First Year Seminar 191SBS01 - FYS- Topics in SBS

There's more than one way to find success in college and the path to getting there is different for every student. Our goals in this course are to connect with fellow students and the instructor as you become a contributing member of the community, both at UMass and beyond; start planning your individual academic goals and pathways toward achieving them; explore the different majors in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and start thinking like a social scientist.

Open to first-year students. First-year (R1ST) In this course, we will explore ways we observe, understand, and use the law every day. Students will be introduced to approach the study of the law in action (a product of social, cultural, economic, political, and economic forces) rather than by the books (a logical system of rules). The course has been designed primarily with the objective of self-reflection on how we experience the law in our everyday vis-a-vis other populations within the U.S. context. Although the topics are presented separately, they will be understood through an intersectional lens. As a First Year Seminar, we will navigate together much of what UMass has to offer for your personal, professional, and academic development while interacting with topics of an interdisciplinary field of study: Law & Society. We will engage with critical and reflexive approaches to the study of law while, at the same time, familiarize yourself with campus resources, events, and much more for a smooth transition to your first year at UMass.