The First Year Seminar is a 3-credit course that all new first year students take in their first semester at AUR. Meeting twice a week for a total of three hours per week, the seminar covers key skills that are necessary for academic success. Through the semester students will improve their presentation, discussion and writing skills as well as learning how to do university-level research. A lot of time is also dedicated to discussions about culture and diversity. In FYS 101, students acquire essential information about the AUR and themselves that help them succeed in their first year of college.

For the latest FYS syllabus please contact Diane Hyett at d.hyett@aur.edu.

For FYS course resources please log in to the A-Tutor course management system: Enter

Official Course Description and Student Learning Objectives:
This course is designed to encourage all first-year students to become active participants in The American University of Rome community and help ensure a successful college experience. Students will develop the fundamental skills of writing, information literacy, IT, communication and oral presentations, and put them into practice through the examination of various cultural and multicultural themes. The course will be team taught; it is project based, and will include many on-site lectures. Using the book assigned as summer or holiday reading as a guide, the course will focus on Italy and, in particular, on the city of Rome, its people, its customs, and its relationship with other cultures. This is a mandatory course for all first-year-in-college AUR students. (3 credits)

Measurable learning objectives:
Upon completion of this course students will be able to demonstrate:
LO 1. writing skills necessary for competence in synthesizing information and communicating it clearly, precisely, and correctly
LO 2. oral presentation skills to carry on a brief line of reasoning to a target audience
LO 3. critical and creative thinking skills
LO 4. competence in gathering and presenting quantitative data
LO 5. familiarity with the library and information resources
LO 6. appreciation of cultural differences
LO 7. competence in basic professional software programs
LO 8. awareness of AUR’s academic programs, regulations and advising system