Letters & Science 1: Exploring the Liberal Arts Jump to information about L&S 1 for Fall 2006 Check out our short video!

Stacy Pearl took L&S 1 in the Fall of 2004

Every first-year student in the College of Letters & Science starts off undeclared. Some have a preliminary sense of what they might like to study, but approximately one third of the students in a typical incoming class are genuinely undecided. Steven Botterill, Associate Dean of the Undergraduate Division, thinks these undecided students are right on track.

Botterill defines the essence of a liberal arts education as "the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, and in whatever direction it opens up to us." He adds that, "Students who have decided exactly what they want to study before they take their first step onto Sproul Plaza may already have closed off possibilities that they hadn't previously been aware of."

Botterill is the lead instructor of an innovative course for undecided freshmen: L&S 1, Exploring the Liberal Arts. Designed as an alternative to traditional orientation courses, this class offers an overview of the academic landscape of the College. While other orientation courses are covering such topics as stress management, learning styles, and interpersonal relationships, L&S 1 provides a guided tour of the intellectual terrain of the College of Letters & Science--from the perspectives of engaging guest speakers chosen from the faculty, deans and recent alumni--and a preview of undergraduate research and other enrichment opportunities.

In high school students are not exposed to fields such as Women's Studies, Anthropology, Italian Studies, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Classics, Cognitive Science . . . the list goes on and on. L&S 1 provides a tasting menu of these unfamiliar disciplines, as well as more familiar fields that are often so different at the college level as to be nearly unrecognizable.

In addition to the lectures, students enrolled in L&S 1 attend discussion sections led by professional advising staff members. The interactive discussion sections foster a sense of community, and ensure that each student in the class receives personal attention from an advisor who knows his or her name and understands his or her particular situation.

The short written assignments are all designed to encourage students to explore the campus and surrounding community, and to make the most of their time at Cal. Students in L&S 1 receive an introduction to the library, attend and report on a local arts event, and learn to take advantage of faculty office hours. They also get a chance to research a cluster of majors of particular interest to them at greater depth, and to participate in a group presentation of their findings.

To hear what the lead instructor and a couple of students who took L&S 1 last year have to say about the class, check out our two-minute video. Questions about the class can be directed to Alix Schwartz.

This coming fall the class will meet on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00 in 2040 VLSB. The course control number is 51803. L&S 1 is a two-unit, pass/no-pass course. It's open to all first-year students in Letters & Science, but students with a keen intellectual curiosity, who are determined to follow their intellectual passions and make the most of their time at Cal, are especially encouraged to enroll.