Part One of New Student Orientation occurs in June over the five two-day sessions listed below. Students are assigned their session by their academic program of study. Students must attend their assigned session, as this is the only opportunity that advisors in those majors are available to assist with course scheduling. Please contact the Orientation Program (508.910.6402) if you have any questions about this.
Please note that those who cannot attend their assigned session, or are admitted after their June Orientation session, will attend the August one-day New Student Orientation Part I program on Monday, August 26, 2013. For those attending, you should bring a current photo ID (Driver's License, etc.) to get a UMass Pass. In addition, if you want to pick up your Parking Decal you must complete the online registration form in advance. Please click here to register your vehicle online. You must present your UMass Pass and printed confirmation page when picking up your parking decal at the Parking Office.
Summer reading assignment for all first-year students: see below
Session I: June 10th and 11th
Charlton College of Business - all majors
College of Visual & Performing Arts - all majors
Session II: June 13th and 14th
College of Nursing - all majors
College of Engineering - all majors
Session III: June 17th and 18th
College of Arts & Sciences
Arts & Sciences Undeclared major
Science majors in Biology (BIO), Chemistry (CHM), Medical Lab Sciences (MLS), Math (MTH)
Session IV: June 20th and 21st
College of Arts & Sciences
Liberal Arts major
Humanities & Social Science majors: Crime and Justice Studies (CJS), Economics (ECO), English (ENL), French (FRN),
History (HST), Philosophy (PHL), Portuguese (POR), Political Science (PSC), Psychology (PSY), Sociology (SOC),
Spanish (SPA), Women's Studies (WMS)
Session V: June 24th and 25th
College Now/START
Pathways
Summer Reading Assignment 2013 for ALL First-Year Students
This summer all incoming first-year students will be expected to read The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided By Politics And Religion by Jonathan Haidt. This book will be used in September Orientation, and in all first-year English classes. During your June Orientation, you will receive information about the Summer Reading Blog and learn more about the First Year Book Project. You will also receive your Reader's Study Guide.
Here is the description of the book from www.amazon.com:
As America descends deeper into polarization and paralysis, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has done the seemingly impossible—challenged conventional thinking about morality, politics, and religion in a way that speaks to everyone on the political spectrum. Drawing on his twenty five years of groundbreaking research on moral psychology, he shows how moral judgments arise not from reason but from gut feelings. He shows why liberals, conservatives, and libertarians have such different intuitions about right and wrong, and he shows why each side is actually right about many of its central concerns. In this subtle yet accessible book, Haidt gives you the key to understanding the miracle of human cooperation, as well as the curse of our eternal divisions and conflicts. If you’re ready to trade in anger for understanding, read The Righteous Mind.
Download a copy of the Reader Guide for 2013. Reader Guide 2013
For more information about the Summer Reading Assignment or the First-Year English class, please contact Professor Annica Cox (acox1@umassd.edu), the Assistant Director of the First Year English Program.
