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2. First Year Seminar

2.  First Year Seminar 

The First Year Seminar requirement includes one three-credit FYS course.

  • Requirement: One three-credit course which engages essential questions at the heart of loving God and loving one’s neighbor as oneself. Specific seminar topics provide contexts for exploring these essential questions and building foundational skills in critical thinking and analysis. First Year Seminar comprises one-fourth shared content that is the same across all the sections and three-fourths specialized content unique to the faculty member and course section.
  • Level: 100
  • Sequence: Required during the first semester of the first year.
  • Course Proposal: Courses appropriate to the course learning objectives and level designations are proposed by faculty with expertise in teaching critical thinking and information literacy, who are skilled at fostering community and connection with first year students. Seminar proposals are approved by the Director of Common Content and the Dean of General Education and Common Learning.

First Year Seminar Course Objectives

By the completion of the course students will demonstrate the ability to:

  1. Discuss Christian vocation as it relates to loving God and neighbor (Christian Faith)
  2. Articulate connections between Christian faith and learning (Christian Faith)
  3. Describe biblical and theological implications of the Old Testament emphasis on being created in the image of God. (Self-Awareness)
  4. Ethically locate, evaluate, and manage credible, effective, diverse information sources used in academic endeavors. (Critical and Creative Thinking)
  5. Draw conclusions that are logical and reflect informed evaluation. (Critical and Creative Thinking)