Collegiate Seminar

Through reading and discussion in their Collegiate Seminar classes, Saint Mary’s students and faculty explore major works that have shaped thought and imagination across time periods and cultures. In Seminar, students develop analytical skills through critical reading, critical thinking, thoughtful interpretation and respectful communication.

Small classes meet around a seminar table 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 their interpretations through the process of shared inquiry.. 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 collaboration, students learn to reflect upon and refine their ideas. 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 develops 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 third or 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. 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.

Governing Board

Hilda H. Ma, PhD, English, Collegiate Seminar Director
David Arndt, PhD, Integral
Catherine Davalos, MFA, Dance
Rebecca Engle, MA, Seminar Informal Curriculum
Susan Marston, EdD, Teacher Education
Barbara A. McGraw, JD, PhD, Leadership, Ethics, and Law
Myrna Santiago, PhD, History
Virginia Smith, MBA, CPA, Collegiate Seminar
Joe Zeccardi, PhD, Center for Writing Across the Curriculum

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.

Critical Thinking

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 through their written work and engagement in class discussions.

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.

Writing in Seminar

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

Learning Goal

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the power of language to shape thought and experience. They will learn to develop their intellectual curiosity through the process of writing and thinking logically, with clarity, and with originality.

Learning Outcomes

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

Written Communication Learning Outcome: Students will…

Be proficient in using the practice of writing to clarify and deepen their own understanding, and to communicate their ideas clearly and persuasively.

Shared Inquiry/Oral Communication

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