Current Curricular Structure for the New Freshmen Seminar Class
Last revised February 28, 2012
1) Every class session will have a primary text that the students prepare and discuss.
2) The first section of the course (roughly 30 hours)
a) will involve a combination of:
i) Orientations – assignments or classroom activities that highlight a particular skill that is essential to good seminar participation
ii) Seminars – discussions focused on a common primary text, with scaffolding or without.
iii) Reflections – opportunities to reflect upon one’s own learning or the group process, either alone or with peers.
a. will be organized around (roughly) 11 modules relatedto Reading (working with a text) and Discussion (working with peers). (See “Seminar 1 framework” below) These modules will:
i. offer questions for inquiry into the seminar process rather than answers about how one must
ii. be connected directly to the new Seminar Learning Outcome (see attached)
iii. build on one another
iv. will proceed in an iterative developmental sequence i.e. revisiting the same skill at increasing levels of complexity
v. once introduced, be returned to, reiterated, and reincorporated throughout the course.
vi. may at times be addressed concurrently rather than strictly sequentially
2) The second section of the course (roughly 12 hours) will be devoted to seminar discussions with minimal scaffolding that focus on longer and/or more challenging works.
3) Writing assignments
a. will be designed to support whatever module they occur in but will also contain an overall trajectory toward more “sustained written inquiry” This will be paralleled with a trajectory toward more sustained shared inquiry (e.g. maintaining a thread of inquiry, delving into depth and detail, etc.) and reading skills (e.g. dealing with longer, more complex works.)
b. will include small assignments organized around the orientation and reflection aspects of individual modules.
c. will include some form of “sustained written inquiry” such as the traditional argumentative essay.
4) Structure & Flexibility
a. The reading list will be fixed and instructors will need to follow the reading schedule as laid out.
b. Instructors will be expected to address all the modules in some way but will have some flexibility in how they choose to do so. We will offer a grab bag of activities for them to choose from for each module.
c. There will be 2-3 “signature assignments” that all instructors will be required to use.
5) Texts
a. will be initially gathered through open invitations to the faculty (via online requests and departmental visits by MIC members)
b. will be vetted by smaller faculty reading groups using the Text Selection Criteria (described below)
c. Will be finalized by votes in the MIC and CSGB
Text Selection Criteria (in order of importance)
The reading list should:
1) Be relevant to the Seminar Learning Outcomes (and related modules of Seminar 1), either by facilitating an inquiry into how to best achieve these outcomes or providing direct practice in developing them.
2) Be appropriate for freshmen
a. Accessible but challenging
b. Engaging and relevant to students’ experiences
c. Representative of different periods and genres
3) Integrate non-Western texts
4) Allow for meaningful connections across texts
5) Favor complete texts over abridged or excerpted ones
Modules
Each is listed with an orienting question and the most relevant Seminar learning outcomes (abbreviated SS – Seminar Specific, CT – Critical Thinking, WOC – Written and Oral Communication, & SI – Shared Inquiry.)
1) Prereading
a. How do I prepare to engage with a new text?
b. Outcomes: SS1,CT2
2) Annotation
a. How do I track my responses to a text?
b. Outcomes: SS1
3) Finding a Voice
a. How do I enter a discussion?
b. Outcomes: SS4
4) Listening
a. What are people saying and how am I responding to it?
b. Outcomes: SI4
5) Questioning
a. How do I form meaningful questions about a text or during a discussion?
b. Outcomes: CT1,CT2,CT4,SI1
6) Close Reading
a. How do I examine a text carefully and focus in on the details?
b. Outcomes: SS1,CT1,CT3
7) Self-Awareness: Standpoint
a. What particular perspective do I and others bring to the text?
b. Outcomes: SS1,SS3,SS4,CT2,WOC2
8) Self-Awareness: Involvement
a. How am I involved in the discussion?
b. Outcomes: SS4
9) Authority & Legitimacy
a. Who gets to have an opinion? Why is their opinion important? Can it be challenged?
b. Outcomes: CT5
10) Collaboration
a. How do we work together during a discussion?
b. Outcomes: WOC4,SI2,SI3
11) Disagreement
a. Why do we do it and how might we do it more skillfully?
b. Outcomes: SI3,SI4
12) Genre
a. How does it change the way we read and talk about a text?
b. Outcomes: SS1,CT1,WOC2