Dear Colleagues,
Each semester, faculty from across campus welcome our newest students into our intellectual community by teaching in the Freshman and Sophomore Seminar Program. We invite you to join us.
Most seminars meet for an hour once a week, for one unit of credit, and are meant to be discussion-based and interactive. This semester, faculty are offering seminars on "Adobe and Culture,” “The Coevolution of Humans and Machines,” and “Economic and Social Aspects of Ukraine.” In seminars offered by the College of Engineering, students are learning about “How It's Made” — and “Why Things Break”!
Our new students appreciate the intellectual relationships they build with faculty and peers in seminars. A first-year student who took a seminar in Plant Biology last semester said, “I was able to get to know my professor on a more personal level, was able to work hands-on rather than simply consuming information, and had the opportunity to ask questions and share opinions.” Another student in a History seminar last semester said, “This was a course I desperately needed – I got to do cool things, go to cool places, and learn cool things! I absolutely adored it.”
If you are interested in teaching a seminar in fall 2025, please let your department chair and scheduler know, and then submit a Faculty Participation Form by Thursday, February 20, 2025. Senate faculty who teach a 1- or 2-unit Freshman and Sophomore Seminar as an overload will receive a $3,000 grant that can be used for anything related to their teaching or research.
To receive more information about the Freshman and Sophomore Seminar Program or to brainstorm ideas, contact Aileen Liu, Director of Curricular Engagement Initiatives in the College of Letters & Science, at aileen.liu@berkeley.edu.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Johnson-Hanks
Executive Dean of the College of Letters and Science
Oliver M. O’Reilly
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
This message was sent to Academic Senate Faculty and Emeriti.