For the Faculty: Frequently Asked Questions
Should I focus on a narrow topic or a broad issue?
Either approach can succeed. What is important is to engage the students in a manner that excites them and encourages their participation. This can be done equally as well in a seminar on the history of the earth, and in a seminar that discusses only one book. A professor could offer a seminar on Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything and accomplish both approaches at the same time.
At what intellectual level should I present the topic of the seminar?
Please keep in mind that all of the participants in your seminar will be first year students. Many of them will be especially bright and accomplished individuals, but none of them will have experienced college work to a great extent. Try to educate and challenge your students while nurturing them at the same time. Keep in mind that the fundamental goals of this program are to ease the students’ transition to college and to engage them in the life of the mind. The Freshman Seminar is not a “how to succeed in college” “best academic practices/study skills” course. Faculty seeking to participate in the latter type of course should teach a FYS101 First Year Studies course.
Are you looking mainly for seminars in the arts and humanities?
NO, NO, NO! We hope that our offerings will reflect the exciting diversity of scholarship at The University of Tennessee, as well as the diversity of interests of our new students.
How much reading and written work should I assign?
Remember that in a one credit course students should not be expected to devote more than 100 minutes to course preparation for every 50 minute session. Remember also that the course must be taken for a Satisfactory/No Credit grade. Short written assignments and quizzes are appropriate. It is acceptable to make passing the course largely conditional on regular attendance.
May I take my students on field trips?
Yes, field trips are encouraged, and do not need to take place during the regularly scheduled seminar meeting time. They should be to venues that are easily accessible to even those students who do not have personal transportation. Going to concerts on campus, attending plays at the Clarence Brown Theater, or attending events and museums downtown are all possibilities.
Should I assign a textbook, or some other kind(s) of reading?
Textbooks are appropriate, as are novels, newspapers, magazines, and other materials. Ideally, professors will place required readings on Library Reserve. It is the instructor’s responsibility to submit to the Library materials for reserve status. Again, keep in mind that your students are new to the university when gauging the difficulty of the readings to assign them.
Who orders textbooks for the seminar?
Professors must order all books for their seminars through their department’s book order process. On the University Bookstore’s “Textbook Request Form” please include the following information: “department”: First Year Studies; “department #”: 355; “course #”: 129. Before registration begins each semester we will list the section number of your seminar on our website. To find it go to the Freshman Seminar webpage and click on the title of your seminar.
How do I make sure that students will enroll in my seminar?
Well, you can't guarantee that students will enroll, but you can certainly improve the chances. Based on our expereinces offering freshman seminars, we've prepared a few tips that we think may be helpful.
Am I restricted to offering my seminar strictly on a 50 minute, once-a-week basis?
No. To facilitate the widest range of offerings and approaches we accept a wide variety of course meeting times and days. The university minimum is for 700 minutes of class time for one course credit. Please see the memo announcing the program for more details.
May I offer more than one FYS129 seminar in a single semester?
No. However, you very much are encouraged to offer a seminar in both the fall and spring semesters. Students may enroll in a total of two seminars, but are likewise limited to taking one FYS129 seminar per semester.
What is the compensation for offering a FYS129 seminar?
For each seminar offered the professor will receive a $1,500 research grant.
Who do I contact for more information?
For more information please email us a froshsem@utk.edu, or call us at 974-0684
