Faculty Information

New freshmen will learn about Freshman Seminars in the regular mailings sent to new students this spring and summer, in the Student-Parent Orientation Programs held throughout the summer, and in advising sessions with academic counselors. Continuing students will be invited to enroll after freshmen have had every opportunity to participate.

Freshman Seminars do not affect your regular teaching assignments. They are taught as course overload. They cannot be used to substitute for regularly assigned teaching unless your department approves.

Freshman seminars give faculty and students a chance to explore academic topics and new lines of inquiry in an interactive and congenial setting, so they support a range of intellectual interests. Consider introducing UCI students to a major problem in your research field, to a book or idea in your area that changed your mind, or to a contemporary social or political dilemma linked to your expertise. Consider including a cultural or field experience outside the classroom. The seminar stipend may be used to defray part or all of the cost of such events. Because teaching a freshman seminar is over and above your regular teaching assignment, consider topics that take advantage of your current activities, such as a research project in process, a book you are writing, or a periodical you read regularly.

The seminars should engage students, foster discussion, and promote critical thinking. Normally students are expected to spend approximately two hours a week outside of class for every hour in the classroom, so the workload of a freshman seminar should be planned accordingly. You might consider assigning grades based on attendance, informal writing assignments, group work, class presentations, and the like.

The Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Education will select an array of Freshman Seminars each quarter to assure diversity of topics and a range of scheduling options for students. Once the deadline to apply each quarter has passed, you will receive confirmation about whether your seminar has been accepted for the subsequent quarter. You will also be contacted about scheduling and about next steps. The Division of Undergraduate Education handles marketing, enrollment, and the mechanics of the program.

Freshman Seminars are scheduled for one hour a week for a quarter. The goal is to assure sustained and repeated contact with faculty throughout the quarter. Every attempt will be made to accommodate a faculty’s scheduling preferences.

Freshman Seminars are primarily scheduled in general assignment classrooms, however many schools and departments have their own conference and seminar rooms outside the Registrar’s purview that may be preferred by the faculty member teaching. We request faculty to state their room preference on their request form. Scheduling options may include dorms or academic theme housing, morning vs. afternoon vs. evening, specific classroom building, etc.

Please contact DUE Associate Dean Sarah Pressman with questions or to assist you in developing the best possible seminar experience for you and our UCI students. She can be reached at pressman@uci.edu or (949) 824-1955. We look forward to hearing from you.