Coffee and Concepts

In keeping with our philosophy that education should be enriching, personal, and fun, the student honors coordinators surveyed students last year to see what types of opportunities they would like to have through the program. A large number of students requested enrichment lectures or discussions with UCSB professors. Using the freshman seminars as a model, a new seminar series, Coffee and Concepts, was developed last year to give students a taste of our university's wealth of knowledge. Last year the seminar series ran in both winter and spring quarters, and students could attend one seminar or all of them. The seminars, which took place in the UCen, were casual and encouraged lively interactions. Students enjoyed meeting with professors in small settings to discuss engaging topics, such as the evolution of human sexuality, communication between men and women, and the political issues surrounding health concerns in America.

It provided a chance to explore modern ideas with some of our university's best minds and favorite personalities.

The Coffee and Concepts series enjoyed such great success that we intend that the seminar series will continue this winter - watch out for notices on the honors list-serve. Again responding to students' requests, the honors program will also use the seminar series as the basis of a four-unit honors class. This will allow students to incorporate the seminars into their schedules and provide them with an extra opportunity to earn upper-division honors units. Associate Dean Nisbet, Allison Stuart, and Courtney Lewis are currently organizing the class for Wednesday evenings during spring quarter, and are asking professors who lead some of the most interesting freshman seminars to lead sessions for this new course. The course will be graded P/NP; the only prerequisite is upper-division standing. Presentations will revolve around two themes -- current topics in science and the impact of communication on our lives - and thus will cater to all interests.

Experience college the way it is meant to be. Sign up for INT 184MJ this spring.

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