November 18, 2024

This message is distributed to Senate Faculty and Unit 18 Faculty.  (Click here to view description of distribution groups.)  

The following is being sent on behalf of Madeleine Sorapure, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
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Dear Faculty Colleagues,

We’re writing with the call for Spring 2025 Discovery First Year and Transfer Seminar proposals. Please submit proposals no later than Friday, January 17th.

Discovery Seminars are one- or two-unit, P/NP, small group courses that facilitate student-faculty contact, promote valuable intellectual discourse in a seminar setting, introduce students to subjects that UCSB faculty care about, and explore how faculty study these subjects.

Senate faculty, Unit 18 faculty, and Continuing or Senior Continuing Unit 18 faculty are eligible to teach Discovery Seminars. They are taught above the faculty’s regular workload and compensated with research funds, as described below. Instructors must have an active academic appointment in the quarter the proposed Seminar will be offered.

We encourage proposals that:

  • introduce students to current areas of faculty interest and research
  • enable students to learn about strategies for navigating UCSB disciplines and courses
  • provide opportunities for students to become oriented to and study the physical surroundings of the campus 
  • include intentional strategies for students to get to know other students to build networks.

In your proposal, you’ll select one of three Discovery Seminar types: 

  • Discovery Seminars for First-Year Students: INT 86AA-ZZ

These one-unit lower-division seminars meet for one hour each week. The seminars are limited to 20 students, or 11 students if a field trip is involved.

  • Discovery Seminars for Transfer Students: INT 186AA-ZZ

These one-unit upper-division seminars meet for one hour each week and are designed for transfer students who have established an interest in certain disciplines and subjects. The seminars are limited to 20 students, or 11 students if a field trip is involved.

  • Discovery+ Seminars: INT 87AA-ZZ or 187AA-ZZ

These two-unit seminars meet for two hours each week; they are lower-division courses for first-year students and upper-division courses for transfer students. Discovery+ Seminars are taught by two faculty members in the same discipline or in different disciplines, and they explore a theme or a subject from multiple perspectives. The seminars typically enroll 40 students, although some may have lower enrollments.

Faculty will receive research/professional development funding for teaching Discovery Seminars:

  • $1500 for one-unit Discovery Seminars for First-Year and Transfer Students
  • $2000 for two-unit Discovery+ Seminars with 30 students
  • $3000 for two-unit Discovery+ Seminars with 40 students

In addition, faculty will receive $300 in course support funds to pay for expenses associated with the course, including copies, handouts, videos for class, transportation on a field trip, museum admission, etc. Any funds not spent on the course can be used as research funds.

To propose a Discovery Seminar, go to: https://forms.gle/tyQ3CahG52b3Mtqh6

You can find more information about the seminars here: https://uged.ucsb.edu/discovery-seminars-information-faculty

If you have questions or would like to brainstorm possibilities for seminars, I’d be happy to talk with you!

Best,
Madeleine

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Madeleine Sorapure

Teaching Professor, Writing Program
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Education
UC Santa Barbara
pronouns: she/her/hers