Freshman Seminars: Home
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The Freshman Seminar Program was established in 1959 to provide small-group instruction to freshmen in the College, and thus to encourage close and early contact between undergraduates and members of the faculty. We are celebrating our 50th anniversary in the 2009-2010 academic year.
Freshman Seminars ordinarily involve one faculty instructor and twelve freshmen who meet weekly for 2-3 hours around a topic of mutual interest. Seminars are discussion-based, and thus free both the instructor and the students from the usual constraints of a lecture course, such as exams and letter grades. Students are instead awarded a grade of SAT/UNSAT which counts towards the fulfillment of requirements for graduation.
Freshman Seminars cover a wide range of topics in a vast number of fields and disciplines. Last year, over 1200 freshmen enrolled in 128 seminars taught by 133 faculty from Harvard College and the Business, Dental, Design, Divinity, Education, Engineering, Government, Graduate, Law, Medical, and Public Health schools.
Freshman Seminars ordinarily involve one faculty instructor and twelve freshmen who meet weekly for 2-3 hours around a topic of mutual interest. Seminars are discussion-based, and thus free both the instructor and the students from the usual constraints of a lecture course, such as exams and letter grades. Students are instead awarded a grade of SAT/UNSAT which counts towards the fulfillment of requirements for graduation.
Freshman Seminars cover a wide range of topics in a vast number of fields and disciplines. Last year, over 1200 freshmen enrolled in 128 seminars taught by 133 faculty from Harvard College and the Business, Dental, Design, Divinity, Education, Engineering, Government, Graduate, Law, Medical, and Public Health schools.
Announcements with docs
Apply to Spring Term Seminars
The online application to Spring Term freshman seminars opens at 9:00 AM on Friday, December 4th and closes by 9:00 AM on Tuesday, January 19th. For more information, please refer to "Apply to Seminars" under "For Freshmen" in the navigation.
Faculty Deadline for 2010-2011 Proposals
We are accepting freshman seminar proposals for 2010-2011 academic year on a rolling deadline. Please submit proposals for Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 by January 31, February 28, and March 31. For more information, please refer to “For Faculty” link.
Arts Initiative 2
Harvard Arts Initiative
We are delighted to launch this year a new initiative to showcase Freshman Seminars in the Arts, thanks to the generous support of President Drew Faust and Dean of the Arts and Humanities, Diana Sorensen. These seminars, which are part of the Harvard arts initiative, either focus solely on art-making, or incorporate a significant art-making component into their course of study.
