<p>Finally posted these. Found it by accident. Here's the link.</p>
<p>Wow! That was fast. I don’t remember them coming out so early last year.</p>
<p>If some of the “old hands” could look over the list and offer some insights as to the professors who are giving the courses…I’m sure our 15’ers would appreciate it. :D</p>
<p>I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend 118 Groves of Academe. Yes, the syllabus is intense and it is more on the work heavy side for FYS’s, but you will learn to write and learn to work on a college level. That class was a great ‘college boot camp’ and if you’re unsure of your high school writing preparation, then I highly suggest it.</p>
<p>Wow, a lot of really great professors are teaching FYSes this fall! I’ll throw some names out - Susan Van Dyne, Pat Skarda, Bill Oram, Pat Coby, Kiki Gounaridou.</p>
<p>Also Reacting to the Past is incredible and I am wicked jealous of however gets to take it with Pat Coby.</p>
<p>Kim Kono is pretty incredible, too - so jealous that she’s offering From Edo to Tokyo as a FYS this year!
Also jealous of Physics for Future Presidents, offered by Nat Fortune - I’ve met him at a few Physics events and talks and he makes me want to take Physics, and I’m definitely not a Physics person.</p>
<p>Physics for Future Presidents sounds like a great course. Wish they had offeredt hat when I was a first year. </p>
<p>Everyone should just keep in mind that you’re not required to take an FYS, and your entire collegiate future will not be destroyed if you do not take one. So if a few appeal to you you should go for it, but don’t stress over it if you’d rather do something else.</p>
<p>Nat Fortune is a great professor who clearly loves his subject, though this is the first time he’s taught that seminar, so it might be a bit bumpy to start off.</p>
<p>Reacting to the Past is incredible and was absolutely one of the best classes I’ve taken this year. It is very intense and you do become very involved in the role you play, but it works wonders for public speaking and persuasive writing skills. Plus, it’s just plain fun, and with Pat Coby teaching it, it should be particularly good. You also get very close to your peers. All of my closest Smith friends are my Reacting classmates. :)</p>
<p>I’ve looked over the FYS and there are a few that I really want to take. Are we only allowed to take one FYS? Or can we take more than one? The From Edo to Tokyo and the Reacting to the Past classes sound amazing.</p>
<p>you technically can take as many as you want, but I should make two notes:
- All FYS’s are writing intensive. You will be doing a bunch of reading/writing/work. To take on two at once is a great deal of work, and should NOT be taken lightly
- FYS’s are capped at 14 or 16 students(someone correct me either way) and many many many people want to take them. Normally, they fill up quickly, so the chances of getting two are a bit slim, especially when it comes to the more popular ones like Turning Points, Rebellious Women, and Reacting to the Past.</p>
<p>As of today(5/25) they have also posted the times and days for the FYS so you can get a “rough” idea of scheduling. </p>
<p>Question to upperclass and alums: do they post on the schedule site numbers of kids who have signed up for a class as well as classes that are closed, or full? Thanks(asking this for all courses, not FYS).</p>
<p>They don’t post that on the course catalog on the Smith.edu website, but you can see it if you search the course catalog on BannerWeb. Eventually, you’ll go through BannerWeb to actually sign up for your courses, but you may be able to at least see the course list there now. Keep in mind that the BannerWeb course list does not give descriptions of the courses (or at least it didn’t the last time I used it) like the smith.edu course catalog does.</p>
<p>^What S&P said. :)</p>
<p>I’d like to put in a plug for Turning Points with SVD. I took it this year and loved it. It offered a really interesting opportunity to reflect on the changes that were going on in my life. Even better, we got to spend time in the UNBEATABLE Sophia Smith Archives, and learn about Smith History which is really to use a Smith classic “empowering.” Feel free to PM w/ questions</p>
<p>Did anyone take Rebellious Women with Kelly Anderson?</p>
<p>Can anyone offer opinions on Envisioning the Wasteland (Reeves); Ambition and Adultery (Gorra); Utopia and Human Nature (Oram); On Display (Kellum); Love Stories (Hai); and Israel Texts and Contexts (Cammy)?</p>
<p>I’ve had some experience with Hai, and while I don’t think she’s a “This professor is completely brilliant and has changed my life” sort of instructor, I think she would be a great professor for a first-year seminar. She is really thoughtful, organized and always makes her material relatable. She is also good at talking you through the editing process, I’ve heard.</p>
<p>Collegefreedom; I definitely, hands down, recommend Justin Cammy as a professor. I’ve taken two classes with him my first year (onto my third in the fall) and he is absolutely brilliant. He is, however, challenging and will make you work for your grade…but that is what makes his class all the more enjoyable and can be said about any professor at Smith. :)</p>
<p>Plus, he’s hilarious.</p>
<p>Oram is a very popular English professor, mostly known for the course he teaches on Shakespeare, I’m sure that would be very interesting. Cammy I know is well beloved from the religion department. I had a friend that took his class on Jewish satire that she adored, but he assigns a lot of reading and he does make you work for it.</p>
<p>Ditto on S&P’s review on Cammy. The reading is really piled on, but it’s awesome how it comes together at the end of the semester in a nice bow. He’s pretty much the poster-child for all things related to the Jewish Studies department, and is involved with the Comparative Literature department for Jewish literature.</p>