Mathew Muether麻豆传媒 offers first-year students the opportunity to take a variety of seminar courses that teach successful student and life skills, from library research to speech preparation.
Along with skills for success, students gain introductory knowledge of a unique subject. Last semester, course topics included such classes as 鈥淢usic as My Key to Success,鈥� 鈥淪olving Global Problems,鈥� 鈥淓nergy Science and the Environment.鈥�
Nick Solomey, professor of physics in the Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, taught 鈥淓nergy Science and the Environment鈥� and said the classes provided a great introductory course for students who wouldn鈥檛 normally study those subjects. In his class, he only had one student who was majoring in a science-related degree.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e seeing something that they probably won鈥檛 see too often,鈥� said Solomey.
His class delved heavily into hands-on projects, as he wanted them to have a well-rounded and applicable experience with the material they were learning.
鈥淭hey made a paper windmill built out of old disc drive motors from a CD player and connected to a pipe and plastic tubing, so they could actually see power produced,鈥� said Solomey. 鈥淭here was genuine excitement from them about that.鈥�
Freshman Stella Yang said she enjoyed the close-knit atmosphere of the class, which allowed for better discussion.
鈥淭hese seminar classes allow freshmen the opportunity to present their knowledge to others and communicate, rather than applying their knowledge to only exams.鈥�
鈥� Stella Yang
Carolyn Shaw, professor of political science, co-taught the class 鈥淪olving Global Problems鈥� and said that her students rose to the challenge of a new subject area as none of them were political science majors.
For more information about First-Year Seminar courses, go to .