Columbia's 2001 Summer Session begins its official early registration on Tuesday, April 24, and ends on Thursday, April 26. Regular registration for the first six-week session (May 21-June 29) will run from May 17 to May 21. Students may register for the second six-week session (July 2-August 10) by phone or in person during the April early registration period or any time after May 17.

The summer courses draw from areas across the University, including Arts and Sciences, the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science and the School of International and Public Affairs. The summer courses complement and extend the academic year curriculum, and students may apply certain courses toward major and distribution requirements.

This year's Summer Session will offer music and art humanities, as well as numerous courses that fulfill the major cultures requirements. In addition, classes will be offered that fulfill Columbia's science requirements including biology, mathematics, chemistry, earth sciences, physics, psychology and statistics.

Students may also choose to take courses on topics of current interest, including "The American Presidency," "Business, History and Society" and "The Causes of War."

Other course offerings focus on specific authors—topics that lend themselves to the shorter format of the Summer Session. This summer, the French department will offer a class on Proust and the English department will offer entire classes devoted to Virginia Woolf, Henry James, James Joyce, Shakespeare, Chaucer and Walt Whitman.

"Columbia students frequently say they enjoy spending the summer on campus, when they can take courses not normally offered during the academic year, such as 'Films of Martin Scorsese' and 'Anthropology of the New Economy,'" said Carole Slade, director of Summer Session.

This year's Summer Session will offer more than 300 courses in 32 different areas of study. More than 2,000 students are expected to participate, including 350 visitors from colleges and universities across the country.

"Summer Session makes the entire city its campus with courses like 'Creating a Museum Exhibition' and 'Architectural History of New York,'" said Slade.

The Summer Session started in 1900 and is housed in Continuing Education and Special Programs in Lewisohn Hall. Certain Summer Session courses vary slightly from the six-week schedules. For more information visit http://www.ce.columbia.edu/summer3/, call 212-854-9699 or email summersession@columbia.edu.

To register call 212-854-8282.