The First Year Seminar (FYS) is a small seminar-style class that all entering first-year students take during their first year at TCNJ. The course enables students to work closely with a professor and their fellow students on a topic of their choosing outside of your major. It offers students an opportunity to engage in an intellectually exciting and challenging experience during their first year of college.
Each year, there are around 70 unique topics for the FYS. First-year students who start at TCNJ in the Fall choose six sections of the FYS that they find most interesting. Students who place out of WRI 102 will be enrolled in the Fall in one of their six FYS choices that fits their schedule (the only exception would be if none of the sections fit their schedule). Those placing into WRI 102 take that course in the Fall and the FYS in the Spring, registering themselves into a section of FYS of their choosing.
The FYS is a stand-alone requirement within the College Core Program; it does not count toward fulfillment of major requirements or any of the domain requirements of College Core, but the FYS may satisfy one of the Civic Responsibilities. There are five course numbers for FYSs that indicate whether they meet a Civic Responsibility:
- FYS 161 sections meet only the FYS learning goals.
- FYS 162 sections meet FYS learning goals and goals associated with the Race & Ethnicity civic responsibility.
- FYS 163 sections meet FYS learning goals and goals associated with the Gender civic responsibility.
- FYS 164 sections meet FYS learning goals and goals associated with the Global Engagement civic responsibility.
Most students are allowed to take any of these courses, but some majors require that students take FYS courses that meet a civic responsibility (please consult your first semester sequence for guidance about whether you need to take a particular course).
For more information about the FYS, including the sections being offered please visit the First Year Seminar web site.