Inaugurated in 1990, the First-Year Seminar Program is the vehicle by which first-year students fulfill their writing requirement. But in a larger sense, the program constitutes the single common experience for the incoming class each year; it is their gateway to Kalamazoo College.

Every first-year student selects a seminar, which is taken during the fall quarter. Faculty from most divisions of the college participate in the program, developing "special topics" courses that introduce students to the critical thinking and writing skills required in all their college courses. The seminars are restricted in enrollment (16) and operate primarily through discussion format. Students write frequent, short assignments, with plenty of opportunity for revision.

Seminars are designed not as introduction to the disciplines, but as explorations of an idea, topic, or event. Frequently the seminars have been interdisciplinary or have located themselves at the margins of the faculty member's discipline, where the most interesting questions and connections can emerge. Seminar instructors are urged to explore diverse pedagogical techniques, and multicultural approaches are strongly advised. Recently, seminar instructors have been encouraged to "cluster" with one or two other faculty, developing seminars on common or related themes, sharing resources such as texts, films, and speakers. The writing component of the seminars is supported by the Writing Center, whose consultants are especially happy to help first-time writing instructors in any discipline.

Objectives
The First-Year Seminar Program has been developed to serve the following purposes: