Seminar I

	Pacific Seminar I takes place in the first semester. It is a shared intellectual experience with a uniform  syllabus and a common  course reader. It introduces students to the question: "What is a Good Society?"
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The course reader contains four chapters:

1. Education and Self-Examination 
2. Private Life and Civil Society
3. Politics, Law & Citizenship
4. Human Relationship to the Natural World.

Students meet in small sections to examine and expand their beliefs about a good society through the process of critical thinking, which is developed by careful reading, intensive writing, and class discussion. Many sections will be linked to residence halls (‘learning communities’). Over forty sections are offered with an average class size of 22 students.

Students watch two films outside of class on PAC2TV that connect directly to the course themes.

Students will create their Pacific electronic portfolio  and post their first pieces of work to it. The e-portfolio is part of the  Blackboard course management system that is used in all sections.

Skills

• Critical thinking about the nature of a good society
• Extensive writing
• Careful reading
• Discussion