Introductory Seminars

Curriculum Development & Instructor Eligibility

Process and Deadlines

There are three phases to IntroSems curriculum development for the upcoming academic year. Phase 1 of IntroSems curriculum development takes place annually from January 1st through March 3rd when instructors are invited to communicate their IntroSem teaching plan to the program. The process for Phase 1 differs based on IntroSem type and the instructor's eligibility to teach. Jump to New & Renewed IntroSems by Seminar Type and Teaching Eligibility & Funding by Seminar Type on this page for details. 

In Phase 2 in April, the IntroSems Program requests approval of and any changes to all planned IntroSems from the department chair, DFO, and SSO. 

Phase 3 concludes the annual process when confirmation letters are sent to each approved instructor and their department in May.

New & Renewed IntroSems by Seminar Type

First-Year Seminars

First-Year Seminars offered in the current academic year will automatically renew to create the initial roster of seminars for the upcoming year. AC and UML faculty are invited to communicate changes or submit a new First-Year Seminar via the program’s new course form by March 3rd. New First-Year Seminars submitted by this date may always be considered Approved by the IntroSems Program and will advance for department approval in April. To Renew a First-Year Seminar that is not being offered in the current year, instructors are encouraged to email introsems@stanford.edu by March 3rd.

Heads up, DFOs & SSOs—If your department wants to add a First-Year Seminar or make changes to its First-Year Seminars after approval in Phase 2 (after April 30th), please email introsems@stanford.edu.

Sophomore Seminars

Sophomore Seminars require pre-approval from the IntroSems Program before advancing for department approval in April as the program is only able to sponsor a limited number each year. Instructors are invited to submit their Sophomore Seminar renewal request or submit a new Sophomore Seminar proposal by March 3rd. Sophomore Seminar decisions will be communicated to instructors by March 15th.

Heads up, DFOs & SSOs—After March 15th, it is too late to add additional Overload Sophomore Seminars. To make changes to your Sophomore Seminars approved in Phase 2 or to inquire about adding Sophomore Seminars that would be part of an instructor's Regular course load, please email introsems@stanford.edu.

Teaching Eligibility & Funding by Seminar Type

To be eligible to teach a First-Year Seminar or Sophomore Seminar, an instructor must have a teaching appointment and be hired by their department into a paid position in the quarter of IntroSem instruction with a base salary that meets minimum state labor requirements. The person’s only appointment at Stanford cannot be teaching an IntroSem course.

First-Year Seminars

First-Year Seminars provide frosh students the opportunity to work closely with faculty and build mentoring relationships, and to develop an intellectual community with other frosh around a shared area of interest. Topics are designed to be accessible to incoming students with no prerequisites.

First-Year Seminars offered in the current academic year are automatically renewed for the next academic year as part of our curriculum development process. Please email introsems@stanford.edu if you would like to make any changes to your renewal or to renew a First-Seminar from one or more years ago. New First-Year Seminars should be submitted by March 3rd via the program's new course form.

Eligibility & Compensation:

  • Only Academic Council or UML faculty are eligible to teach First-Year Seminars.
  • For IntroSems from H&S, SoE, and Doerr, First-Year Seminars are offered by departments in exchange for support, in the form of billets or funding on an annual basis. For these Schools, they are part of the faculty’s Regular teaching load. Please note, First-Year Seminars from H&S, SoE, and Doerr cannot count as Overload teaching.
  • Continuing in 2025-26, for faculty in GSB, GSE, and LAW, First-Year Seminars typically count as Overload teaching with a supplemental payment of $10,000 to the instructor, plus a $5,000 fund transfer to the faculty research account.
  • Continuing in 2025-26, for faculty in SoM, First-Year Seminars count as Overload teaching with a supplemental payment of $12,000 to the faculty. Please note, SoM faculty are not eligible to receive fund transfers for teaching to the faculty research account.
  • To be eligible for a supplemental payment, the instructor should already have a 75% FTE appointment in a salaried position before adding the IntroSem. The base salary should also meet the minimum state labor requirements, with the supplemental payment amount not included in this calculation. 

Units & Meeting Expectations:

  • To meet university expectations regarding hours per week and to encourage more weekly face-to-face time with first-year students, a 3-unit First-Year Seminar is expected to meet twice weekly, in two 80-minute meetings for 160 minutes in class per week.

Sophomore Seminars

Sophomore Seminars aim to personalize education for sophomores and first-year transfer students considering a major or minor before they declare, and encourage a spirit of mentorship between students and instructors who may have deeper connections in the professional schools and to regional industries and the arts. Sophomore Seminars may have minimal prerequisites or be targeted to an audience of non-specialists.

Eligibility & Compensation:

  • Sophomore Seminars may be taught by faculty who hold an Academic Council appointment; experienced and successful lecturers/academic staff; or staff with terminal degrees with ongoing teaching responsibilities at Stanford. Such instructors typically hold teaching appointments as 'Academic Staff' or 'Staff-Other Teaching/Research.' Graduate students and postdocs are not eligible at this time.
  • Sophomore Seminars are usually taught as Overload courses, going beyond the instructor’s regular teaching load. Instructors who teach an IntroSem in addition to their regular teaching load may qualify for a supplemental payment of $10,000. To be eligible, the instructor should already have a 75% FTE appointment in a salaried position before adding the IntroSem. The base salary should also meet the minimum state labor requirements, with the supplemental payment amount not included in this calculation.
  • While less frequent, Sophomore Seminars can be taught as part of an instructor’s Regular responsibilities within the hiring department. In this case, the base salary covers the compensation for the IntroSem, and no extra supplemental payment is provided to either the instructor or the department.

Units & Meeting Expectations:

  • To meet university expectations regarding hours per week, the recommended schedule for a 3-unit Sophomore Seminar is two 80-minute meetings per week, or 160 total minutes of weekly in-class time.