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UC DAVIS: OFFICE OF THE PROVOST August 29, 2005 MEMBERS OF THE FACULTY RE: 2005-06 Freshman Seminar Program: Reminder about Call for FRS Seminars I am reissuing an invitation for faculty participation in the Freshman Seminar Program for the academic year 2005-2006. As many of you know, the program is designed to give first-year students the opportunity to study with a faculty member in more informal, small group settings on topics of mutual interest. Freshman Seminars are administered by the Teaching Resources Center, but they are Senate-approved special one or two-unit courses that are given an FRS subject code designation. Faculty have the option of using either pass/no pass or traditional letter grading. Enrollment is limited to twenty students per class. In the past, many of the seminars have been held in the TRC conference room or departmental conference/ seminar rooms. All proposals are reviewed by a faculty program committee. From the program's inception, faculty members have offered Freshman Seminars in addition to their normal departmental teaching assignments. As a means of acknowledging the instructor's contribution to our undergraduate educational mission, I am pleased to offer, as non-compensated overload, instructional research support in the amounts of $2,000 for 2-unit seminars and $1,500 for 1-unit seminars. These funds will be transferred to the faculty member's departmental account. Additionally, instructors are eligible to apply for up to $500 in minigrant support to defray actual expenses associated with conducting the class. Please note, should you be interested in conducting a Freshman Seminar related to the Campus Community Book Project (The Kite Runner) additional information on the book and project follow this message. I especially encourage you to consider offering a seminar in Fall when demand is by far the highest. I hope you will consider participating in this unique opportunity to work with our first-year students. If you are interested in offering an FRS Seminar, please complete the "Proposal to Teach a Freshman Seminar" material found on the TRC web site (http://trc.ucdavis.edu/trc/freshSem/call.html) and return it to Janet Chambers at the Teaching Resources Center by Friday, September 9, 2005. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Janet at the TRC (530) 752-3249 or by e-mail at trc@ucdavis.edu. Thank you. Fred E. Wood Interim Vice Provost -- Undergraduate Studies Enc. 05-084 Campus Community Book Project Freshman Seminar Call Faculty are encouraged to submit Freshman Seminar Proposals related to the Campus Community Book Project focused on Khaled Hosseini's book, The Kite Runner. For more information about this exciting initiative, see http://occr.ucdavis.edu/bookproject.html. The Kite Runner is a novel about a boy growing up in Afghanistan and struggling with the violence that has ravaged his country in recent years. From the perspective of an adult American immigrant recalling his childhood in Afghanistan, this book offers a glimpse into his life before and after the Taliban took over the country. The Kite Runner is an engaging story that is very readable and accessible, and prompted many members of the selection team to read further books on the histories and cultures of Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries. With so much national and worldwide attention focused in this area of the globe, this book offers opportunities to broaden and deepen our understanding of the people, places, and issues we often hear about on the news. The author, Khaled Hosseini, was born in 1965 in Kabul, Afghanistan. In 1976, Khaled's father assumed a diplomatic post in the Afghan embassy in Paris where his family relocated. A few years later, in 1980, the Hosseini family was asked to return to Afghanistan, but by then the country was in the midst of the Soviet invasion. Rather than return to their home country, the family asked for and was granted political asylum in the U.S., and they moved to San Jose, California. Khaled enrolled in Santa Clara University and later graduated from the UC San Diego School of Medicine. Since 1996, he has been in practice as an internist and in 2003 his first novel, The Kite Runner, was published. We believe that his book will provide a guide for constructive and respectful dialogue within our community. There are helpful resources available on the book project web site to assist in facilitating class discussions. In addition, a Faculty Roundtable will be held on Wednesday, September 28 at 4 - 5 pm in 5 Lower Freeborn to offer ideas and background information that would aid in the teaching about the book. For more information, you may contact Karen Roth, Campus Community Relations, at kmroth@ucdavis.edu or call 752-2071.
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