University Seminar Descriptions
The Division of Student Success focuses on your successful transition into the Maryville community. Maryville has a comprehensive and integrated approach to assisting you in your academic, financial, and personal transition to Maryville. One of the many exciting opportunities for you as a First-Year student is the University Seminar course which all First-Year students enroll in during their first semester.
Maryville’s University Seminar is more than a required course. It provides a distinctive opportunity to work closely with peers and a team of instructors on an important topic of mutual interest. The team of instructors includes a full-time faculty member, staff member, and a Life Coach who will serve as a resource to support you in achieving your success.
While the courses all have individual themes and emphases, they share a common question: Who am I? In order to discover the answers, all University Seminar classes will have many shared experiences, across all themes: an assessment of your individual strengths; a common Maryville Reads book; Dramatic Dialogues and the Tunnel of Consciousness, experiences designed to get students thinking about people like and unlike themselves; and more. Each University seminar is team taught by faculty, staff, and your life coach. To get to know our Life Coaches, click here.
University Seminar Themes: Fall 2024
College 101: Beyond Orientation
Life Coach: Wendell
This class is an opportunity for students to discover their strengths and learn new ways to navigate the challenges of college life. Students will begin to think outside the box to cultivate and hone their ability to succeed by incorporating topics on skill development, resilience, resourcefulness, creativity, communication, and academic and career goals. By the end of the course, students will have the tools to creatively thrive in their college years and beyond while also gaining a deeper understanding and respect for different cultures and backgrounds.
From Stress to Success: Pursuing Happiness in Your College Experience
Life Coach: Frank
An empowering course designed to equip students with practical tools and strategies to navigate the challenges of college life while guiding students on a journey towards personal growth and academic achievement. By prioritizing their well-being and happiness, students will not only thrive academically, but also create a foundation for a fulfilling college experience that sets the stage for lifelong success.
Potter and the Quest for The Glow Up
Glow up: “To go from the bottom to the top to the point of disbelief. An incredible transformation‚” (Urban Dictionary). Calling all muggles, wizards, and witches! Maryville University is taking you on a journey to Hogwarts! Using the Harry Potter books and movies to explore your life‚ possibly away from home‚ at a new school, we will discover our strengths and identities, together with the different perspectives of those around us. What do the Harry Potter stories have to say about your personal and magical transformation? How can they help us understand who we are, about others, and about who we aspire to become?
How Will YOU Save The World?: Unlocking Your Inner Superhero
Life Coach: Emma
Come join us in University Seminar at the MARVELous Maryville! Together we will explore the internal struggles, perseverance, and teamwork of your favorite super heroes while also discussing the complexity of their characters and the struggles they experience. While it would be awesome to fly, teleportor read minds, we want to reflect on what powers and strengths you possess and how you will use them to find success in college and positively impact the world around you. Let’s begin crafting your plans for GOOD during your first semester at Maryville!
Paws and Reflect: Building Your Legacy as a Saint
Life Coach: Alana
Join us as we explore what it means to be a Saint! We will have a busy and active semester together, with activities that include scavenger hunts, team-building exercises with your peers, and workshops on digital literacy and personal wellness. You will build skills in creative self-expression, learn to use artificial intelligence in ethical ways, and reflect on the personal journey you are beginning in college. “Paws and Reflect” offers an excellent opportunity to connect, explore, and set the foundation for a revolutionary college experience. Get ready to build lasting friendships, challenge your perspectives, and step confidently into your future as a Saint.
Professionalism in the Digital World
Life Coach: Sheri
Professionalism and etiquette are essential to your success in our global and digital society. In this course, we’ll journey together through the true meaning of career readiness and preparing for the workforce in the digital age. With an emphasis on fundamental skills that will help you succeed, we will also explore professional etiquette, intercultural fluency, and global citizenship.
Sports & Society: Exploring the Impact, Ethics, and Evolution of Sports
Life Coach: Kirby
This course examines the intersection between sports and society. Through critical analysis and discussion, students explore the historical, cultural, ethical, and social dimensions of sports. Topics covered include the role of sports in shaping identity and community, the impact of commercialization and media on athletic culture, the ethics of competition and fair play, and the evolving landscape of gender, race, and diversity in sports. Through case studies, documentaries, and experiential learning opportunities, students develop a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics at play in the world of sports and their broader significance in contemporary society.
Swipe Right for Wellness: Find Your Perfect Wellbeing Match at Maryville
Life Coach: Jenny
Together we’ll explore strategies for resilience, stress management, and joy to create your playbook for thriving in college life and beyond. We’ll blend the latest research with what’s trending now to discover your perfect match for personal and academic fulfillment. Let’s begin this beautiful journey to adulthood and kickstart a lasting relationship with your best self.
Technology vs. Humanity
Life Coach: Maddi
Using the framework of Netflix’s Black Mirror reality–one not so far into the future from where we are now– you will be challenged to tackle big questions regarding the fate of humanity. Expect to unravel the complex love-hate relationship we have with our screens and gadgets, and how they shape, shake, and sometimes shatter our reality. This will be your classroom to connect with fellow humans who get it. Whether you’re here to decode the future, question the present, or just find your tribe in the sea of digital chaos, we’ve got you.
The “Reel” World
Life Coach: Kevin
This course explores the ways in which movies can help individuals better understand their own identity, values, and purpose in life, or what it means to be a “Reel” person. Through the lens of movies such as The Perks of Being A Wallflower, Lion, How to Train Your Dragon, and Free Guy, students will analyze a range of films that feature characters on a journey of self-discovery. By examining these films, students will learn to identify and analyze key narrative elements, character development, and cinematic techniques that contribute to the portrayal of self-discovery. Additionally, this course involves self-reflection and self-discovery activities that encourage students to connect their own experiences and insights to the films they are studying. Discussions will focus on themes of the experiences, environments, and relationships that contribute to self-identity both in film and in the real world.
The Meaning of Life and Legacy
Life Coach: Tasha
This course will be designed to help think about life. We will discuss the biological functions, cultural practices, and various businesses that surround both life and the end of life. Students will interact with questions such as: What is life? What is death? What are our fears? What makes for a well-lived life? We will explore similarities and differences regards to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, and personal preferences. Finally, students will look through a second lens at the three questions every USEM asks: Who am I, and who do I want to have been? Who am I in relation to diverse others, and who will I have been in the larger community of my lifespan? How do I know, and how will others know my legacy?
Zombie Apocalypse: Leadership In Times of Crisis
Life Coach: Shelby
Adulthood can seem harsh and unforgiving, much like the post-apocalyptic world inherited by Joel and Ellie in HBO Max’s “The Last of Us.” Using this framework, students will learn from the wisdom of those who choose to lead, even in unfathomable circumstances. Students will explore themselves, their peers, and the world around them (and try not to get infected in the process!).