College Seminar stands as the signature course for students in the College of Arts and Letters. Usually taken as a sophomore, it provides a singular learning experience by concentrating attention upon a particular theme, consisting of a great idea or a significant issue. Students choose the section they prefer from such offerings as "Faith, Doubt, and Reason," "Society and Environment," "Meaning in Music," "Poverty and Politics," "Religion in China," "The Theatre of Virtue," and "Justice and Conscience." A small class size, an emphasis on innovative classroom dynamics, a multi-disciplinary approach, and an intensive oral format, serve to define this course. While examining, through in-depth conversation, various dimensions of the topic at hand, College Seminar is designed to help students develop important leadership skills and intellectual habits, fundamental to pursuing knowledge in any domain, including techniques of analysis, interpretation, conceptualization, and articulation.

Patrick Gaffney, Joseph Morahan Director of the College Seminar Program