Instructor:Lori Pollock, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, 436 Smith Hall, 302-831-1953, lastname at cis.udel.edu.

Peer Mentor: Joseph Kerrane, m(put last name here without parentheses)@udel.edu.

Mondays and Wednesdays until October 22, 2010 , 12:20PM - 1:10PM, 324B Purnell

These seminars are designed to emphasize class discussion, and to begin your intellectual journey at the University of Delaware. Your First Year Seminar will assist you in adjusting to college life and to provide you with a unique learning experience. You will have the opportunity to explore the University of Delaware and learn about those things that are vital to your success. We will provide an integrated, content-based, co-curricular experience for first year students. We will foster academic and social competencies necessary for university success and provide structured, regular time for first year students to meet with faculty and peer mentors.

The Main UD FYE web site

At the end of this course, the students should be able to:

• Know locations of important resources on campus
• Handle your own finances on campus
• Understand the differences between facts and opinions
• Understand how to look at the ethics of a problem or situation, recognizing that our viewpoint is influenced by our own values
• Begin to recognize the global implications of actions taken locally

Wed, Sept 1: Pizza lunch with peer mentor and faculty; getting to know each other (ice breakers), introduce class goals and passport system

Wed, Sept 1: Conversation with author Tracy Kidder, 5:30pm-6:30pm, Mitchell Hall

Mon, Sept 6: Labor Day, no class meeting

Wed, Sept 8: Around-campus team scavenger hunt game

* Can you find and map the universe on the UD campus? planets, library, career services center, academic enrichment office, study abroad office, undergraduate research, ???…?

Mon, Sept 13: Tracy Kidder book discussion I

* pre-class homework: Complete reading the book

Wed, Sept 15: Tracy Kidder book discussion II

• pre-class homework: Complete internet research handout in teams

Mon, Sept 20: Communication and conflict management discussion

• Handling stress and inter-personal relationships (led by peer mentor)

Wed, Sept 22: Decisions and personal safety: Alcohol awareness (led by peer mentor)

Deo, presentation and book signing at 4:00 pm in Mitchell hall.

Mon, Sept 27: Group Lunch

Wed, Sept 29: Decisions and personal safety: Safer sexuality (led by peer mentor)

Mon, Oct 4: A Conversation with upperclassmen (panel of upperclassmen)

What do you wish you'd done as a freshman?
What lessons did you learn as a freshman?  wish you hadn't done?
What activities have you participated in and why? how did you get started in activities?
Study abroad, undergrad research, service learning....
Preparing for finals, making schedules, ...?

Wed, Oct 6: Campus explorations: reflecting on your first-month discoveries and experiences

Theresa Rebeck: “The Necessity of Art” Lecture, Based on the following passage from “ Strength in What Remains”, 4pm, Trabant Center

DUE: passport check

Mon, Oct 11: Understanding your finances Barbara Emery

Wed, Oct 13: Meeting your academic advisor

* How to set up the meeting, prepare for the meeting, start and end the meeting; Talking about your mid-semester grades, registration advice for spring semester; changing course registrations; unexpected grades;

Mon, Oct 18: General Education Evaluation with Kathy Pusecker

Wed, Oct 20: Thinking Ahead to summer and next year

* pre-class homework: set up your meeting with your academic advisor for spring registration discussion * housing for next year; summer options; winter session options: internships, undergrad research, study abroad, service learning scholar,…

DUE: passports

Academic Enrichment Center (online workshops, tutoring, SkilMod sessions)

Student Essay Contest 2010

Career Services Center Workshops

Kidder, Tracy, "Strength in What Remains"

As a student in this course, you are expected to complete the following required activities AND record your attendance/participation in your FYE passport:

* attend and actively participate in all Monday and Wednesday class meeting sessions * attend Tracy Kidder talk, 5:30pm on September 1, Mitchell Hall * complete a UD FYE passport documenting your explorations, including

• 9 fieldwork experiences (on average 1/week), namely
  • 3 campus explorations ((e.g., best campus study spots, library resources, health center, museums, fitness centers, computing centers, best food, dept office for major, best dorm, writing center, etc)
  • 2 community explorations (e.g, Main St. restaurants, post office, banks, and bike shops; Salvation Army and Goodwill, city hall, bike trail, Creek Rd and White Clay Creek State Park, reservoir, etc)
  • 1 academic enrichment workshop outside classtime (e.g., time management, academic management, note taking, reading strategies, test taking, preparing for finals - could be online)
  • 1 people exploration (e.g., academic adviser, professors during office hours, teaching assistant)
  • 2 campus cultural events (e.g., film series, speakers, concerts, etc)

* complete all short homeworks

UD email: If you want to receive your UD e-mail at a non-UD mailbox (e.g., AOL, Hotmail, etc.), you must forward your UD e-mail to that mailbox and ensure that it is working so that you can receive and read official UD e-mail, including course-related materials, in a timely fashion. Instructions for forwarding are posted on the UD Network Page [www.udel.edu/network]

You will be graded pass/fail for this course. To pass, you must complete all of the requirements listed above.