First-Year Seminar
One of the distinctive features of an Emory education is our First-Year Seminar requirement. All students take a first-year seminar during their first year. They offer a unique learning experience, in which first-year students participate in small classes—18 students or fewer—taught by faculty members. This engenders interaction, critical thinking and communication skills and engages students in deep inquiry and additional research. The seminars also give first-year students a taste of upper-level classes within their majors. This is a rare opportunity not enjoyed by first-year students at many schools. Examples of past First-Year Seminar topics are:
Gender in American Popular Culture: Offered by the history department, this seminar examines how American movies, magazines, television and advertising have constructed images of masculinity and femininity from the 1920s to the present.
History of African American Education: From the African American studies department comes this course, which gives students a chance to explore educational obstacles, triumphs and experiences of African Americans since Emancipation.
From Sand to Supercomputers: the Story of the Information Revolution: Offered by the Physics Department, this seminar focuses on both the materials and technology behind the information revolution and technology's effect on modern life.
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Profile
Simon Mettler
12 Emory
Alpharetta, Georgia
Major: International Studies
Extracurricular Activities: Scholars Program, Orientation, Writing Center
“My first-year seminar was Introduction to Philosophy with Professor Flynn. The first-year seminar program provides students with opportunities to pursue subjects they find interesting but may not necessarily want to pursue as their main areas of study. This was the case with me and philosophy—the course gave me an opportunity to learn a lot about a subject that has always interested me in a setting with a fantastic professor and a small group of similarly interested students who enjoyed discussion.”