The World Views freshman seminar program was introduced at Willamette University in 1987. The primary motivation of the faculty in developing the course was to provide a common experience for all first-year students that would serve as an overall introduction to the goals, the purposes and the rigors of the liberal arts tradition in which Willamette University is firmly rooted. The course is built around the skills of critical reading, informed discussion, and cogent writing-- the same skills that are the foundation for most academic programs on campus.
Another significant dimension of the World Views course is the participation of students and faculty as co-learners. Faculty who participate in World Views teach in a very different manner than if they were teaching in their discipline or area of expertise. World Views faculty typically come from a wide variety of disciplines and departments, but they participate in the program because they believe in its overall goals, and because they realize that they can enrich their own teaching and understanding by moving outside of the areas in which they are experts, and joining the students in a community of learners. In the World Views classroom, the teach is more a facilitator than an authority.
In order to encourage students to ready carefully, think critically, discuss effectively, and write coherently, we assembled a set of interesting and demanding readings focused on art, society, literature, politics, religion and environment in the Middle East. It is our belief that such readings provide an excellent introduction to the critical skills that students will draw upon during their years at Willamette, and a coherent framework in which to exercise these skills. Moreover, by engaging these materials, we hope that we will all come to a better understanding of ourselves and our place in the world, and to achieve a deeper appreciation of the diversity and the rich cultural differences which characterize our world. The first version of World Views used Victorian England as a framework (1987-1990), which the second version focused on Latin America (1991-1994). In 1995, we inaugurated World Views: The Middle East, which is now in its third year.