and their place within it, recognize the limits of their own perspectives and experiences, and engage respectfully with one another across their differences.

Because Contemporary Civilization is a year-long course, readings are necessarily selective. Every three years, faculty revise the syllabus, and many instructors supplement readings with their own selections. The factors that lead to the adoption of a text include historical influence, the demonstrated ability of a text to provoke productive discussion, and the relevance of a text's ideas to the pressing problems of the present. Among the authors currently required in the course are Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Christine de Pizan, Machiavelli, Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Smith, Kant, Bentham,  Wollstonecraft, Tocqueville, J.S. Mill, David Walker, Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Marx, Darwin, Nietzsche, Du Bois, Gandhi, Ambedkar, Fanon, Arendt, Foucault, the Combahee River Collective, Barbara Fields, Sadiya Hartman, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Kyle Powys White, as well as the Bible and The Qur'an.

Registration Procedure

All information concerning registration in COCI CC1101-COCI CC1102 is included in the registration materials sent to students. Students normally take Contemporary Civilization in their second year at Columbia.

All Core Curriculum courses, including Contemporary Civilization, must be taken for a letter grade. Students may not drop or withdraw from Contemporary Civilization after the Core drop deadline (which is also the end of the Change-of-Program period). For more information, see Registration—Dropping Core Courses.

Courses of Instruction

COCI CC1101 CONTEMP WESTERN CIVILIZATION I. 4.00 points.

Taught by members of the Departments of Anthropology, Classics, English and Comparative Literature, French, German, History, Latin American and Iberian Cultures, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, Slavic Languages, and Sociology; and members of the Society of Fellows. A study in their historical context of major contributions to the intellectual traditions that underpin contemporary civilization. Emphasis is on the history of political, social, and philosophical thought. Students are expected to write at least three papers to complete two examinations, and to participate actively in class discussions

Fall 2024: COCI CC1101
Course Number	Section/Call Number	Times/Location	Instructor	Points	Enrollment
COCI 1101	001/11349	M W 8:10am - 10:00am 308a Lewisohn Hall	Qian Cao	4.00	20/21
COCI 1101	002/11350	M W 8:10am - 10:00am 306 Hamilton Hall	Joseph Schittone	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	003/11351	M W 8:10am - 10:00am 111 Carman Hall	Alice Gorton	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	004/11352	M W 10:10am - 12:00pm 306 Hamilton Hall	Nadia Sariahmed	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	005/11353	M W 10:10am - 12:00pm 309 Hamilton Hall	Dennis Tenen	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	006/11354	M W 10:10am - 12:00pm 301 Hamilton Hall	Michael Stanislawski	4.00	20/21
COCI 1101	007/11356	M W 10:10am - 12:00pm 206 Broadway Residence Hall	Soraya Limare	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	008/11357	M W 10:10am - 12:00pm 302 Hamilton Hall	Jonathan Peterson	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	009/11358	M W 10:10am - 12:00pm 569 Alfred Lerner Hall	Aileen Forbes	4.00	14/21
COCI 1101	010/11359	M W 12:10pm - 2:00pm 306 Hamilton Hall	Nadia Sariahmed	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	011/11361	M W 12:10pm - 2:00pm 111 Carman Hall	Natalia Alexander	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	012/11362	M W 12:10pm - 2:00pm 309 Hamilton Hall	Nathan Feldman	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	013/11363	M W 12:10pm - 2:00pm 201a Philosophy Hall	Jesse Chevan	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	014/11365	M W 12:10pm - 2:00pm 302 Hamilton Hall	Isaac Stethem	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	015/11368	M W 12:10pm - 2:00pm 206 Broadway Residence Hall	Ellen Burns	4.00	20/21
COCI 1101	016/11370	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm 206 Broadway Residence Hall	Jennifer McDonald	4.00	20/21
COCI 1101	017/11371	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm 411 Hamilton Hall	Akeel Bilgrami	4.00	18/21
COCI 1101	018/11372	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm 309 Hamilton Hall	Nathan Feldman	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	019/11373	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm 306 Uris Hall	Liam Dee	4.00	20/21
COCI 1101	020/11374	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm 511 Hamilton Hall	Whitney McIntosh	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	021/11375	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm 201a Philosophy Hall	Jamil Sbitan	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	022/11376	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm 402 Hamilton Hall	Roosevelt Montas	4.00	17/21
COCI 1101	023/11378	M W 4:10pm - 6:00pm 111 Carman Hall	Richard John	4.00	15/21
COCI 1101	024/11380	M W 4:10pm - 6:00pm 206 Broadway Residence Hall	Amogha Sahu	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	025/11382	M W 4:10pm - 6:00pm 306 Uris Hall	Jesse Chevan	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	026/11384	M W 4:10pm - 6:00pm 309 Hamilton Hall	Branka Arsic	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	027/11386	M W 4:10pm - 6:00pm 402 Hamilton Hall	Kathy Eden	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	028/11388	M W 4:10pm - 6:00pm 609 Hamilton Hall	Larry Jackson	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	029/11389	M W 6:10pm - 8:00pm 309 Hamilton Hall	Ethan Jacobs	4.00	14/21
COCI 1101	030/11390	M W 6:10pm - 8:00pm 111 Carman Hall	Jacob Haagenson	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	031/11395	M W 6:10pm - 8:00pm 206 Broadway Residence Hall	Jennifer McDonald	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	032/11399	T Th 8:10am - 10:00am 301 Hamilton Hall	Shaunna Rodrigues	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	033/11401	T Th 8:10am - 10:00am 302 Hamilton Hall	Samuel Abrams	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	034/11405	T Th 8:10am - 10:00am 201 80 Claremont	Adam Kosto	4.00	12/21
COCI 1101	035/11408	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm 301 Hamilton Hall	Shaunna Rodrigues	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	036/11410	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm 569 Alfred Lerner Hall	Angela Giordani	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	037/11411	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm Bwy Alfred Lerner Hall	Conor Cullen	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	038/11412	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm 477 Alfred Lerner Hall	Alma Steingart	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	039/11413	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm 309 Hamilton Hall	Gil Anidjar	4.00	20/21
COCI 1101	040/11414	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm 707 Hamilton Hall	Turkuler Isiksel	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	041/11415	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm Sat Alfred Lerner Hall	Luke Lea	4.00	20/21
COCI 1101	042/11416	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm 609 Martin Luther King Building	Ali Karjoo-Ravary	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	043/11417	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm 412 Pupin Laboratories	Thomas Dodman	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	044/11418	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm 111 Carman Hall	Ryan Carr	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	045/11419	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm 509 Hamilton Hall	Charly Coleman	4.00	20/21
COCI 1101	046/11420	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm 301 Hamilton Hall	Richard Billows	4.00	20/21
COCI 1101	047/11421	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm 253 Engineering Terrace	Christopher Hoffman	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	048/11422	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm 511 Hamilton Hall	Conor Cullen	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	049/11423	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm 424 Pupin Laboratories	Christopher Brown	4.00	17/21
COCI 1101	050/11424	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm 109 Hartley Hall	Prashant Iyengar	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	051/11425	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm Sat Alfred Lerner Hall	Angela Giordani	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	052/11426	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm 302 Hamilton Hall	Joshua Whitford	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	053/11427	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm 111 Carman Hall	Ryan Carr	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	054/11428	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm 402 Hamilton Hall	Johannah King-Slutzky	4.00	16/21
COCI 1101	055/11429	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm 301 Hamilton Hall	Grace Bickers	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	056/11430	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm 507 Philosophy Hall	Liam Dee	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	057/11431	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm 306 Hamilton Hall	Eli Cumings	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	058/11432	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm 253 Engineering Terrace	Christopher Hoffman	4.00	22/21
COCI 1101	059/11433	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm 607 Hamilton Hall	Nathaniel Berman	4.00	20/21
COCI 1101	060/11434	T Th 6:10pm - 8:00pm 301 Hamilton Hall	Gal Katz	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	061/14164	T Th 6:10pm - 8:00pm 302 Hamilton Hall	Gautham Shiralagi	4.00	20/21
COCI 1101	062/14165	T Th 6:10pm - 8:00pm 206 Broadway Residence Hall	Sinead Carolan	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	065/21163	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm 509 Hamilton Hall	Adam Reich	4.00	21/21
COCI 1101	JE1/21647	M 4:00pm - 6:00pm Othr Other	Conor Cullen	4.00	0/13

COCI CC1102 CONTEMP WESTRN CIVILIZATION II. 4.00 points.

Taught by members of the Departments of Anthropology, Classics, English and Comparative Literature, French, German, History, Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, Slavic Languages, and Sociology; and members of the Society of Fellows. A study in their historical context of major contributions to the intellectual traditions that underpin contemporary civilization. Emphasis is on the history of political, social, and philosophical thought. Students are expected to write at least three papers to complete two examinations, and to participate actively in class discussions

Fall 2024: COCI CC1102
Course Number	Section/Call Number	Times/Location	Instructor	Points	Enrollment
COCI 1102	JE1/21648	F 1:00pm - 3:00pm Othr Other	Oliver Simons	4.00	0/15
Spring 2025: COCI CC1102
Course Number	Section/Call Number	Times/Location	Instructor	Points	Enrollment
COCI 1102	001/10623	M W 8:10am - 10:00am Room TBA	Qian Cao	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	002/10624	M W 8:10am - 10:00am Room TBA	Joseph Schittone	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	003/10625	M W 8:10am - 10:00am Room TBA	Alice Gorton	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	004/10626	M W 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Nadia Sariahmed	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	005/10627	M W 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Dennis Tenen	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	006/10628	M W 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Michael Stanislawski	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	007/10629	M W 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Soraya Limare	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	008/10630	M W 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Jonathan Peterson	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	009/10631	M W 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Jude Webre	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	010/10632	M W 12:10pm - 2:00pm Room TBA	Nadia Sariahmed	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	011/10633	M W 12:10pm - 2:00pm Room TBA	Natalia Alexander	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	012/10634	M W 12:10pm - 2:00pm Room TBA	Nathan Feldman	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	013/10635	M W 12:10pm - 2:00pm Room TBA	Jesse Chevan	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	014/10636	M W 12:10pm - 2:00pm Room TBA	Isaac Stethem	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	015/10637	M W 12:10pm - 2:00pm Room TBA	Ellen Burns	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	016/10638	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Jennifer McDonald	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	017/10639	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Akeel Bilgrami	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	018/10640	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Nathan Feldman	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	019/10641	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Liam Dee	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	020/10642	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Whitney McIntosh	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	021/10643	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Jamil Sbitan	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	022/10644	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Jean Cohen	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	023/10645	M W 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	Richard John	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	024/10646	M W 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	Amogha Sahu	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	025/10647	M W 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	Jesse Chevan	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	026/10648	M W 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	027/10649	M W 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	Kathy Eden	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	028/10650	M W 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	Larry Jackson	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	029/10651	M W 6:10pm - 8:00pm Room TBA	Ethan Jacobs	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	030/10652	M W 6:10pm - 8:00pm Room TBA	Jacob Haagenson	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	031/10653	M W 6:10pm - 8:00pm Room TBA	Jennifer McDonald	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	032/10654	T Th 8:10am - 10:00am Room TBA	Shaunna Rodrigues	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	033/10655	T Th 8:10am - 10:00am Room TBA	Samuel Abrams	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	034/10656	T Th 8:10am - 10:00am Room TBA	Anthony Garruzzo	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	035/10657	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Shaunna Rodrigues	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	036/10658	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Angela Giordani	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	037/10659	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Conor Cullen	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	038/10660	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Matthew Engelke	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	039/10661	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Gil Anidjar	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	040/10662	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Andrew Nathan	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	041/10663	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Luke Lea	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	042/10664	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Ali Karjoo-Ravary	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	043/10665	T Th 10:10am - 12:00pm Room TBA	Thomas Dodman	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	044/10666	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Ryan Carr	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	045/10667	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Charly Coleman	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	046/10668	T 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Richard Billows	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	047/10669	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Christopher Hoffman	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	048/10670	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Conor Cullen	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	049/10671	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Christopher Brown	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	050/10672	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Prashant Iyengar	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	051/10673	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Angela Giordani	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	052/10674	T Th 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Joshua Whitford	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	053/10675	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	Ryan Carr	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	054/10676	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	Johannah King-Slutzky	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	055/10677	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	Grace Bickers	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	056/10678	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	Liam Dee	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	057/10679	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	Anthony Garruzzo	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	058/10680	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	Christopher Hoffman	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	059/10681	T Th 4:10pm - 6:00pm Room TBA	Nathaniel Berman	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	060/10682	T Th 6:10pm - 8:00pm Room TBA	Gal Katz	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	061/10683	T Th 6:10pm - 8:00pm Room TBA	Gautham Shiralagi	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	062/10684	T Th 6:10pm - 8:00pm Room TBA	Sinead Carolan	4.00	0/22
COCI 1102	065/10688	M W 2:10pm - 4:00pm Room TBA	Adam Reich	4.00	0/22