First-Year Seminar Program
Our First-Year Seminars (FYS) have been a cornerstone of our educational philosophy since 1973
Hone your academic inquiry skills and make interdisciplinary connnections in your First-year Seminar class.
"I developed Youth Culture, my first year seminar, to be an interdisciplinary course. The course takes theoretical texts and objects of study from Media Studies, Literature, Music, Art, and Cultural Studies."
Elizabeth Affuso
Professor of Media Studies
Explore First-Year SeminarsOur average First-Year Seminar class size.
With topics as varied and vibrant as our community, our interdisciplinary First-Year Seminars are your gateway to becoming a critical thinker, equipped to navigate and articulate the complexities of our world.
Our First-Year Seminars are open to Pitzer students only in the fall semester of your first year.
On Tuesday and Thursday, from 11-12:15, you will gather with your seminar classmates and instrcutor to engage in thought-provoking discussions, hone your writing skills, and be challenged to think critically and creatively. Your seminar's small class size fosters a tight-knit learning environment, encouraging every voice to be heard and valued.
Some recent First-Year Seminar topics include:
- Art in the Age of Protest
- Behave: the Biology of Why We Do What We Do
- Represenation Matters: Contested Monuments of Public Space
- Histories of Health and the Environment
Your First-Year Seminar instructor will also act as your academic adviser, until you declare a major. Not only will they help you get accustomed to college academics, they will help you forge your academic path.
Contact Us
- Professor of English and World Literature
- English and World Literature Field Group
- First-Year Seminar Director