Academic Honors and FellowshipsMicro-Seminars
Are you curious about what a college-level class experience will be like? Imagine learning about cutting-edge research from USC faculty before the first week of school. Perhaps you want to discuss current political and social issues, explore creative works of art, or understand the cultural diversity of Los Angeles. These are just a few examples of the micro-seminars available to you as part of the USC Welcome Experience.
What are Micro-Seminars?
Micro-seminars are mini-workshops or small-group sessions that highlight a specialized topic in a short time. Structured as two 90-minute sessions, these seminars are designed to give you the chance to meet one faculty member and other first-year students and engage in an academic environment before classes begin. Attendance for most seminars is limited to just 20 students to ensure thoughtful discussion and the opportunity to meet peers with similar interests.
Faculty from across all schools and disciplines at USC are leading a micro-seminar. While you may attend a seminar that jump-starts your fields of study, you are not required to sign up for a seminar based on your major. This is learning for the sake of learning, so there is no required homework or grading. Some faculty may suggest short readings in advance to add to your understanding of the topic.
Micro-Seminars have two parts. You select one topic that is presented over two days. You must attend both parts.
- Part 1: Thursday, August 22, 2024 from 3:00 – 4:30 pm (PST)
- Part 2: Friday, August 23, 2024 from 10:00 – 11:30 am (PST)
- Part 2 is a continuation of Part 1 – same professor, topic, and peers.
Registration
To register, you must login with your USC Net ID. You can only register in ONE micro-seminar topic. All seminar content and availability are subject to change. The last day to register is Sunday, August 18, 2024.
Students will receive information about the classroom location for their their Micro-Seminar after registering.
Questions? Contact Academic Honors and Fellowships at ahfstaff@usc.edu
Schedule
Seminar Topics
Fall 2024 Micro-Seminar Topics categorized by school below.
Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism
| Creating Green Narratives: How to Write Creative Briefs for Eco-Friendly Campaigns | Rafael Bracero, Adjunct Professor |
| Political Advertising and the 2024 Election | Steven Caplan, Part Time Faculty |
| The Business of Games – Understanding Opportunities outside of development in the Video Game Industry | Steven Fowler, Adjunct Professor |
| Protests, Social Movements and Civil Rights: What You Don’t Learn in the Back of a Police Car | Karen North, Clinical Professor; Michael Overing, Adjunct Faculty |
| Creating Common Ground: Using Communication Techniques to Reduce Conflict and Build Relationships | Stephanie Westmyer, Adjunct Faculty |
Chan Division of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy
| Neuroscience of Otherness and Belonging | Camille Dieterle, Associate Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy |
| Know Thyself: The Art and Science of Self-Reflection | Ashley Uyeshiro Simon, Associate Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy; Director, Occupational Science Minor Program; Diego Lopez, Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy |
Davis School of Gerontology
| Health Justice, Ageism, Intersectionality and…Sex | Paul Nash, Instructional Associate Professor of Gerontology |
| First Step to Successful College Life: Honest Expression and Empathic Listening | Min-Kyuong Rhee, Instructional Assistant Professor of Gerontology |
Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Arts & Humanities
| Forging Shakespeare | Emily Anderson, Professor of English and College Dean of Undergraduate Education |
| Polish and Eastern European Video Game Industry-Cultural Analysis | Andrzej Brylak, Postdoctoral Scholar – Teaching Fellow, Slavic Languages and Literatures |
| Unlocking Worlds: The Art and Science of Language Learning | Evgeny Dengub, Professor (Teaching) of Russian |
| ¡Al rescate!: Save the LA River…with your Spanish | Gayle Fiedler Vierma, Associate Professor (Teaching) of Spanish |
| Food Justice and Sustainability in Latinx Los Angeles | Sarah Portnoy, Professor |
| Trojan Treasure Hunt: Creative Writing on the Road to Discovery | Marci Vogel, Lecturer |
Natural Sciences
| The Branches that Lead to STEM: Increasing Access for Underrepresented Groups in the STEM Academic Pipeline | Rita Barakat, Lecturer in Neurobiology |
Social Sciences
| Meet New People (And Be Kind To Them): The Philosophy of Ethical Interaction | James Clements, Professor of Writing |
| Is Silence Sufficient?: Pleading the Fifth in the Age of Biometric Security | Antonio Elefano, Professor (Teaching) of Writing |
| Dialogue through Difference: How to listen to understand, and share to be heard | Quade French, Associate Dean; Kamy Akhavan, Executive Director, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future at USC Center for the Political Future |
| From Arithmetic to Large Language Models | Khalil Iskarous, Associate Professor |
| The Innovative Scholar: Harnessing Creativity Across Disciplines | Christopher Muniz, Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Writing |
| The Land of the Bulgogi Burrito: Los Angeles and the Global Food System | Brian Palmer-Rubin, Associate Professor |
| The Internship Journey: Everything You Need to Know from a Psychological Point of View | Francesca Romana Puggelli, Part-time Faculty |
| Biking in LA? YESSS! How People Ride for Joy and Justice Among the Cars and Sprawl | Alisa Sanchez, Associate Professor (Teaching) |
| Lessons from a Life in Public Service | Gregory Treverton, Professor |
| Inner Resources for Living your Best Life at USC! | Martin Vitorno, Lecturer |
Gould School of Law
| The Current U.S. Supreme Court | Todd Grabarsky, Adjunt Professor |
| Contracts – How to Read and Understand Contracts of Every Type | Michael Roster, Lecturer |
| Sustainability, Digital Platforms and the Intersection of Business, Law, and Policy | Daniel Sokol, Professor |
Iovine and Young Academy
| Making Visible The Invisible: Graphic Communication of Quantitative Information | Aaron Siegel, Assistant Professor |
| What’s Hot in Video Games Right Now | Chris Swain, Assistant Professor |
Kaufman School of Dance
| Contemporary Fusion Dance | Shannon Grayson, Assistant Professor of Practice |
Keck School of Medicine
| Humans 2.0: How Genetic Engineering and Stem Cells will Alter the Future of the Human Race | Gage Crump, Professor |
| Trojans Conquer Challenges: Learning Tools to Effectively Respond to Challenges during College and Beyond | Michelle Dexter, Director of Curriculum and Academic Programs, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences |
| Learning How To “Fight on” Using Positive Psychology | Kelly Greco, Associate Professor of Psychiatry @ KSOM and Psychologist |
| Beyond Race: Why a Diverse Medical School Class is Important to Public Health and The Practice of Medicine | Morgan Hawkins, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine |
| Befriend with Your Anxiety to Succeed in College | Jiyun Kang, Clinical Assistant Professor |
| Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Human Papillomavirus Induced Cancer; But Were Afraid to Ask. | Wijbe Kast, Professor |
| Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine: An Update | Francesca Mariani, Associate Professor |
| Gene Editing & Gene Therapy | Louise Menendez, Assistant Professor |
| Why Do You Want to be a [insert health care provider]? Plan to Make your Impact! | Kent Nguyen, Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology |
| The Science of Altruism | Juliet Pappas, Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences (Practitioner) |
| Cultivating Healthy Relationships: Key to a Positive College Experience | Sarah Randazzo, Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences (Clinician Educator) |
| Creating Connections Through Narrative Medicine | Karen Rodgers, Associate Professor, Clinical Pediatrics |
| Beyond the Couch: Mental Health Careers in Interdisciplinary Settings | Elizabeth Ronca, Clinical Instructor of the Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Health Consultant |
| Brain on Fire to Sleeping Beauty Syndrome: the Bizarre World of Neuropsychiatry and Neuroimmunology | Jonathan Santoro, Associate Professor |
Leventhal School of Accounting
| Accounting: The Real Deal-Meet your Future Employer | Zivia Sweeney, Associate Professor of Clinical Accounting |
Mann School of Pharmacy
| Exploring American Addictions: Social Justice in the Representation of the Crack and Opioid Epidemics | Terry Church, Assistant Professor |
Marshall School of Business
| How To Be More Uncertain: Statistical Thinking in the Age of Big Data | Jacob Bien, Professor |
| Learning the Risk Management Basics Through Elon Musk | Kristen Jaconi, Associate Professor of the Practice and Executive Director, Peter Arkley Institute for Risk Management |
Roski School of Art & Design
| Generative AI in Design: Embracing Innovation, Navigating Ethics | Bruno Lemgruber, Associate Professor |
Rossier School of Education
| A Dynamic Dive into Generative AI and Ethical Innovation | Stephen Aguilar, Associate Professor of Education / Associate Director of USC Center for Generative AI and Society |
| How Did We Get Here? | Christopher Riddick, Adjunct Assistant Professor |
School of Cinematic Arts
| Game Theory & Empathy: How Interactive Media Creates Emotional Connection | Andrew Goldstein, Adjunct Faculty |
| Authenticity in Filmmakers & Creatives: Speaking About Yourself & Your Work | John Palmer, Adjunct Assistant Professor |
| Sustainable Screenwriting Through Story World Building | Lindsay Stidham, Associate Adjunct Professor of Screenwriting |
| Classical Actor Training for Popular Media | Sharon Carnicke, Professor |
| Find Your Voice! Vocal Tips & Tricks To Make You More Confident, Successful, & Happy | Melissa Treinkman, Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Vocal Performance |
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
| The Transformative Power of Sports and Social Work | Steve Hydon, Professor |
| Climate Change and Social Justice: Interprofessional Collaboration | Dawn Joosten-Hagye, Teaching Professor of Social Work; Michelle P. Zappas, Associate Teaching Professor; Laura Gale, Associate Teaching Professor |
| Housing and Homelessness in LA County: A Unique Way to Create Affordable Homes | Samuel Mistrano, Clinical Associate Professor |
Thornton School of Music
| Music and Artificial Intelligence | Joanna Demers, Professor |
USC Libraries
| Situating Ourselves: A Critical Examination of the Physical and Visual Geographies of the University Park Campus | Ruth Wallach, Associate Dean for Social Sciences and Humanities Libraries |
Viterbi School of Engineering
| Hack The Planet – Cyber Investigations Where Everything Gets Breached | Pierson Clair, Senior Lecturer |
| Will ChatGPT Replace Human Skill? | Mayank Kejriwal, Principal Scientist |
| Wearables for Health and Mind | Yasser Khan, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering |
| Distributed Systems: A Powerful Tool that Makes Big Data Useful | Seo Jin Park, Assistant Professor |
| Human Spaceflight – Recent Past and Near Future | Garrett Reisman, Professor |
| The Death of the Internal Combustion Engine – Truth or Myth? | Paul Ronney, Professor |
| Studying Engineering | Oussama Safadi, Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Practice |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to register for a Micro-Seminar?
Micro-Seminars are designed for incoming undergraduate first-year and transfer students, who will be attending USC for the first time this Fall. Upperclassmen and graduate students are not eligible to participate.
Are Micro-Seminars mandatory?
No. This is a fun opportunity to engage with a faculty member and other incoming students in an academic environment before the start of the school year.
Do I have to register to participate in a Micro-Seminar?
Yes. Space is limited to 20 spots for each seminar, so registration is required. Registration is first-come, first-serve and some popular topics can fill up quickly, so be sure to sign up early.
Is there a fee for the Micro-Seminars?
No. Micro-Seminars are free to attend.
Can I attend more than one Micro-Seminar?
No. All micro-seminars meet at the same time, so you can only choose one seminar to attend over the two days.
Are there any homework assignments for the Micro-Seminars?
Some micro-seminar instructors may ask that you read articles or other material for background information on the topic prior to attending. However, there is no extensive homework required for the micro-seminars.
Will I get a credit/units or a grade for the Micro-Seminars?
No. Micro-seminars are not for credits and do not involve any grading. It is designed for first year students to have fun and get used to the academic environment at USC.
Do I have to choose a topic related to my major?
No. You can sign up for any micro-seminar! You are not required to sign up for a micro-seminar related to your major. Feel free to choose any topic that interests you.
What is the difference between Freshman Seminars and Micro-Seminars?
A Freshman Seminar is a two-unit class that is part of your regular schedule and meets once a week throughout the semester. Micro-Seminars are not an actual class and meet for just two days before the start of the semester.