Faculty for Freshman Seminars

  Ungraded freshmen seminars, introduced in 1959, were intended to introduce new College students to faculty members and to a...

 

Ungraded freshmen seminars, introduced in 1959, were intended to introduce new College students to faculty members and to a subject of their choice—an opportunity for real intellectual exploration. But the number of courses offered peaked at about five dozen in the late 1970s and declined to just 33, accommodating barely a quarter of each class, in the 2000-2001 academic year, when Faculty of Arts and Sciences dean Jeremy R. Knowles proposed reinvigorating the program and then-dean for undergraduate education Susan G. Pedersen accelerated recruiting of faculty members to teach the seminars. Harvard College dean Benedict H. Gross reported on the current state of affairs in March: 133 seminars offered last academic year and this—enough to accommodate nearly every first-year student, if they are all interested—and with dramatic gains in teaching participation by faculty members, both tenured professors and those in the junior (“ladder”) ranks.

Most popular

Harvard Research Funding Will Resume, Government Signals

Notices of grant reinstatements follow a court ruling, but the Trump administration could still appeal. 

Paolo Pasco and the art of making crosswords

Paolo Pasco and the art of making crosswords

How MAGA Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.

Explore More From Current Issue

Julie Riew, wearing a white dress, playing guitar and singing into a microphone on stage.

Bringing Korean Stories to Life

Composer Julia Riew writes the musicals she needed to see.

David McCord in suit reading a book at cluttered wooden desk in office filled with framed art and shelves.

The Pump Celebrates Its 85th Birthday

Giving Harvard traditions their due 

Room filled with furniture made from tightly rolled newspaper sheets.

A Paper House in Massachusetts

The 1920s Rockport cottage reflects resourceful ingenuity.