Running Down a Dream: First-year Students Learn Resilience, Gain Confidence in Training for a 5K
On a bright October afternoon, first-year students filed into South College’s classroom W101 and settled into chairs arranged in a tight semicircle facing a projector screen. Jenny Adams, professor of medieval literature and English department chair, welcomed the 19 students as they pulled from their backpacks a book far from the works of Chaucer usually found in her courses: “Let Your Mind Run: Thinking My Way to Victory,” a memoir by Deena Kastor, American Olympic marathon medalist, and health and fitness journalist Michelle Hamilton. Read more here.
Faculty First-Year Seminar instructors reflect on their seminar experiences
Kara Peterman
Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Undergraduate Program Director, Civil and Environmental Engineering Riccio College of Engineering
College Outstanding Teaching Award (COTA) Recipient
2026 Faculty First-Year Seminar: The Nuts and Bolts of Great Structures
What would you tell a first-year student about your work and your class?
I push the envelope on steel building design through research on sustainable construction, novel structural systems, and resilience against natural hazards. I really love looking at (and talking about) structures, and enjoy sharing my excitement with students in class.
Anne Bello
Deputy Director and Senior Lecturer, UMass Amherst Writing Program
2026 Faculty First-Year Seminar: Finding Your Voice as a Writer with Generative AI
What would you tell a first-year student about your work and your class?
I have been teaching writing at UMass for almost 20 years, and I love working with first-year students! Before I came to UMass, I worked as a dictionary editor at Merriam-Webster, and I've been interested in technology, writing, and language ever since. I'm excited to teach this class because it's a chance to incorporate creative writing activities that we don't always have time for in classes like College Writing and Writing, Identity, and Power.
Shemon Salam
Lecturer of Social Thought and Political Economy, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
2026 Faculty First-Year Seminar: Cavemen and Cavewomen: the Origins of Inequality and the Struggle for Liberation
What would you tell a first-year student about your work and your class?
My work focuses on the structures that make the world unfair and how people have fought back to make it more equitable and egalitarian. This class examines the origins of inequality and the various strategies people use to level society. This is a myth-busting class: while the standard story suggests that humans have always been violent and cruel, our class will explore the long period of human history defined by peace and egalitarianism. We will then analyze the relatively recent developments that created a more violent and unequal society.
Musbah Shaheen
Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator, Higher Education, College of Education
2026 Faculty First-Year Seminar: Speak Up or Stay Silent?
What would you tell a first-year student about your work and your class?
In this class, we explore the tricky balance between speaking up and holding back in college. We look at real examples of campus debates, institutional rules, and social pressures that influence what people feel comfortable saying. My work focuses on understanding how these dynamics shape student experiences, so in class, you’ll not only discuss current issues, but also reflect on your own choices about when and how to speak. You’ll develop a sharper sense of the opportunities and limits of free expression on campus, while learning to think critically about your own beliefs and assumptions.
Annette Vadnais
Student Success & Wellbeing Librarian
2026 Faculty First-Year Seminar: Purple Hair, Real Talk: The First-Year Experience
What would you tell a first-year student about your work and your class?
I work with students across campus to help them feel confident using resources, finding community, and navigating college systems that can sometimes feel overwhelming. My class is a space where you can ask the questions you might not even know you’re allowed to ask. Together, we’ll figure out how college really works so you can build a first year that feels connected, balanced, and successful.
Tom Weston
Professor; Department Head, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Natural Sciences
2026 Faculty First-Year Seminar: Prime Numbers
What would you tell a first-year student about your work and your class?
My work is in number theory, which is notable for questions which are easy to ask and very difficult to answer. My primary research is on connections of number theory with geometry and analysis/calculus. I have always been fascinated by questions surrounding various types of prime numbers and in recent years have learned much more about the modern applications. My goal with the class would be to convey the aspects of these problems which are especially interesting to me.
Ashley Woodman
Senior Lecturer, Program Director DDHS, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, College of Natural Sciences
Manning Prize for Excellence in Teaching Recipient
2026 Faculty First-Year Seminar: Framing Difference: Disability and Neurodiversity in Media
What would you tell a first-year student about your work and your class?
I am the director of the Developmental Disabilities and Human Services specialization. This seminar is a great opportunity to explore the field of disability studies through popular media. If you like this topic, there are many other courses offered at UMass that you can take to build off this knowledge. I am a neurodivergent and disabled faculty member, and I hope to foster a classroom environment that is inclusive to students with and without personal or work experience with disability.