Credits: 4
Vision Statement for First-Year Experience:
The First-Year Experience lays the foundation for Colby-Sawyer College students’ transformative education. By looking deeply at the way experts from different disciplines think about a complex global issue, this course creates opportunities for students to discover agency in their academic lives and connect their learning to their personal and professional goals. Students will develop the critical reading and writing skills needed to manage complexity and they will collaborate with faculty and with each other to apply these skills to a real-world problem. They’ll also think deeply about broader life skills and their own physical and psychological health, enhancing their ability to contribute to society in a vital and intentional way. Through this process, students will engage with the dynamic, diverse and interdependent communities in which they reside, both locally and globally.
FYE Course Description:
The world is a complex place with complex problems. How is the food on our table affected by economics, cultural practices, government and even advertising? As technology and automation continue to advance, how should we, as humans, think about work, productivity and ourselves? In the face of climate change and its effects, how should we think about wellness, economic growth, inequality and social justice?
Your First-Year Experience is an opportunity to tackle one of these global issues head on. In this class, you’ll look deeply at how experts from different disciplines think about a thorny global problem. You’ll collaborate with your classmates and various faculty members to ask questions and break new ground. The goal isn’t to solve one of these complex global issues by the end of the semester. Instead, this class is an opportunity to ask deep questions, think about them from a variety of perspectives and begin coming up with potential solutions. You’ll be challenged to think critically, to collaborate and to think about where your life fits in with the complex world around you. It’s your first step in your academic career at CSC and the first step in your journey to become an active citizen who can lead a healthy, thoughtful and fulfilling life in our global community.
FYE Course Outcomes:
Students will:
- Analyze a contemporary global issue from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.
Through class discussions, presentations and essays, they will show how multiple disciplines help us appreciate the true complexity of a pressing contemporary issue. - Employ critical reading and writing skills through reading responses and analytical essays.
- Reflect how facets of their own personal health and well-being relate to a contemporary global issue through reflective writing and communication.
- Practice effective oral communication skills through class discussions and oral presentations.
- Engage in collaborative group practices through class discussions and group projects.
- Connect their learning in class to their personal and professional goals through reflective writing and communication.