嘿嘿视频

13 First-Year Seminars for the Curious Student

Open to All Undergrads, These Small Classes Connect Instructors to Students

Quick Summary

  • Seminars are designed to bring our newest students face-to-face with instructors, but any undergraduate can take a class.
  • Seminars are fun: 鈥淓xperimental Magic,鈥 鈥淩ocket Science,鈥 鈥淶ombies,鈥 鈥淧sychology of Drumming鈥 and 鈥淭hink Like a Cosmologist鈥 are among about 300 topics.
  • During their college career, undergraduates can take more than one seminar but only one per quarter.

tap into the shared curiosity of 嘿嘿视频 students and their instructors to create communities of people excited to learn.  With approximately 300 seminars offered each year, there鈥檚 plenty to discover.  

These classes are designed to bring our newest students face-to-face with instructors and fellow students in small classes where conversation is key.  At one to two units each and limited to a maximum of 19 students, they are also intended to fit into your busy schedule.

You don鈥檛 have to be a freshman or first-year transfer student to take first-year seminars.  Although certain courses are only offered to freshmen, for most classes enrollment is only limited during Pass I and Pass II, but anyone can register during open registration.  You can also take more than one seminar while you鈥檙e here at 嘿嘿视频 鈥 but only one per quarter. 

Bring your imagination and  creativity to these classes:

1. & 2. 鈥榋ombies鈥 and 鈥楧ruids鈥

Several silouetted people with the sky behind them, shot from below
Got brains? Be careful, these seminars might make you more attractive to zombies. (Thinkstock/photo)

Have you been bit by the craze?  The re-animated dead who feed on human flesh have also gnawed their way into the brains of anthropologists, scientists, philosophers and cultural critics. Join University Writing Program instructor to explore in a spring-quarter seminar how zombies help us ask questions about consciousness, free will, racism and immigration.

And then there is the spring-quarter seminar "鈥 by religious studies faculty member . Long before zombies, the druids were real-life practitioners of human sacrifice and extreme violence.  Learn how they were also the keepers of the ancient Celtic wisdom and religion.

3. 鈥楾hink Like a Cosmologist鈥

Photo illustration with a man standing and talking in front of a photo of the cosmos
Explore the final frontier with Andreas Albrecht, one of the bright stars in the physics department. (嘿嘿视频 photo graphic)

What is time?  What is space? What is out there in the universe and how did it come to be?  These are questions that have excited human curiosity since before history was recorded, and they are an active area of scientific research today.  Whether you aced physics or prefer poetry, this fall-quarter introduction by physics professor will inspire you.

4. 鈥楢rt Meets Technology at the Mondavi Center鈥 

A wild performance of Japanese taiko drummers
Sound and lighting technology bring out Yamato鈥檚 bold Taiko style at the Mondavi Center. (Hiroshi Seo/photo)

Pull back the curtain and learn about the tick from music lover and . He teaches this class winter quarter, revealing the stage and lighting technology hidden in the amazing Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

5. 鈥楨ating in California鈥

A group of 嘿嘿视频 students sitting down for a picnic dinner on the lawn
What could be better than doing your homework for this class than attending our world-famous farmer鈥檚 market?  (Sharon Knox/嘿嘿视频 photo)

You already know that California is a top agricultural producer for the world. Our state鈥檚 diverse population brings influences from all over the world. And, we鈥檙e home to movements in health consciousness, while our restaurateurs and chefs love to experiment.  In spring quarter, make the most of living in the nation鈥檚 farm-to-fork capital as you explore the California food market, discover seasonal and local diversity, and contribute to a Facebook cookbook with  of the earth and planetary sciences department.

6. 鈥楾here Is Life After Cheddar鈥

Man looking at the camera behind a big block of parmesan cheese.
Dairy engineering and technology specialist Moshe Rosenberg wants you to be cheesey 鈥 in the best sense of the word. (Karin Higgins/嘿嘿视频 photo)

Sure, you miss Mom鈥檚 grilled cheese sandwiches, but it鈥檚 time to learn that 鈥.鈥  Delve into the other 1,999 varieties during this spring quarter class, and impress your friends with your knowledge of artisanal cheesemaking with , professor of food science and technology. (Sorry, cheese lovers, this course is limited to freshmen.)

7. 鈥楨xperimental Magic鈥

A man with cards flying in the air and a woman with three magic rings, both having a lot of fun
Learn how our minds work through the lens of magic with instructors Rick Hill, left, and Eve Isham. (Karin Higgins/嘿嘿视频 photo)

, an instructor in the Department of Psychology, and magician Rick Hill show you in the spring-quarter 鈥溾 class how the 鈥渕ysteries鈥 of performance magic are gateways to the mysteries of the mind. Learn the basics of neural and perceptual mechanisms while you鈥檙e amazed by sleight-of-hand. No smoke and mirrors needed.

8. 鈥榃hat Makes Airplanes Fly?鈥

Woman setting off a rocket with others watching her
Julie Allan, center, a freshman environmental science and management major, launches a rocket as part of Mohamed Hafez鈥檚 first-year seminar. (Joe Proudman/嘿嘿视频 photo)

Fasten your seatbelts for a whirlwind spring-quarter course 鈥溾  Get introduced to the mechanics of lift, drag and those little flaps that pop out of airplane wings when you land in this spring course with 嘿嘿视频 teaching prize winner , a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. For those with extraplanetary aspirations, Professor Hafez also teaches introductory 鈥溾 during winter quarter.

9. 鈥楾he Art Foundry鈥

Art lecturer May Wilson posing in front of a metal sculpture
Lecturer May Wilson poses with a metal sculpture on the Mrak Hall mall called Bum, Bum, You鈥檝e Been Here Before, created by the late Professor Tio Giambruni in 1967 when the art department had a foundry. (Jason Spyres/嘿嘿视频 photo)

We may live in the silicon era, but melted metal is an enormous part of our everyday lives, from bridge building to jewelry making.  Artist and lecturer leads a spring-quarter . The instructor brings in the context of industry and art through readings, discussions and visits to commercial and artists鈥 foundries.

10. 鈥榃orld Music as a Means to Embrace Diversity and Reach Self-Discovery鈥

Man in beret under some bare vines holding a drum
Andreas Toupadakis鈥檚 seminar combines music and nature to explore self-discovery and enhance mental health. (Karin Higgins/嘿嘿视频 photo)

Confucius, Plato and Pythagoras believed that daily exposure to music enhances one鈥檚 health. Practice group singing, dancing and walking meditation with chemistry lecturer in this spring-quarter , which is inspired by the belief that happy students are more productive and make wiser decisions.

11. 鈥楶sychology of Drumming鈥

Man playing the drums
From hi-hat and crash cymbals to bass drum and tom, Brad Henderson鈥檚 class features a field trip where students learn their way around a drum kit. (Gregory Urquiaga/嘿嘿视频 photo)

How do drummers find their groove? Personality theory, drumming style and rock 鈥檔鈥 roll come together as you learn to listen closely to the beats and 鈥渇ills鈥 in your favorite music. You'll discover what they can tell you about the musician behind them in this fall-quarter class taught by University Writing Program instructor and blues-rock drummer .

12. 鈥榃hy Do People Relinquish Their Dogs?鈥

Portrait of an Australian sheepdog
Gain quantitative skills while you explore the issue of abandoned animals. (Karin Higgins/嘿嘿视频 photo)

brings her expertise during winter quarter to investigate the challenging . You鈥檒l learn what characteristics are most evident in abandoned dogs and how overpopulation factors into the problem. The class helps you develop critical thinking and quantitative skills and includes visits to animal shelter or dog rescue events. In spring quarter, Professor Drake teaches 鈥淗ow to Conduct a Survey.鈥

13. 鈥楾he Cultural Life of the City of Davis鈥

A group of students jumping high with a mural of paint dribbles behind them
Students in Andy Jones鈥 seminar complete their final exam with a photo scavenger hunt for murals and sculptures. (Gregory Urquiaga/嘿嘿视频 photo)

 A giant dog made of recycled records, 迟谤辞尘辫别-濒鈥檕别颈濒 electrical boxes and murals on almost every block convert downtown Davis from a small town into a quirky outdoor art gallery. This spring, discover Davis鈥 thriving cultural life with 鈥淒r.鈥 , instructor in the University Writing Program instructor, radio host and .  Perfect for students new to 嘿嘿视频. 

 

Media Resources

Sharon Campbell Knox, Undergraduate Education, 530-752-4917, scknox@ucdavis.edu

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