First-Year Seminars and Clusters Spring 2008

Get Connected!

Your first year of college is a time of exciting changes and dramatic transitions. Hofstra’s first-year seminars and clusters are designed to get your college experience off to a great start. At the heart of the program are small classes taught by distinguished faculty in areas of interest ranging from accounting to zoology. Not only will these courses introduce you to the intellectual and social life of the University, but — even if you are undecided about a major — they will help you satisfy the General Education requirements for all majors. Once you’ve paid your deposit and looked over the list of seminars and clusters, please go to hofstra.edu/firstyear and give us your top three preferences.

SEMINARS:

Limited to 15 students, first-year seminars allow you to interact in a smaller setting and connect with a faculty member who may become your major adviser depending on what major you choose. We’ve tried to design seminars to fit every interest, from hip-hop to baseball to legal studies to computing.

CLUSTERS:

First-year clusters are usually three courses grouped around a common theme. For example, cluster F1, “Fairy Tale in Literature and Film,” includes courses in film, literature and English composition; F17, “The Psychology of Everyday Life,” contains psychology, philosophy and English courses, and so on. By taking a few courses with the same group of students, you’ll make friends more quickly, form study groups, and come to feel at home on a large campus. Seven first-year clusters — F3, F4, F5, F11, F12, F14, F16 — and many seminars are linked to “living/learning communities.” Residential students enrolled in these clusters may choose to live in a house together in the Netherlands First-Year Complex. Through these vibrant communities, first-year students are exposed to environments that are intellectually stimulating, supportive and conducive to building lasting friendships and academic excellence.

It’s All About New York:

When you look over the seminars and clusters, you’ll notice that many of them involve activities in New York City. We want all our students – especially our first-year students – to be comfortable getting in and out of “the city.” To that end, seminar and cluster faculty accompany their students to related events in New York City.  Thus, the music, dance and drama students attend performances; the science students visit museums and laboratories; the politics students attend lectures, visit government offices, etc. In essence, these first-year seminars and clusters will help you navigate the city and make it your own.

Why Enroll in a First-Year Seminar or Cluster?

Whether in a seminar or a cluster, you will get to know a diverse group of people in a relaxed and friendly setting, and you’ll get to know your way around campus. What’s more, both seminar and cluster classes satisfy your University-wide distribution requirements for graduation.  Regardless of which of the University’s schools you ultimately enroll in and no matter what your eventual major, these courses will count toward your degree and your major.

Time to Choose!

After you have looked over the brochure—either in print or online—please go online and send us your top three choices in seminars and clusters. They might be three seminars, or three clusters, or a mix of the two.  We can’t always guarantee you your first choice, but we will do all we can to enroll you in one of the top three you indicate. Then, when you come to one of the summer orientation sessions, you’ll sit down with an adviser and complete the rest of your fall schedule (at that time you’re welcome to change to a different first-year seminar or cluster). If you have questions about fall courses now or at any time, simply call the Center for University Advisement at (516) 463-6770.