Fresh Topics, Strong Connections at First-Year Seminars

Seminars help students build comradery and experience HSU’s faith-based education perspective

June 20, 2016 Linnea Kirgan

(Abilene, Texas) Even though she was across the state from her family, Katelyn Thompson said it didn’t take her long to feel right at home her freshman year at Hardin-Simmons University. Her decision to take a Disney-themed First-Year Seminar (FYSM), she said, helped her immediately feel among friends.

“My hometown and family are six hours away from HSU, and the FYSM gave me a place to meet new people and share ideas over a topic we already knew we had in common,“ said Thompson, who is from Tatum. “Some of the first friends I made in Abilene were from my FYSM.”

First-year students can select from a dozen First-Year Seminars on a wide range of timely and interesting topics. The seminars are designed to be challenging, foster bonds with classmates and professors, encourage investigation and self exploration, and serve as a gateway to HSU’s faith-based perspective

Dr. Laura Pogue, dean of General Education Studies, said the seminars allows new students to see how HSU’s approach differs from other colleges.

“We want you to experience real liberal arts education with a Christian filter right off the bat,” she said.

Seminars offered in Fall 2016 include “How Would Jesus Vote,” “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” “Playground to Profession,” “Hogwarts at Hardin-Simmons,” “Photography: A Window on Life,” “U2: Faith, Obligation, & Our Place in the World,” and “Popcorn Science.” See a full description of all seminars: https://www.hsutx.edu/academics/first-year-seminars/.

Talking Disney from Day One

Dr. Rich Traylor said his Disney-themed seminar, also offered in Fall 2016, helps bring into focus larger goals including learning the meaning of a liberal arts education, experiencing the intersection of faith and learning, practicing good research skills, engaging with instructors and peers, and gaining a greater understanding of themselves and their place in the world.

“Building this kind of comradery is important in an intellectual community,” said Traylor, a history professor who has taught two previous seminars.

The shared Disney connection helps get the ball rolling.

“I’m a life-long Disneyphile and have read dozens of books on Disney history and the corporation’s inner workings,” he said.  “Since students choose what seminar they wish to take, I’ve had students who are just as ready as I am to ‘talk Disney’ from day one.”

Traylor has students consider Disney’s legacy and as well as the legacy of James B. Simmons at HSU. Students also begin to think about what they want their own legacy to be.

“We walk out to the Alumni Wall and talk about some of the people on that wall and consider how their stories compare to ours,“ he said.

He said the class has its share of fun, which includes class dinners, movie viewings, and Disney trivia games at his house. He recently held a reunion of his 2014 and 2015 student seminar classes that featured a lively Disney trivia contest.

Students have told him that the seminars have helped them build a close-knit community of friends.

Fostering A Sense of Belonging

Thompson, a sophomore majoring in English, said she would recommend First Year Seminars like Traylor’s to incoming students.

“My experience with this specific class was wonderful and helped me to see that my HSU teachers truly cared about me- the outpouring of kindness and genuine interest in me and my classmates that Dr. Traylor and his family exhibited was amazing,” she said.

She said the class encouraged students to ask questions, form their own opinions, and facilitate discussions.

“Overall, I think the best thing I got out of my FYSM was the sense of belonging both in the classroom and on campus,” she said. “Being shown that my opinions and thoughts were valued helped to shape my experiences in all my other classes.

Her favorite part of the 2015 seminar was the end of semester assignment: hosting a viewing for the campus of “Beauty and the Beast.” “Planning the event and seeing it executed was fun, and helped me grow even closer to my classmates,” she said.

Autumn Smith, a junior majoring in Communications from Abilene, took Traylor’s course in 2014. She said Traylor’s entertaining and engaging teaching style encourages participation.

“I personally really loved it and would recommend it to anyone who loves Disney,” she said. “It’s definitely been my favorite class I’ve taken at HSU so far.  The class does involve notes, homework, and tests, but I didn’t mind since it really interested me and it never really felt too much like ‘work.’”

Smith said the outside activities, such as class movie trips and reunions, helped to bond the group.

“I think these really helped the class get to know everyone personally and the class actually helped me to learn to speak up more because I’m pretty shy, especially in a class setting,” she said.   

Cassandra Holbrook, an English major from Rockport, Texas, said she benefited from the lively class discussions and the personal connections she made in Traylor’s 2015 seminar.

“It really helped me learn the material better, and broadened not only my education, but my faith as well,” she said.

First-Year Seminars can be a valuable part of the freshman experience, she said.

“I think taking a First Year Seminar is something that all new students should have to take. It helped me make friends and finally come out of my shell,” she said. “I came to college as a previously homeschooled student, with no plans of making too many friends – I’ve always been too shy. But everything changed because of this class.”

FYSM Origins

The First-Year Seminars are in their third year of a pilot program at HSU. The process of developing the courses began about six years ago and faculty members helped to shape the program.

Participating faculty and staff members said teaching the seminars have been a morale-boosting, refreshing, and energizing experience, according to Pogue.

Seminars have 16 or fewer students and serve as an opportunity for students to connect with faculty members and their fellow classmates in a more relaxed small group setting.

Each seminar is required to have a group research project, student self assessments, and development of a “plus-one” plan, which involves students mapping out both their course load at the University and the year following their graduation. Students enrolled in First Year Seminars will have an account set up with Career Services.

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