The Textbook Department of the Harvard Coop contacts each instructor prior to the start of term in order to coordinate textbook orders. You may contact the Textbook Manager at 617-499-2223 or textbooks@thecoop.com
First-Year Seminars meet once a week for 2-3 hours. Ladder and tenured FAS faculty may not schedule a course meeting on Tuesday afternoons between 4-5:30 PM, the time designated for faculty meetings. Seminars may meet in department rooms by agreement or our office will request a room from the Harvard Classrooms Office.
We offer up to $300 for all course-related expenses, including classroom supplies, field trips, and guest speakers. We regret that additional funding for special expenses is very limited.
A First-Year Seminar is ordinarily part of the annual 1.0 FTE limit of FAS instructors. This 1.0 FTE limit does not apply to non-FAS Faculty, who receive compensation for their seminar. Please contact Toni Trainor at 617-496-3993 or firstyearseminarprogram@fas.harvard.edu for information on compensation rate.
Because the instructor plays an important mentoring role in small-group instruction, a First-Year seminar is not provided with additional teaching staff. However, seminars with significant hours of science lab or studio art may request the hire of an Undergraduate Course Assistant or a Graduate Teaching Fellow to assist with course preparation. Please contact Toni Trainor at 617-496-3993 or firstyearseminarprogram@fas.harvard.edu for advice on your request. Read more about May I hire a CA or a TF to assist me?
Some seminars, because of their specialized nature, require particular qualifications or appropriate academic background, and this fact should be specified in the course description. However, most instructors set no prerequisites other than an interest in the subject.
Absolutely. Please feel free to contact our Director, Ofrit Liviatan with any queries. The Bok Center for Teaching and Learning also offers opportunities for current and prospective instructors to learn more about teaching in the First-Year Seminar Program. Finally, we will be inviting instructors to get together for feedback sessions to discuss questions and observations about the Program and about teaching first-year students.