- Leadership in Social Enterprise Seminar
What is the Student Directed Seminars Program?
The Student Directed Seminars Program is a student-driven program that puts you in charge of your education. An expansion of the directed studies option offered by most departments, this program allows senior undergraduate students to initiate and coordinate small, collaborative, group learning experiences. The UBC program began in 1999, and is modeled on a student-directed seminar program at the University of California at Berkeley.
A student (or group of students), in the third year of undergraduate study or higher, proposes a course not currently offered at UBC. If a professor agrees to sponsor the proposal, the Student proceeds to develop a course outline under the guidance of this faculty sponsor. A Student Directed Seminars Advisory Committee considers course outlines for final approval. If approved, the student-initiated course is advertised to the general student body, as an upper level 3 credit course. All upper-level students are eligible to participate, but applicants are subject to a selection process. The minimum enrollment of each class is eight, the maximum fifteen.
Student Directed Seminars create one avenue through which undergraduate students can become active participants in a UBC community of learners. Student coordinators have the unique opportunity of working closely with a member of faculty to explore a topic, and gain experience in facilitation. Participants, as members of a self-directed group, also have a high degree of control over their own learning experience. Their learning is enhanced through a small class size of highly motivated students, mutually enthusiastic about the course subject. Classes are discussion based, but involve in depth projects, presentations, and sometimes even a Community Service Learning portion.
Please see Past Courses for a full listing of all past seminars, as well as past Faculty Sponsors.
Comments from Past Participants
“Working together with like minded students, and discussing a topic that we all felt passionate towards was so different then just sitting in a regular lecture. With student led discussions everyone seemed a lot more comfortable stating their opinions, fuelling some very passionate academic discussions. It was such a great opportunity, and I met some really interesting people through my SDS.”
“Everyone should have a chance to do at least one of these in their education so they know what it’s like to be really responsible for their own education. Taking a Student Directed Seminar really allowed me to have a say in my education – I really enjoyed suggesting new topics and readings, and seeing how the course was shaped by the students, not a curriculum.”
Want To Get Involved?
As a Course Participant
Stay tuned for a full list of the courses running this year. As a Course Participant, you have the opportunity of fully engaging in your education. From helping edit the course syllabus, to peer marking, to lecturing the class, each student’s participation is vital to the learning outcomes of the course.
As a Course Coordinator
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