Purpose of the First Year Seminar

Coming to college represents a major change in your life.  For many of you, it means living on your own for the first time.  For all of you, it signals an assumption of greater personal responsibility for yourselves as citizens of this country and this world.  It is also an opportunity for you to evaluate (and reevaluate) your past, to determine how to make your college experience truly meaningful, and to ponder what your future may hold - not just in terms of your career, but also in terms of who you become.[1]

The First-Year Seminar is designed to help students navigate the culture of academic life by establishing a foundation of academic expectations, skills, and practices, as well as assisting students in forging links to the greater Saint Martin’s community.  Faculty teaching in the First-Year Seminar come from a wide range of academic disciplines:  Religious Studies, Theatre, Business, Biology, World Languages, Education, and English.  While there will be differences in each section’s approach (dependent in large part upon the discipline of the professor of the section), all of the sections share these common goals: 

• facilitating a successful transition from high school to college;

• improving your academic skills, e.g., writing, reading, note-taking, etc.

• helping you to integrate into the culture of Saint Martin’s;

• improving the students’ understanding of the academic expectations at Saint Martin’s, e.g.,  What do your professors expect of you?  What should you expect of them?

• guidance in academic advising issues, e.g., course selection, general requirements, etc.

• providing you with a place to share your questions and concerns about college life with your peers and a faculty mentor;

• providing an opportunity for you to use your talents and energies in service to others.

As indicated by the last of these goals, each of the sections will be engaged in a service project.  The service projects will be designed by you and facilitated by your faculty advisor.  Requiring you to engage in service work not only reflects the mission of Saint Martin's College as a Benedictine institution; it gives you the opportunity to reflect on your mission, your values and your role as a citizen of the Saint Martin’s community as well as the world community.

Section Description

Class time will be divided between seminar discussions, writing workshops, guest lectures dealing with college and campus issues, and lecture. 

Assignments will involve regular reading, short writing assignments, and one longer team research paper.  The shorter writing assignments will be autobiographical in nature, while the team paper will involve researching an aspect of the novels by Chaim Potok.  In addition, students will be required to keep a journal over the course of the semester, which will include brief entries regarding each class session and each assignment or activity undertaken as a part of the seminar.  The journal is to be turned in at midterm and at the end of the class with a short paper reviewing the journal and commenting on where the student has come during the period covered by the journal.

For the final project, students will participate in a service learning project (of their own choosing and cleared with the professor) which will be subsequently presented to the rest of the class.  This project will also include a written reflection.

Expectations:

• Students are expected to attend all classes and to let the professor know in a timely manner if they are going to be absent;

• Students will complete all assigned reading in accordance with weekly schedule.  It is each student’s responsibility to read and carefully consider the assigned readings (Even if s/he doesn’t fully understand them.);

• Students will treat each other with courtesy and respect;

• I in turn, as instructor, am expected to treat each student with courtesy and respect;

• Students will complete and turn in writing assignments when they are due;

• Students are required to write in their journals with regularity as indicated above;

• Students are expected to work independently and honestly.

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Texts
 

• Paul Rogat Loeb, Soul of a Citizen:  Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time (New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1999).
• Chaim Potok, My Name Is Asher Lev (New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1996).
• Chaim Potok, Davita’s Harp (New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1996).
• Selected Handouts.

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Final Grade

Note:  If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have medical and/or safety concerns to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.  I will make every effort to accommodate your needs whenever possible.

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Schedule of Topics and Assignments

Aug. 28:                      Course introduction/Seminar expectations
Aug. 30:                      1st short writing assignment due

Sept. 4:                       Jan Burney:  Transitions
Sept. 6:                       Planning for service project
                                  Last day for changing/adding a class

Sept. 9:                       Planning for service project
Sept. 11:                     Planning for service project
Sept. 13:                     Introduction to Library (meet in the lobby of O’Grady Library)
                                  2^nd short writing assignment due

Sept. 16:                    Planning for service project
Sept. 18:                    Deborah Debow:  Time Management
Sept. 20:                    My Name Is Asher Lev

Sept. 23:                    My Name Is Asher Lev
Sept. 25:                    Jason Kilmer:  Drugs and Alcohol
Sept. 27:                    My Name Is Asher Lev
                                 3^rd short writing assignment due

Sept. 30:                    Myers-Briggs presentation by Sr. Mary
Oct. 2:                       Jan Burney:  Stress Reduction (come prepared to relax)
Oct. 4:                       My Name Is Asher Lev

Oct. 7:                         Davita’s Harp
                                   Journals due with summary paper
Oct. 9:                         Davita’s Harp
Oct. 11:                       Mid-term break—no class

Oct. 14:                       Davita’s Harp
Oct. 16:                       Deborah Debow: Learning Styles
Oct. 18:                       Davita’s Harp                        

Oct. 21:                       Research paper/team designation
Oct. 23:                       Lynn Welton:  Gender Bender I
Oct. 25:                       Lynn Welton:  Gender Bender II
                                    4^th short writing assignment
                                    Last day to withdraw

Oct. 28:                       Presentation of General Education Requirements
                                   Pre-registration begins
Oct. 30:                       Stress-management workshop by Jan Berney
Nov. 1:                        Olivia Archibald:  Writing workshop

Nov. 4-8:                      Individual advising appointments
                                  5^th short writing assignment due Nov. 8

Nov. 11:                      St. Martin’s Day—no class
Nov. 13:                      Plagiarism/academic honesty presentation
Nov. 15:                      Team research paper—1^st draft due/edit session 

Nov. 18:                      Research paper presentations
Nov. 20:                      Research paper presentations
Nov. 22:                      Service projects

Nov. 25:                      Service projects
Nov. 27:                      Service project presentations
Nov. 29:                      Thanksgiving Break—no class 

Dec. 2:                        Service project presentations/Team research paper—final draft due

Dec. 4:                        Service project presentations

Dec. 11:                     Journals due with summary paper/no final exam

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