What is a First Year Seminar? It is the student’s first college-level introduction to the intellectual life of the university and to the values that sustain a community of learners. It is a course that allows the university’s best instructors to focus on material tied to his or her research, scholarship, and creative interests and to share that excitement with a small group of students.
While the FYS topics may differ according to the instructor’s interests, the goals of every FYS are the same. A First Year Seminar is discussion and not lecture-based; it is skills (critical and creative thinking, reading, writing and speaking) rather than content-based. At its best, it is inter-disciplinary. At its best, it has the cutting-edge excitement of a senior-level seminar.
For more information, take a look at all the documents that define and describe the learning outcomes for the First Year Seminar at Butler. Take a look at the sample syllabi and links. Enjoy your summer!
Susan Neville
First Year Seminar Director