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First Year Seminar List

A complete list of First Year Seminars are shown below. Please follow these four tips when selecting seminars of interest:
  1. The title doesn’t tell the whole story. Click on the seminar title for a full seminar description.
  2. Keep an open mind. None of these seminars require prior knowledge of the subject, and they are not gateway courses to particular majors or minors. This is a great opportunity to try something new!
  3. Pay close attention to unique course requirements, such as unusual meeting times and special requirements.
  4. Choose 10 seminars. Please note that we are not asking you to rank your choices; simply choose the ten seminars that intrigue you the most. When you are ready to make your selections, go here.

Johnston Center First Year Seminar

If you have been accepted into the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies, please indicate this designated Johnston seminar as your only choice.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Mon. 6:00 - 8:45 PM
  • Fee:
  • N/A
  • Special Required Features:
  • Community Events outside of classroom time.
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Kelly Hankin

Description :

First year Johnston students will be enrolled in “Community Integration,” a course which includes Johnston students from across all years. In this class, students will learn how to chart a meaningful, individual path through college by learning the academic practices and resources necessary for success. But equally important, “Community Integration” will bring together all Johnston students to collectively build community life. Students will work with one another to create community activities, from dinners to music events to visiting speakers. Students will also learn about existing student collectives and develop new extracurricular activities that reflect their interests. Student-to-student mentorship will also take place, with advanced students providing valuable cross-disciplinary and institutional knowledge about opportunities, resources, and pathways across the College. The ultimate goal: “Community Integration” aims to bring the entire community together to build a vibrant intellectual, creative, and culturally inclusive living-learning experience for all.
Section Seminar Title Meeting Time Fee
FS 01 Johnston First Year Seminar - Community Integration Mon. 6:00 - 8:45 PM N/A

Music Majors & Minors First Year Seminar

If you have been accepted into the School of Music, please indicate this designated Music seminar as your only choice.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 8:00 AM - 9:15 AM
  • Fee:
  • N/A
  • Special Required Features:
  • N/A
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Anthony Suter

Description :

The First Year Seminar for music majors and minors is intended for all students planning to major or minor in music. It will set the stage for the rigorous course of musical training that you will undertake at the University of Redlands Conservatory of Music. As a class, we will be introduced to a wide variety of topics that are important to the emerging professional musician through on-going reading, listening, and writing projects, guest lectures from music professionals and current Conservatory faculty, and in-class discussions and activities. The goal of this seminar is to give each student a solid foundation in the culture and expectations of studying music here at Redlands and beyond, as well as to give each student the tools to efficiently and effectively progress musically, academically, and professionally.
Section Seminar Title Meeting Time Fee
FS 02 Music First Year Seminar Tues/Thurs 8:00 AM - 9:15 AM N/A

Fall 2021 First Year Seminars

The following seminars are open to all incoming students in the College of Arts & Sciences.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • May include 1-2 off campus field trips and optional tastings.
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. James Blauth

Description :

Stimulating beverages – naturally containing caffeine and related compounds – are both part of many cultures and globally traded commodities. In this seminar we will explore history, biology and production, marketing and trade and economics, processing and preparation, health effects, and cultural aspects of stimulating beverages. Other connections to stimulating beverages may be explored depending on the interests of the group. We will also learn about skills and on-campus resources for transitioning to college and thriving at the U of R.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • n/a
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Ross Conkey

Description :

Ever wondered what the world would be like if zombies took over, or if climate change spiraled out of control? In “The Apocalypse in Media”, we dive headfirst into the wild, weird, and sometimes scary world of apocalyptic stories in film, television, literature, and video games. We ll ask important questions like: Why are we so obsessed with the end of the world? What can apocalyptic narratives teach us about society, humanity, and ourselves? And most importantly, what s your survival plan when the zombies come knocking? During the semester, we’ll participate in the community reading of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Mon/Wed. 9:25am - 10:40am
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • n/a
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Arthur Svenson

Description :

This seminar explores the extraordinary world of both the creation and interpretation of American constitutional law. To that end, we will analyze the written works of influential political theorists and jurists. Our overarching objective is to acquire an enlightened appreciation of the principal tasks that confronted the Constitution’s Framers and those entrusted with their legacy: to organize and define governmental power, and to enumerate spheres of individual autonomy into which that power may not trespass. As for power, questions about the human condition and the purposes of government will be raised, along with controversies focusing on the exercise of judicial power, on the conduct of war, and on tensions inherent in a federal republic. In terms of individual autonomy, we will explore doctrinal understandings of free speech, press, and religion, as well as issues involving criminal procedure, forms of punishment, and privacy claims linked to sex, marriage, drugs, and death.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues. 10:50-12:05 (LEC); TH 9:25-12:05 (LAB)
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • n/a
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Alan DeWeerd

Description :

We get to know the world through our senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Of the five senses, sight is particularly important because of the incredible amount of information that it can provide. However, we often take vision for granted and don’t think about how we see things. This course will examine the behavior of light with an emphasis on how that relates to visual perception. We’ll try to answer several questions: What is light? Where does light come from? How does light carry information to us? What happens inside the eye? Is the eye like a camera? How is the brain involved in vision? The class will involve frequent hands-on activities. Students are expected to be familiar with algebra and geometry, but math will be reviewed as needed.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • Possible moderate physical activity. All students can be accommodated.
  • Instructors:
  • Professor Tom Whittemore

Description :

Life is a succession of journeys, including the one you are embarking on right now as a first-year college student. Through reading (both fiction and non-fiction), writing, and discussion, we will explore spiritual and physical journeys as a tool for personal growth. Whether the journey’s outcome is triumphant or tragic, we will reflect on the lessons learned on each journey and the impact of those lessons on our own wellness, mindfulness, and the formation of a personal life code.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 9:25 am - 12:05 pm
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • I plan to have a couple of labs involving dogs, so having an allergy to dogs may prevent you from participating in that.
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Candace Glendening

Note the class is 2 hours 40 min long. At least part of each class will be spent doing some sort of lab activity. I plan to have a couple of labs involving dogs, so having an allergy to dogs may prevent you from participating in that.

Description :

The study of Genetics is the study of the molecule of life: DNA. We will study the basic structure and function of DNA, how we manipulate and manufacture DNA as well as the proteins coded for by the DNA. For specific examples, we will focus on the genetics of dog breeding; how humans were able to create over 200 different breeds in less than 300 years. We’ll study why and how dog breeders do what they do, and what problems result from their work. It is my hope that you will leave this class with a better understanding of the issues surrounding genetics in general, and this understanding will help you make informed choices in the grocery store, the doctor’s office and the voting booth. As we learn about the methods used to isolate and manipulate DNA, I also hope that this gives you a better understanding of how scientists approach problems and develop experiments to solve those problems.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • n/a
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Jennifer Nelson

Description :

In this course we will discuss how representations of imagined communities (science fiction novels and film) are intertwined with ideas about gender, sexuality, and racialized identities. One of the primary theoretical concepts we will discuss is “intersectionality,” or how race, gender, sexuality, and class intertwine in representation and experience. We will read several novels focused on dystopian or utopian imagined communities, both historical and contemporary. (Some possibilities include Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and Octavia Butler’s Kindred and Parable of the Sower). We will also analyze contemporary science fiction in film. (Some possibilities include Aliens, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, and Black Panther.) The course will include the opportunity to create your own utopian community “design” through a creative final project. Reading titles may change before you receive the final syllabus in the fall.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • N/A
  • Special Required Features:
  • - some physical activity - off campus trips - opportunity to become familiar with spatial tools and state of the art mapping technologies.
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Lillian Larsen

Description :

This course will use a Spatial Lens to explore the ways in which diverse religious worldviews have historically shaped (and been shaped by) Southern California’s complex cultural footprint. Through close reading (of maps and texts), hands-on research, and opportunities for conversation with a cohort of related First Year Seminars, we will examine the social, cultural and economic patterns that have shaped Southern California’s religious footprint of collaboration and contest, intersection and exchange. We will also explore the degree to which regional religious and cultural threads, reveal links with broader networks of national and global migration.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • n/a
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Wes Bernardini

Description :

The pyramids were built by aliens. The Egyptian, Mayan, and Incan civilizations are derived from the lost city of Atlantis. Ancient North America was populated by a lost tribe of Israelites. There are a lot of fantastic ideas about human history, but how do we sort out the good from the bad? For that matter, how do we sort out competing knowledge claims on any topic? In this class, we’ll consider some of the more outlandish ideas about the past and see how they stand up to scrutiny, using this as an opportunity to build up our critical thinking skills. In archaeology, as in life, how you know what you know can be as important as knowing what isn’t so.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • n/a
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Nathaniel Cline

Description :

Has the American Dream lived up to its promise in recent decades? What does this imply about the outlook for Gen Z? This course will provide a gentle introduction to the tools of data science to examine the extent to which the American Dream is thriving or fading. We will engage in hands-on and collaborative projects to uncover insights about economic mobility, inequality, racial disparities and more. By the end of the course, you’ll become proficient in using statistical software, data visualization techniques, and tools of data analysis, all while exploring the potential for data as a force for good. This course assumes no background in statistics, programming, or economics.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • Field Trip(s) with alternative assignments as an option for students unable to participate in off-campus field trips.
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Lei Lani Stelle

Description :

This course will examine the relationships of humans with other animals: from early evolution through domestication, to modern times. This course takes a science-based, multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the nature, diversity, and functions of human-animal interrelationships that have developed over time, geographic region, and cultural contexts. Readings, videos, and class discussions will show how this approach puts into fresh perspective many current topics and related issues in the field of Human-Animal Studies, including the diverse pathways to domestication, animal behavior, and the ethics and welfare of animals in various settings. Classes will consist mainly of brief lectures, discussions, video, and field trips. As a First Year Seminar, class time will also regularly be used to check in with students and foster a successful transition from high school to college.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • Weekends: 2 out of 3 off-campus hikes required, trip to Pasadena. Evenings: 2 out of three movie nights required.
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Heather King

Description :

Speculative fiction, the fancy name for the literary category that includes Science Fiction, is often concerned with predicting the future. The worlds authors predict shed light on our shared reality in the process, raising questions central to the humanities, the cluster of academic disciplines concerned with what it means to be human. What might get better? What might get worse? What unintended consequences might we incur? We ll focus on Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower, Nalo Hopkinson’s Brown Girl in the Ring, and other examples of speculative fiction. We’ll use mapping, close reading, writing, and other humanist approaches to unpack the novels and short stories, and predict our own futures in response. Campus activities, like Banned Books Week, a Marathon Read of Parable of the Sower, movie nights, garden visits, and other activities will help launch your journey into your own future at the University of Redlands and beyond.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • N/A
  • Special Required Features:
  • Cell-phone-style camera and audio recording device, if possible.
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Denise MacNeil

Description :

This course uses literature and film to examine critical perspectives, traits, and skills for leaders in fields such as business, not-for-profit organizations, government, healthcare, and education. Why does a leader do what they do? How does a leader make decisions? What are the thoughts and feelings of a leader as they decide – and after they decide? We examine questions such as these through observing and analyzing the inner worlds and experiences of others as they face challenging, complex leadership decisions. Students practice leadership and decision-making skills such as determining critical frameworks, problem definition and analysis, and scrutiny of the relationship of one’s foundational presumptions and the decision outcomes.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • n/a
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Samantha Sterba

Description :

The economy is often described as an impossibly large, technical, and complex system that is best left to study by the experts. As a result, many people perceive studying the economy as intimidating or tedious. However, the economy critically affects many aspects of our lives including our jobs, communities, health, education, taxes, and climate. Anyone interested in these issues must understand how the economy works. In this course, students will be introduced to the major theoretical frameworks needed to understand and participate in the economy. Our analysis will be rooted in understanding capitalism as a system that changes over time and is interdependent on a society’s political and cultural features. Topics include the principles of a capitalist economy, the economic role of the government, environmental problems, unemployment, and economic alternatives.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • Required attendance to Department Productions and some additional events to be determined.
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Gregory Ramos

Description :

Solo Performance has been in existence since the earliest days of theatre, and even before when tradition and history were communicated through the individual storyteller. This class will investigate this tradition as it now exists in the contemporary theatre and connect the practice with culture, society, and self. The course is based on the premise that the live theatrical experience is transformative. We will be looking at specific contemporary theatre artists and how they have used solo performance as a way of expressing perspectives about society, culture, and/or personal experience with the goal of affecting productive social change. Using the artists we study as models of craft, students will learn about style, dramaturgical structure, theatrical conventions, and then create their own solo performance pieces based on their own lived experience.

  • Meeting Time:
  • Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm
  • Fee:
  • n/a
  • Special Required Features:
  • • Utilize tools and machinery in the makerspace. • One off campus field trip
  • Instructors:
  • Dr. Iyan Barrera-Sandri

Students would read the Parable of the Sower and then using the makerspace tools create an artifact that would fit in the world.

Description :

The maker movement has been growing in popularity in the last few years. Makerspaces are cross disciplinary spaces with various machines, such as 3D printers and laser cutters. In these spaces people can design and create art, entrepreneur products, items for entertainment, tchotchke/trinkets, and more. In this course students will learn how to use the various machines found in the University of Redlands makerspace, learn about, and develop a maker and design mindset, and connect the makerspace to their academic and personal interests. This will be done in parallel to the University wide project on The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. Using the skills learned from the course and their goals, students will imagen themselves in the world created by Butler and make something for that world. This FYS would be useful for students thinking about being future educators, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists, and storytellers.
Section Seminar Title Meeting Time Fee
FS 15 Stimulating Beverages: Coffee, Tea, Cocoa, etc. Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm n/a
FS 28 The Apocalypse in Media Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm n/a
FS 11 Take the Constitution Seriously Mon/Wed. 9:25am - 10:40am n/a
FS 20 Seeing the Light Tues. 10:50-12:05 (LEC); TH 9:25-12:05 (LAB) n/a
FS 16 Exploring Life Journeys Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm n/a
FS 14 Using Dogs to Illustrate Genetic Principles Tues/Thurs 9:25 am - 12:05 pm n/a
FS 03 Imagined Communities: Gender, Sexuality, and Race in Dystopia/Utopia Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm n/a
FS 22 Redrawing the Map of Religion Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm N/A
FS 04 Atlantis, Aliens, and Archaeology Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm n/a
FS 08 Data and the American Dream Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm n/a
FS 19 The Human-Animal Bond Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm n/a
FS 21 Telling our Futures Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm n/a
FS 29 Literature, Leadership, & Business Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm N/A
FS 09 Demystifying Economics Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm n/a
FS 26 Solo Performance - Culture, Expression, Transformation Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm n/a
FS 27 'Making' in College Tues/Thurs 10:50am - 12:05pm n/a

Choose Your Seminars Now