"I like to think that it's yet another expression of the faculty's further engagement in the issues of education at Amherst," Marx said. He also said he plans to teach a seminar next year. "I am eager to teach again," he said.
About five professors have expressed their desire to teach a course for first-years during the spring semester, rather than the fall. These courses, much like the current fall seminars, would focus on writing and critical-thinking skills.
The expanded interest in teaching seminars is not surprising, according to several professors who have taught these courses in the past.
Many professors said they volunteer to teach the seminars because they particularly enjoy teaching first-year students. "First-year seminars are exciting and wonderful opportunities to teach students just as they are entering college," said Professor of Psychology and Women's and Gender Studies Rose Olver. "I can see why my colleagues would find [them] intriguing."
"Professors like to teach first-years [because] they haven't been warped yet," said Michele Barale, professor of English and Women's and Gender Studies.
Another common praise of first-year seminars is their interdisciplinary nature. "[First-year seminars] allow us to explore areas we might not cover in the main departmental requirements," noted Associate Professor of Biology Caroline Goutte.
Olver enjoys the opportunity to teach with professors who specialize in different subject areas. "I have always team-taught [seminars]," she said. "I find it particularly valuable to have the opportunity to teach with colleagues from other disciplines."
Barale praised the opportunity to teach students who might not normally take a class in her field. "It's fun to teach outside our department," she explained. "I'm in English and WAGS. Maybe [in a seminar,] I'm teaching someone whose interest is in the sciences."
Other benefits of first-year seminars include small class sizes, the chance for first-years to bond with their classmates and the opportunity to comfortably become accustomed to college level work, especially in writing.
Though professors are increasingly interested in first-year seminars, students have mixed feelings about them. "I was disappointed in that the freshman seminar didn't have more creative writing," said Kristen Raverta '06. "Mine turned out to be more of a history course. I expected more writing practice [rather] than an analysis of the books we read."
Mekka Smith '07 appreciated her seminar. "I thought it was good to have one class that was all freshmen [because] you got to know people in your class in an intimate setting," she said. "I thought [the subject matter] was relevant. ... 'Science and Gender' helped me because I'm interested in psychology."
Overall, Goutte characterized the rise in volunteers as very logical. "Everyone seems to have a good experience doing it, and so by word of mouth I think [interest in teaching a seminar] spreads," she said.
A number of students come away from their first-year seminars with a positive experience paralleling that of professors. "[My first-year seminar] was great," said Michael Fedor '05. "I had it with [Professor of Physics Arthur] Zajonc. It was an arts/science mix. We talked about all of these different interpretations of light," he said. "I would talk to my friends about [my seminar]," he added.
"What was great about the seminar was that the professor invited us to his house for dinner-that seemed like typical Amherst," said Joshua Levenson '07. "[The seminar] was a great introduction to professor-student relations."
Levenson added that the seminar gave him a welcome curricular break from his other classes. "We watched a lot of movies," he said. "I definitely thought that was worthwhile. I appreciated taking a look at different media."
Neha Joshi '04 had nothing but praise for her seminar. "My first-year seminar was one of the best classes I've taken at Amherst," she said.