The freshman honors seminars program offers select freshmen the opportunity to be in a small, intellectually stimulating class taught by a distinguished faculty member or eminent visitor.

These seminars aim to introduce students, at the beginning of their college careers, to demanding and challenging standards of analysis and argumentation, oral as well as written. They do so by means of intensive discussion, papers on focused topics, and reading that emphasizes critical interpretation rather than absorption of information. Except where noted, the seminars do not assume any specific course or background on the student’s part. Enrollment is usually limited to 16 students.

As a rule, the seminars are given only in the fall semester. The array of seminars changes from year to year. A brochure describing all the fall offerings and their instructors appears in late spring. Below is a sampling of Freshman Honors Seminars that have been taught more than once in recent years.