Overview
Illuminate the many paths of discovery...
In 2002, a new program of freshman seminars, called Fiat Lux, was initiated as a regular part of UCLA’s innovative undergraduate curriculum. The 1-unit seminars, taught by faculty in areas of their expertise, inform freshman students about topics of intellectual importance and enable them to participate in critical discussion of these topics with a small group of peers. Since the seminars are designed to illuminate the many paths of discovery explored by faculty, this special UCLA program takes its name from the motto of the University of California: Fiat Lux - Let There be Light!
UCLA's goal for the next few years is to offer up to 200 Fiat Lux seminars annually. Faculty members from all of UCLA's academic departments are invited to teach seminars. Each seminar will be listed by the faculty's subject area heading, as a section of course number "19" (i.e., Art 19, English 19, Law 19, Medicine 19, Physics 19, Sociology 19 and so forth). All incoming freshmen will be given enrollment preference, but if, after an appropriate period of enrollment a seminar is not fully enrolled, other undergraduates will be given an opportunity to enroll before classes start. Each seminar will enroll at least 10 students but not more than 20 students, and meet at least ten hours during the quarter (one hour per week or two hours every other week). Grading will be P/NP, and valued at one unit of course credit. A grade of P will also carry an honors content notation on the student's transcript.
