First-Year Seminar Program

Our First-Year Seminars (FYS) have been a cornerstone of our educational philosophy since 1973

Student attentivley listens in class.

Hone your academic inquiry skills and make interdisciplinary connnections in your First-year Seminar class.

"I developed Youth Culture, my first year seminar, to be an interdisciplinary course. The course takes theoretical texts and objects of study from Media Studies, Literature, Music, Art, and Cultural Studies."

Elizabeth Affuso

Professor of Media Studies

Explore First-Year Seminars
15 Students

Our average First-Year Seminar class size.

With topics as varied and vibrant as our community, our interdisciplinary First-Year Seminars are your gateway to becoming a critical thinker, equipped to navigate and articulate the complexities of our world. 

Our First-Year Seminars are open to Pitzer students only in the fall semester of your first year.  

On Tuesday and Thursday, from 11-12:15, you will gather with your seminar classmates and instrcutor to engage in thought-provoking discussions, hone your writing skills, and be challenged to think critically and creatively. Your seminar's small class size fosters a tight-knit learning environment, encouraging every voice to be heard and valued. 
 

students cook in the demonstration kitchen during a first year seminar
First-Year Seminar 'La Familia' class cooks in the West Hall demonstration kitchen.

Some recent First-Year Seminar topics include: 

  • Art in the Age of Protest
  • Behave: the Biology of Why We Do What We Do
  • Represenation Matters: Contested Monuments of Public Space
  • Histories of Health and the Environment

Your First-Year Seminar instructor will also act as your academic adviser, until you declare a major. Not only will they help you get accustomed to college academics, they will help you forge your academic path. 

Contact Us

portrait of sumangala bhattacharya
Sumangala Bhattacharya
  • Professor of English and World Literature
  • English and World Literature Field Group
  • First-Year Seminar Director

Scott Hall 203

Contact Professor