Discovering Passions and Building Communities: The World of UC Davis First-Year Seminars
Embarking on the exhilarating journey of university life, first-year students often find themselves at the crossroads of curiosity and the unexplored. At UC Davis, First-Year Seminars offer a unique avenue for these students to delve into diverse subjects, connect with faculty, and build a strong sense of community. These seminars are small, dynamic classes that bring to life the passions and expertise of professors on timely, thought-provoking subjects. Each seminar is limited to just 19 students, ensuring a rich, interactive environment where intellectual exchange, critical thinking, and a sense of community thrive.
The Benefits of Engaging in First-Year Seminars
Studies show students who enroll in a First-Year Seminar are more likely to succeed - not only through on-time graduation but also through higher levels of engagement with faculty and classmates, as well as an improved sense of belonging. New sessions offered each quarter allow students to experience these one-of-a-kind courses, exclusively available to first-year and new transfer students.
Mention First-Year Seminars to UC Davis students and alumni, and you’ll most likely hear a positive recollection. Attorney Scott Judson, who graduated with his undergraduate degree in 2009, recalls his time in a Sports Law First-Year Seminar, saying he still remembers his experience 18 years ago. “In my seminar, I built a relationship with the professor, had dynamic discussions with others, and developed skills that helped shape me into the attorney I am today,” he said.
A 2016 study led by UC Davis researchers found First-Year Seminars free “students to do their best by taking the concept of writing and using it to help students build community and develop critical and analytical thinking.”
A Diverse Array of Topics
UC Davis offers over 200 First-Year Seminars on various topics with options that align with all four colleges. Seminars aren’t limited to a student’s field of study but instead offer an opportunity to participate in a small class - limited to 19 students - engage in dialogue, and build relationships with UC Davis faculty members.
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With courses such as Could a Robot Ever Be Conscious, How Wars End, and Making a Mutant, options abound to find something that sparks an interest.
One example is music. “I’ve been in love with music since I was a kid in New York,” Elias said. “Music fascinates me, inspires me, and helps me relax." “The students and I usually have a great time listening to and discussing the musicians we like, the songs we love, the concerts we’ve gone to, the upcoming concerts we’re excited about, and so on,” Elias said.
The freshman seminars include a variety of studies. “The human brain is an exquisite computer that gives rise to our conscious experience,” Huskey said. “By comparison, computers lack a human-like brain, but they still do computation. Are computers conscious? Could they be? How would we know? Can computers tell us something about our own consciousness? These questions animate research in the cognitive sciences and have taken on new urgency in the age of artificial intelligence. In this class, we use different theories of consciousness to explore these questions.
“[Students] will pay special attention to how the show functions as a satire - how it serves as corrective comedy to issues such as consumerism, inequality, and political dysfunction,” Waltonen said. "We will also discuss the show as an example of postmodern literature."
The Perspective of Faculty
Edward Pugh, a distinguished professor for the UC Davis School of Medicine, said he teaches first-year seminars because it allows him to turn the educational process on its head. “It forces engagement in every class, develops communication skills, and helps students understand why they need to learn to better understand and change the world,” he said.
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Pugh begins by asking students about the five biggest problems in the world, the country, and the state at the start of his seminar, Aging, the Gray Tsunami: Cellular and Molecular Basis of Aging and its Mitigation. He said this question usually leads to intense dialogue and sets the tone for the quarter.
“First-Year Seminars provide high-impact opportunities for students,” said Angela Taylor, director of experiential and site-based programs for Undergraduate Education. Gavin Pasillas, a rising second-year student studying pharmaceutical chemistry, advises new students to register for a First-Year Seminar. He completed Pugh’s aging seminar.
“Don’t miss this opportunity,” Pasillas said. “My seminar provided a unique and more interpersonal discussion on the scientific classifications of aging and different methods, current and experimental, to mitigate its effects and causes. With Dr. Pugh’s guidance, my classmates and I expanded our critical thinking and communications skills through group projects and weekly discussions.”
Registration Information
New, incoming first-year and transfer students receive the first opportunity to register during their first and second pass times throughout August. After Aug. 28, registration opens to all undergraduate students for those seminars with available space.
First-Generation Seminars
The UC Davis First-Generation Initiative and First-Year Seminars have teamed up to create First-Generation Seminars. First-Gen Seminars pair faculty and students who come from a household where neither parent earned a four-year degree.
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To support faculty in teaching a First-Gen Seminar, the First-Gen Initiative has developed a library of resources including scholarly articles, news articles, and videos on topics like academic engagement, retention, breaking down barriers, cultural wealth, and social support. They are also creating videos of campus first-gen faculty, and a Canvas module. These resources can help faculty facilitate discussions about challenges first-gen students face and how they can overcome them.
The two most important elements of a First-Gen Seminar are that faculty are excited about introducing students to an engaging topic worth thinking about and that they are able to touch on some of the issues that first-gen students face - their own experiences and/or those of students.
To aid in designing a First-Gen Seminar, a sample syllabus is available.
A Relaxed Environment for Growth
For some, freshman seminars can be essential for learning how to adapt to the pace and environment of college in a mindful way. “The seminar is structured around weekly habits that we practice together: better sleeping, healthy eating, exercise [and] meditation,” Faye said.
Overall, the advantage of freshman seminars is that they are more relaxed academic environments to make new friends with shared interests.
First-Year Seminars tap into the shared curiosity of UC Davis students and their instructors to create communities of people excited to learn. With approximately 300 seminars offered each year, there’s plenty to discover. Seminar classes are designed to bring UC Davis's newest students face-to-face with instructors and fellow students in small classes where conversation is key. At one to two units each and limited to a maximum of 19 students, they are intended to fit into a busy schedule.
It is important to note that one doesn’t have to be a first-year or new transfer student to take first-year seminars. Although certain courses are only offered to first-years, most classes enrollment is only limited during Pass I and Pass II, but anyone can register during open registration.
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