First-Year Launch
Admitted Students

Students are often surprised to learn that The Wall Street Journal is about much more than business news. It has a quirky, funny, feature story every day. It has fantastic investigative journalism and is often the first outlet to break a story about an outrage. Reading The Wall Street journal will make you more broadly knowledgeable, more interesting, and will make you better prepared for job interviews. Students will read assigned articles from The Wall Street Journal which will prepare them for class discussion.  This course is open only to Katz Honors students.

Adulting 101 is your crash course in adulthood. Learn to budget, manage time, eat something green, and maybe meet people and deadlines. Weekly challenges help you build habits, reflect, and feel a little more like you’ve got this whole “adult” thing under control.

This hands-on course is designed to introduce you to essential generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools and teach you how to use AI intentionally, ethically, and effectively in your academic lives. You will gain foundational AI literacy, learn responsible prompting and evaluation strategies, and explore how AI can support studying, writing, research, creativity, organization, and wellbeing. Through guided activities, campus engagement, and reflective practice, you will build a personalized AI based academic toolkit to support your success throughout your time at Fort Lewis College. The course also addresses ethical use and biases in AI systems, including issues surrounding Indigenous representation and the importance of balancing AI assistance with human academic resources and support networks.

Want to understand who you are, where you are, and how you learn best? In this class, we’ll explore belonging from several angles; your new home in the Four Corners region, your place at Fort Lewis College, and your identity as a growing college learner. We’ll look at real local data, try mini learning experiments, unpack things like imposter syndrome, and discover science backed strategies that actually help you succeed. Expect hands on activities, creative reflections, and low pressure discussions that help you feel grounded, confident, and connected. By the end, you’ll better understand yourself, your community, and how to thrive here.

This course will focus on building connection to your peers and FLC as we learn the fundamentals of rock climbing. This course is intentionally designed for those new to rock climbing and no prior experience is necessary.

This course will focus on building connection to your peers and FLC as we learn the fundamentals of rock climbing. This course is intentionally designed for those new to rock climbing and no prior experience is necessary.

In this course, students will dive into their creative skills by making collages: an art form made by combining various forms of media (photos, paper cut-outs, stickers, tape, etc.), adding their own identity and experiences to create something beautiful and meaningful. In addition to creating collages, students will explore campus, make connections with peers, and share their first year journey in collage form.

Learn how to move through your first year with clarity, intention, and meaningful action. This introductory course helps first-year college students develop essential life skills needed for success in college and beyond. Through interactive workshops and discussions, students will learn practical strategies for budgeting, managing time, and maintaining mental well-being while also exploring cultural understandings and navigating diverse environments. The course encourages self-reflection, responsible decision-making, and respectful engagement with people from different backgrounds, preparing students to thrive academically, personally, and socially in a global community. By the end of the course, you won’t just be getting through college, you’ll feel more in control, more confident, and ready to make the most of your experience here at FLC!

Take a journey through your senses into the natural world around you. This course focuses on key works in nature writing and environmentalism. We will spend time outside observing the natural world and reflecting on our relationship to our various environments. We will use our experiences to create works of creative writing.

We are living in a time of extreme weather events, loss of biodiversity, severe inequity, climate refugees, and water and air pollution. How can we stay engaged with our world in the face of overwhelming challenges? During this course students will (1) reflect on their unique experiences of being alive and the aspects of life that they love, (2) identify their emotions about the challenges facing our world, (3) honor their experiences of pain and hopes for the future, and (4) develop ideas for how they can take steps to create a more favorable future for our planet. We will dedicate time to journaling, outdoor activities, ceremonies, and service opportunities.