Freshman Seminars

**Highlighted = Reserved for LCs/ other Student Groups** 

• AFST 1000 – 001 & 002: Introduction to Africana Studies: This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Africana Studies. It introduces students to the history and evolution of the field of Africana Studies and its scholarly/activist paradigm. The course also explores classical African civilizations, the African enslavement period and the dynamic civil rights and Black power movements. It will also discuss contemporary social and political movements, new Black leadership and black creative expressions, including hip hop culture. This course addresses the Africana Studies First Year Career outcomes (First Year Career Touchpoint). This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Africana Studies. It introduces students to the history and evolution of the field of Africana Studies and its scholarly/activist paradigm. The course also explores classical African civilizations, the African enslavement period and the dynamic civil rights and Black power movements. It will also discuss contemporary social and political movements, new Black leadership and black creative expressions, including hip hop culture. This course addresses the Africana Studies First Year Career outcomes (First Year Career Touchpoint).
• AFST 1022 – 001: Freshman Topics in Africana Studies: Social Sciences – Health & Wellness: This freshman seminar is designed to introduce students to the fascinating world of Africana Studies: the interdisciplinary study of the history, culture and politics of African, African American, Afro-Latin, Afro-Caribbean and Afro-European populations. Each class will do that through a different path. Topics and themes offered under this course number will be concerned with exploring aspects of the Africana experience and issues using the methods and theories of the social sciences. Pre-Requisite: To take this course you must: Be a First Year Student.
• CLAS 1003 – 001: Freshman Seminar in Classical Civilization: The Freshman Seminar in Classical Civilization course is designed to introduce first-year students to key topics of the Greek and Roman world in an engaging, yet rigorous manner. The focus of the topics will change from year to year. Enrollment is limited to a small number of students. Instruction is based on the seminar format, emphasizing discussion and direct student-professor interaction. The course is part of the university's First Year Experience program. Pre-Requisite: To take this course you must: Be enrolled in one of these Programs 15ASC, 15BAC, 15CRT, 15MAJ, 15MIN, 40UOP. Be a First Year Student.
• DMC 1000 – 001 & 002: Foundations of Digital Media: Introduces the field of Digital Media and Cinematic Arts, the faculty who teach it, and the professionals who practice it. Faculty members will present their research and relate that topic to the wider field of Digital Media and Cinematic Arts. Professionals will present their work and relevant projects. This course encourages students to clarify their course of study and build connections with faculty, professionals, and students with similar interests.
• ENGL 2193 – 001 & EVST 2103 – 001: Introduction to Environmental Writing: This course introduces students to the fundamental principles and practices of writing on topics related to environmental issues that intersect with social justice, economics, and public health, and to consider the influence of this type of writing on public opinion and policy. For example, how does writing for the public discourse, as well as for specialized discourses such as science journals, influence policy and outcomes on environmental issues at the local, national and global scale? Readings might include Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, and John McPhee’s The Control of Nature. Students will likely also engage in active- and service-learning projects pertaining to preservation and engagement in local environmental issues. For instance, past projects have had students working on issues relating to Burnet Woods, the urban greenspace adjacent to UC’s campus. Students will produce a writing portfolio including a media release, brochure, opinion piece, and outreach materials, among other possible texts.
• FREN 1042 – 001 Freshman Seminar: French Topics – Love & Desire in French Cinema: This freshman seminar is the study of a selected topic in French and/or francophone literature and culture. An introduction to the topic, its theoretical implications, and the most important representations will be provided. Several important cultural aspects will be studied in detail and will be analyzed from the point of view of the topic under study. Topics will vary from term to term.
• GEOL 1002C – 001: First Year Seminar II: Earth Surface Processes and Environmental Issues: The Earth's surface is continuously changing as tectonic, climatic, geomorphic, hydrologic and biological processes constantly operate. These changes affect the way we utilize and survive on our planet. This course will examine the nature of these processes from a geologic perspective to show how an understanding of their dynamics is relevant to the well being of humankind. Specifically, we will examine: 1) the management of geological resources such as fossil fuels, minerals, water and land space; 2) the effects of natural hazards on humans and how we can mitigate the hazards; 3) how geology can be used to help in the effective design and implementation of engineering projects; and 4) waste disposal and minimizing effects of pollution. - Prerequisite Definition: To take this course you must: Be enrolled in one of these Programs 40UOP, 15MAJ, 15ASC, 15BAC, 15CRT, 15MIN. Be a First Year Student.
• HIST 1099 – 001: Freshman Topics in History – Going Viral: Disease in History: The Freshman Topics in History course is designed to introduce first-year students to key topics of the human past in an engaging yet rigorous manner. Enrollment in these courses is limited to a small number of students. Instruction is based on a seminar format, emphasizing discussion and direct student-professor interaction. The course is part of the university's First Year Experience program.
• HIST 1099 – 002: Freshman Topics in History – History of American Far Right: The Freshman Topics in History course is designed to introduce first-year students to key topics of the human past in an engaging yet rigorous manner. Enrollment in these courses is limited to a small number of students. Instruction is based on a seminar format, emphasizing discussion and direct student-professor interaction. The course is part of the university's First Year Experience program.
• PHIL 1032 – 001 & 701: How Science Works: Like a car, an airplane, or any other tool, science works in a particular way, for a particular purpose. So we can ask: what makes it go? What are its parts, and how do they fit together? What are they for? We will explore these questions by looking at real-life scientific and technological innovations that shed light on the methods, procedures, and concepts of science. Specific topics include: the role of statistics, types of experimental procedures, the relation between scientific "models" and reality, and the values and starting assumptions that influence scientific theories. The course will prepare students for more focused work in particular sciences and help non-science majors become more sophisticated consumers of scientific information.
• POL 1027 – 001: Social Justice, Change and Popular Culture: This freshmen seminar uses popular culture to introduce students to ideas and concepts related to social justice in the context of race, class, gender identity and other forms of identity, difference and exclusion. Using various types of media (e.g., social media, music, television shows, movies etc.), the course will illuminate the ways in which decision-making, policies, practices, and behaviors have and continue to be used to maintain inequity and inequality for underrepresented groups and communities through interlocking systems of oppression, privilege and power. Additionally, the course will examine how popular culture has and continues to be used for social movements and change to promote social equity and equality. In this examination, students will work to develop impactful and positive strategies to bring about action and social change. - Prerequisite Definition: To take this course you must: Be enrolled in one of these Programs 15MAJ, 15ASC, 15BAC, 15CRT, 15MIN, 99CRT. Be a First Year Student.
  
• WGS 1051 – 001: Revolutionary Women: This course examines women's participation over time and in varying parts of the world in movements for social change, whether through participating in actual revolutions for national liberation or working for causes that revolutionized ways of thinking about culture and society. The course will consider women's participation in revolutionary work at the individual, societal, and global levels.
• WGS 1052 – 001: Freshman Seminar: Outrageous Writings by Women: This Freshman Seminar examines fiction, poetry, drama, oratory, and political rhetoric that can be read as "outrageous," either contemporaneously or in its historical context. The course will consider why certain forms and/or content is or has been deemed "outrageous."