These small group seminars, with a maximum of twenty students, will be taught by faculty who have volunteered their time and effort because they want to meet and teach students who are early in their UCSB careers. Facilitating student-faculty contact is one of the major goals of the First Year Discovery Seminars. Students have the opportunity to register in up to two First Year Discovery Seminars during FSSP, with each valued at one unit of credit.
INT 86FV — Improving the Quality of Life of Older Adults with Dementia Using Virtual Reality
This seminar will involve group discussions regarding the behavioral research on older adults with dementia, and how to communicate with them in ways that enhance their well-being and that of their caregivers. We are currently collecting data in almost all of the senior living communities in Santa Barbara (20 total in California and Boston), using virtual reality with older adults with dementia and their adult children who live at a distance. As a part of this seminar, you will learn how to use the virtual reality technology and how/why it can improve older adults' and their adult children's mental health and help them maintain their relationship. We will then take field trips into some of the local senior living communities where you can see the technology being used with older adults and their family members.
INT 86GG — The Exploration of Identity & Art: Personal, Cultural, Familial, and Sexual
The exploration of identity continues to be a focus of contemporary artists. Examining how we create and recreate our internal and external selves allows us to better understand our interactions in personal, social and political arenas. In this interactive workshop, students will view work by various filmmakers, artists, and performers, and engage in lively discussions pertinent to their phase in life.
INT 86NG — Mathematics of Origami
This course combines the modern mathematical theory of origami with hands-on explorations for students to come up with their own conjectures. Students work in groups and make connections. No prior experience with Origami required, no mathematical prerequisite.
INT 86QV — History of War
This seminar will explore the conceptualization of war in the western tradition from Antiquity to Modern Times.
INT 86SH — Health & Wellness: Walk UCSB
Looking to make the most of your time at UCSB, while sustaining healthy habits? This seminar will introduce students to aspects of health and wellness while exploring UCSB through a series of walking activities. At the conclusion, you will have learned practical and applicable strategies for health and wellbeing, and discovered resources on campus that advocate wellness. You'll also find new ways to explore health routines within the context of a busy personal, student and professional life.
INT 86TY — Exploration of the Physics Major: From Curious Freshmen to Young Professionals
Whether you're just starting your path in physics or have a keen interest in the subject, this seminar is designed to equip you with tools and resources essential for your academic progression. Through interactive discussions and presentations, students will construct a comprehensive plan mapping out their course selections from freshman fall to senior spring. Additionally, participants will devise strategies for engaging in research opportunities. Led by instructor and guest speakers, including current students and faculty members, this seminar offers a blend of discussion-based sessions and informative presentations. Students from disciplines other than Physics can also benefit from participating.
INT 86VC — Portraiture and Self in the Age of AI
This seminar offers an academic exploration into the intersection of technology and identity. This course examines how photography, digital editing, and artificial intelligence shape self-representation and perception. Students will develop skills in capturing and editing images, while critically analyzing AI's role in redefining reality and self. The seminar culminates in creating a personal portfolio, reflecting each student's technical proficiency and philosophical insights on authenticity in the digital era. This course is an invitation to engage with the evolving narrative of self in our technologically advanced world.
INT 86VL — Imagining the Climate Crisis
In this seminar, we will be reading and discussing The Overstory by Richard Powers, which is a 2019 novel that takes up a range of environmental issues. We will be reading about 50 pages of this book, which won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, per week. Our goal will be to better understand the relationship that our species has to our planet and its life. While we will have a designated classroom, we will, weather permitting, generally be meeting outside.
INT 86WA — Writing as Mapping
In this course, students will be guided around the vibrant campus landscape and create place-based poetry. As the group wanders through UCSB, students will write about the detailed and dynamic people, places, and things that create our campus culture. The curriculum will include some initial instruction on poetic forms, then pivot towards creating a 'text map' that tests the limits of poetry and investigates the intersection of the physical and conceptual.
INT 86WF — Ethical Tech: Navigating the ‘Should’ in Innovation
In an era where technological advancements are occurring at an unprecedented rate, this course offers a crucial perspective on the intersection of ethics and technology. Students are invited to embark on a thought-provoking journey, exploring not just the limitless possibilities of what they can create with technology, but more importantly, reflecting on whether they should create them.
INT 86WG — Climate Change: Insights from Past
The focus of this seminar is to unravel and discuss the manifestation of ongoing climate changes in various parts of the Eco-systems. The seminar informs how our understanding of past climate changes improves and refines our general understanding of climate change impact and climate feedback mechanism. The group will visit a stable isotope geochemistry lab, and go to Goleta Beach to look at the sedimentary rocks and discuss what they tell us about past climate changes, sea level changes and land uplift.
INT 86WH — Language Learning & Teaching
What makes an effective language learner or language teacher? This course brings together current research in Education, Linguistics, and Language Departments to answer these questions. We will discuss theories of Second Language Acquisition and practices to build intercultural competence. If you are interested in language study, teaching, or international perspectives, and meeting others who share those interests, then this is the course for you!