First Year Seminar

All first year students in the School of Liberal Arts, both freshmen and transfers, take a writing-intensive seminar class.

As a first year liberal arts student, you will take two first year seminars, one in the fall and one in the spring. These seminars are small, writing-intensive classes that give you the opportunity to work closely with faculty, actively discuss issues and texts in depth, and improve your critical thinking and writing skills.

To gain a diverse set of experiences and skills, you will be required to choose courses from two of the three following groups:

  • Group 1: Art or Music 151; English 151; Liberal Learning 151
  • Group 2: History 152; Philosophy 152; Religious Studies 152
  • Group 3: Government 153; Psychology 153; Sociology 153

Past first year seminar topics include:

  • Domestic Goddess: Gender and Domesticity in American Literature
  • Classical Origins of Western Culture: Sex, Gender, and Power in the Ancient World
  • Slavery and Liberation
  • Individuals and Inequalities
  • Sacred Storytelling: Narrative, Tradition and the Holy
  • Gods in Gotham: Global Religion in New York City
  • Not All Wounds are Visible: The Psychological Effects of Trauma
  • Power and Participation
  • Unmasking the Structure of Power