New Freshmen Seminar Class

By Anna Azallion – Syracuse, N.Y. (CitrusTV) – A new freshman seminar-style class is now required for all freshman. In addition to a Freshman Seminar in their home college, freshman now have to complete a new freshman forum-style class.

“What we’ve done is to take this course, SEM 100 which we’ve created which really consists of these shared reading experiences,” Amanda Nicholson, the Assistant Provost and Dean for Student Success, said.

Those reading experiences come from the required reading for the class: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Freshman were mailed the book over the summer and other students can get the book for free at the bookstore.

While SEM 100 is a first-year seminar style class, it has a different purpose than other freshman seminars like COM 100, which is required for all Newhouse freshman.

“COM 100 is just like a freshman forum, seminar kind of thing where we – a peer advisor like myself and a professor – will get together and we will discuss with the freshman how they’re week’s going, things to do, things not to do,” Tom Bielkind said.

Nicholson said students can expect to learn about identity and implicit bias in the class.

She also said the class is currently a topic of discussion in the University Senate to approve a form of the class for next year. If approved, the class will be 3 credits and count as a liberal arts credit.

SEM 100 will begin for the class of 2022 on September 25th.