Are you a first year student?  Sign up for a free First Year Experience seminar (FYE) and choose from a variety of seminar topics to earn one elective credit.  As a research university, UAF communicates how research, scholarship and creative expression are conducted -- and we do so early in a student’s academic experience.  First Year Experience seminar outcome goals for students are:

• Learn how scholarship is conducted in a specific discipline
• Provide an introduction to current areas of scholarly pursuit
• Introduce students to unfamiliar academic areas (e.g., outside the secondary experience and topics not addressed in current UAF courses)
• Improve student understanding of academic planning, program requirements, and the student code of conduct

First Year Experience seminars are intended to improve student persistence by connecting students to one another and to a faculty member in a small instructional group setting.  National research has clearly identified first year seminars as a way to improve student graduation rates college grade performance.

First Year Experience seminars are graded pass/fail.  Most seminars are held during the fall semester; however seminars may occasionally be held during spring the semester.

*Tuition and all fees paid. Students who enroll but do not complete the course will be charged $45. Students who complete the course, with a C or better, will receive $100 credit on their spring billing by Residence Life.

Class size is LIMITED -- register now ! !

Here is a small taste of a some seminars that have been offered in the past:

Your Mind and How to Use It, Instructor Barbara Taylor, CRN 75441, Thursdays, 2 - 3:30 pm

Through survey of popular and scientific literature, group discussion and reflective critical thinking, you will learn about the emerging science of learnable intelligence; you will learn about your mind, how it works and what you can do to make it work better.

The Pursuit of Happiness, Instructor Alicia Hall, CRN 75443, Mondays, 2:15 - 3:45 pm

A look at happiness, positive psychology and claims of concrete strategies for increasing happiness. There is considerable debate -- both within philosophy and in psychology -- about what happiness is, exactly. This course will look at what philosophy and psychology tell us about the nature of happiness.

Hunger Games: Could it Happen to Us?, Instructor Kellie Tilton, CRN 75445, Wednesdays, 2:15 - 3:15 pm

In 2008, Suzanne Collins published the young adult novel, The Hunger Games, about a dystopian society that sacrifices a dozen children from around the nation to compete in a televised fight to the death as punishment for societal uprisings. The text of The Hunger Games will serve as a starting point to look at how similar situations are occurring throughout the world and if the decisions we are making today could bring about a similar situation.

There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom, Instructor Cheng-fu Chen, CRN 77411, Wednesdays 2:15 - 3:15 pm

An introduction to contemporary miniaturization including the most advanced technologies in semiconductors and microfluidics. Technologies have found ways to squeeze more powerful yet smaller components into electronic and microfluidic devices, and they are exploring new ways to squeeze even more. There is plenty of room at the bottom of the scale when it comes to creating smaller devices.

First Year Experience seminars have been offered at UAF since fall 2010.  Each fall semester, the seminars and instructors will share their scholarly interests with first year UAF students.

For more background on First Year Experience seminars, read the original Request for Proposals at the link below.

AY 2011-12 FYE RFP

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The RFP for AY 2013-14 is due by January 25, 2013.  Click here to complete the form!

Click on the link below for a printer-friendly description of seminars originally offered during the fall 2012 semester.

2012 First-Year Seminar Flyer

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