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) There is more than one way to find success in college, and learning how to question the systems around you is part of that journey. In this seminar, students will build community with classmates and the instructor, explore academic goals and possible pathways at UMass, and begin thinking like social scientists. Each week pairs a practical college success skill with a broader question about policy, power, inequality, institutions, technology, or lived experience. Students will read short articles and selected book chapters, participate in discussion, complete reflective activities, and connect course themes to campus life and the world beyond UMass. The goal is to help students navigate college with confidence while learning to read critically, ask better questions, and see public issues from multiple perspectives.