Collegiate Seminar

In their Collegiate Seminar classes, Saint Mary’s students and faculty, through reading and discussion, explore the great writings that have shaped the thought and imagination of the Western world. In Seminar, students develop skills of analysis through critical reading, critical thinking, thoughtful interpretation and respectful communication. Over time, through this process, they learn to read and discuss important texts with increased understanding and enjoyment.

Classes meet around a seminar table in small groups so that each person can participate actively in the discussion. The faculty discussion leader poses questions about the texts to challenge the students to develop, through the process of careful reading and discussion, defensible interpretations of their own. Students state opinions and uncover assumptions; they present evidence to support their positions or to defend them against objections; they respond to other students’ views, developing points in greater detail, exploring contradictions and ambiguities. Working together in a spirit of cooperation, students learn to reflect upon and refine their ideas. In addition, through substantial writing assignments, students deepen their inquiries into the texts, developing theses supported by cogent analysis based on textual evidence. Their experience with discussion and writing develop skills that Saint Mary’s students use throughout their lives.

Entering transfer students enroll in SEM 327 and take SEM 350 thereafter.

Students matriculating as first-years are subject to the College’s Core Curriculum requirements (see Program of Study). Collegiate Seminar courses comprise a substantial portion of the Habits of Mind requirements. Students are required to take SEM 150 , SEM 250 , and SEM 350 , as follows: SEM 150 in Spring of the first year, SEM 250 in Fall of the second year, and SEM 350 in either long semester of the fourth year.

Collegiate Seminar Vision Statement

Collegiate Seminar seeks to engage Saint Mary’s students in a critical and collaborative encounter with the world of ideas as expressed in great texts of the Western tradition in dialogue with and exposure to its encounter with other traditions. Thereby students become part of the Great Conversation. The Program seeks to help them develop as curious, thoughtful members of an intellectual community. Designed to serve the College’s goals of a liberal education, the Program strives to put students in possession of their powers to think clearly, critically and collaboratively, and articulate their ideas effectively-powers that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

Goals of the Collegiate Seminar

Collegiate Seminar fosters a genuine sense of collegiality and intellectual community by providing an authentic forum for students to meet and partake of a common experience-the reading and discussion of shared texts under the guidance of faculty from all disciplines. Its participants engage in collaborative dialogue with texts whose ideas shape our world. Through careful reading, shared inquiry, and writing, students improve their skills of analysis and communication. During this process students will develop increased appreciation for these great ideas, and grow in their intellectual curiosity, becoming life-long learners and thinkers. Students will be exposed to a variety of ways of knowing, encouraged in their search for meaning, and learn to accept ambiguity while aiming for clarity.

Learning Outcomes

Seminar Specific Learning Outcomes: As a result of their participation in Collegiate Seminar, students will grow in their ability to:

Understand, analyze, and evaluate challenging texts from different genres and periods.
Comprehend the intellectual threads that connect works both backward and forward through history.
Relate the works studied to their own experience and to notions of authentic humanity.
Reflect on prior knowledge and assess one’s own process of learning.

Critical Thinking and Research Practices

Critical thinking is a habit of mind characterized by comprehensive exploration and careful examination of evidence and experiences in order to draw conclusions.

Learning Goal

Students will develop critical thinking skills that enable them to question assumptions, evaluate competing viewpoints, reflect on experiences, and synthesize evidence. Students will accomplish this by engaging in research practices.

Learning Outcomes

The following learning outcomes will be used for course designation and assessment of student learning.

CTRP Learning Outcomes: Students will…

Develop search strategies to systematically map threads of conversation surrounding a project of inquiry; and
Evaluate evidence to determine sources’ assumptions, credibility, context, and/or relevance; and
Draw conclusions based on thorough exploration of evidence; and
Integrate and attribute sources appropriately, adhering to legal, ethical, and disciplinary principles.

Written and Oral Communication

Strong written communication skills are not only essential for academic and professional success but also for empowering and liberating individuals in society.

Learning Goal

Students will develop writing skills that reflect an understanding of the audience and contexts.. Students will also learn to identify the appropriate genre and to adapt their writing format and style to express ideas in a cogent manner.

Learning Outcomes

The following learning outcomes will be used for course designation and assessment of student learning.

Written Communication Learning Outcome: Students will…

Communicate ideas in different personal, professional, public, and academic contexts; and
Write using apt conventions, processes, and rules appropriate to different social, rhetorical, and technological situations.

Oral Communication/Shared Inquiry

Shared inquiry is a process of reasoning together about common texts, questions, and problems, and it is most prominently taught and assessed in the form of oral communication where a dialogic and interactive process fosters active engagement.

Learning Goal

Students will develop and pursue meaningful questions in collaboration with others. To achieve this, students will be able to carefully consider and understand the perspectives and reasoned opinions of others, reconsider their own personal opinion, and develop rhetorical skills inclusive of both verbal and nonverbal communication.

Learning Outcomes

The following learning outcomes will be used for course designation and assessment of student learning.

Shared Inquiry Learning Outcomes: Students will…

Advance probing questions with arguments supported by textual evidence; and
Collaborate in sustained lines of inquiry with a purpose of deepening and broadening perspectives; and
Use verbal and nonverbal communication modes that are contextually appropriate and effective to engage in inclusive and respectful conversations.

Courses

Collegiate Seminar - Lower Division

Collegiate Seminar - Upper Division