First-Year Seminar
First-year seminar courses, the backbone of the First-Year Experience at UMW, introduce students to the pursuit of intellectual inquiry. Seminars are designed to foster interaction with outstanding faculty members while exploring nontraditional topics in nontraditional ways. One first-year seminar is required during your first semester on campus as part of UMW’s general education program. (Transfer students are not required to take a first-year seminar.) Specific topics will vary from course to course, but all promise…
- college as you imagined it: a life of the mind taught by faculty
- small classes, capped at 15 students each
- active, discussion-based formats
- exploration of primary texts rather than textbooks
- critical examination of the class literature
- development of writing and speaking skills
Common Read
At Orientation each new student will receive a copy of the common read book Hidden Figures to read over the summer. This will serve as the foundation of a shared intellectual experience that will continue at new student arrival with Common Read discussions.