Dear Student:
Congratulations and welcome to Cal! One of the most compelling reasons students choose to come to Berkeley is the opportunity to study with our renowned faculty. We are pleased to announce that in fall 2004 the campus is offering a wide array of small seminars taught by senior, regular faculty and designed with the first-year student in mind. These are special, interactive classes that help new students to engage quickly in the academic life of the campus. Students who have taken a seminar in their first year often forge lasting ties with their professor and classmates, and form habits of inquiry and expression that serve them well throughout their academic careers and beyond.
This website describes our offerings of small classes and seminars for lower-division students for the spring semester, 2004. Freshman Seminars (usually numbered 24) carry one unit and meet once a week. Freshman and Sophomore Seminars (usually numbered 39) carry more credit and meet for two to four hours each week. Sophomore Seminars (numbered 84) carry one or two units of credit. Each student may enroll (or waitlist) in only one seminar during Phase One of TeleBEARS, but it’s a good idea before registering to make a list of at least three courses in order of preference, so that you are prepared in case your first choice is unavailable. These courses are so popular that they do tend to fill up early.
We would like to draw your attention to a special opportunity: the Food for Thought Series. Some of the faculty members have chosen to accompany their students to lunch or dinner in the dining commons after their seminars. This will give the students and faculty a chance to continue their discussions on a more informal basis, and to become better acquainted.
Think of the Freshman and Sophomore Seminars Program as an opportunity to explore an unfamiliar field, to take an intellectual risk, to broaden your academic horizons. You will not regret taking advantage of this opportunity.
Sincerely,
Robert C. Holub
Dean of the Undergraduate Division
College of Letters & Science
Christina Maslach
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education