Discovery Seminars are courses designed to foster interaction between students and faculty, encouraging meaningful discussions in small groups. Students will have the chance to build relationships with faculty, gain insight into different academic fields, and delve into intriguing new subjects. Seminars showcase the diverse array of opportunities awaiting you at UCSB, spanning various majors and undergraduate research endeavors.
Faculty members interested in sharing their knowledge through a Discovery Seminar can find more information here.
Types of Discovery Seminars
Discovery Seminars for First-Year Students
INT 86AA-ZZ
Seminar subjects vary each quarter and draw on the research and teaching interests of faculty from across campus.
- One unit
- Lower-division
- Typically meets one hour each week
- Limited to 20 students, or 11 students if a field trip is involved
- Taught by one faculty member
Discovery Seminars for Transfer Students
INT 186AA-ZZ
Designed for transfer students, these seminars are led by faculty experts in the subjects they research and teach.
- One unit
- Upper-division
- Typically meets one hour each week
- Limited to 20 students, or 11 students if a field trip is involved
- Taught by one faculty member
Discovery+ Seminars
INT 87AA-ZZ & INT 187AA-ZZ
Discovery+ Seminars are co-taught by two faculty, exploring a theme or subject from multiple perspectives.
- Two units
- Lower-division & upper-division options
- Typically meet two hours each week
- Limited to 30 or 40 students
- Taught by two faculty members
Enrollment Information:
- Enrollment Information: All first-year students regardless of their college or major are eligible to enroll in lower-division Discovery Seminars. Transfer students are eligible to enroll in upper-division Discovery Seminars.
- Grading Option: Courses are taken for Pass/Not Passed credit so grades do not affect a student’s GPA.
- Unit Limitations: Students are limited to taking three Discovery Seminars during their time at UCSB. Discovery Seminars offered by the Freshman Summer Start Program also apply to this maximum. No seminars with the same suffix (AA-ZZ) may be repeated.
- Finals Week Information: Discovery Seminars do not have finals assigned during Finals Week. Any final exam will be administered during the final class meeting for these seminars.
- Registration Details: Courses are listed and enrollment is completed on GOLD. For detailed information, review the Discovery Seminar list for a specific quarter listed above. Students with transfer units or AP test credits may need an approval code to enroll.
Contact Kate Von Der Lieth at kvonderlieth@ucsb.edu for questions or to request an enrollment code.
Faculty members,
Interested in sharing your knowledge and passion with students? Get more information about offering a Discovery Seminar!
Discover exciting new topics each quarter by exploring the lists here.
Expand the lists for course descriptions and professor bios. Seminar offerings change each quarter and this list will be updated quarterly.
Fall 2025 Discovery Seminars for TRANSFER students
- Seminar Type: Transfer Discovery
- Department: chemistry and biochemistry
- Instructor: Vanessa Woods
- Instructor Email: vwoods@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Tuesday 12:00-12:50 in HSSB 1223 *This seminar will meet for 5 various Monday's through the quarter in HSSB 1223 at UCSB, and then last two weeks of the quarter. Please note that 6 hours of this seminar will be off campus at the K-12 schools and at various times volunteering with SciTrek. You will sign up for the time that works best for your schedule.
- Enroll Code: 61119
Course Description: With the SciTrek team including Dr. Woods you will get to work the SciTrek science outreach program. Through this course you will refine your abilities to think critically and to develop your mentoring skills. The outreach brings university students into local classrooms (this class will focus largely on Junior High and High School classes) to help facilitate authentic science experiences for the student across a diverse set of topics such as math, biology, chemistry, and physics. The outreach does not require that you be a STEM major.
Bio: Vanessa Woods is an Associate Teaching Professor in Psychological and Brain Sciences at UCSB. Vanessa earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, and has taught and conducted research on inclusive pedagogies in higher education at diverse institutions since 2009. Her research focus is on effective teaching practices and student success, with projects looking at, creating equity in college classrooms, transfer student success, and K-12 science interest & identity to understand the STEM college/career pipeline.
- Seminar Type: Transfer Discovery
- Department: Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology
- Instructor: Shane Jimerson
- Instructor Email: Jimerson@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Tuesday 12:00-12:50 in ED 1203
- Enroll Code: 63370
Course Description: The central aim of this seminar is to provide students with information and insights regarding the professional domain of school psychology. School psychologists have expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior, to help youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. This seminar introduces how school psychologists collaborate with families, teachers, school administrators, and others to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments. May the force be with you! Apply online at https://ucsbeducation.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0OKiD2D10EBEVzE
Bio: Professor Shane Jimerson is a nationally certified school psychologist, and recent President of both National and International School Psychology organizations. Dr. Jimerson has received numerous awards for his scholarship focused on understanding and promoting the social, emotional, behavioral, academic, and mental health of children. You can learn more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_R._Jimerson
- Seminar Type: Transfer Discovery
- Department: Exercise & Sport Studies
- Instructor: Amy Jamieson
- Instructor Email: amyjam@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Wednesdays 8:00 - 8:50 in Recen 2128 and 9:00-9:50 in RobGym 1430 *This seminar will meet the first 5 weeks
- Enroll Code: 27714
Course Description: Students will explore concepts of personal fitness and Personal Training. Students will receive basic instruction in exercise science and perform practical application of goal setting, exercise development, and program design. The course information will allow students to explore the field of fitness and wellness with an emphasis on exercise development and program design.
Bio: Amy Jamieson is a professor and industry leader in the promotion of health, wellness, and exercise prescription. She currently teaches in the Department of Exercise & Sport Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara. Amy has been actively involved in the field of exercise science as a lecturer and role model at UCSB for over twenty years. During this time she has trained hundreds of fitness professionals, developed curriculum, supervised student interns and fitness instructors, and served on numerous campus and community committees. Amy is active on the national and international stage as an annual presenter and attendee at various national and international wellness & fitness conferences. Professor Jamieson is board-certified in Nutrition through AASDN; Personal Training and Performance through NASM and Fitness Instruction through Schwinn and ACE. She is also a Certified ACE Health Coach and an ACE master instructor for the accredited program. Amy has become a leader in the growth and development of online education at UC Santa Barbara and the UC system. Professor Jamieson is well recognized as innovative and forward-thinking and therefore is the recipient of numerous educational grants.
- Seminar Type: Transfer Discovery
- Department: Linguistics/EMS
- Instructor: Ingrid Bowman
- Instructor Email: ibowman@linguistics.ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Wednesday 3:00-4:50 in GIRV 2124 *This seminar will meet for the first 5 weeks
- Enroll Code: 64477
Course Description: How can you become part of an existing community? How can a mentor help you find your way?
This course is designed for transfer students to learn about and engage in mentorship defined as evidence-based practices for reciprocal growth. The design of this seminar includes learning about different mentoring approaches and opportunities on the UC campus and in the community. You will design your own mentorship roadmap.
Bio: Ingrid Bowman has been a Continuing Lecturer in the EMS program, Department of Linguistics, for nearly fifteen years. Passionate about strengthening campus community, she founded and led a collaborative faculty mentoring project for three UC campuses called Here’s my IDEA. She has also co-authored presentations, an article and book chapter about a nationwide online mentoring project for writing instructors.
- Seminar Type: Transfer Discovery
- Department: French and Italian
- Instructor: Carla Borromeo
- Instructor Email: borromeo@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Wednesday - 1:00-1:50 in HSSB 1207
- Enroll Code: 27730
Course Description: Italian Pop culture is a cultural phenomenon completely and intrinsically linked to the modern Italian society, permeating every aspect of Italian everyday life.
Italian pop culture represents the creative aspect of the mass, influencing trends and desires of a large portion of the population.
Although Italian Pop culture started in the XX century, it continues to evolve and transform itself, thanks to the advancement of modern technology, globalization and homologation consumption, influencing various sectors (music, style and fashion, food, movies and television, technology, shopping habits, art and language.)
This course will help students to discover the different aspects of Italian Pop culture and the new current tendencies which, in many cases, are completely different from the stereotype of the typical idea of the Italian and Italian culture.
In the course many different guest speakers will talk about their expertise in each sector. Each speaker is in a stretto rapporto with the modern Italian culture. The goal of this course is for those who are already familiar with the traditional Italian culture to further their knowledge of Italian pop culture. It is also for those completely new to Italian traditions, habits, etc... to get a glimpse of Italians and Italian-ness, and maybe consider to embark on a path of studying the Italian language and culture.
Bio: Lectuer in the French and Italian Department
- Seminar Type: Transfer Discovery
- Department: English
- Instructor: Heather Blurton
- Instructor Email: heatherblurton@english.ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Wednesday 2:00-2:50 in HSSB 1231
- Enroll Code: 66829
Course Description: From Ovid to Dungeons and Dragons, the werewolf has long history in literature, film, and games. The werewolf, that is, a man who transforms into a wolf, embodies themes of transformation, sexuality, and the relationship between humans and beasts, good and evil. This class will survey short werewolf fiction, including Ovid's "Metamorphoses," Marie de France's medieval "Bisclavret," witch-hunting manuals, Angela Carter's feminist rewritings in "The Bloody Chamber," classic movies and role-playing games.
Bio: Heather Blurton teaches medieval literature in the English Department. She is also interested in the cultural history of monsters.
- Seminar Type: Transfer Discovery
- Department: Environmental Studies
- Instructor: Iris Holzer
- Instructor Email: irisholzer@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Monday 5:00-6:50 in HSSB 2201 *This seminar has a field trip
- Monday, October 6, 5 pm - 6:50 pm (classroom)
- Saturday, October 11, 8 am - 5 pm (field trip)
- Monday, October 13, 5 pm - 6:50 pm (classroom)
- Enroll Code: 63396
Course Description: Soils are the dynamic skin of the Earth, where a multitude of chemical, physical, and biological processes come together to support human health, agriculture, thriving ecosystems, and complex landscapes. This seminar will introduce transfer students to the diverse discipline of soil science, with a focus on viewing local soils during a Saturday field trip. Our meeting before the field trip will cover field safety, set community expectations, and provide an overview of our local Central Coast soils and their formation. Students will have opportunities to reflect on the intersections of soils with their other interests or desired career paths.
Bio: Hi everyone! My name is Iris Holzer (she/her), and I am an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Environmental Studies Program, where I specialize in soils and environmental chemistry. I’m originally from Mississippi and Missouri, but I came to California for college and got my B.A. in Geology from Scripps College. I completed my Ph.D. in Soils & Biogeochemistry at UC Davis in 2023, where I studied rock weathering in the soils of agricultural and natural systems. My primary areas of focus are elemental cycling in soils, soil formation, and enhanced rock weathering for carbon removal. I'm happiest digging or doing field work, and I'm committed to fostering supportive, safe, and engaging field experiences for students at every stage.
- Seminar Type: Transfer Discovery
- Department: MCDB
- Instructor: Brooke Gardner
- Instructor Email: brookegardner@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Friday 3:00-3:50 in ILP 4103
- Enroll Code: 62901
Course Description: This course, meant for pre-biology transfer students, will discuss how biochemistry concepts and approaches presented in the MCDB 108A - Biochemistry of Macromolecules course are used in research on campus. In addition to reading and discussing scientific articles related to research on campus, we will discuss how to get involved in research, graduate school, and summer research opportunities.
Bio: Dr. Gardner received her BA in Biochemistry from Middlebury College and her PhD in Biochemistry from UC San Francisco in the lab of Dr. Peter Walter. As a Miller Fellow at UC Berkeley, Dr. Gardner worked in Dr. Andreas Martin’s lab investigating the role of AAA-ATPase motor proteins in peroxisome biogenesis. She joined the MCDB faculty at UC Santa Barbara in 2019.
- Seminar Type: Transfer Discovery+
- Department: Writing
- Instructor: Katie Baillargeon & Kevin Rutherford
- Instructor Email: baillargeon@ucsb.edu, kjr@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Wednesday 2:00-3:50 in NH 1111
- Enroll Code: 57067
Course Description: From Resident Evil and Amnesia to The Haunting of Hill House and Cabin in the Woods, stories centering on haunted spaces are a staple of the horror genre. This seminar explores multiple media about crossing horrifying thresholds and considers how they each reflect contemporaneous societal concerns and mores.
Bio: Katie Baillargeon has a PhD in Musicology from UCSB and has taught in the Writing Program since 2008. Several years ago, while re-watching “The Exorcist” she questioned why she even likes such a, well, horrific genre, so she now teaches a humanities writing course with a horror theme. She’s the only one in her house who enjoys scary movies and she detests walking down the hallway in the dark after watching one by herself.
Kevin Rutherford is a digital rhetorician by day, horror aficionado by night, who frequently wonders who among his friends would survive a zombie apocalypse. (He imagines he would probably be the first to die.)
Fall 2025 Discovery Seminars for FIRST-YEAR Students
- Seminar Type: First Year Discovery
- Department: Art
- Instructor: Kip Fulbeck
- Instructor Email: fulbeck@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Tuesdays 9:00-10:50 in ARTS 1237 *This seminar will meet the first 5 weeks
- Enroll Code: 57000
Course Description: Examining how we create our own identities gives us cheat codes for navigating the outside world. In this interactive and fun workshop, students will view work by visiting spoken word artists, performers, and filmmakers, as well as engage in lively discussions pertinent to their phase in life as new college students.
Bio: Artist Kip Fulbeck teaches as a Distinguished Professor at UCSB. He has exhibited worldwide and has been featured on CNN, MTV, The New York Times, The TODAY Show, and various NPR programs. He is the author of six books and the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award and Faculty Diversity Award.
- Seminar Type: First Year Discovery
- Department: French and Italian
- Instructor: Tiziana de Simone
- Instructor Email: desimone@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Wednesday 9:00-9:50 in GIRV 1108
- Enroll Code: 61390
Course Description: This seminar explores the significant contributions of Italian scientists across various fields, from physics and medicine to astronomy and engineering. Focusing on historical figures like Galileo Galilei, Enrico Fermi, and Rita Levi-Montalcini we will highlight their groundbreaking discoveries and the lasting impact of their work on global scientific progress. Through discussions and research, the seminar will underscore the importance of collaboration, curiosity, and perseverance in advancing scientific knowledge.
Bio: Tiziana de Simone is a Continuing Lecturer in Italian Studies and has joined the French and Italian Department at UCSB in 2000. She has taught traditional and hybrid lower-division Italian courses, including Italian conversation courses, for over 22 years at UCSB. Before that, she worked as a Lecturer in the Chemistry Department and as a researcher in the Materials Department at UCSB. Tiziana graduated from the University of Naples “Federico II” in Chemistry, completing a Master's thesis on synthesizing and characterizing new adhesives in the Materials Department at UCSB. Her research led to many publications in scientific journals.
She has always been enthusiastic about teaching complex concepts effectively and simply. Her first job as an educator was through the Upward Bound program at UCSB, where she taught underprivileged high school students and encouraged them to continue with their college education. Tiziana is passionate about enriching her methodology and teaching skills through new technologies and has participated in many workshops and symposia. She was recently chosen for the Center for Innovative Teaching, Research, and Learning Symposia (2021-23), where she participated in weekly seminars focusing on teaching equity and engaging technologies. She combined her background in science with her passion for teaching the Italian language with a presentation focused on how our brain learns and applies a new language.
She is passionate about books, music, dogs, art, hiking, and the ocean and loves bringing Southern Italian culture and traditions into her classes. As an authentic Southern Italian, she also enjoys cooking for and entertaining friends with the Italian dishes she grew up with.
She has volunteered at the Mission in Santa Barbara and in many local elementary and high schools, where she organized monthly meetings with local speakers to help students envision their career paths.
- Seminar Type: First Year Discovery
- Department: Theater and Dance
- Instructor: William Davies King
- Instructor Email: king@theaterdance.ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Wednesday 5:00-5:50 in TD-W 2517
- Enroll Code: 61226
Course Description: Study of diverse aspects of personal collecting: its psychology, history, sociology, economics, and artistic application. How does personal collecting differ from and sometimes intersect with institutional collecting? How does personal collecting function as a dimension of one’s life story? How does one’s life story relate to the material values of American society and culture? How does collecting differ from hoarding or maximalism? How is collecting—and ownership, more generally—developing in the present moment? Using readings, demonstrations, and practical exercises, the course will look at these questions.
Bio: William Davies King is Emeritus Professor of Theater, but alongside his important career as a theater historian, he is a lifelong collector. In 2008, he published Collections of Nothing, part essay and part memoir about becoming a collector of much stuff, which he provocatively calls "nothing." He has also written plays about collecting and has devised two trial versions of a Museum of Nothing Much. He is currently writing a new book about collecting, with the working title: Having Had: Thinking Through Collecting.
- Seminar Type: First Year Discovery
- Department: Center for Innovative Teaching, Research, and Learning
- Instructor: Nathan Emery
- Instructor Email: nemery@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Wednesday 12:00-12:50 in ILP 4211
- Enroll Code: 27383
Course Description: A critical component of science is how you approach and think about concepts and problems. In this course, students will explore many ways of thinking that are practiced by scientists from across STEM disciplines. The frameworks and mindsets that we cover will help students learn scientific concepts and skills in current and future courses. Additionally, this course seeks to help students be prepared for interacting in a world full of data and scientific information.
Bio: Nathan Emery, is the Associate Director of STEM Education in CITRAL and has a PhD from the EEMB department. He has expertise in Biology Education and Plant Ecology. He has taught several courses at UCSB in the past and enjoys working with students on how the process of science works.
- Seminar Type: First Year Discovery
- Department: Music Composition, College of Creative Studies
- Instructor: Andrew Watts
- Instructor Email: aawatts@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Fridays from 10:00-10:50 in SSMS 1304
- Enroll Code: 27409
Course Description: This seminar offers an academic exploration into the intersection of technology and identity. This course examines how photography, digital editing, and artificial intelligence shape self-representation and perception. Students will develop skills in capturing and editing images, while critically analyzing AI's role in redefining reality and self. The seminar culminates in creating a personal portfolio, reflecting each student's technical proficiency and philosophical insights on authenticity in the digital era. This course is an invitation to engage with the evolving narrative of self in our technologically advanced world.
Bio: Andrew A. Watts is a composer of chamber, symphonic, multimedia, and electro-acoustic works regularly performed throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. His compositions have been premiered at world-renowned venues such as Burning Man, Ravinia, Boston's Jordan Hall, Darmstadt, and the Holywell Music Room. Watts has written for many of today’s top new music groups, including Dal Niente, Ekmeles, Proton Bern, Distractfold, RAGE Thormbones, Splinter Reeds, Quince, and Line Upon Line. Recently, Watts premiered an open instrumentation quartet, A Strobe Fractures Obsidian Night, which utilizes AI-generated video and multichannel audio. He completed his D.M.A. in Composition at Stanford University, received his master's with distinction from the University of Oxford, and his bachelor's with academic honors from the New England Conservatory. He has been a featured composer at the MATA Festival, impuls Academy, Rainy Days Festival, Delian Academy, Young Composers Meeting, Cheltenham Music Festival, Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, Composit Festival, Ostrava Days Institute, highSCORE Festival, Wellesley Composers Conference, Etchings Festival, Fresh Inc. Festival, New Music on the Point, and Atlantic Music Festival. Watts is currently on the Music Composition faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s College of Creative Studies.
- Seminar Type: First Year Discovery
- Department: Computer Science
- Instructor: Maryam Majedi
- Instructor Email: majedi@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Tuesday 4:00-4:50 in GIRV 2124
- Enroll Code: 63362
Course Description: As students begin their journey in STEM fields, it's essential to recognize that technical skills alone are not enough. This course introduces first-year students to the ethical complexities embedded in scientific and technological endeavors. Students will explore how some designs and innovations can inadvertently impact society, perpetuate biases, and lead to unintended consequences if ethical considerations are overlooked.
Through interactive discussions, case studies, and real-world examples, students will learn to identify and address ethical challenges such as privacy violations, discrimination, and inequality in technical design. This course encourages students to think critically about their roles as future engineers, scientists, and technologists, highlighting the importance of responsible decision-making that promotes inclusivity and fairness.
Bio: Dr. Maryam Majedi joined the Department of Computer Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, as an Assistant Teaching Professor in 2023. She completed a teaching stream postdoc at the University of Toronto, where she worked with the Embedded Ethics Education Initiative (E3I) team and introduced the first ethics modules for CS courses in Canada. Dr. Majedi earned her Ph.D. in data privacy at the University of Calgary. Her Ph.D. work presents a novel privacy policy modeling technique. Prior to her Ph.D., she earned a Master of Science degree in High-Performance Scientific Computing from the University of New Brunswick. Dr. Majedi also completed a fellowship in Medical Innovation at Western University.
Dr. Majedi's research primarily revolves around Embedded Ethics and Data Privacy. She explores the intersection of computer science and ethical considerations, aiming to develop modules that facilitate the integration of ethics and data privacy principles into computer science education.
- Seminar Type: First Year Discovery
- Department: Writing Program
- Instructor: Tymoteusz (Tym) Chajdas
- Instructor Email: tchajdas@ucsb.edu
- Day - Time - Room: Tuesday 1:00-1:50 in GIRV 2124
- Enroll Code:
Course Description: In today’s digital world, information is constantly filtered, manipulated, and shared, reshaping our understanding of truth as well as political and commercial power. This seminar dives into the "truth war," examining how fake news and algorithms influence global politics, social movements, and public opinion. Through real-world case studies and critical debates, students will explore the ethical challenges of information sharing, media manipulation and algorithmic control. Whether you’re studying media, political science, technology, business, or ethics, this seminar equips you with the tools to critically assess how digital media shape global power and personal decision-making.
Bio: Dr. Tym Chajdas teaches a range of courses in the Professional Writing Minor spanning strategic communication, journalism, and academic writing. He is also a Lead Researcher at Harvard in Tech, Harvard University’s technology group. His interdisciplinary work bridges global studies, development, critical infrastructure research, cultural studies, and political communication. Dr. Chajdas' professional experience includes roles in journalism, media, and strategic advisory at organizations such as ITV Wales, Polish Radio, Nature Publishing Group, and Boston Consulting Group.