QUICKLINKS • Call for Proposals • Freshman Seminar Application • Transfer Seminar Program		FACULTY As announced by Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Michael Gottfredson, to enhance the first-year experience of all University of California undergraduates, UCI and the other UC campuses have committed to make freshman seminars available to all interested freshmen. For information about what other campuses are offering in the way of freshman seminars, please go to http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/students/freshman_seminars.html. The Dean of Undergraduate Education, Sharon V. Salinger, has sent a call for proposals for freshman seminars for the coming academic year. You may submit an application online at http://www.freshmanseminar.uci.edu/freshmanform.html. Below is information based on faculty's frequently asked questions and answers. 1. What are freshman seminars? Freshman seminars are one-unit small group seminars of 15 students designed to introduce students to the culture of the research university by encouraging them to become active participants in intellectual interactions with their peers and professors. Stimulating discussions and critical thinking are among the primary goals. Offered as University Studies 3, the course will normally be taken for a letter grade, though students may elect the pass/not pass option. (Faculty may request an exception to this policy and offer a seminar as pass/not pass only; we discourage this, as many students have a strong preference for receiving letter grades, and offering a seminar as pass/not pass only may adversely affect enrollments.) Most seminars will be open to all interested students, with enrollment preference given to freshmen. Although the seminars have no pre-requisites, some seminars can be limited to students enrolled in key introductory courses or in a defined school or major. If you would like your seminar to be part of such an experimental design, please indicate this on your application. 2. Who will teach freshman seminars? Ladder and other senate faculty, including emeriti professors and lecturers SOE, are invited to teach a freshman seminar and to sign up directly via the application form. The invitation is extended to senate faculty in the professional schools as well. 3. Who will take freshman seminars? Freshman students will be given enrollment priority for the seminars. Sophomores will be admitted at a later date, and if any slots remain, upper-division students will be permitted on a space available basis. 4. How will the freshman seminars affect my regular teaching assignments? The freshman seminars do not affect your regular teaching assignments. They are taught as course overload. They cannot be used to substitute for regularly assigned teaching. Each faculty member will be encouraged to provide a seminar for one quarter every five years or so. 5. When and where will the seminars be scheduled? When: Freshman seminars will be scheduled for one hour a week for a quarter. Variations based on course content are possible, but in all cases the goal is to assure sustained and repeated contact with faculty throughout the quarter. Every attempt will be made to accommodate an instructor's scheduling preferences, including quarter and time of offering. Where: General assignment classrooms have been reserved, but many schools and departments have especially suitable space in conference and seminar rooms outside the Registrar’s purview. Instructors are strongly encouraged to recommend these sites on their freshman seminar request form. Some faculty may prefer to teach an afternoon or evening seminar in one of the freshman dorms or in an academic theme house. Again, please indicate this on the request form. 6. How might I design a freshman seminar? Because freshman seminars give faculty and students a chance to explore academic topics and new lines of inquiry in an interactive and congenial setting, they can support a range of intellectual interests. Consider introducing UCI students to a major problem in your research field, to a book or idea in your area that changed your mind, or to a contemporary social or political dilemma linked to your expertise. Consider including a cultural or field experience outside the classroom. Because teaching a freshman seminar is over and above your regular teaching assignment, consider topics that take advantage of your current activities, such as a research project in process, a book you are writing, or a periodical you read regularly. The seminars should engage students, foster discussion, and promote critical thinking. Normally students are expected to spend approximately two hours a week outside of class for every hour in the classroom, so the workload of a freshman seminar should be planned accordingly. You might consider assigning grades based on attendance, informal writing assignments, group work, class presentations, and the like. 7. What happens after I submit my request? The Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Education will select an array of freshman seminars for each quarter to assure diversity of topics and a range of scheduling options for students. You will be contacted about scheduling and about next steps, including book orders. The Division of Undergraduate Education handles publicity, enrollment, and the mechanics. 8. What is the freshman seminar award? The freshman seminar award is a $1,500 research award that can be used for academic purposes, including travel, research, and supplies, in addition to enhancing teaching. The award is granted to the instructor of each freshman seminar. If two faculty elect to co-teach a seminar, then the award can be divided. 9. What is the course expense supplement? Schools offering freshman seminars will be allotted a modest expense stipend for each seminar taught to cover xeroxing and other small supplies. Faculty should consult with their School bookkeeping office to see if any of these funds are available to them directly for expenses they anticipate. All requests for such funds will be handled within each School. 10. How will students learn about the freshman seminars? New freshmen will learn about them in the regular mailings sent to new students this spring and summer, in the Student-Parent Orientation Programs held throughout the summer, and in advising sessions with academic counselors. Continuing students will be invited to enroll after freshmen have had every opportunity to participate. Consequently, we expect only limited participation by continuing students in fall quarter. 11. Do freshman seminars stand alone? How do they fit with other offerings created to enhance the first-year experience at UCI? Freshman seminars are part of a series of courses at UCI created to introduce freshmen to the research university and enhance their first-year experience. • University Studies 2: UCI Majors, 2 units, fall/winter quarters. Open to all freshmen, required of Undecided/Undeclared students. • University Studies 3: Freshman Seminars, 1 unit, fall/winter/spring quarters. Open to all freshmen and to continuing students as space permits. • University Studies 4: Transfer Seminars, 1 unit, fall/winter quarters. Open to all new transfers and to continuing transfer students as space permits. 12. How can I obtain answers to other questions I have or help with designing a freshman seminar? Please contact us with questions or to assist you in developing the best possible seminar experience for you and our UCI students. We can be reached at freshmanseminar@uci.edu or (949) 824-6987. We look forward to hearing from you.
		Freshman Seminar Program 256 Aldrich Hall Irvine, CA 92697-5675 Phone (949) 824-6987 Fax (949) 824-3469 A Division of Undergraduate Education Program © 2006-2008 The Regents of the University of California All Rights Reserved