<p>Parents of Bama-bound froshies: Did y’all get the email re Freshman Learning groups? It sounds like a really fun way to integrate the kids into the Bama experience, so they won’t feel completely overwhelmed. I saw several topics my DS would love: the one about anime and Bollywood; the one about how historical movies misrepresent history; and maybe the “college success” one (more boring but more practical!). </p>
<p>I love the way Bama takes pains to give kids a “small college” experience within the Big School context, so they won’t completely freak out!</p>
<p>My daughter received the email this morning. Here is part of it. Perhaps the email is tied to signing up for Bama Bound.</p>
<p>Congratulations of your acceptance to The University of Alabama! You have already taken a positive step by registering for Bama Bound, our freshman orientation. One of the new and wonderful ways for you to take advantage of all that the University has to offer is to join a Freshman Learning Community (FLC) or to enroll in a Freshman Seminar. Both are excellent ways to find a special sense of home on the UA campus. </p>
<p>Lady Dianeski, which one of the FLE is your son most interested in?</p>
<p>If you took Outdoor Action and did a FLC with 5 classes, is that going to put you over the maximum number of hours and require an additional tuition payment?</p>
<p>Cuttlefish, I haven’t asked him yet. The email came to a family addy, and I saw it before he did. I’m going to discuss it with him at dinner in a few minutes. (Yes, I get too hungry for dinner at 8…but unfortunately my workday ran long today!)</p>
<p>The one he should do is the “college success” one. But I think he’ll probably do either the anime/Bollywood one or the historical movies one. I kind of hope he does the latter–at least it relates to his major! </p>
<p>loring and anyone else who hasn’t seen the email yet: Email me at <a href="mailto:johnpaulsteve@gmail.com">johnpaulsteve@gmail.com</a>, and I’ll be happy to forward it! :D</p>
<p>BTW, I am totally open to emails from my Bama buds at this sub-forum. The addies I check most often are <a href="mailto:diane_kamer@yahoo.com">diane_kamer@yahoo.com</a> and <a href="mailto:johnpaulsteve@gmail.com">johnpaulsteve@gmail.com</a>. (The latter is named for the men in my life…I am outnumbered in my “testosterhome,” LOL!)</p>
<p>So, are these FLC seminars for credit, then? I just assumed they were more for fun and fellowship. (I guess I find it hard to take a course on anime completely seriously!)</p>
<p>Chances are we haven’t received the email because DS has not yet signed up for Bama Bound. Tomorrow he hopes to secure a dorm room. I’ll suggest he get on the stick about Bama Bound soon.</p>
<p>BTWm just checked the Freshman Seminars, the other option. I think the Freshman Learning Communities sound like a better bet for my son, but he’ll decide for himself.</p>
<p>One of the Freshman Seminars did sound right up his alley, though – the one about the dramatic European cultural shifts that occurred with WWI and WWII. That’s precisely the sort of thing my son loves…and why he’s a born history major. (I recently asked him if he really and truly wanted to major in history–or was he simply being influenced by his hostorian dad? He responded, “Why do you think I read about history for fun?” LOL, he’s got the bug, I guess. His latest kick is reading about the Brehon Laws in medieval Ireland. [No, I had never heard about them before my son told me about them.] Now he’s reading something called the Triads, which was eventually incorporated into the Brehon Laws as an addendum, kind of like the Talmud to the Torah or whatever.)</p>
<p>OK, enough rambling. Time for din-din! Later, gators!</p>
<p>Here’s virtually the entire email about the Freshman LCs and seminars:</p>
<hr>
<p>One of the new and wonderful ways for you to take advantage of all that the University has to offer is to join a Freshman Learning Community (FLC) or to enroll in a Freshman Seminar. Both are excellent ways to find a special sense of home on the UA campus. </p>
<p>Freshman Learning Communities are groups of 10-15 students who share a common interest in a particular topic or theme. An advantage of signing up for a Freshman Learning Community is that many of your classes are pre-selected. It is a wonderful feeling to arrive at orientation and know that classes have been reserved especially for you. This fall, we are offering you more than 50 different communities from which you may select the one that is most interesting to you. Please go to [Home[/url</a>] to check out all of the possibilities and log-in to myBama to apply for the one that suits you best. </p>
<p>To apply, log-in to your myBama account at <a href=“http://www.mybama.ua.edu%5B/url%5D”>www.mybama.ua.edu](<a href=“http://www.flc.ua.edu%5DHome%5B/url”>http://www.flc.ua.edu)</a>, click on the Academics tab and under the Undergraduate Admissions heading on the right, select the Freshmen Learning Communities link.</p>
<p>Another way to get the small classroom experience is to register for a Freshman Seminar. These seminars are designed with a similar goal of engaging students in meaningful relationships with their faculty and peers, however, these seminars are not linked with other courses. For more information about Freshman Seminars, visit <a href=“http://www.provost.ua.edu%5B/url%5D”>www.provost.ua.edu</a> and click on the Freshman Seminars link under the Information tab. </p>
<p>Whichever route you choose, Freshman Learning Communities or Freshmen Seminars will help you achieve your first semester goals at UA!</p>
<p>When is the specific info on fall 2011 freshman seminars posted? The ones on the link said “current” does that mean this semester?
I don’t think S will be interested in the FLC’s - he’s doesn’t need English(although I see you can opt out of that) and I think he would prefer to choose his class times (late). The Freshman seminars look interesting.</p>
<p>Idinct – I think the courses listed at the flc site are all for fall 2011. Each flc class is one credit – so it’s basically just for fun and fellowship plus a way to explore potential majors. DS is signing up for the History & Hollywood FLC, which is right up his alley. The professor who teaches it is a medievalist, and we Kamers have a soft spot for medievalists. (DH has doctorate in Byzantine history, and Byzantinists are by definition medievalists, because the Byzantine Empire fell in 1453.)</p>
<p>Anyway…enough of this lunch-time rambling; time to get back to work!!</p>
<p>Are the classes linked to FLC 101 also small classes (10-20 students) or are they regular sections? For example, is EN 101 the typical large seminar class?</p>
<p>Same way you register for other classes. When registration time comes you look up the seminar you’re interested in via the course listings and select it if there’s an opening.</p>
<p>Riggo—just call or email Pam Derrick and give her your CWID, and she’ll sign you up.</p>
<p>From the site:</p>
<p>We welcome your comments and questions. Please direct any inquiries to Ms. Pamela Derrick at 205-348-2099 or contact us via email at <a href=“mailto:flc@ua.edu”>flc@ua.edu</a>.</p>
<p>We emailed Pam, she asked forJohn’s CWID, and presto, he was signed up. :D</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>(It was a LOT easier than room selection, LOL.)</p>
<p>*Are the classes linked to FLC 101 also small classes (10-20 students) or are they regular sections? For example, is EN 101 the typical large seminar class?</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>None of the English writing classes are large because the profs have to do soooo much work reading/grading essays. The classes are usually capped at 25 students. The 300 level courses with the W designations are probably also similarly capped. UHP 300 W classes are even smaller.</p>