First-year Seminar Program

Winter Quarter 2025 Enrollment Information

First-year Seminars are open first to all first-year students including first-year freshman with sophomore standing during the first-year student enrollment period. Incoming first-year students with sophomore standing should use the campus Course Pre-Authorization system to be cleared to enroll in a seminar and then use WebReg to enroll in seminars during your enrollment time.

Early enrollment is encouraged due to the small class size.

Visit the Schedule of Classes to see enrollments (select all departments and 87.) Use WebReg to enroll in seminars during your enrollment period.

Sophomores may enroll directly in first-year seminars by using WebReg after the freshman enrollment period and if seats are available.

Please use the campus Course Pre-Authorization system if you have an enrollment question.

Please use the Virtual Advising Center, VAC to contact the advisor of the department or program offering the seminar for all non-enrollment questions.

Department of Anthropology

Mapping Capitalism
ANTH 87 A00
Section ID: 795649
Pedersen, David (dpedersen@ucsd.edu)
Location: SSB 102
Wednesdays, 11:00 p.m. to 11:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

This course introduces students to the study of ‘capitalism’ not just as an economic arrangement, but also as a deeply cultural, historical, and political way of organizing life (human and otherwise) on the planet. We will examine different ways that scholars have ‘mapped’ capitalism. By approaching the issue as one of map-making, we will appreciate that the diverse ways of describing, explaining, and representing capitalism always involves a process of purposeful selection. No map can show everything. What is shown in any particular account is what is necessary to get to a particular destination. With respect to capitalism, this course asks three kinds of questions: What are these destinations? Are we there yet? Where would you like to go?

Division of Biological Sciences

Mighty Microbes: Their Lives and Times
BILD 87 A00
Section ID: 757714
Saier, Milton (msaier@ucsd.edu)
Location: APM 3880
Tuesdays, 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

This freshman seminar will focus on many aspect of microbiology including: how they communicate, how they swim, how they signal, how they respond to pain and pleasure, and many other topics. Students will be asked to organize a short presentation or a class discussion on a topic of interest to them.

The Philosophy of Science and the Science of the Supernatural
BILD 87 B00
Section ID: 757715
Saier, Milton (msaier@ucsd.edu)
Location: APM 3880
Thursdays, 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

This seminar will consider the philosophy of science and the science of faith. Topics to be included are: 1. The Creation Story 2. The Ptolemaic Universe 3. How to explain the supernatural 4. Copernicus and Galileo 5. Kepler's analyses 6. Sir Isaac Newton 7. Darwin and Evolution 8. Koch's Postulates 9. Mental illness 10. The Scientific Method.

Department of Classical Studies

Jesus in Word and Deed
CLAS 87 A00
Section ID: 736801
Herbst, Matthew (mtherbst@ucsd.edu)
Location: ERCA 201
Wednesdays, 3:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

The life of Jesus of Nazareth has had a profound influence on world history over the past two millennia. Explanations and conceptions of Jesus have been essential to community formation and definition. These images have inspired artists, authors, and advocates across the globe, from past to present. Yet, these explanations and conceptions have also greatly differed. This seminar explores diverse (and competing) ways that Jesus has been explained and portrayed (in history, theology, community expression, etc.) as well as how these conceptions have influenced action, from early Christian martyrs to modern civil rights leaders.

Department of Cognitive Science

How Minds & Cultures Make Religion & Superstition
COGS 87 A00
Section ID: 737335
Deak, Gedeon (gdeak@ucsd.edu)
Location: CSB 180
Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

Why do humans, individually and in groups, attribute natural events to supernatural agents? How does the human brain accept religious beliefs, even in the face of contradictory evidence? We will examine how cognitive, developmental, and cultural factors work together to cause humans to believe in the supernatural.

Department of Communication

Listening Critically to Popular Music
COMM 87 A00
Section ID: 795241
Serlin, David (dserlin@ucsd.edu)
Location: MCC 133
Mondays, 1:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet Weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8

In this first-year seminar, we will listen to and discuss the development of popular music since the early 20th century to show how music can be both a cultural and technological phenomenon. We will develop critical tools for not only listening to music but thinking about popular recordings in terms of changing ideas about recording, production, distribution, and consumption, including how different formats--from early vinyl records to radio to the latest digital forms on the internet--have made popular music available to listeners and consumers. This is an opportunity to learn something about the history of popular music while also learning about the economic, social, and political dimensions of technology as they have evolved over time.

Department of Computer Science & Engineering

Neural Networks as Models of the Mind
CSE 87 B00
Section ID: 739036
Cottrell, Garrison (gcottrell@ucsd.edu)
Location: EBU3B B240
Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

We investigate how neural networks can be used to model how we see, read, remember, and learn. We use simple demonstration programs that implement these models. We teach a neural network to recognize faces, facial expressions, and gender. We also get some insight into the latest trends in neural networks, Deep Learning.

Tracking Viral Epidemics
CSE 87 A00
Section ID: 738901
Moshiri, Niema (a1moshiri@ucsd.edu)
Location: EBU3B 2154
Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

How can epidemiologists track the spread of a virus? As sequencing technologies become increasingly affordable and accurate, the analysis of viral genome sequence data is becoming increasingly commonplace in epidemiology. We will learn how to use bioinformatics tools to study the evolution of viruses and to conduct real-world molecular epidemiological analyses.

Film Studies

Banned Films
FILM 87 A00
Section ID: 745666
Rahimi, Babak (brahimi@ucsd.edu)
Location: MCC 221
Tuesdays, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

This seminar examines the relationship between law, politics and cinema and why governments have banned certain films throughout history. We will examine films such as This is Not a Film, Sweetness of Spirit, Battleship Potemkin, LAge dOr, The Bohemian Girl, Clockwork Orange, Goldfinger and others.

What Film Can Teach Us About Life
FILM 87 B00
Section ID: 745671
Rahimi, Babak (brahimi@ucsd.edu)
Location: MCC 221
Tuesdays, 3:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

This seminar is about how film can reflect and change our lives. We will discuss movies such as: I Love you, Beth Cooper,American Beauty, Sliding doors, Seventh Seal, Happiness, La Dolce Vita, Taste of Cherry, Do the Right Thing, Christmas Story and others.

Department of History

Global History of Drugs
HITO 87 D00
Section ID: 747571
Edington, Claire (cedington@ucsd.edu)
Location: RWAC 0846
Thursdays, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

This seminar introduces students to the history of drugs from a global perspective. Topics include the opium trade in Asia, the origins of international drug control, the war on drugs in the United States and Latin America and the rise of the pharmaceutical industry, as well as the recent opioid epidemic.

What Is Socialism? (And What Isn't)
HITO 87 B00
Section ID: 747569
Patterson, Patrick (p1patterson@ucsd.edu)
Location: RWAC 0846
Mondays, 5:00 p.m. to 6:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet Weeks 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6/January 6, 13, 27 and February 3 and 10.

Socialism has recently become a very hot topic in American politics -- something that people are fighting for and fighting against. Conservatives, libertarians, and others on the political "right" continue their long tradition of rejecting as "socialism" a wide range of policies they do not like. But many progressives and others on the "left," inspired by Bernie Sanders and like-minded activists, have recently started to embrace this label (after running away from it in the past).

Why Do Europeans Love and Hate America?
HITO 87 C00
Section ID: 747570
Patterson, Patrick (p1patterson@ucsd.edu)
Location: RWAC 0846
Mondays, 3:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet Weeks 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6/January 6, 13, 27 and February 3 and 10.

"Americanization" and "McDonaldization" in Europe spark controversy and even violent protests. Many treat imports of American culture with disgust. Yet the US is also admired, even loved, and demand for American things remains strong. We will study key forms of and resistance to Americanization.

Women Workers in Pre-1949 Shanghai Factories
HITO 87 E00
Section ID: 747573
Schneewind, Sarah (sschneewind@ucsd.edu)

We will read historian Emily Honig's wonderful study, Sisters and Strangers: Women in the Shanghai Cotton Mills, 1919-1949 (Stanford University Press, 1986). Based on interviews and archives, the book describes and analyzes the social, family, work, religious, and political lives of young women workers. It provides an excellent model of historical research, thought, and writing.

Department of Literature

Asian Horror
LTCS 87 B00
Section ID: 795239
Nguyen, Hoang (htn057@ucsd.edu)
Location: RWAC 0374
Thursdays, 12:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

The course focuses on the explosion of horror, thriller, and suspense movies across Asia in the new millennium. Our investigation of this wildly popular genre will be framed by the politics of gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, and national identity. Case studies will include productions from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. Students willl learn foundational skills in formal film analysis.

Love at First Sight
LTCS 87 A00
Section ID: 795238
Nguyen, Hoang (htn057@ucsd.edu)
Location: RWAC 0374
Tuesdays, 12:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

The course looks at the relationship between love and time in contemporary romantic comedies. It examines rom-com relationships that follow traditional life courses and those that reject romantic chronology altogether. Films may include How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 50 First Dates, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, I Give It A Year, and Weekend. Students will learn foundational skills in film analysis.

Department of Mathematics

Mathematics and Science in Fiction
MATH 87 A00
Section ID: 795962
Rabin, Jeffrey (jrabin@ucsd.edu)
Location: APM 7321
Tuesdays, 3:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet Jan 14, 21, 28, Feb 4, 11, 18, 25, Mar 4

How are mathematics and science used as plot elements, metaphors and thematic ideas in fiction? What makes a fictional character a believable mathematician or scientist? We'll read and discuss examples ranging from traditional science fiction to the plays of Tom Stoppard. No formal background in math/science is required.

Department of Physics

Introduction to LaTeX: typeset your own science/engineering papers
PHYS 87 A00
Section ID: 796262
Ben, Grinstein (bgrinstein@ucsd.ed)
Location: MYR-A 4623
Wednesdays, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

LaTeX is the standard mark-up language for professional typesetting of scientific and engineering documents (from papers to books). This is a hands on seminar, covering from LaTeX and editor installation to producing a document with tables, figures and equations. Students have a choice to work on their laptops or use computers in the computer lab.

Department of Political Science

Data literacy: how not to be fooled by data
POLI 87 A00
Section ID: 799971
Mignozzetti, Umberto (uguarniermignozzetti@ucsd.edu)
Location: SSB 104
Fridays, 3:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet weeks 3 (1/24), 4 (1/31), 5 (2/7), and 6 (2/14

Data Literacy will equip participants with essential skills to navigate data-rich environments. It encompassing understand data fundamentals, sourcing, management, and ethics. It will teach descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, exploratory data analysis, and definitions of causal effect. All these skills will be taught only using intuitive thinking, without the need for math or software. This seminar aims at empowering first-year students to analyze, interpret, and make informed de

Revelle College

The Bhagavad Gita
REV 87 A00
Section ID: 794931
Markman, Kristina (kmarkman@ucsd.edu)
Location: TBA
Wednesdays, 12:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Seminar will meet Weeks 2-6

This seminar offers a close reading and discussion of one of the most significant ancient Hindu texts - the Bhagavad Gita. Participants will gain an understanding of the historical and cultural context of the Bhagavad Gita, explore its central themes of duty, righteousness, and the nature of existence, and engage in discussions that encourage critical thinking and personal reflection. Discussions will focus on comparative analysis with Western texts, including the Homeric epics, Hebrew and Greek scripture, and Greco-Roman philosophy. Additionally, students will be encouraged to reflect on the relevance of the Gita’s message to their lives and contemporary society. My goal for this seminar is to demonstrate to students how humanistic questions about existence, morality, governance, knowledge, and identity are explored in different cultures and historical eras, using the Bhagavad Gita as a primary example. By comparing it with Western texts, students will gain insights into diverse perspectives on these fundamental aspects of human life and cultivate a deeper understanding of the human experience across cultures and time periods.

Department of Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Treasures of the Earth: Minerals, Crystals, and Gems
SIO 87 B00
Section ID: 764568
Cook, Geoffrey (gwcook@ucsd.edu)
Location: VAUGN 147
Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

Spectacular specimens and multimedia presentations will introduce students to nature's geologic treasures. Using the mineral kingdom as a platform, students will learn about the fascinating processes and products of the Earth and will gain awareness of their societal importance.

Underwater photography as a tool for science communication
SIO 87 A00
Section ID: 764567
Aburto Oropeza, Marco (maburto@ucsd.edu)
Location: SPIES 330
Tuesdays, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

This course will introduce you to a wide variety of topics related with how photography is used as a tool for marine sciences research, but also as a tool for science communication projects. There will be a review of marine conservation topics, the history of equipment, but also discussions related with successful projects that are using this technology around the world.

Sixth College

Category Is...: Drag Artistry and Self-Expression
CAT 87 B00
Section ID: 795240
Delaville, Romain (rdelaville@ucsd.edu)
Location: CTL B108
Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

This course offers an overview of drag artistry. From its beginnings on the stages of Shakespearean theater through the Vaudeville performances of the early 20th century, the underground ballroom scene of the 1990s, and culminating in the recent visibility of TV shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” we will uncover the influences that have shaped drag into the cultural phenomenon it is today. This journey from the margins to the mainstream will provide a historical backdrop for examining how drag challenges, disrupts, and redefines societal norms of gender, identity, and self-expression. Indeed, beyond its entertainment value, drag is also, and perhaps most importantly, a political project, offering a platform for queer community-building and resistance against systems of oppression. Classroom discussions and workshops will provide a foundation for students to craft their own drag personas in a collaborative and supportive environment that will empower them to experiment, take creative risks, and ultimately allow them to bring their transformed selves to life with confidence and authenticity.

Sing Your Song: Movie Musicals & American Popular Culture
CAT 87 A00
Section ID: 741105
Bronstein, Phoebe (pbronstein@ucsd.edu)
Location: CTL B108
Mondays, 1:00 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

From Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (1930s) to School Daze (1988), Bride and Prejudice (2004), and the upcoming Hamilton movie, live-action movie musicals have long held an important space in American popular culture. Their songs have topped pop charts and they have been huge box office successes, even as the genre itself has evolved and developed. This discussion-based seminar will explore the history of the genre, its adaptation over the last century of filmmaking, and its lasting impact in America.

Department of Theatre & Dance

Architecture and Design of UCSD campus
TDGE 87 A00
Section ID: 760791
Guirguis, Mark (mguirguis@ucsd.edu)
Location: GH 102
Fridays, 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
Meeting Dates: TBA

This seminar will introduce concepts and ideas of architecture and design. This class is intended as an introductory glimpse into the history and future vision of the built environment at UCSD.