College of Arts & Sciences
College of Arts & Sciences

First-Year Seminars

First-Year Seminars are small, discussion-based courses designed to introduce students to the intellectual community of the College and model the habits of mind central to a Jesuit education: rigorous inquiry, ethical reflection, and engaged dialogue.

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Students at Union Station
Students at the Italian-American Museum
2022 participants at Mt. Vernon standing in front of Washington's home

Features of First-Year Seminars

— Capped at 16-20 students per seminar
— Connect new students to a faculty mentor
— Introduce students to foundational academic skills
— Introduce students to the intellectual life of the university
— Include experiential learning activities

Fall 2026 First-Year Seminars

  • American Lit: The 1960’s with Professor Dennis Williams (English)
  • Borders with Professor Nicoletta Pireddu (Italian)
  • Creative Drawing Techniques with Professor Scott Hutchison (Art and Art History)
  • Creative Resilience with Professor Milena Santoro (French and Francophone Studies)
  • Disability, Culture, and Question of Care with Professor Libbie Rifkin (English)
  • Discovering Culture Through Language with Professor Sylvia Önder (Anthropology)
  • Français Sans Frontières with Professor Aaron Emmitte (French and Francophone Studies)
  • Giro d’Italia with Professor Louise Hipwell (Italian)
  • Grafitti, Murals, and Pixação with Professor Martina Thorne (Spanish and Portuguese)
  • Hager Scholars Program in Literatures, Cultures, and Language Studies with Dean Javier Jimenez Westerman (Office of the Dean)
  • Language, Accent, and Song with Professor Jennifer Nycz (Linguistics)
  • Machines that Speak: How AI is Reshaping Human Language with Professor Joe Cunningham (German)
  • Performing Arts: A Language of Cultural Representation with Professor Anita Gonzalez (Performing Arts)
  • Stories that Shape Us with Professor Jessica Batychenko (English)
  • The Humanities in the Medieval and Early Modern Worlds with Professor Anthony DelDonna (Performing Arts) & Professor Justin Haynes (Classics)
  • The Problem of the Human (Multiple Sections) with Professor Emily Francomano (Spanish/Portuguese), Professor Michelle Wang (Art/Art History), Professor Lioudmila Fedorova (Slavic Languages), Professor Tania Gentic (Spanish/Portuguese)
  • Wordplay with Dean Sue Lorenson, (Office of the Dean)
  • World of the 1001 Nights with Professor Elliott Colla (Arabic and Islamic Studies)
  • Writing, Art, and Silence with Professor Christine Evans (Performing Arts)

  • Becoming Modern: Reason, Sentiment, and Identity in the 18th Century with Professor Tommaso Astarita (History)
  • Creating and Making: The Moral Craft of Life with Professor Michael Kessler (Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs)
  • Five Minutes That Will Make You Love Jazz with Professor Maurice Jackson (History)
  • How to Make a Decision with Professor Peter Folan, SJ (Theology and Religious Studies)
  • How to Read a Difficult Book with Professor Kate Withy (Philosophy)
  • How to Think Well in the Age of AI with Professor Huaping Lu-Adler (Philosophy)
  • Human Flourishing: East and West with Professor Erin Cline (Theology and Religious Studies)
  • Interreligious Encounter with Imam Yahya Hendi & Rabbi Ilana Zietman (Campus Ministry)
  • Magis: The Real Metaverse with Professor Paul Heck (Theology and Religious Studies)
  • Socialism with Professor Michael Kazin (History)
  • The Examined Life Lab with Professor Sherry Kao (Philosophy)
  • The Future of the Catholic Idea with Professor Paul Elie (American Pilgrimage Project)
  • The Global History of Skateboarding with Professor Bryan McCann (History)
  • Witches – Professor Alison Games & Professor Amy Leonard (History)

  • Evolution in Everyday Life with Professor Jennifer Fox (Biology)
  • “Who Cares”: The Political Economy of Care Labor and Human Rights with Professor You-Me Park (Women’s and Gender Studies)
  • Blackness as an Organizing Strategy with Professor Corey Fields (Sociology)
  • Conflict@Georgetown: Finding Meaning in Tension with Eleanor Daugherty, Vice President of Student Affairs and Father Gregory Schenden, S.J., Director of Campus Ministry
  • Identity-Affirming Education as a Tool for Educational Justice with Professor Sabrina Wesley-Nero (Education, Inquiry and Justice)
  • Policed by Code: AI, Inequality, and the Future of Safety with Professor Andrea Headley (McCourt School of Public Policy)
  • Psychology and the Arts with Professor Deborah Stearns (Psychology)
  • Becoming An Adult with Professor Yulia Chentsova-Dutton (Psychology)
  • Randomness, Chance, and Probability with Professor Erblin Mehmetaj (Mathematics and Statistics)
  • States Rule, People Resist with Professor LaiYee Leong (Government)
  • The Declaration at 250 with Professor Anne Cammisa (Government)
  • The First Amendment with Professor Joseph Hartman (Government)
  • Work with Professor Sherry Linkon (American Studies)

In Their Own Words: Reflections on First-Year Seminar Experiences

I loved my first-year seminar. What stood out to me most was how the class created so many chances—both in and out of class—for students to connect with one another. We had three “Decision Labs” during the semester, where we worked together on tasks that asked us to apply what we were learning. Spending that much time collaborating brought us closer, and many of us became good friends.

– Randy Fu, C’29

My First-Year Seminar was a wonderful way to ease into a rigorous university course load, offering a more personal environment for meeting fellow first-years, getting advice from professors, and making friends through class outings and events!

– Lola Avery, C’29

Teaching a First-Year Seminar is the perfect teaching experience. I get to choose a topic that I find fun, important, and interesting; I get to know smart and motivated students, and I have the opportunity to form a supportive and friendly community with them. Working with them as they develop their skills and find their path at the start of their college career is enormously rewarding.

Prof. Tommaso Astarita, Department of History