One engaging experience shared by all first-year students is participation in a First Year Seminar (FYS). These four-credit courses are designed to introduce students to certain areas in our curriculum and to topics about which members of the faculty are passionate. All of the seminars are designed to foster successful academic and social transition to the College. The FYS also introduces students to the principles of inclusive leadership and social responsibility in a climate that encourages respect for the many points of view represented in our diverse community. Course instructors serve as academic advisors to all students enrolled in the course. In the context of the course the advising group will work to develop the skills necessary for academic success and will provide opportunities for students to reflect on their development as learners. Offerings for Fall 2011 include the following:

FYS 101-01 Pioneering women in science and medicine
There are many women, both famous and unknown, who have made strong contributions to fields of science and medicine. Many of these women faced challenges and barriers that threatened to interfere with these contributions. This seminar will examine the lives and works of women scientists and physicians and the obstacles they faced in the times that they lived. Some of the women we will study this semester include Marie Curie, Elizabeth Blackwell, Rosalind Franklin, and Lori Alvord. In addition, students will research other female pioneers in science and medicine and interview present day women in these fields.

FYS 101-02 Make and Believe: We Are The Stories We Tell
In this seminar we will explore the narrative dimension of human life. From myths to movies and beyond, much of our sense of ourselves, our society and our world is shaped by the stories we learn, create, and tell. We will examine this story-making and story-telling capacity, considering what it tells about us.

FYS 101-03 Self Authorship
This course will explore the processes of personal transformation that enable individuals to escape the patterns of mind that get in the way of living life to the fullest. Students will explore stories of personal transformation in readings and in personal interviews with select subjects who have experienced this transition in order to define potential pathways to transformation. In addition, students will practice skills of “mindsight,” a uniquely human ability, which allows individuals to examine more closely, in detail and in depth, the processes by which they think, feel, and behave.

FYS 101-04 Sport Ethics
In this course, students will learn how to respond to moral issues and dilemmas by using philosophic theories proven effective in moral development. The course employs case studies to allow students to apply the ethical decision process in a sport related context; including youth, interscholastic, intercollegiate, Olympic, and professional sports. Through thought provoking questions, readings, lecture, and discussions students will develop the necessary tools for ethical decision-making. This course balances theory with pragmatic application and presents several ethical models that students can use as a platform to make ethical decisions.

FYS 101-05 Behind the Mask: Identifying Identity
Who are we really? Is the face we put forward to the world only a part of who we truly are? How might the mask someone wears both conceal and reveal her identity? In this course we will explore the various definitions and manifestations of masks throughout history and the world. We will consider their significance to theatre, their traditional use in war, in numerous cultural events, and their impact today in the age of social media. In addition, students will create their own theatrical masks and visit a collection of masks displayed as artifacts.