Typically, a Focused Interest Group, designated as FIGS 200, consists of two or three courses taken in conjunction with each other, which examine a common theme in disciplines within or across the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Students are enrolled automatically in each of the courses.
Faculty members focus on the common theme while teaching their own courses as discrete classes.
Because students are automatically enrolled in related courses with students of similar interests, they all will have a chance to get to know fellow FIG participants more readily than in isolated classes. As a member of a FIG, each student is an active participant in a constant and stable group of peers taking classes together, so each member has greater intellectual interaction and more opportunity for collaborative learning. Freshmen Interest Groups, designated as FIGS 100, on the other hand, link general education courses commonly taken by freshmen. These FIGs are identified under the general headings of Humanities and the Arts, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and the like. There are some compelling personal and academic reasons for doing so.