Course Info

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Course Info for FYSM - 168 - 01, Fall 2026
Class number: 3398 Title: The Great Conversations Department: First Year Sem & Colloq
Career: Undergraduate Component: Seminar Session: Regular
Instructor's Permission Required: Yes Grading Basis: Graded Units: 1.00
Enrollment limited to 16 Current enrollment: 16 Available seats: 0
Start date: Tuesday, September 8, 2026 End date: Wednesday, December 23, 2026 Mode of Instruction: In Person
Schedule: MW: 8:30AM-9:45AM, 71VS - SEM Instructor(s): Kissel, Adam
Prerequisite(s): Only first-year students are eligible to enroll in this class.
Distribution Requirement: Meets FirstYr Seminar Requirement
Course Description:
People create formal organizations to pursue collective goods. Which organizations are suited for which goods? Intellectual conversations on this topic start with fundamental questions: What is human, how should we live, how should we organize ourselves to meet common goals, and what knowledge is most worth having? This class will enter such conversations by listening and responding to many voices that often disagree with one another. It’s the Great Books, Greatest Hits, with selections from ancient and modern writers who ask how we should organize our lives.