FAQ:
SEMINARS, CLUSTERS, AND BLOCK COURSES

Q. Can all students take seminars, clusters, and block courses?

A. YES! — as long as you are a first-year student. You can take seminars, clusters or block courses for one semester or for your entire first year. Students in Honors College and School for University Studies may participate in first-year programs, but you should speak with your academic adviser to manage your schedule appropriately.

Q. What will my fall course schedule look like if I take a first-year seminar, cluster, or block course?

A. If you take a seminar, the seminar will be one class out of the set of four or five you will take between September and December 2009.

If you take a cluster, you will have two or three cluster classes — for example, philosophy, psychology, and composition classes — in addition to two or three other classes, to total four or five classes between September and December 2009.

If you take the block course option, you'll take one intensive course at a time, over a 3 1/2 week period, for a total of four courses in a row each semester. Block courses typically meet Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. These courses make up your complete semester schedule.

Q. What’s a typical day like in a block course?

A. That depends on the instructor. Generally, classes begin with a lecture and discussion, followed by activities designed to give you first-hand experience with the subject matter. Because you don’t need to leave just when you have more to say, you’ll be able to join in an examination of a topic from a range of different perspectives each day. For example, you might participate in a group research project or debate, watch a film, meet a guest speaker, or read aloud revisions to the scene you wrote the night before. Projects in and outside of class are often collaborative, a great way to learn. And then there are weekly field trips to sites and events in New York City.

Q. I’m a psychology major. Will an “Economics” seminar or a “Drama” block course count toward graduation?

A. No matter what your major, these first-year options — seminars, clusters, and block courses — help you move closer to graduation. All students at Hofstra must take distribution courses — general education requirements — and all first-year options fulfill these requirements. In fact, we have designed these first-year options to help you explore your major and other paths you may choose to fulfill your career goals.