Why Columbia in Paris?
As a Columbia degree taught in France, the MA in History and Literature offers an attractive and unusual combination of Ivy League and European academics. The curriculum is designed, administered, and for the most part taught by the Columbia faculty. It therefore reflects the intellectual values and standards of Columbia University. At the same time, the ability to take graduate courses at the Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) and the Ecole normale supérieure (ENS) exposes students to a different style of teaching, which results in a broader and richer intellectual experience.
Paris is an ideal location for access to manuscripts and archival material, not only because of the collections located in Paris itself, but also because of the easy access by fast train to collections in other locations in France and Europe. A key component of the MA curriculum is an introduction to manuscript and archival research, which includes hands-on sessions held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Archives nationales de France, the Bibliothèque historique de la Ville de Paris and the Institut mémoire de l’édition contemporaine (IMEC).
Literary history, the history of the book, and the history of science are very active fields in France, and some of the best and most innovative work in these fields is being conducted at our partner institutions, the Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales and the Ecole normale supérieure.
Students enrolled in the MA in History and Literature are given full access to graduate courses and seminars at EHESS and ENS, and full library privileges at ENS, which has the only open-stack research library in France.