FRS 001 — Sec. 022 — (1 unit) — CRN 81453 — F 10:00-11:50am — 27 Olson
Cultural Offerings in the City of Davis: A Freshman Seminar

Instructor: Andy Jones, University Writing Program, College of Letters and Science

Description: Freshmen coming to UC Davis may feel overwhelmed by all the new stimuli, choices and responsibilities, despite the university’s best efforts to orient them. Registration procedures, the myriad of clubs and activities, the expansive campus to be navigated by bicycle – all these new challenges, and many more, must be addressed by students coming to our campus for the first time. Because of these primary orientation topics, freshmen too rarely venture into the city of Davis itself to investigate its art galleries, cafes, farmers market, or other cultural offerings. Orienting students to off-campus life rather than to the university itself, this Freshman Seminar will introduce participants to the cultural offerings of the City of Davis.

Participants will investigate most or all of the following sites and phenomena:
• Virtual Davis (DavisWiki.Org, City of Davis Website, Davis Community Network)
• Art in Davis (Natsoulas, Pence, Artery, Public Art)
• Public Gatherings (The Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, others)
• Historic Buildings (Bistro 33 at Old City Hall, Hunt Boyer Mansion, Boy Scout Cabin)
• The Photographic Scavenger Hunt (Have your digital camera ready!)
• Theater and Film in Davis (Varsity Theater, Davis Musical Theatre Company)
• Café Culture (Mishka’s Café, Café Roma, others)
• Choose Your Own Adventure (in Davis)

Format: The seminar will meet at 27 Olson Hall (a computer classroom), and at locations in the city of Davis (all bikeable from the UC Davis campus) at 10 a.m. on Friday mornings for the six weeks of Summer Session II. Most classes will last two hours, though students will be expected to complete one or two additional “field trips” on their own time.

All students will be expected to complete FIVE assignments:
A) Attend all classes and field trips. On those mornings when we meet at a location in the city of Davis, you should leave yourself extra time to locate and travel to our rendezvous location.
B) Keep (and fill) a hard-back journal large enough not to fit in your pocket or a small purse (preferably the 13cm by 21 cm edition by Moleskine).
C) Complete (with your collaborative group) the photographic scavenger hunt.
D) Offer a multimedia presentation to the class on one additional Davis site or cultural offering. See some presentation topics under week five, below.
E) Share and comment upon one journal entry a week in the class wiki.

Grading: Participants in this one-unit class will be assigned a letter grade according to their performance in the following five categories:
Attendance in class and on field trips 20%
Class Participation (preparedness, enthusiasm, quality of comments) 20%
Participation in the class wiki 20%
Submitted journal 20%
Scavenger Hunt Submissions and commentary 20%

About the Instructor: Andy Jones has taught for a variety of UC Davis Departments and Units, including the Department of English, The University Writing Program, and Technocultural Studies since 1990. In the past six years, Andy has taught Freshman Seminars on “Collaboration in the Arts,” “Writing About the Future,” “Beat Poetry and Film,” and “Jazz and Literature.” Always interested in cross-disciplinary thinking and studies, Andy interviews many authors, performers and pundits as host of “Doctor Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour” on radio station KDVS. In 2006 Andy was named Educator of the Year by the Associated Students of UC Davis.