Consortium for Critical Interdisciplinary Studies - CCIS Minors

Student Advising

Each of our CCIS Minors has a dedicated Faculty Director.

Student Information

Guidance for First-Year Students

Students interested in pursuing a standalone minor or to incorporate the curriculum as a specialization in the Africana Studies major, the American Studies major, or the Women's, Gender & Sexuality major should meet with the CCIS chair or the individual faculty director for the particular minor.

Enrolling in Courses

Several CCIS minors share introductory course prerequisites:

1. WMST BC2150 Intersectional Feminisms
2. WMST BC2140 Critical Approaches to Social and Cultural Theory

Please check each specific minor for additional requirements and course offerings.

Preparation for Graduate Study

Students who graduate with one of the five CCIS minors go on to a wide range of graduate study including law school, doctoral programs in the social sciences, health sciences and humanities, and other interdisciplinary fields.

Advanced Placement Credit

AP credit is at the discretion of the CCIS chair or the faculty director for each particular minor.

Columbia Courses

Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race (CSER), Columbia University. Many courses offered through CSER will count towards CCIS minors. Please consult catalogue listings, the CCIS chair, or CCIS minor/specialization faculty directors for details.

Transfer Credit

• Transfer credit can be granted for no more than two courses at the discretion of CCIS minor faculty directions or the CCIS chair.
• To request review of transfer credit, please send course syllabi to the faculty director for the CCIS minor you are considering and/or to the CCIS chair.

Study Abroad Credit

• Classes taken abroad through Columbia-led programs (i.e., those administered by Columbia’s Center for Global Engagement) are treated as Columbia courses, equivalent to those taken on the Morningside Heights campus.
• Classes taken abroad through other institutions or programs are treated as transfer credit and are subject to the same policies as other transfer courses. Accordingly, there will be a limit on the number of study abroad courses taken at other institutions that can be counted toward the major or minor.
•  To receive credit toward the minor for a study abroad course (whether taken through a Columbia program or another institution/program), students must submit a Study Abroad Approval form through Slate and obtain the approval of the Chair or departmental representative.

Summer Credit

• Summer courses at Barnard are equivalent to those taken during the academic year. Courses that have been approved for the fulfillment of departmental requirements will automatically count toward the major. 
• Courses taken at other institutions (including Columbia) are considered transfer credit and are subject to the same policies governing other transfer courses. To receive major or minor credit for a summer course taken at another institution, students must submit a Summer Course form through Slate and have it approved by both the Registrar’s Office and the Chair or department representative.

Research

Coursework in Research Methods

CCIS offers several courses that introduce students to interdisciplinary methodologies that are relevant to all five minors:

Course List

Code	Title	Points
WMST BC2140	Critical Approaches in Social and Cultural Theory
WMST BC2150	INTERSECTIONAL FEMINISMS
WMST UN3813	Knowledge, Practice, Power

Other methods courses may be offered. See faculty director for current offerings.