Freshman Foundations Courses

The Freshman Foundations Course (FFC) is one part of the FFC area of the Chapman General Education program. All entering freshmen enroll in an FFC section connected to a larger learning community, and all participate in an orientation program that includes a shared summer reading.

The FFC course engages students in interdisciplinary, university-level critical inquiry and reflection. FFC courses focus more on critical engagement, exploration, and communication related to complex issues than on mastering a body of material. The section topics vary, and students select a topic according to their academic and personal interests. All of the sections offer students an intellectually enriching exploration of ideas, values, and disciplinary knowledge and methods. Working independently and collaboratively to frame issues and questions that have engaged the intellectual interests of historians, philosophers, literary, fine arts, and media critics, scientists, economists, and political theorists over the centuries, students develop their analytic, creative, and expressive abilities.

FFC is taught by a select group of faculty who are committed to supporting students in their transition to university-level inquiry. Field trips, guest speakers, collaborative research, multimedia projects, and other forms of active learning are an important part of the course.