The goals of this program include: 

• Introduce students to scholarly and academic life at MSU; 
• Help students develop confidence related to the college transition;
• Expose students to global learning and opportunities at MSU;
• Introduce global problem-solving in preparation for integrative studies coursework; and
• Introduce students to multiple ways of knowing and problem-solving.

The learning outcomes of the course include (See Academic Goals and Model for detailed outcomes): 

• Transition to college
• Analytical thinking
• Cultural Understanding
• Integrative reasoning

For more information, including a list of current programs and the application process, please visit the Office of Education Abroad website. Please email any inquiries you may have about first-year seminar abroad programs to fsabroad@msu.edu or contact Dr. Sheila Marquardt at 517-884-8977 or marqua36@msu.edu.

1. Create an academic success plan that includes strategies, campus resources, and support systems that are relevant to achieving your goals. Includes emphasis on self-awareness and self-advocacy in the following areas:
1. Organizing for learning 
2. Seeking help 
3. Building relationships 
4. Careers & majors 
2. Create a social engagement plan to help facilitate your involvement in the university community, expand your network, and enhance your sense of belonging at MSU. Includes emphasis on self-awareness and self-advocacy in the following areas:
1. Sense of belonging
2. Building relationships 
3. Getting involved 
4. Expanding your cultural horizons 
3. Create a plan for using strategies and campus resources to further develop awareness of, to promote, and to maintain your health and wellness in college. Includes emphasis on self-awareness and self-advocacy in the following areas:
1. Time management 
2. Stress management 
3. Financial management / literacy 
4. Mental health 
5. Physical health 
6. Other health and wellness areas as individually relevant

INFLUENCING THE SPARTAN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT MSU. Students in this seminar will be active participants in designing the Spartan Undergraduate Experience. Researchers have uncovered many factors that help or hinder a college student’s ability to be successful, including (1) self-discovery of their purpose for obtaining a degree, (2) educational success including learning and academic success (e.g. grades), (3) developing a sense of belonging by finding supportive groups, (4) contributing to an empowered campus community through inter-cultural learning and positive civic engagement, and (5) developing well-being (e.g. mental, physical, emotional, cultural, spiritual, and financial). Through active participation in developing student profiles and providing feedback to leaders, instructors and staff at MSU, this course introduces students to research on college student success. Students will learn about the study of higher education, leadership in higher education, and how colleges and universities are addressing equity in student outcomes.

MAKE AN IMPACT: A HANDS-ON APPROACH TO ADDRESSING INEQUITY IN OUR COMMUNITY. More than 37.2 million people, or 11.4 percent of all Americans, lived below the poverty line last year, according to the Census Bureau. Half of all American children will reside in a household that uses food stamps at some point during childhood. Health, food, income, and education are just a few of the systems of inequity that surround us. But what is inequity and why does it exist? Who is the most vulnerable in our communities? What are the best methods to discuss, research, and act to eradicate inequity? This course offers a starting place or an extension for Academic Scholars and Honors College first-year students who want to address systemic problems that are unfair and yet actionable. As a participant in the course, you will have a chance to study concepts and causes of inequity with experts at MSU, explore your own identity as a first-year student and social change agent, and work in a community organization that has a goal of addressing inequity. Students will spend part of their time in class and part of their time completing service hours (about 2 per week). Class will meet in Eustace-Cole Hall 207/208 through 11/13 and students will have until the end of the course to complete their community engaged learning hours.

COLLEGE QUEST: This innovative course invites you to embark on a personal quest of self-discovery and strategic planning for your academic and professional future. You will build an avatar and embark on a university campaign. Through engaging activities, game elements, and collaborative projects, you will integrate technology to navigate the wicked problem of planning your future (https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/wicked-problems). You will learn how to use digital tools such as Microsoft 365 Audacity, and Camtasia, as well as generative AI, like ChatGPT, ClaudeAI, Copilot. The course provides a simulated four-year journey, encouraging you to craft your narrative through technological decisions and reflections. Your quest will develop your powers at getting the most out of university support systems like academic advising, neighborhood success centers, and other student services. You will use technology to record your evolution as you construct, present, and reflect on your evolving identity. Through this journey, you will not only become adept at using essential MSU digital tools but also lay a strong foundation for your academic and career path ahead.

SPARTANS WILL EXPLORE & CREATE: AN INTRODUCTION TO UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AT MSU. This course is for students interested in learning about undergraduate research and/or creative activities at Michigan State University and who have not yet started a mentored research project. Students will explore how research is conducted in a variety of fields and learn skills that are useful in all areas of scholarship, including research ethics, using journal citation managers, how to read scholarly literature and navigating MSU’s website to find research opportunities. By the end of the course, students will be ready to engage in a mentored research or creative experience.

HOW TO DO NOTHING. What demands our attention and do we have a choice in where we direct it? This course will offer students the chance to examine that question by unplugging from technology for a series of extended class periods during which we will focus attention on various parts of our environment. Throughout the seminar, we will direct our attention toward our work, time, physical self, community members, and more through active listening and contemplative pedagogy. Readings, discussions, and reflections will guide and shape our explorations. Each class will meet in a different indoor or outdoor MSU space. Class readings will include “How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy” by Jenny Odell. NOTE: Students will give their phones and other technology to the professors to store securely at the beginning of each class session to facilitate focused attention. This class meets 8 times during the term, as outlined in the syllabus. The first class session will meet in Beal Instruction Room in the Main Library.

FINDING CONNECTION IN AN EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS. Loneliness impacts us all. In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, has declared an epidemic of loneliness. This public issue is a crisis with half of adults reporting being lonely, and nearly 27% of young adults experiencing loneliness. But are we lonelier now than we have been in the past? How has COVID impacted this epidemic? In what ways does loneliness impact our lives and well-being? More importantly, how can we help ourselves and others? This UGS 201 course will address loneliness and connection concepts; the impact of loneliness on us, peers, communities, and society; and how to combat loneliness in our lives.

ISLAM, MUSLIMS, AND ISLAMOPHOBIA. This course aims to provide students with a working knowledge of (1) the religion of Islam and the core beliefs and practices that have defined Muslim communities; and (2) certain influential contemporary anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic discourses and sentiments. This course will feature guest speakers, an optional visit to a local mosque, and film viewings. This course is restricted to First- and Second-year students, but overrides can be requested through course administrators by emailing (lucasaly@msu.edu and jamesna1@msu.edu).

HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORTARY ANTISEMITISM. This seminar will afford students from across the university the opportunity to learn about the historical roots and contexts of contemporary antisemitism, to define antisemitism, and to identify key tropes in the history of antisemitism. Antisemitism is at historic levels in the United States, and we know some students have also experienced it on our campus. This course will help students recognize antisemitism and understand its historical roots. Class is primarily online asynchronous with attendance required at one of three in-person events. This course is restricted to First- and Second-year students, but overrides can be requested through course administrators by emailing (lucasaly@msu.edu and jamesna1@msu.edu).

ETHICS, GENETICS AND PUBLIC POLICY. Today we can do Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) for about $1000. Should government encourage or require individuals to have WGS so that individuals would know their vulnerability to various genetic disorders as well as the genetic vulnerabilities they could pass on to future possible children? Should individuals be legally required to reveal the results of WGS to future possible marriage partners? Should government pay for pre-implantation diagnosis of eight-cell embryos so that parents can choose embryos (future possible children) free of specific genetic disorders? If individuals have WGS and are told they have an enhanced risk for Type II diabetes, then fail to alter their eating habits and acquire diabetes, should they be required to pay all related medical costs because they were irresponsible with their health? Should parents be allowed to do WGS for their children? Or is that a violation of their privacy? These are some of the issues we will explore in this seminar. The class will end on 11/25/24.

This seminar is for second-year students to engage in self-reflection and focused exploration in order to:

1. evaluate what you have learned about yourself as you consider the larger questions of “Who am I?” and “What do I want my life to be?”
2. evaluate your academic engagement, social engagement, and involvement in college;
3. create plans for making new or developing deeper levels of social engagement and college involvement that align with your values, interests, and aspirations;
4. expand your awareness of career possibilities;
5. narrow your career aspirations and identify pathways that align with them; and
6. begin developing a detailed graduation plan, including curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular experiences.

1. Examine scholarly literature and research related to career myths and the linearity of career paths 
2. Identify and examine career paths that are relevant to your core interests, values, and skills for employment
3. Identify and examine academic pathways that align with your potential career paths 
4. Define the scope of experiences needed to advance toward a career path 
5. Participate in and reflect upon professional development related experiential learning activities (e.g., career fair, employer panel, informational interview) 
6. Create and begin making measurable progress on a professional development plan, which could include experiences like: 
1. preparing for successful internship and employment applications (e.g., resume development, social networking, mock interviews) 
2. participating in student-led organizations and activities 
3. securing employment while in college 
4. using a diverse set of resources to research companies and industries of interest 
5. completing an internship 
6. studying abroad or away
7. initiating professional relationships with potential mentors in your prospective career paths 
8. exploring, preparing, and applying to graduate/professional school