Beyond beating drums and shaking rattles to stir the spirits, Jade McCutcheon explained the concept of shamanism and its relevance in the modern world at a freshman seminar Oct. 13.

"Shamanism involves ancient practices," said McCutcheon, a professor of theatre and dance, "that allow a person to experience a different state of consciousness than they normally would. Anthropologists classify shamanism as an 'archaic magico-religious phenomenon.'"

That phenomenon, said McCutcheon, may give one insights about how to treat the environment or care for another human being who is sick.

Her course "Contemporary Shamanism" is one of the 42 seminars -- some of them focusing on quirky topics -- being offered to freshmen this term. Almost 800 freshmen are enrolled in these one- and two-unit courses conducted through the Teaching Resources Center.

A sampling of the course titles includes "Nuclear Terrorism," "Chaos, Complexity and Christianity," "A Bug's Life," "Science and Soccer," "Edible Missions to Mars," "American Roots Music: The Chicago Blues" and "The Presidential Election 2004."

While the themes of the seminars may be eclectic and far-ranging, the atmosphere is close and cozy. Classes are limited to 20 students and are typically taught in smaller, less traditional classrooms, designed to put a more personal touch on the learning process for students in the university for the first time.

'The actor as shaman'

McCutcheon developed her course based on her deep interest in "the actor as shaman," the subject of her doctorate from the University of Technology, Sydney. Through the years she has presented workshops and papers on the issue at conferences around the world, though this is the first time she has taught a freshman seminar on the topic.

She hopes to give students the "language" to express their "spirit ways" and open up discussions on the many different spiritual systems, some of which have been challenged by intolerance.

"Shamanism has been more than overlooked in history," said McCutcheon, noting that scholars estimate that witch hunts in America and Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries left more than 13 million people dead. "We've lost much of the indigenous knowledge as a result. One of the lessons is to accept people's different beliefs and spiritual practices."

She says that practicing shamanism puts a person in touch with information that is in his psyche, but usually does not come to the surface.

"Do you believe a place can be energetically attuned?" she asked her class of 20. "That's what a shaman believes. A shaman is the master of going in and out of this consciousness."

First-year student Sasha Krasnochtcheki said the topic of shamanism interested her because of its link to religion.

"My family is semi-religious," she said, "and the belief in higher powers and the spirit world is fascinating to me."

UC Davis' Freshman Seminars provide an unparalleled opportunity for faculty members and small groups of lower-division students to explore a scholarly topic of mutual interest together -- in the spirit of learning for its own sake. The faculty benefit from interacting directly with a handful of new students.

"One of the most appealing aspects of this seminar," said McCutcheon, "is the opportunity to teach students from outside my department. A different perspective is sometimes inspiring and energizing."

McCutcheon said, "Shaman-ism is a method, a psychic technique with origins traced back to the Alpine Palaeolithic period, 30,000 to 50,000 years ago. There is no particular site where Shamanism originated; evidence of Shamanism appears in nearly every culture of the world."

In McCutcheon's course, students will investigate the "spirit world" and "psychic forces" in our culture today. "From television programs to modern day healing, we will attempt to understand the contemporary shaman in a Western World," she said.

Her students will be graded on an eight-page paper investigating their awareness of how aspects of shamanism play out in their world today (50 percent) and classroom participation (50 percent).

More intellectual explorations

The "life of the mind" that characterizes much of what university work is about is the key driving force behind the discussion-rich freshmen seminars.

To make this possible, faculty members from every campus department offer freshmen seminars covering an astonishing range of topics, often on issues they don't typically have a chance to teach, including an emerging research area or an outside interest. Students are encouraged to choose their seminars based on the pull of intellectual curiosity, a desire to explore enticing and even unfamiliar realms.

The Teaching Resources Center handles scheduling and book orders. Teaching a Freshman Seminar does not count as part of regular workload and will not result in any reduction of teaching responsibilities. Instructors who teach a two-unit seminar receive $2,000, or $1,500 for a one-unit course.

Janet Chambers, assistant to the director at the Teaching Resources Center, said her unit hopes to offer 150 freshman seminars for the academic year ahead.

"The Office of the President in the UC system has made it a big focus in recent years to offer undergraduates this type of experience," she said.

Freshmen have first priority in enrolling in the seminars. However, if a seminar is not full, non-freshmen may register after the second pass. No student may enroll in more than one freshman seminar per quarter, however.

In 2002, UC Davis expanded its existing Freshman Seminar Programs so as to make seminars available to all interested freshmen. The reasoning is simple -- during the impending population explosion known as Tidal Wave II, UC wants to ensure contact between freshmen and ladder faculty in a smaller setting than the lecture hall.

Faculty members who are interested in teaching seminars can call the Teaching Resource Center at (530) 752-6050 or visit the Web site at http://trc.ucdavis.edu/trc/freshSem/current.html.