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Introductory Seminars: Overview
Introductory Seminars are small-group courses taught by esteemed faculty to freshmen and sophomores. They are offered in a wide range of disciplines, in more than sixty departments and programs and all seven schools of the university. Many fulfill General Education or Writing Requirements.
These courses are an excellent way for students to explore their interests and develop long-term mentoring relationships with faculty. They can also develop critical thinking skills in a specific discipline early in their undergraduate career.
Course Overview
Stanford Introductory Seminars are introductory in the sense that little prior background is expected. Yet they are intended to be real investigations in the methods and materials of a particular discipline. You’ll learn to think like a professional geologist or a musicologist. In some cases, you can explore potential careers — such as psychiatry or financial analysis — that you might not otherwise gain exposure to before graduate school.
All Stanford freshmen, sophomores and first-year transfer students are eligible to apply to any of the introductory seminars. If there are more applications than spaces available, faculty instructors select their class list from among the students who apply.
| Types of Courses | Enrollment Maximum | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman Preference Seminars | 16 | 3 - 5 |
| Sophomore Preference Seminars | 14 | 3 - 5 |
| Sophomore Preference Dialogues | 5 | 1 - 2 |
Application and Enrollment Policies and Procedures
Application deadlines
| Fall Quarter | Noon, Friday, September 4, 2009 |
| Winter Quarter | Noon, Monday, Novemeber 30, 2009 |
| Spring Quarter | Noon, Friday, March 5, 2010 |
Completing and Submitting Your Application
Students apply via our new web site. Choose up to three courses per quarter and complete a separate application for each. If you apply to more than one, you must rank your choices.
Applications typically consist of two questions:
- First, students are asked to describe any experience they have had with the topic. This includes courses they have taken (at college or in high school) which relate to the seminar subject.
- Second, they are asked why they want to participate in this particular Introductory Seminar.
A few seminars may have additional course-specific questions that will appear on the website.
Your application status will be posted as soon as it is available, usually by the first day of classes.
Admission selections may not be posted by the first day of class. If so, students should attend the first class meetings so that they remain on the list of interested applicants.
Wait-listed students should also attend the first class meetings to indicate their ongoing interest and ensure that their spot is not given away
Preferences
Freshmen will have priority for freshman preference courses, but will be admitted to sophomore preference courses if space is available.
Sophomores will have priority for sophomore preference courses, but will be admitted to freshman preference courses if space is available.
First-year transfer students will have the same priority status as sophomores.
Students who have not already participated in a seminar or Sophomore College in a given year will be given admission preference for later quarters.
Tips on Applying
In your application, tell a story about yourself and your interest in the subject. Faculty look for students with diverse backgrounds and attitudes. The better the instructor understands your motivations and approach, the more likely he or she will keep you in mind for the final class list.
Take some time writing your answers to the application questions, composing a well-crafted paragraph or two for each one. Proofread and share your essays with your advisor, family member or friend before submitting your application.
Keep an open mind about what might interest you. Remember that while some seminars are over-subscribed, many others will have spaces available after the application deadline.
Enrolling
Use the class number to enroll in Axess once you have been admitted. Axess enrollment is closed until the selection process concludes.
Students may enroll in only one Introductory Seminar each quarter if the seminars to which they apply have more applications than spaces.
Students selected for more than one course will automatically be admitted to their higher-ranked choice and dropped from the class list in their lower-ranked choice(s). Students may enroll in a second course if spaces are available after the initial sign-up period. Courses with space available classes can be found by searching our course catalog and application web site during the first week of classes for courses with space available.
Students should select and attend alternative classes during the first week in case they are not admitted. Students will be able to find out the status of their application(s) by the end of the first week of the quarter. This allows plenty of time before the deadline to submit study lists.
Why Take an Introductory Seminar?
There are many reasons to consider integrating Introductory Seminars into your course of study.
The big picture starts with a small class
The focused, in-depth environment of a seminar is an ideal place to try out an area of interest. It also allows you to dabble in a field that intrigues you, but that lies outside your primary academic interest. The intimacy of these classes encourages you to stretch yourself by trying on new ways of thinking.
You can also fulfill distribution and breadth General Education Requirements, as well as some writing requirements. Because their focus doesn’t require much background, seminars are safe places to fulfill a requirement in an area that may be outside your comfort zone.
Find and build your intellectual community
We asked faculty planning these seminars to share the excitement that motivates their own scholarship. This format gives them a chance to engage students in the methodologies that drive their quest for creating new knowledge. With them, you will explore a question that illuminates a facet of a discipline and share in the thrill of active discovery.
While you may not find other students in your dorm who understand your enthusiasm for contemporary African politics, you will find them in the freshman seminar on that subject. The relationships formed in these classes can be an ongoing support network to you for the rest of your time at Stanford and beyond.
The shared intellectual labor of the seminar can provide a critical foundation for you in terms of learning the analytical tools of a discipline. It can also expose you to possible ways to tailor your academic choices to your own needs and interests. For instance, you might know that you want to be a physician. However, the major you choose, the specific field in which you specialize, and the route to and through professional medical training are not yet determined. Finding knowledgeable faculty and peers with whom to discuss such choices will be invaluable to you down the road.
Extend learning beyond the classroom through research or service
All Introductory Seminars provide the exciting possibility of engaging the most esteemed Stanford faculty on topics that fascinate them. Their enthusiasm can be contagious. Because these seminars are designed to foster long-term mentoring, further possibilities for collaboration through research can develop. Working with a faculty mentor, students can join a laboratory team on campus. They can also research a topic through the extensive library and archive collections at Stanford, or travel to a field site around the world.
While many seminars provide students with exposure to research methods or hands-on project design, a few seminars are specifically designated as research-based seminars. In these courses, students are introduced to current research methods in the field. They also collaborate with the instructor to design and explore research questions relating to the topic. Students may also have the opportunity to continue their research in projects after the course is over. These seminars are indicated in the individual course descriptions.
A few seminars focus on community-based learning: combining service and study to enhance student learning while illuminating and informing community service experiences. Faculty work with the Haas Center for Public Service to design activities which may lead to ongoing service opportunities for participating students. Individual course descriptions indicate where service activities are a focus.
How to Choose an Introductory Seminar
Read the catalogue carefully
Each course description contains information about the topic, prerequisites and units, as well as a biographical profile of the faculty member.
Students interested in taking a course from a specific professor may find the index of faculty members particularly useful. The following three indexes are also included: course titles; participating departments and programs; and courses that fulfill General Education and Writing Requirements.
Be open to possibility
Allow yourself to imagine the excitement in subjects that may seem far afield from what you initially expected to pursue. As a first- or second-year student, you have the liberty to be open to the entire spectrum of intellectual pursuits at Stanford. This is the best path toward defining your own personal and particular passions and to designing your education. This includes both course work and activities (such as research) that will best enable you to explore these passions.
You’ll have the most satisfying education and the most to contribute if you seek out what compels you personally and not limit yourself with preconceptions.
Use the Course Selection Worksheet
Note any seminars that catch your interest. Refer to that list to brainstorm about what seminars you might want to take in any given quarter. It can also inform you more generally about what directions seem most appealing to you at this point in your academic career.
Look for themes that might suggest areas you'd like to explore in your time at Stanford. Take note of which departments are on your list and which faculty. Share this list with your academic advisor and a family member or a friend. They may be able to help you see patterns and suggest directions for you to explore.
- Course Selection Sheet (PDF)
Discuss your choices with your advisor
Seek out advice about the following:
- How particular course options might help you refine your future directions
- Which faculty might be particularly good intellectual mentors for you
- Whether it makes sense to fill a requirement with an introductory seminar
- Other questions about the seminars
Confirm that the course fits your schedule.
Day, time and location are arranged by the enrolling department and are made available before each quarter begins. The most current day, time and location information will be available in Axess. This information should be confirmed before applying to a class to ensure it continues to fit your schedule.
While the annual IntroSems catalogue lists day, time and location for Autumn classes, only day and time is listed for Winter and Spring classes. Updates about Winter and Spring classes are sent to all freshmen, sophomores and first-year transfer students a few weeks before the application deadline each quarter.
Be persistent
Although some of the seminars are oversubscribed each quarter, many others still have available space at the beginning of the term. You will find many fascinating instructors and topics by browsing the list of space-available courses. You can also look in the Stanford Bulletin for related classes in the same department or with the same instructor. Lastly, take the initiative to go to the faculty member's office hours to discuss ways of pursuing your common interests.
Introductory Seminars FAQ
Have a question? Check here first.