FSSP students make immediate progress toward their educational goals by registering for UC Santa Barbara courses and completing 7–13 units, all before the academic year officially begins! Many courses have smaller class sizes during the summer months, so students benefit from individualized attention from faculty members while acclimating to UC Santa Barbara’s academic environment. FSSP students also gain access to unique opportunities, such as seminars designed specifically for first-year students, undergraduate research courses, honors sections, and enrichment classes.
Click to view academic resources for FSSP students.
Building Your FSSP Schedule
All FSSP students participate in a two-unit common course, Interdisciplinary Studies INT 95A – The Modern Research University. This course provides an introduction to internationally recognized research currently being conducted on campus, and connects you with faculty to learn about opportunities to become involved in undergraduate research during your time at UC Santa Barbara. In smaller discussion sections, graduate student mentors further introduce you to all the opportunities and resources available to you on campus.
Upon enrollment in the program, FSSP students are provided with a curated list of more than 70 lower-division courses, along with helpful information about degree requirements and academic advising resources. The Schedule of Classes supports you in choosing 7–13 units that align with your educational goals. The average FSSP student takes 10–12 units.
Our dedicated advising team will provide you with explicit instructions on course registration when your FSSP enrollment application has been approved, but in the meantime you can explore special courses and seminars below.
FSSP Course Registration Resources
Review our course offerings available to first-year students in our FSSP Schedule of Classes below
Common Course
Dr. Lina Kim and Dr. Mark Shishim
Tuesday 5:00 – 6:15 in Campbell Hall
Gain a comprehensive introduction to UC Santa Barbara as a research university. Through small discussion sections and weekly seminars by campus experts, this 2-unit course helps students explore the campus's many opportunities, including undergraduate research, internships, the Honors Program, study abroad, and more, so that they can prepare to make the most of their time at UCSB. Students will also engage in discussions about the various resources available on campus to help them excel.
Special Courses & Seminars
Dive right into your UC Santa Barbara experience by taking advantage of innovative courses and seminars designed to foster critical thinking, ignite your curiosity, and introduce you to new disciplines! Expand the categories below to learn more about opportunities for FSSP students.
These small group seminars, with a maximum of twenty students, will be taught by faculty who have volunteered their time and effort because they want to meet and teach students who are early in their UCSB careers. Facilitating student-faculty contact is one of the major goals of the First Year Discovery Seminars. Students have the opportunity to register in up to two First Year Discovery Seminars during FSSP, with each valued at one unit of credit.
Ken Hiltner
hiltner@ucsb.edu
English and Environmental Studies
Friday 9:30 – 10:50 in HSSB 1210
Understanding the relationship that our species has to our planet and its lifeforms is the goal of this seminar. Students will read and discuss the 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Overstory, by Richard Powers, and they will learn about a range of relevant and impactful environmental issues.
Ken Hiltner is a professor of the environmental humanities at UCSB, where he is the Director of the T. A. Barron Environmental Leadership Program. Dr. Hiltner teaches interdisciplinary courses about climate change and the environment in the English Department.
Tamara Afifi
tafifi@comm.ucsb.edu
Communication
Tuesday 9:30 – 10:50 in GIRV 2110
Communicating with older adults who have dementia is challenging, but virtual reality (VR) may help. Students will learn about cutting edge research on the use of VR with older adults who have mild cognitive impairment and dementia to help them communicate with their adult children. Students will participate in testing VR in a senior living community setting, and the class will read research articles about communicating with people with dementia, caregiver stress, and structural barriers to quality care.
Tamara Afifi is a professor and Department Chair of the Department of Communication. She researches family communication patterns and currently is leading a project that examines the impact of virtual reality on the quality of life for older adults with dementia and their family members.
Tengiz Bibilashvili
tbib@ucsb.edu
Physics
Tuesday 3:30 – 4:50 in ILP 3105
This seminar will equip Physics majors and STEM students with essential tools and strategies for academic success. Through interactive discussions and presentations, participants will develop personalized plans for course selection and explore approaches to securing research opportunities. Guest speakers, including current students and faculty, will join the instructor in this seminar that combines collaborative sessions with informative talks. Students will gain insights into STEM research and academic planning.
Tengiz Bibilashvili is a Physics professor and academic director of the US Physics Team at the International Physics Olympiad. He teaches lower- and upper-division courses, including classical and quantum mechanics, and electromagnetism.
Antonio Cortijo
cortijo@ucsb.edu
Spanish and Portuguese
Wednesday 11:00 – 12:15 in HSSB 1210
From Antiquity to modern times, war has been a constant presence in human history. This class will analyze the most relevant stages in the development of war and how the western tradition has conceptualized this phenomenon. The class will also explore the specific inventions related to war that allowed the development of the modern world.
Antonio Cortijo Ocaña is a distinguished professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. He studies how ideological structures and tensions shaped the languages and cultures of the Iberian Peninsula. He teaches courses in classical languages and literature, Renaissance studies, and 18th century history.
Amy Jamieson
amyjam@ucsb.edu
Exercise & Sport Studies
Wednesday 9:00 – 10:20 in Outdoor Space
Looking to develop and sustain healthy habits while a student at UCSB? This seminar will introduce students to aspects of health and wellness while exploring the campus through a series of walking activities. At the conclusion, students will have learned practical strategies for health and wellbeing, and discovered resources on campus that advocate wellness. They will also find new ways to explore health routines within the context of a busy personal, student and professional life.
Amy Jamieson is Department Chair and program advisor for the Department of Exercise & Sport Studies. Along with teaching UCSB class, she has trained hundreds of fitness professionals. She teaches courses in nutrition, life fitness, and athletic conditioning.
Andrew Watts
aawatts@ucsb.edu
College of Creative Studies - Music Composition
Wednesday 2:00 – 3:20 in SSMS 1007
Photography, digital editing, and artificial intelligence shape self-representation and perception on social media. This seminar offers an academic exploration into the intersection of technology and identity by examining the evolving narrative of self in our technologically advanced world. Students will develop skills in capturing and editing images, while critically analyzing AI's role in redefining reality and self. They will create a personal portfolio that reflects their technical proficiency and philosophical insights on authenticity in the digital era.
Andrew Watts teaches in the College of Creative Studies and is an affiliate faculty in the Mellichamp Initiative in Mind & Machine Intelligence.He is a composer of chamber, symphonic, multimedia, and electro-acoustic works that are regularly performed throughout North America. He teaches music composition courses.
Maryam Majedi
majedi@ucsb.edu
Computer Science
Tuesday 2:00 – 3:20 in GIRV 1108
In an era where technological advancements are occurring at an unprecedented rate, this course offers a crucial perspective on the intersection of ethics and technology. Students are invited to embark on a thought-provoking journey, exploring not just the limitless possibilities of what they can create with technology, but more importantly, reflecting on whether they should create them.
Maryam Majedi teaches in the Computer Science department. Her research explores the intersection of computer science and ethics.
Syee Weldeab
sweldeab@ucsb.edu
Earth Science
Friday 11:00 – 12:20 in WEBB 1025
The focus of this seminar is to unravel the manifestation of ongoing climate changes in world eco-systems. Students will study how past climate changes improve and refine our general understanding of climate change impact and the climate feedback mechanism. The class will visit a stable isotope geochemistry lab and go to Goleta Beach to look at sedimentary rocks to discover what they tell us about past climate changes, sea level changes and land uplift.
Syee Weldeab teaches in the Earth Science Department, and he studies past climate changes to understand the magnitude and pace of climate warmings and climatic feedback processes resulting from the interactions between the ocean, atmosphere and cryosphere.
Vanessa Woods
vewoods@ucsb.edu
Psychological and Brain Sciences
Tuesday & Thursday, starting August 28 2:00 – 3:20 in ILP 2207
Students will work with the SciTrek team to do science outreach with local middle school and high school classes. SciTrek outreach brings university students into local classrooms to help facilitate authentic science experiences across a diverse set of topics such as math, biology, chemistry, and physics. Students will refine their abilities to think critically and develop their mentoring skills.The outreach does not require participants to be a STEM major.
Vanessa Woods is a professor in Psychological and Brain Sciences. She teaches and conducts research on inclusive pedagogies in higher education, focusing specifically on effective teaching practices and student success. Her projects look at creating equity in college classrooms, transfer student success, and K-12 science interest & identity to understand the STEM college/career pipeline.
Rose MacLean
rmaclean@ucsb.edu
Classics
Friday 9:30 – 10:50 in GIRV 2110
Roman gladiators fought violently—sometimes to the death—in amphitheaters crowded with raucous fans. These events reveal the brutality of the Romans, but they also contain important clues about the social makeup of Rome, its political systems, cultural values, architecture, and engineering. In this course, students will study gladiatorial games and other ancient spectacles as evidence for the history of the Roman empire.
Rose MacLean is a professor in the Classics Department. Her research focuses on the cultural history of the Roman Empire, especially regarding interactions between the ruling elite and groups at the social and political margins. She is currently working on a new history of the revolt led by Spartacus.
Ralph Armbruster Sandoval
ralpharmbruster@ucsb.edu
Chicana and Chicano Studies
Wednesday 2:00 – 3:15 in GIRV 1108
UCSB has a rich history of Chicanx/Latinx and African American student activism and social movements on campus that students will study in this course. Starting with the 1968 North Hall computer center take-over, the class will focus on how Chicanx/Latinx students, Black students, and other marginalized communities, have worked to transform UCSB into a more welcoming and just institution. Emphasis will be placed on experiential, hands-on learning, touring activist sites, and hearing from guest speakers.
Ralph Armbruster Sandoval is a professor in the Chicana/o Studies Department and is Faculty Director for the UCSB Community Labor Center. His research focuses on social movements, labor studies, racism, Central America, and religion/spirituality, and he teaches classes about these topics.
James Donelan
donelan@ucsb.edu
College of Creative Studies - Writing
Thursday 3:30 –4:50 in GIRV 2110
History, linguistics, art history, and anthropology of the ancient world can be found in its literature. In this course, students will read works by three of the early poets: Princess Enheduanna (2334-2279 BCE), the anonymous author of the Gilgamesh epic (c. 2100 BCE), and the Greek poet Sappho (630-570 BCE) to learn about the times in which they lived. The class will take a field trip to the Getty Institute for direct encounters with ancient art and artifacts.
James Donelan teaches a variety of courses in the Writing Program, the College of Creative Studies, and the Department of English. His scholarship encompasses a number of interdisciplinary approaches to literature, music, and visual art.
Sabine Frühstück
fruhstuc@ucsb.edu
East Asian Languages & Cultural Studies
Tuesday 3:30 – 4:50 in GIRV 1108
Currently, unclear boundaries exist between human and machine—no matter whether artificial body parts, cyborgs, or robots. Some scholars suggest that the body should be viewed not as an entity but as an interactive process of life and death. Students in this course will read, watch, discuss, and write about how Japan’s creators of popular culture, historians, literary scholars, artists, and others have tried to make sense of this proposition.
Sabine Frühstück is Distinguished Professor and the Koichi Takashima Chair in Japanese Cultural Studies in the Department of East Asian Languages & Cultural Studies. She has been fascinated since high school by modern and contemporary Japanese culture. She teaches courses about Japanese and East Asian cultures.
Amy Andrea Martinez
amymartinez@ucsb.edu
Sociology
Tuesday 11:00 – 12:15 in HSSB 2202
This course examines how structural inequalities shape communities like the Native Chumash and Mexican/Chicano/a and explores ways to connect students’ academic learning to broader community engagement. Students will explore the intersections of mindfulness, well-being, and social justice and build resilience to manage the demands of university life. They will gain insights into the challenges faced by marginalized communities, particularly those impacted by systemic oppression, while reflecting on their own well-being and roles as socially conscious members of the UCSB community.
Dr. Amy Andrea Martinez teaches in the Sociology Department. Her research interests include Mexican/Chicano Gang Culture, mass incarceration, police use of lethal force, and prison/police abolition. She is a first-generation, working-class, and system-impacted Xicana, and her experiences inform her commitment to decolonial gang research on Mexican/Chicano/a families.
Swati Chattopadhyay
swati@ucsb.edu
History of Art and Architecture
Wednesday 2:00 – 3:20 in ARTS 1245
This course will explore the role of architecture in supporting what, where, and how we eat. Students will learn about the modern architectural history of food and beverage production and consumption with examples drawn from around the globe. The course is an invitation to think creatively and critically about food and architecture. Students will develop their understanding of changes in food taste, spaces, and labor through site visits and by working with objects and architectural drawings.
Swati Chattopadhyay is Professor in the History of Art and Architecture Department with an affiliated appointment in Comparative Literature. An architect and architectural historian, she specializes in modern architecture and urbanism, and the cultural landscape of the British empire.
Sarah W. Holmes
sarah_holmes@ucsb.edu
Theatre and Dance
Thursday 2:00 – 3:15 in HSSB 1206
This course will equip students to critically examine dance history, theory, and practice through the lenses of race, class, sexuality, politics, and gender. Approaching “Western” and American dance forms through film, scholarly texts, and live performance, we will interrogate how the dancing body is central to cultural history, social change, activism, and justice. This class addresses dance as a mode of cultural formation, and students will develop a critical awareness about the power dance has to effect change.
Dr. Holmes teaches in the Department of Theater and Dance. Her embodied research examines issues surrounding disabled corporeality, film, invisibility, and identity. She teaches dance history through the lenses of race, sexuality, class, gender, and politics.
Hua Lee
hualee@ucsb.edu
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Wednesday 5:00 – 6:15 in GIRV 1108
This course will equip students with information that will enable them to be successful in an engineering major. Topics covered will include academic planning, curriculum, internships, undergraduate research, and preparation for graduate study. Additionally, the course will explore career fields that are open to engineers.
Dr. Hua Lee is Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has served as Undergraduate Advisor, Graduate Advisor, and Department Chairman. His research covers the areas of signal processing and sensing systems.
Peter Huk
phuk@ucsb.edu
Writing Program
Tuesday 2:00 – 3:20 in SH 1432
This seminar will introduce students to issues impacting the formerly-incarcerated student population at UCSB. It will include a brief historical overview of the prison industrial complex, a study of select debates on federal and state policies, and a review of literature, journalism, and art issuing from the US carceral community. Students will learn about research in the fields of Sociology, Psychology, Education, and Writing Studies. Melissa Ortiz, the program coordinator of Gaucho Underground Scholars, will co-facilitate class discussions.
Peter Huk teaches a variety of writing classes in the Writing Program. His pedagogy and research interests include contemplative inquiry and reflection in the writing classroom, representation in documentary film, and prison pedagogy. He initiated a writing group that supports the Gaucho Underground Scholars as they pursue research on mass incarceration and reentry pedagogy.
Miriam Thompson
miriameadyt@ucsb.edu
Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology
Thursday 2:00 – 3:20 in GIRV 1108
Why do we develop strong belief systems? Why do we feel defensive when our beliefs are questioned or challenged? Why is it hard to hear perspectives that differ from our own? These questions will serve as the foundation for this course whereby students will engage in critical thinking, viewpoint diversity, and respectful dialogue. Students will be asked to reflect on their own perspective or beliefs and will consider what influenced their stance on these matters.
Miriam Eady Thompson is a professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology. Her interests are in the supervision, training, and professional practice of psychology. She teaches assessment courses on personality, neuropsychological, psychoeducational, and cognitive functioning.
Renan Larue
renanlarue@ucsb.edu
Department of French and Italian
Thursday 3:30 – 4:50 in GIRV 1108
Since 2017, with the revelation of a Pentagon-led UFO research program, the extraterrestrial question has stirred our society; however, the existence of potential extraterrestrial civilizations has been the subject of fascinating discussions since ancient Greece and within numerous cultures around the world. In this seminar, we will explore several aspects of this intriguing question by adopting a multidisciplinary approach that combines the history of science, religious studies, philosophy, literature, and cinema.
Renan Larue is a professor of French literature and intellectual history. His research interests include animal ethics, veganism, and alien studies. He teaches courses on these topics, as well as 18th-century French culture and French pop culture.
Renan Larue
renanlarue@ucsb.edu
Department of French and Italian
Tuesday 3:30 – 4:50 in HSSB 1206
Veganism and vegetarianism are growing movements that oppose animal suffering and promote environmental sustainability. An increasing number of individuals in the U.S., especially in California, are adopting plant-based diets. This course will explore vegetarianism and veganism, delving into the ethical and environmental claims of adherents, as well as the philosophical roots, historical context, representation in literature and the media, and broader implications of these beliefs and practices in today's world.
Renan Larue is a professor of French literature and intellectual history. His research interests include animal ethics, veganism, and alien studies. He teaches courses on these topics, as well as 18th-century French culture and French pop culture.
Sara Pankenier Weld
saraweld@ucsb.edu
Comparative Literature
Friday 11:00 – 12:20 in HSSB 1210
Characterized by astonishing craftsmanship and profound moral allegory, Russian animated film elevates animation to the highest level. In this course we will screen and discuss a variety of short films by significant Russian directors and place them in cultural and political context, pinpointing the unique aspects of Russian animation. Students will create small hands on projects using basic film techniques. The course ends with a class-sponsored Russian Animated Film Festival.
Sara Pankenier Weld is a Professor of Russian and Comparative Literature who has research expertise in childhood, children's media, and Russian/Slavic literature. She teaches courses about a broad range of comparative literature topics.
June Yuen Ting
jyting@ucsb.edu
Theatre and Dance
Wednesday 3:30 – 4:50 in GIRV 1108
This seminar is an interdisciplinary introduction to the field of performance studies. Drawing from the scholarship of UCSB faculty in Black Studies, Chicana/o Studies, Feminist Studies, English, and Theater and Dance, the course will introduce students to current faculty research, Students will study how scholars use performance as a critical lens to approach subjects from the performing arts to everyday life, from the stage to the streets. Students will view works by theater, dance, music, and performance artists.
June Yuen Ting is a movement worker who currently divides their time between Chumash land (Santa Barbara) and London, UK. Most recently, June has been sharing dances with students as a visiting lecturer at UC Santa Barbara and the University of Roehampton, London.
Rebecca Chenoweth
r_chenoweth@ucsb.edu
Writing Program
Friday 12:30 – 1:50 in GIRV 2110
Encounters with science writing “outside” (beyond textbooks, classrooms, or even social media) can be quite memorable. In this seminar, students will visit examples of science writing on campus and in the wider Goleta/Santa Barbara community, reflecting on the opportunities and challenges that the authors navigated to reach their readers. Students will also experiment with writing on-site to let the environment shape their writing, and create work that could be shared in places that matter to them.
Rebecca Chenoweth is a Continuing Lecturer in the Writing Program. She teaches Academic Writing, and upper-division courses about writing in the sciences, for the public, and in the health professions. In her spare time, she volunteers at a wildlife hospital and leads tours at our closest UC Natural Reserve.
Todd Squires
tsquires@ucsb.edu
Chemical Engineering
Thursday 12:30 – 1:50 in Building 570, Room 1200
OR
Thursday 3:30 – 4:50 in Building 570, Room 1200
Why does shampoo flow like honey but spread into your hair so much more easily (and less painfully)? How can hand sanitizer pump out of the bottle, but sit in a little pile on your hand until you spread it? This course is a non-technical exploration of the science and engineering of consumer products using hands-on activities in the laboratory. Students will learn about and make a different class of product each lab period.
Todd Squires is a professor in the Chemical Engineering department and is faculty advisor for UCSB's student chapter of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. His research involves "complex fluids," with applications in consumer products, the function and dysfunction of lung surfactants, and water treatment membranes.
Tymoteusz (Tym) Chejdas
tchajdas@ucsb.edu
Writing Program
Friday 2:00 – 3:20 in GIRV 1108
In today’s digital world, information is constantly filtered, manipulated, and shared, reshaping our understanding of truth as well as political and commercial power. This seminar dives into the "truth war," examining how fake news and algorithms influence global politics, social movements, and public opinion. Through case studies and critical debates, students will explore the ethical challenges of information sharing, media manipulation, and algorithmic control. They will learn to critically assess how digital media shapes global power and personal decision-making.
Dr. Tym Chajdas teaches a range of courses in the Professional Writing Minor spanning strategic communication, journalism, and academic writing. He is also a Lead Researcher at Harvard in Tech, Harvard University’s technology group. His interdisciplinary work bridges global studies, development, critical infrastructure research, cultural studies, and political communication.
Brad Bouley/Christian Thomas
bouley@ucsb.edu, cthomas@writing.ucsb.edu
Brad Bouley - History, Christian Thomas - Writing Program
Thursday 9:30 – 10:50 in ILP 3207
This course will examine the human response to environmental disaster by looking at past episodes, current crises, and future fears. Students will examine the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, the Aleppo earthquake of 1138, extreme cold winter in Europe and Asia in 1709, cholera and pollution in 19th century London, recent climate-related and potential future disasters. interactive AI simulations, online games, and roleplaying will encourage students to think about the human response to disaster.
Brad Bouley is a professor in the History Department. He works primarily on the histories of medicine and religion in early modern Europe.
Christian Thomas is a professor in the Writing Program. His work focuses on the use of games and new technologies in the classroom, and he teaches courses such as "Rome: the Game," and "How Games Tell Stories.
Broaden your horizons this summer by exploring a subject through multiple lenses! These courses bring together UCSB faculty and staff who specialize in different subject areas, to guide students through an engaging investigation of compelling topics from interdisciplinary perspectives.
Dr. Irwin Appel and Dr. James Kearney
Dr. Irwin Appel - Theater & Dance, Dr. James Kearney - English
This innovative course brings together faculty from the departments of English and Theater & Dance to offer students an immersive experience of Shakespeare that combines performance, literary study, and research. Students can expect Shakespeare to come to life on page and stage as they experience these multi-faceted works from a variety of perspectives.
Dr. Brad Bouley and Dr. Patrick McHugh
Dr. Brad Bouley - History, Dr. Patrick McHugh - Writing
Examine the dream of a perfect society through the lenses of history, literature, philosophy, and public memory. Starting with a historical and philosophical background of the concepts and unintended consequences of idealism, the course will then turn to focus more narrowly on our own planned community of Isla Vista. This course fulfills two GE requirements — Writing and Area E: Culture and Thought.
Jake Castellanos and LaTia Willis
Career Services
Design Your Life is an exciting and interactive course designed for incoming first-year students at UCSB. This course will guide you through the process of career exploration, applying design thinking to discover your passions, set meaningful goals, and effectively search for jobs. Whether you're unsure of your future path or eager to refine your ambitions, this course will equip you with valuable skills to navigate your career journey with confidence.
Crisjoe Joseph, Eduardo Gonzalez Nino, and John Hartman
Interdisciplinary Department
Bridge to STEM: Bridge to STEM helps incoming students build quantitative and navigational skills necessary for success in science, math, technology, engineering, economics, and other quantitative disciplines. The course also creates a supportive learning community, builds navigational skills that support success, and helps develop time management abilities important for UCSB courses.
Each summer, a small selection of courses offer scholarships to qualified students, to offset the unit fees associated with the course. These scholarships are intended to reduce barriers to enrollment for students who have passion that exceeds financial resources. To learn more about courses that offer scholarships to FSSP students, visit our Financial Aid & Savings page and check out the Academic Incentives section. Register for one of these special courses by indicating your interest on your FSSP course preference form (you'll receive a unique link after you're accepted to the program). Once the FSSP team finalizes your course schedule, you’ll receive additional instructions on how to apply for a scholarship.