When leafing through the course catalog of NAU’s academia, students may find themselves searching for an interesting class. While passing over Biology 100 or Psychology 102, many students may not believe they have more interesting options. However, incoming freshmen have many unique class options they are not aware of.
Luckily, freshmen have an entirely different course program to choose from by participating in a First Year Seminar course. The FS Program is devoted to bringing interesting and engaging classes to the university’s first-year students. Through the FS Program, NAU forms communities and relationships between the students, faculty and university in hopes to create a memorable experience for freshmen and other first year scholars.
NAU has previously offered courses such as, “Sex, Bugs and Rock n Roll”, “This is Your Brain on Music”, “Rereading Harry Potter” and “Yoga Meets Science”. The current spring semester offered classes such as “Comics: Pow! Bam! Biff!” “How to be a Superhero” and “New Mind Yourself”.
According to Barbara Sheeley, an FS course instructor for “New Mind Yourself”, the classes are aimed to engage students with vital, current topics and research right from the start of their college experience.
“In a non-traditional class, I have the freedom to focus on a subject that is extremely important to each of us and incorporate a wide and necessary range of resources and activities in very creative ways,” Sheeley says.
In Sheeley’s class, students study the mind, its habits and the unconscious routines that influence the students’ day-to-day lives. “We also learn science-based mindfulness techniques that support more conscious and coherent behavior,” Sheeley adds.
In explaining how the class functions and how students work together, Sheeley explains, “Just plugging facts into a power point and reading it isn’t acceptable. The skills gained in collaboration, communication, cooperation, creative and critical thinking are valuable preparation for success in the 21st century, in the workplace and in daily life.”
Kevin Glen Ketchner, professor for the FS course “Comics: Pow! Bam! Biff!” can agree with Sheeley’s vision for his course.
“It is my goal for [my course] to be as interesting and engaging as the topic and title suggests,” Ketchner says.
Ketchner realizes his non-traditional course honors the knowledge, interest and passion students bring to class. His course provides structure for students to explore comics as a reflection of society from their humble origins to the best-selling graphic novels of today.
“What makes this course unique is the amount of interest that it has generated among the students,” Ketchner says. “This year we are piloting a blended learning approach that utilizes course management tools and the online environment to maximize engagement and allows for students to explore new ways of learning and encourages them to take responsibility for that learning.”
Co-instructors for the superhero course, Gerald Wood and Samson Swanick, believe that the FS Program allows students to be more involved with their university and grow as individuals.
“It gets the students to become more involved in their community and more engaged in NAU and their experience here,” Swanick says.
Swanick’s approach to teaching his “How to be a Superhero” course is that of organic and humanistic origins, with more discussion, communication and connection between the professor, the students and each other, as well as the community at large.
“[We are] looking to this movement in education to step away from this industrial model and to step more into an organic model of education and enfoldment,” Swanick says, “Our educational institution should be engaging students to grow who they are as people and to be able to creatively express themselves so that they can enrich each other as well as the university.”
Freshman and pre-nursing major Jenna Hodgkiss is a student in the “How to be a Superhero” course. She signed up because of its different description and teaching style than other traditional classes.
“It sounded interesting compared to the other freshmen seminar courses and I thought it was a new way to look at life and different situations,” Hodgkiss says.
While learning about how to become a superhero, Hodgkiss realized the benefits she is gaining by taking this FS course. “It’s completely different than a normal class setting, which is good because it allows us to really get in touch with ourselves. . . and once we get to know ourselves better, we’ll use that to help the world,” Hodgkiss says. “I like it so far, the readings are really interesting and they really make you have a new perspective on life.”
Swanick hopes that through the FS Program students will be able to find their place at NAU. He also hopes incoming freshmen feel connected through the program. Swanick’s hope is that students will want to stay here and contribute to make NAU a better place for everyone.
“[Our goals are] personal growth, find[ing] out more about who they are and becom[ing] more responsible to themselves and to their commitments.” Swanick explains. “One of the biggest problems that freshmen have is having all of this freedom . . . college gives students a lot of freedom and because of that, a lot more power over their lives, but as this class is “How to be a Superhero,” I think it’s appropriate to say that with great power comes great responsibility.”
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