Why does place matter? Places speak to us through our senses and their sense of community, through their stories and their history, through the environment and the culture—but the truth is, it takes time and attention to make a place your own. This program is a great way to get started.
Since 2013, FYP has engaged a lot of students. In the classroom and in the woods, first-year students get an up-close look at Sewanee. Older students on campus ("peer mentors") help students in FYP navigate both the campus and the course. Field trips, fun readings, and camaraderie are on the syllabus. Come find your place here on the Mountain.
Faculty from various departments help students discover new things, new places, and subject matter they might not have ever studied. Cross-disciplinary relationships are just another layer to liberal arts education. Students will hear lectures and go on adventures with some of the most qualified faculty around.
There is a place for every discipline in FYP. The interdisciplinary immersion within the Finding Your Place program exposes first-year students to people, places, and programs that will leave an impression far beyond their four years on the Mountain. The courses and learning opportunities with FYP are simply top-notch.
Geology Professor Bran Potter leads a field visit to explore the geology and hydrology of Lost Cove during Sewanee’s Finding Your Place program.
Finding Your Place is a program that introduces new students to campus, course work, professors, and classmates. Its place-based approach synthesizes knowledge and experiences across many disciplines and prepares students for an engaged life in and beyond Sewanee.
The program consists of courses representing a diversity of academic disciplines that begin in mid-August and end in mid-October. FYP courses are conducted in two parts. A nine-day, pre-semester immersion allows students to explore the concept of place and the surrounding Domain through plenary lectures, common readings, and field trips. With assistance from trained mentors, each course is led by one professor—a professor who also serves as the students' transitional mentor. Once the semester begins, the course continues with weekly seminars and/or field classes that focus through one disciplinary lens. Students deepen their understanding of the topic through a "capstone" project. What's more, the FYP courses even meet a General Education requirement.
The professors teaching FYP courses represent an interdisciplinary collection of leading Sewanee faculty. They bring their own unique perspectives on what it means to be of a place, from a place, and how to find your place. Students are able to take part in panel discussions with each of these faculty members, and also choose a more specific topic for more immersive study.
