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What the 1st-year seminar course replacing SEM 100 might look like

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Faculty involved in compiling the FYS 101 curriculum have said they hope it will better equip students to talk about race and identity.

By Sarah Alessandrinisenior staff writer

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The first-year seminar replacing SEM 100 next academic year will incorporate a history of discriminaton and racist incidents on Syracuse University’s campus into class discussions, according to the proposed syllabus.

SU announced the replacement of SEM 100 after criticism from students that the course did not effectively address issues of diversity and inclusion. Organizers from #NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students that protested a series of hate incidents last academic year, included the revision of SEM 100 in their list of demands last year.

The new course, FYS 101, was designed based on feedback from students who have taken SEM 100, as well as from lead and peer facilitators.

Here’s what FYS 101 might look like for incoming first-year students, according to the proposed syllabus.



Enhanced discussions of race and identity

Faculty involved in creating the FYS 101 curriculum have said they hope it will better equip students to talk about race and identity.

Several weeks of the course will include conversations about prejudice, discrimination, bias and privilege stereotypes. The proposed syllabus also describes several in-depth conversations about incidents of hate and discrimination on SU’s campus and incorporates lessons about student-led protests.

Conversations about the Syracuse 8, redlining and Interstate 81, as well as a historical profile of SU, will be included in conversations one week, according to the proposed syllabus. Syracuse 8 is a group of Black SU football players in 1970 who boycotted practices in response to discrimination from the athletic department. The course will also introduce students to the campus STOP Bias initiative, a program for reporting hate and bias-related incidents on campus.

More on SU’s first-year seminar:

Week eight’s discussion will focus on a history of Asian American students on SU’s campus, including examples of anti-Asian discrimination.

The course will discuss social justice related to gender and sexuality — including LGBTQ and women’s rights — in week 10 of the course. Week 13 will focus on Latino history and Latino communities and resources, including La Casita Cultural Center in Syracuse.

Course facilitators will partner with faculty from SU’s Burton Blatt Institute for Disability Law for week 11’s discussions on disability rights, including current challenges posed by the pandemic.

The syllabus lists exploring religious communities and religious discrimination as the topic of discussion for week 14.

Learning objectives and course structure

The syllabus outlines several learning objectives for the course, which include easing students’ transition to college life and developing their understanding of identity, diversity, equity and access.

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Unlike SEM 100, FYS 101 will run for the full semester. For three of the 14 weeks — weeks four, nine and 12 — students will participate in activities specific to their home college, such as an introduction to the college or an introduction to class registration.

Participation and attendance will be worth half of a students’ grade, while written assignments will account for the other half. There will be eight total assignments worth 12.5% each.

Course materials and outside content

The syllabus describes the course as an “experiential” and “discussion-based” course. All necessary materials, including readings, videos and audio material, will be available through Blackboard, according to the syllabus.

Class periods may also be used for artistic performances, guest speakers or field trips.

The syllabus also suggests a field trip to Skä-noñh, the Great Law of Peace Center, a Haudenosaunee heritage center focusing on the Indigenous peoples of central New York.

Performances that students may engage with include “Fragile White Guy,” a one-man show about a white man learning about his own racist behavior, which was included in the fall 2020 SEM 100 course.





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