The faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences encourages all Oberlin first-year students to enroll in a First-Year Seminar, which introduces students to liberal arts learning. Seminars will not only hone your skills in critical and creative thinking, discussion, and writing, but also acquaint you with the values that sustain a community of learners.

First-year seminars help you think about the connections among the courses you've chosen and the personal significance and social relevance of your studies. Faculty in departments and programs throughout the College offer first-year seminars on subjects that will stir your intellectual inquiry, and encourage you to question and understand the workings of society and the larger community.

These seminars offer a unique opportunity to try new ideas, learn from others, and get to know a professor well in a small classroom setting. Class size is limited to 14 students. Topics of recent first-year seminars explored the concept of peace, conflict and violence; black women and liberation; origins and treatment of cancer; the politics of public art and space; the genesis of controversy; and social justice in the United States.

Please note that the vast majority of first-year seminars are offered in the fall, and several are offered in the spring. Fall 2009 Seminars Spring 2010 Seminars