First Year Seminar
An innovative gateway for your educational experience
When you first imagined coming to college, did you picture a small classroom with an engaging teacher and classmates who would become your friends? Then you imagined a First Year Seminar (FYS) class!
FYS classes are designed with your interests and curiosities in mind. The topics include ideas you may have had about America, the stories we tell, how to determine what’s true, how to offer and receive forgiveness, and everything in between. Everyone is included in our course materials and class discussions. And, everything is designed to foster a better understanding of yourself, others, and the world around you.
Our values
- To foster a diverse, inclusive academic community through high engagement with interdisciplinary faculty and students from diverse backgrounds
- To construct a student-centered teaching and learning experience in small classroom settings that focus on engaging, relevant topics with a strong emphasis on developing critical thinking and written and oral communication skills through a shared process of inquiry
- To build student resilience and success by creating a strong sense of academic community and belonging by actively engaging students in their learning experiences
- To provide students with an introduction to the mission and four goals of a general education at NAU by exploring contemporary, meaningful topics aligned to majors and interests which partially fulfill their General Studies degree requirement
