Welcome to Freshman Studies! As you pursue a college education, you will be challenged to grow emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. The St. Edward's faculty designed Freshman Studies to help beginning college students succeed in meeting these new challenges.

Freshman Studies introduces students to intellectual or academic life at St. Edward’s and provides a foundation for later courses, particularly courses in the General Education curriculum. In order to introduce students to the liberal arts tradition and to make new arrivals feel a part of the community of learners on this campus, all Freshman Studies sections strive to achieve common learning outcomes.

Students who complete Freshman Studies will have begun to:

• identify themselves as members of the St. Edward’s community
• connect their personal experience with the concepts and material presented in the course
• recognize the ways that disciplines relate to each other as liberal arts and contribute to one’s sense of being human
• identify differences in the ways disciplines pose questions about the world and solve problems in it
• develop effective communication skills, both oral and written
• recognize the value of collaborative work
• develop the ability to reason critically and morally
• challenge prejudices and appreciate human dignity in the global community
• develop strategies for responsible decision-making in order to foster success as a college student and as a member of society.   

Freshman Studies is divided into two parts, a team-taught course called Introduction to the Liberal Arts (FSTY 1310) a nd a writing class (Basic Writing I or II or Rhetoric & Composition I or II). You will register for a section of FSTY 1310 (containing 80 – 100 students). You will also register for a 20 – 25 student writing section which is linked to the lecture course and will allow you to write about and discuss readings and ideas originally developed in the larger class. The two courses are linked in readings and themes but will appear separately on your grade report; you will receive a separate grade for each.