Bryn Mawr College

Dear Member of Bryn Mawr’s Class of 2013,

As the co-directors of the Balch Seminars, we are delighted that you’ll be joining the Bryn Mawr community. As you probably know, every first-year Bryn Mawr student takes one of the seminars in the fall semester. Below you’ll find general information about this fall’s seminars and directions for selecting your preferences.

Taught by Bryn Mawr faculty from several departments, the Balch Seminars focus on significant questions of interest to teachers, scholars, and professionals in many disciplines. In your seminar, you’ll engage in probing reading of challenging texts; you’ll hone your critical writing skills; and you’ll participate in lively text-centered discussions of ideas. Because the seminars are small, you’ll get to know your professor and the students who share your interest in the seminar topic. You’ll also meet with your professor in conference every two weeks to discuss your ideas and your writing—a feature we think is one of the best parts of the course. We who teach these courses are excited about our fall 2009 offerings, and we look forward to exploring and talking with you about the books, plays, films, art, music, and science on our syllabi.

This year, we’re offering 26 sections of the Balch Seminars, comprising 23 different topics. Click on “Course Listings” at the left to read the descriptions. We hope you’ll enjoy reading the descriptions and thinking about the seminars that interest you.

You may indicate your seminar preferences online anytime between July 1 and August 12. To do so, visit the Student Registration Page (link will become active July 1). Enter your name, e-mail address, and 7-digit ID number (leaving blank the box marked “College Code”). Then, click on the section number and title of three seminars that you would like to take.

NOTE: Your choices cannot be ranked. We want you to choose three seminars you would be happy to take. This will help maximize the possibility of your being placed in a seminar that interests you. It usually isn’t hard to find three intriguing seminars. In fact, students in the past have told us it’s difficult to limit the choices to three!

Enrollment in seminars is usually limited to 14 students, so choose carefully. Give some time and thought to your selections. Once we’ve gathered everyone’s choices, we’ll try to place you in one of the three seminars you’ve selected. You’ll find out your seminar assignment when you arrive at Bryn Mawr in August.

Here are some tips for choosing your seminars:

Seminar choices are NOT first come, first served. As long as you indicate your seminar preferences before August 10, you’ll have an equal chance of getting into one of the seminars you choose. Most of the seminars meet at the same time, so scheduling won’t be much of a problem. A few do meet at other times, however. The course descriptions will tell you when each section meets.

Some seminars are offered at two different times. If one of your choices is one of the following seminars, please choose the section that meets at the time you prefer: “Performance and Self”; “Classical Myth and Contemporary Imagination”; “Reading Culture: Poverty in America”; and "Anxious Masculinity." If you choose one of these three seminars, please select only one section, not both.

Look at the texts mentioned in the course description. Maybe you’ll want to choose a seminar with texts in a field in which you might major. But an equally attractive option is to choose a seminar with texts you might never study again once you get into your major field. And don’t be reluctant to choose a seminar whose texts you’ve read before. Seminar texts are worth re-reading. You’ll understand them differently in this course than you did in your last encounter with them.

If you’re unfamiliar with the texts mentioned in a seminar description, do a little searching for them in your local library or online. Find out what they’re about, who created them, when they were written (or painted or composed or directed). You’ll make better-informed choices if you know what the course texts are like.

Writing is an important component of the Balch Seminars. Beyond the guidance your instructor gives you about your writing, Bryn Mawr has an active Writing Center where students get feedback and support for their writing. You can visit the Writing Center for additional advice on the papers you’ll write in your seminar.

Most seminars meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Most first-year students find this time slot fits their schedule well. If you want to think about how your seminar will fit with other courses you’re considering taking, please refer to the Tri-Co Course Guide.

We are looking forward to seeing you in September!

Gail Hemmeter, English Department
Michelle Francl, Chemistry Department
Co-directors, The Emily Balch Seminars