Welcome to all new Rutgers students!  As a first year student, you have an exclusive opportunity to enroll in any of the following seminars.   These are small classes specially designed for freshmen only.  All of them are standard 3-credit courses.

Please note that some of the seminars have a special section of English Composition reserved for students in the seminar.   All new freshmen will take an English Composition course, but in these cases, students will be in the same class for both their seminar and their English class.

Please read the descriptions of these courses and submit your preferences on the attached form.   If you have any questions, send them to: Professor Stuart Charmé
                Director of Freshman Seminar Program
 

Seminar Titles and Times

A. Contemporary Moral Issues	Tu Th 11:00-12:20
B. Lincoln and the Emancipation	MW 1:20-2:40
C. Creative Writing	TuTh 11:00-12:20
D. Intermediate French--(3 years high school French required)	MWF 11:15-12:10
E. The Civil War	TuTh 9:30 - 10:50
F. Introduction to Religion and Contemporary Culture	TuTh 9:30- 10:50
G. Human Rights	MWF 11:15-12:10
H. The Psychology of Everyday Life	MW 4:20-5:40
I.  Microeconomic Principles	TuTh 11:00-12:20

Click here to jump directly to the seminar selection form

730: 315    Tuesday/Thursday 11:00-12:20
Instructor:   Clifford Brown

A critical analysis of some of the moral and legal issues which we all face today, including topics such as war and terrorism, affirmative actions in the marketplace and in college admissions, capital punishment, abortion and euthanasia, income distribution and redistribution, racial and sexual discrimination, civil obedience and disobedience.  We read and consider a number of engaging adversarial essays in an effort to understand opposing points of view fairly so that the convictions we make our own are informed.  Lively class discussions improve our abilities to give clear and balanced accounts of the issues of the day.
 
 

014: 381  MW 1:20-2:40
Instructor:   Wayne Glasker

From 1776 to 1865 the United States wrestled with the paradox of chattel slavery. America proclaimed that all men were created equal and that the U.S. was a free, democratic republic. But by 1860 there were nearly 4 million enslaved Africans in the "free" United States. This course explores the contradiction of human bondage in a free society, and how Lincoln and the Civil War brought about the emancipation of the enslaved captives.
 
 

350:305 TuTh 11:00-12:20
Instructor: Kathy Volk Miller
[with special section of English Composition reserved for students in this class -- TuTh 9:30-10:50]

Creative Writing Freshman Seminar is an introduction to the writer's craft that surveys the genres of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. We will read published work, but we will spend the better of our time on our own writing. To develop independent learning, students will "find" work on the Internet, and bring it into the class for group discussion. The abundance of literature on the web, along with the individuality of students, ensures that this assignment is dynamic. To encourage students learn from one another, most of our work will be explored in small workshop groups.
 
 

420:131 MWF 10:10-11:05
Instructor: Louise Horowitz

This section of the first semester of Intermediate French is directed exclusively to entering freshmen. Classroom time focuses on a comprehensive review of French grammar, while also supporting the active speaking, reading, and writing of the language.  Short entertaining cultural readings will supplement the textbook and workbook. Regular homework, in a controlled amount, will permit the development of all skills and will be gone over in class.  Considerable individual attention is assured, with the goal of ensuring every student's progress.
 
 

510:280 TuTh 9:30 - 10:50
Instructor:  John Seitter

The key to truly understanding any historical event is the study, research and utilization of primary documents.  This class will be an overview of America's seminal conflict as seen through the eyes of its participants.  Military and governmental records, letters, diaries and newspapers will be utilized as well as major secondary works that have relied on this source material.
 
 

840:108 TuTh 9:30 - 10:50
Instructor: Joanna Lightner
[with special section of English Composition reserved for students in this class -- TuTh 11:00-12:20]

An examination of the BIG QUESTIONS and the way our culture addresses them. If you're wondering about the meaning of life, come and hear what your classmates think, and discover the wide variety of answers offered by other religions and cultures.
 
 

Political Science 790:102
Instructor:   Arthur Klinghoffer

This seminar will study the relationship between individual liberty and government authority, various violations of the rights of citizens, and the means available to prevent or prosecute human rights violations.   How do international agreements on human rights conflict with the principle of sovereignty, and is humanitarian intervention a practical solution to human rights problems?  Among the issues discussed will be genocide, crimes against humanity and rights pertaining to women, children, workers and indigenous peoples.
 
 

830:100  MW 4:20-5:40
Instructor:  Dan Hart
[with special section of English Composition reserved for students in this class -- MW 1:20-2:40]

How can I achieve happiness?  What does it mean to be in love?  Why aren't people convinced by my arguments?  In the course, we'll examine these and other questions concerning psychology in everyday life.  The goal of the class is to explore the contributions of psychological research and psychological principles to issues of societal and personal concern.  This exploration will lead us into related disciplines--anthropology, sociology, and philosophy--that contribute to an appreciation of the complexity of the questions and their answers.
 
 

220:105 TuTh 11:00 - 12:20
Instructor: John Worrall

This course will examine the theory of consumer behavior, demand and supply, firm behavior and market structure, product and factor markets, and the role of information in markets. Outside readings and discussion will also focus on the history and development of some of the key ideas in Micro Economics. We shall write several short papers and quality writing will be stressed in the course. Students may not receive credit for both Microeconomic Principles and the Freshman Seminar in Micro Economics.