First Year Experience
You’ll spend your first semester at Principia College building community, and laying the groundwork for a college experience that's rich with exploration and personal transformation.
Throughout each engaging course, you’ll collaborate, read carefully, question deeply, research responsibly, and think and write critically. Writing will serve as your tool for thinking and learning as you develop your own writing process.
Choose from the diverse course offerings led by some of our most innovative and inspiring professors.
Explore First-Year Courses
Comix vs. Autocracy
Visual Art
Led by: Kristin Martin
Learn how graphic novels examine democracy, diversity, and social justice through stories of movement, identity, and cultural change in this interdisciplinary course.
Decoding Our World with Chemistry: Skincare
Chemistry
Led by: Brian Kamusinga
Examine the chemistry behind skincare products, ingredients, and formulations while learning to evaluate beauty industry claims through scientific thinking.
Global Changemakers
Sociology
Led by: Dr. Amy Herr
Examine influential individuals and movements that have shaped the discourse on human rights, climate justice, peacebuilding, and/or social equality.
Home and Here
Creative Writing
Led by: Sara Wienecke
Explore ideas of home, place, and identity through writing, field observation, and place-based literature.
Social (Me)dia
Digital Media and Journalism
Led by: Allison Terry
Explore how social media shapes identity, relationships, and civic life while building media literacy and critical thinking skills.
Why Nature Matters
Sustainability
Led by: Dr. Stephanie Lovseth
Uncover how relationships with nature shape well-being, identity, and community through sustainability, environmental studies, and psychology.