First Year Seminar
Example Course Materials
Embedded Files
"To make meaning means to make sense of an experience; we make an interpretation of it. When we subsequently use this interpretation to guide decision making or action, then making meaning becomes learning. We learn differently when we are learning to perform than when we are learning to understand what is being communicated to us. Reflection enables us to correct distortions in our beliefs and errors in problem solving. Critical reflection involves a critique of the presumptions on which our beliefs have been built"
- Jack Mezirow (1990, p. 1), in How critical reflection triggers transformative learning.
Course Purpose:
What does it mean to go to college? What is the purpose of college, and how has that purpose changed over time? What are the underlying social tensions that shape the collegiate environment, and where do you see yourself fitting (or not) in this space?
This first-year seminar will continue to build on the topics originally introduced in the Fall seminar, and will utilize a mix of group discussion, research, and guest speakers to grapple with the questions posed above. Activities will include a self-determined project, in-class reflections on in-class readings, among others to help students build practical skills that will help them navigate the campus environment and create the space needed to fully engage with complex ideas.
Example Lesson Plans & Presentations
Example Assignments & Activities
Examples of Student Reflections
Copy of BBC Course Final Reflection (El).docxReflection Example (J).pdfPersonal Learning Statement Liu.docxPage updated
Google Sites
Report abuse