| Types
of Freshman Seminars General Sections of Freshman Seminar General sections of Freshman Seminar focus on helping you make a successful transition to Appalachian. Course goals include helping you achieve academic success, build community, engage life beyond the classroom, and discover Appalachian. More specifically, these sections will address the following topics:
Each section is linked to at least one other core curriculum course as part of a Freshman Learning Community and will seek to integrate material from your linked class. Linking two courses together helps to foster close friendships, facilitate study groups, and promote a better understanding of the material from the linked course. As you can see, being in a learning community gives you a real advantage in that you are more likely to do well in your linked class, make important connections with faculty members and your advisor, and will have the opportunity to make meaningful and lasting friendships. Courses that are typically linked with general sections of Freshman Seminar include English 1000, World Civilizations, General Psychology, Art Appreciation, Introduction to Theatre, etc. If you want a General Section of Freshman Seminar, please note your interest on the "Preliminary Course Registration Form." Based on other answers from this form (including areas of interest, potential majors, AP credit, etc), your academic advisor will select a Freshman Seminar-based learning community most appropriate for your schedule.
These sections are just like the ones described above; however, they are designed for students planning or considering a major in one of the following areas. Courses linked with these sections are a requirement for the specific major. Freshman Seminar will help integrate content from your major class and will foster relationships with other students who have similar academic interests. Accounting
- This Freshman Learning Community is for freshmen considering
a major in accounting or other business-related fields. Members
of this community will take Freshman Seminar and ACC 1100: Principles
of Accounting I. At Appalachian State University, all business majors
take two semesters of accounting, regardless of their intended specialization
in business. Students in this community will study with two professors
who teach accounting principles and also work as accountants. The
opportunities to meet other students with similar interests, find
out more about accounting as a profession, and explore the strategies
for conducting business in a diverse global economy are vital components
of the Freshman Seminar class. Shared class assignments and activities
strengthen a first year student's understanding of the varied curricular
and co-curricular options available to Walker College of Business
students over the span of their academic career. Criminal
Justice - Ensuring justice for those who commit crimes
in the United States is a complex role for students interested in
careers in law, law enforcement, prison education and justice and
equality issues. This Freshman Seminar is linked with the introductory
course in criminal justice and a section of English composition
to assist students in exploring the careers as well as the issues
that impact our society and individuals who commit crimes or who
manage a response to crime. Through reading and analyzing selections
of prison literature followed by completion of writing assignments,
examining media representations of law enforcement officers, exploring
majors related to criminal justice and conducting career exploration,
students will reflect upon this field as an option for their degree
program as well as the social issues and ethical dilemmas that arise
in this area of the life of citizenry. Education - This freshman learning community is for students who are considering a career in education. Members will take Freshman Seminar and MAT 1010: Introduction to Mathematics (the required math course for all education majors). The Freshman Seminar class will give you a chance to meet other students who are interested in teaching, explore education-related issues, and form relationships that may enhance your performance in the math class. Additionally, the course will cover common Freshman Seminar topics such as understanding your own learning style, improving academic skills, discovering campus resources, and getting involved in campus life. The instructors in this learning community include Dr. Anita Kitchens and Ms. Beth Marsh. Dr. Kitchens is an experienced math professor who has been teaching math at Appalachian since 1973. She is a caring and enthusiastic instructor who is interested in helping her students defeat their math anxieties. Beth Marsh is the Assistant Director of Freshman Seminar and a former high school mathematics teacher. She seeks to create a tight-knit community in her class. There are no prerequisites for this learning community. Environmental
Science – This
Environmental Science Freshman Learning Community offers a unique
opportunity to students who are contemplating degrees related to
environmental science. Students take courses in geology and chemistry
together during their Freshman year. The faculty in these courses
work together to help students see the connections among the disciplines.
In the thematic Freshman Seminar, concepts from each of these disciplines
are introduced and integrated to help students better understand
the nature of environmental science. The Freshman Seminar is highly
participatory and hence provides students with the space to develop
their community while they explore college opportunities in general,
and environmental science more specifically. Discussion topics include
how the media covers science; career options; science-based communication;
and the value of multidisciplinary as well as liberal arts education.
This section of Freshman Seminar will be linked with Geology 1103
(lecture and lab) and Chemistry 1101 (lecture only). Forensic
Science - The
Forensic Chemistry Freshman Learning Community will give students
a look into the reality of forensic science by linking Freshman
Seminar, Introductory Chemistry I (and lab), and Introduction to
Criminal Justice. Students interested in forensic science as a discipline
should realize it is not all glitz and glamour like on many television
shows. This learning community will highlight the realities, give
students with similar interests a chance to bond and develop a support
network, and give them a chance to get to know their professors
better. Additionally, the instructors hope to weave a theme of forensic
science into every class – from researching educational articles
on Sherlock Holmes to discussing scientific principles that explain
methods in forensic science to taking a tour of the state’s
largest forensic lab, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation
Lab in Raleigh. This community serves as a good introduction to
the degree program offered at Appalachian, which is a degree in
Chemistry with a Concentration in Forensic Science. Health
Professions
- The Health Professions Learning Community includes Freshman Seminar
and CHE 1101 and CHE 1110 (laboratory). Through classes and activities
designed to expose students to the realities of preparing for careers
in health professions, students are assisted in understanding the
academic rigors of health related programs of study (undergraduate
and graduate) and are encouraged to develop self-discipline and
a strong work ethic. Activities to explore health professions will
include small group projects, individual research and presentation
assignments, current events discussions (using The New
York Times Science Tuesday), note taking and study skill development
specifically geared towards science and chemistry, and opportunities
to shadow local health professionals. Interior
Design - The world of interior design has changed significantly
over the past decade. Students considering a major in interior design
may enroll as a cohort of exploratory majors in Freshman Seminar,
Visual Literacy, and Art Appreciation. The courses will include
activities that promote foundational skills in design that integrate
theory and practical application through the lenses of understanding
basic elements of visual design, technique, and media, awareness
of emotional, psychological, physiological, and cognitive influences
in interior design and marketing plans for communicating issues
and trends in the field. Students will enjoy tours of on-campus
and off campus sites and opportunities to analyze and reflect on
designs that are representative of individual styles and collaborative
approaches.
Thematic Sections of Freshman Seminar While general sections of Freshman Seminar focus on the theme of transitioning to college, thematic sections focus on an interdisciplinary topic or question. Just like the general sections, the thematic seminar will help you develop your abilities to think critically and communicate effectively. It will also help you make connections with faculty, peers, the university, and the curriculum. However, instead of focusing primarily on transitional and success issues such as time management or wellness, thematic seminars address a particular theme or topic. See below for a description of our thematic offerings:
Banned Books – This
course will explore the condition of the first amendment, particularly
focusing on banned books. The First Amendment guarantees freedom
of expression, but that does not deter more than a thousand recorded
book-banning incidents in the U.S. each year. After establishing
the historical context for several celebrated challenges, we will
look at both the texts and the legal analyses in an attempt to understand
why the issues raised by particular works are perceived as threatening
to society and whether the protection of individual liberties necessarily
benefits the greater society. Our semester-long investigation will
lead us to consider the broad implications of living in a society
in which literary works are routinely challenged as offensive and
even dangerous. Students may wish to research First Amendment cases
that deal with art, music, film, or cyberspace as well. Reading
will be drawn from classic literature, contemporary fiction, and
children’s and young adult’s books, as well as appropriate
legal and theoretical arguments concerning censorship. Life
in the Margins
- This first-year seminar will focus on social issues as they are
expressed in forms such as literature and theater. We will examine
various readings and artistic forms (i.e., theatre, dance, visual
arts) created by and about individuals who are considered marginalized
by society. We will create a performance piece with a group from
the community exploring the current local social issues as a way
to better understand ourselves and our relationship to others on
a local and potentially global level. Students with an interest
in the arts, creative writing and social sciences are encouraged
to register for this class. Important Note: Students who
successfully complete this course will receive credit for THR 2011
(Introduction to Theatre), which meets a Core Curriculum Humanities/Fine
Arts requirement. Media,
Technology and Society – Traditionally, literacy
has been defined as the ability to read and write, but the modern
world is requiring us to have new kinds of visual literacy and media
literacy. This section of Freshman Seminar will explore the impact
of media and technology – film, television, the internet,
music, photography, video games – on our lives and our culture.
In this course, students will develop skills in both media analysis
and media production. We will look at, listen to and discuss a wide
range of media, debating issues such as media propaganda, virtual
reality, racial and gender stereotyping, violence in the media,
and the surveillance society. We will also learn to communicate
in a variety of media forms, making websites, short films, audio
pieces, and animations. This course is open to all students; it
is particularly suited to students who are interested in film studies,
art, photography, communications, music, media studies, internet
studies, sociology and education. This course will be linked with
English 1000. Math
and Science in the Media and Popular Culture |