Academics
First-Year Seminar
Taken during your first semester as a four-credit graded course, the First-Year Seminar or Advanced Entry Seminar (for transfers) at Southwestern University introduces students to the practice of making connections, with a special focus on incorporating perspectives from multiple disciplines.
The First-Year or Advanced Entry Seminar Program (FYS/AES) helps to bring new students into the Southwestern community. Each seminar cultivates a sense of belonging and inclusion among students and exposes them to SU’s expectations for their academic work. Though each faculty member teaching in the program organizes their seminar around a different topic, all of the seminars work towards developing a common set of skills. These include information literacy, reading critically, writing cogently, and participating in informed discussion and debate. In their seminars, students engage in a liberal arts mode of learning, which exposes them to a wide array of disciplinary approaches and topics. FYS/AES is the student’s first introduction to the Paideia philosophy of making connections. They learn how seemingly disparate ways of thinking can be fully interwoven and how to connect liberal arts learning with the extra- and co-curricular activities and organizations in which they engage.
Workshops
As part of your First-Year Experience, you’ll take part in a series of six interactive workshops that support your transition to college and count as part of your 4-credit FYS/AES. Held during your regular FYS/AES class time, these sessions are convened and facilitated by your assigned Success Coach, alongside your regular FYS/AES faculty member.