<p>The list of first year seminars is available. Any thoughts from alums, parents or current students on the seminars in general? Any ‘must-take’ seminars or professors? Thank you</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.brown.edu/academics/college/degree/sites/brown.edu.academics.college.degree/files/uploads/2014-15_FYS.pdf”>http://www.brown.edu/academics/college/degree/sites/brown.edu.academics.college.degree/files/uploads/2014-15_FYS.pdf</a></p>
<p>Arnold Weinstein, comp lit, one of Brown’s best profs, is teaching Rites of Passage. I thought he’d retired. He’s great.
I’ve heard good things about Luther Spoehr, education, teaching The Campus on Fire.
Don’t know about his teaching, but Kurt Teichert has done some interesting things at Brown, and if you’re interested in environmental stuff, he’s a good guy to know.
I’ve heard Wendy Schiller, poli sci, speak on several occasions. Engaging, witty speaker, knows her stuff. The course she’s teaching sounds a little dry (to me).</p>
<p>@fireandrain much appreciated! Very helpful post.</p>
<p>I should add that I only mentioned the profs I’ve heard of or know something about. It’s very possible that every FYI is taught by an amazing professor – don’t assume that those I didn’t mention aren’t great. </p>
<p>Also, do you know about The Critical Review? You need your Brown username and password to access it – which you will get if you haven’t already. It’s online reviews of Brown classes. Really valuable, for the classes that have been reviewed. </p>
<p>My son took the course taught by Omar Bartov on the Holocaust. He thought it was amazing. Bartov is one of the leading scholars on that subject matter. S is a STEM guy but wanted to do his FYS in another field. Also, that course took care of his WRIT requirement, although he’s taken many lit and history classes since that would have done the same.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I’m not taking a FYS at Brown. I’m just doing some research for my daughter. I’ll pass along the information on Critical Review and Bartov’s class. Sounds fascinating. Thank you!</p>
<p>@arwarw, i’d like to take a bunch of those courses myself! My son will be a meiklejohn advisor for the second time. Maybe your daughter will be one of his advisees 
He really enjoyed mentoring freshmen last year. It’s a great program. The meiklejohns get a lot of training.</p>
<p>My one regret about our student’s Brown experience is that she never took a first year seminar. She signed up for one in the fall, but dropped it because of the professor. (He retired in 2013, but should have done so earlier.) There were fewer seminars of interest in the spring, and she had several technical electives that she needed to take, so she ended up not taking a first year seminar. I hope that your student has better luck. </p>
<p>Anyone know anything about the Medicinal Basis of Plants FYS? Sounds like it could be a course about growing funny stuff? My son is trying to decide between the Holocaust, the HIV/AIDS and this medicinal basis of plant FYS. thanks</p>
<p>Botanical roots? That’s a classic FYS, been around for many years. I’ve heard it’s lots of fun, and the professor is very engaging.</p>
<p>what about the freshman seminar : Warriors, Lovers, and Saints: The Middle Eastern Story-Cycle in Historical Context
does anyone know some good history courses to take and what good advisors teach it</p>
<p>when will we hear from the lottery for our placement</p>
<p>You’ll probably hear in early August.</p>
<p>The wording of their latest advising email sounded like we would hear before/during the second round of the lottery.</p>
<p>My son ended up signing up for the Misuse of Scientific Information by Cornelia Dean. She is a highly acclaimed NY Times writer. The Botanical Roots of Modern Medicine has a lab section and he already will have at least one lab course. The FYS list did not include course day/time which was a little problematic as he is a recruited athlete and can miss some practices for classes (chem labs, etc) when unavoidable, but since there were so many of the FYS that he would like to take, he would have taken that into account when he signed up if he had known which met during his practices. I seem to remember that some of these only meet once a week, but for 3 hours one afternoon a week. Is there a place to see when these FYS actually meet? </p>
<p>search on mocha comes up with this: <a href=“mochacourses.com - This website is for sale! - mochacourses Resources and Information.”>Loading...;
<p>Your son should be exploring Mocha for class listings, etc. </p>
<p>ok, thanks! He will have to hope to get something in the second round as he will not be able to take a FYS that meets two afternoons a week. He can miss one afternoon a week and probably will have to for his chem lab, but missing 3 afternoons a week as an athlete is not gonna fly. </p>
<p>I got Margary Martin for Empowering Youth: Insights from Research on Urban Adolescents and Jin Li as a CAP advisor. Any thoughts on these two professors? </p>
<p>borrawin, how do you know who your CAP advisor is? I was placed in a CAP course, but I don’t see any advisor…</p>
<p>@lslibkids if you are registered for a CAP course your professor is your advisor.</p>