By Elizabeth Reichert
University Relations Student Writer

Zombies, monsters, and brains, oh my! These are just a few of the topics that first-year students at the University of Wisconsin-Superior studied this fall and presented to their fellow students.

Each year, many UW-Superior first-year students enroll in semester-long First Year Seminars that are available only to freshmen to gain an introduction to the liberal arts through active and collaborative learning, critical thinking and reflective judgment. On Dec. 9, the students from the 15 First Year Seminars gathered in UW-Superior's Yellowjacket Union with their booths to present their projects at the university's annual First Year Seminar Expo.

Dr. Suzanne Griffith, coordinator of the First Year Seminars, said the expo is important for the students.  "It provides a very concrete, collaborative activity," she said. "The expo needs to be their interpretation of what they're learning - what have we learned that we can share."     

Students enjoyed their seminars for both the subject matter and the learning and ideas that they encouraged. Kencie Scholl of Madison participated in the "Psychology of a Monster" seminar, in which students identified monster traits and applied those to themselves and others. "Everyone has a trait that they consider to be a monster. It doesn't have to be evil, green; everyone's a monster," she said. Not only did the seminar help Scholl identify monstrous traits, but it changed her thinking as well. "I don't judge people as much as I used to."

While Scholl and her classmates were studying monsters, Alex Martin and his class studied zombies and college students. Throughout the semester, they looked at zombie movies and games for signs of zombie behavior and distinguishing attributes. "Zombies are no different than we are," Martin said. "The only difference is how active our brains are." Dr. Marshall Johnson, who taught "Zombies: Advice for College from the Undead," also gave the students examples of how to become unzombified and how to look at other people and see if they're zombified. 

Students put that into practice at the First Year Seminar Expo, where they had set up a "zombie screening" site. The seminar students asked other students questions and based on their responses classified them as zombie, at risk of becoming a zombie, or human. Deanna Reed, an exercise science major from Sandstone, Minnesota, left the screening with the diagnosis of "zombie."  "I got my suggested therapy and pills that I have to take," Reed said, holding up a piece of paper and a cup of sweets ready to become fully human once more.

Amelia Udenberg, an elementary education major, said that "Learning, Cognition, and the Brain" was her favorite class all semester.  "There's a lot of cool information that we can use," she said. "We learned how our brains are learning and working and what we're putting into our bodies to learn."

Although the seminar students learned about their particular subject, they discovered much more as well. Hannah Runions, an elementary education major from Solon Springs, Wisconsin, participated in a seminar about rock and roll and came away from the class with more than a knowledge of the social history of the music. "He (the professor) helped with learning and writing papers - the transition into college," Runions said.