Harvard Through History
FYSEMR 68L
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
The Harvard of today was shaped by events from the past century, among them, the creation of the House system; the protests over the war in Viet Nam; and the efforts to diversify admissions. This seminar will explore those events by considering how they were reflected in historical documents—and refracted through novels and film.
Texts will include William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! (1936), Erich Segal’s Love Story (1970), Zadie Smith’s On Beauty (2005), and Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 (2008), as well as speeches by Harvard presidents, memoirs by students and faculty, and whatever documents students uncover in the archives. This seminar will provide a rigorous training in narrative analysis and archival research, as well as an introduction to Harvard itself.
NOTE: We will have a Harvard Archives tour and research session with librarian.
Class Notes
First-Year Seminars are available only to first-year students. You may apply to both Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 First-Year Seminars via the FYS lottery between July 6 and August 6, 2026 at 11:59PM-midnight.
You may apply to as many seminars each term as you would like, but we recommend you apply to at least six in fall and three in spring.
As part of your application, you must provide a brief statement on why you are interested in each seminar. You will be notified of lottery results for both fall and spring seminars at 5 pm on August 11. If you are unsuccessful in the lottery, you may still join any seminar with open seats. A list of open seminars and instructions on next steps will be available on the First-Year Seminar Program website August 11 at 12 Noon.
Not Available for Cross Registration
