Columbia University in popular culture

Film historian Rob King explains that the university's popularity with filmmakers has to do with its being one of the few colleges with a physical campus located in New York City, and its neoclassical architecture, which "aestheticizes America’s intellectual history," making Columbia an ideal shooting location and setting for productions that involve urban universities.

[2] Historical events on Columbia's campus have also served to draw attention to the university.

The Beat Generation, which began at Columbia with students Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and Lucien Carr, among others, is often associated with the university, which served as a conservative backdrop to the writers' literary experimentation.

[4][5] The Columbia University protests of 1968 were the target of heavy media attention while they transpired,[6] and since have been the subject of numerous depictions, including memoirs, such as The Strawberry Statement by James Simon Kunen and the film based on it;[7] novels, such as 4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster;[8] films, such as Across the Universe and 84 Charing Cross Road;[9] and numerous documentaries, including Columbia Revolt and A Time to Stir, edited by Paul Cronin.

Movies making reference to Columbia and/or featuring scenes shot on Columbia's campus include:Due to its location in Manhattan, Columbia's campus frequently appears in video games that seek to replicate New York City in their maps, such as Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), as Vespucci University in the neighborhood of Varsity Heights;[24] Assassin's Creed III (2012), as King's College in the late 18th century;[25] and Marvel's Spider-Man (2018) and Spider-Man 2 (2023).