Small classes and research experience for new undergraduates: a first‐year seminar programme in a geography department

Abstract

This paper describes the history and evolution of the First Year Seminar at Dartmouth College and the special qualities that Dartmouth's programme offers its incoming class. These limited‐enrolment classes act as antidotes to the large class typical of many first‐year courses. They also intensify the intellectual experience of the first few terms at university. The First Year Seminar provides all incoming students with a course early in their degree programme that involves independent written research, small‐group discussion, regular and rapid feedback and, frequently, oral presentation. One of the main aims of this type of seminar is to offer a taste of the demands and scholarship characteristic of upper‐level courses. In terms of Geography, students often arrive at North American universities ignorant of the discipline. At Dartmouth, First Year Seminars serve a special function as a first exposure to geography and as an important entry point into the Geography major.

Keywords:

• First‐year students
• study skills
• seminars
• geography