First-Year Seminar Course Topics for Spring 2026

Updated: 10/24/2025

First-Year Seminar (FYSM) course topics are approved by the General Education Program and Assessment Committee to be included in the General Education program. Below is a listing of topics that are scheduled to be taught in Spring 2026, with the name of the professor(s) who will be teaching at least one section of the topic.

All FYSM courses have the same course prefix and number: FYSM 100.

  • College Culture, College Life
    Social scientists such as anthropologists and sociologists often study another culture by immersing themselves in that culture and then trying to understand that culture from the inside out, as the people within that culture do. In this seminar we will examine college culture itself. This seminar will introduce first-year students to how social scientists learn about another culture by using the students’ own experiences as first-years at Kutztown University who are learning about college culture, both in and outside of the classroom.

    Professor:
    Dr. Jason Crockett, Department of Anthropology and Sociology
    Dr. Carolyn Gardner, Department of Business Administration

  • Complementary Health Strategies: Tools for Successful Student Performance

    This course is designed to promote the student's overall health through the development of personal skills to enhance their well-being. Students will be introduced to the benefits of stress management; the development and practice of stress management tools, activities (meditation, Tai Chi), and personal enrichment activities. Students will be introduced to strategic self-enriching personal skill development and research-based exploration of topics that range from: depression, prescription drugs, illicit drugs, as well as relaxation techniques.

    Professor: Dr. Duane Crider, Sport Management

  • Creative Problem Solving

    From the invention of the wheel to the invention of the internet, innovation is what has helped our society to advance. In order to innovate, we must learn to be creative problem solvers. In this course, students will develop creative problem-solving skills by working in teams to solve problems generated by Creative Competitions Inc. for the Odyssey of the Mind program. There will be script writing, device building, and more!

    Professors: Dr. Shawn Riley, Business Administration

  • Exploring Your World & Others

    This course uses geographical principles to examine maps, both real and fictional, to learn about the world around us.  Gaming strategies are employed to help learn about the university and locations central to the student.  This is done through various means of historical and modern techniques such as orienteering, augmented reality gaming, sandbox environments, and roleplaying.  At the end of the course, students will gain a greater appreciation of the geographical elements that shape their world.

    Professor: Dr. Michael Davis, Geography