MERR 1Academic Literacy and Ethos: Reading Ourselves, Reading the World
Teaches foundational concepts for intellectual exploration and personal development within an academic community: analysis, critical thinking, metacognition, engagement with others across difference, and self-efficacy. Engages students in Merrill's intellectual tradition of investigating social change and social justice.
Prerequisites
Enrollment is restricted to college members.
Find a section and add it to your scheduleLive seat counts, time-conflict checks and the walk from your previous class.
When it runs
Winter 2027Open Winter 2027
| Section | Type | When | Where | Instructor | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Seminar | Tue Thu 8:00am–9:35am | Merrill Acad 130 | N. Higdon | Closed 0/0 |
| 02 | Seminar | Tue Thu 9:50am–11:25am | Merrill Acad 130 | N. Higdon | Closed 0/0 |
| 03 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 10:40am–11:45am | Merrill Acad 130 | D. Fister | Closed 0/0 |
| 04 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 12:00pm–1:05pm | Merrill Acad 130 | D. Fister | Closed 0/0 |
| 05 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 10:40am–11:45am | Merrill Acad 132 | J. A. Kay | Closed 0/0 |
| 06 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 12:00pm–1:05pm | Merrill Acad 132 | J. A. Kay | Closed 0/0 |
| 07 | Seminar | Tue Thu 9:50am–11:25am | Merrill Acad 132 | C. Wong | Closed 0/0 |
Fall 2026Open Fall 2026
| Section | Type | When | Where | Instructor | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 12:00pm–1:05pm | Merrill Acad 132 | J. A. Kay | Open 12/20 |
| 02 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 10:40am–11:45am | Steven Fire 177 | D. Fister | Open 3/20 |
| 03 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 12:00pm–1:05pm | Steven Fire 177 | D. Fister | Open 1/20 |
| 04 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 05 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 06 | Seminar | Tue Thu 11:40am–1:15pm | Merrill Acad 130 | N. Higdon | Open 11/20 |
| 07 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 08 | Seminar | Tue Thu 8:00am–9:35am | Merrill Acad 130 | N. Higdon | Open 6/20 |
| 09 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 10 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 11 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 12 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 10:40am–11:45am | Merrill Acad 132 | J. A. Kay | Open 3/20 |
| 13 | Seminar | Tue Thu 1:30pm–3:05pm | Merrill Acad 132 | C. Wong | Open 15/20 |
| 14 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 1:20pm–2:25pm | Merrill Acad 132 | J. A. Kay | Open 6/20 |
| 15 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 16 | Seminar | Tue Thu 9:50am–11:25am | Merrill Acad 130 | N. Higdon | Open 3/20 |
| 17 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 18 | Seminar | Tue Thu 9:50am–11:25am | Merrill Acad 132 | C. Wong | Open 5/20 |
Winter 2026Open Winter 2026
| Section | Type | When | Where | Instructor | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 10:40am–11:45am | Merrill Acad 130 | D. Fister | Open 19/30 |
| 02 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 12:00pm–1:05pm | Merrill Acad 130 | D. Fister | Open 28/30 |
| 03 | Seminar | Tue Thu 9:50am–11:25am | Merrill Acad 132 | J. A. Kay | Closed 30/30 |
| 04 | Seminar | Tue Thu 9:50am–11:25am | Merrill Acad 130 | N. Higdon | Open 16/30 |
| 05 | Seminar | Tue Thu 11:40am–1:15pm | Merrill Acad 130 | N. Higdon | Open 29/30 |
Fall 2025Open Fall 2025
| Section | Type | When | Where | Instructor | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 02 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 10:40am–11:45am Wed 7:10pm–9:00pm | Merrill Acad 130, TBD In Person | D. Fister | Closed 28/28 |
| 03 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 12:00pm–1:05pm Wed 7:10pm–9:00pm | Merrill Acad 130, TBD In Person | D. Fister | Closed 28/28 |
| 04 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 05 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 06 | Seminar | Tue Thu 11:40am–1:15pm Wed 7:10pm–9:00pm | Merrill Acad 130, TBD In Person | N. Higdon | Closed 28/28 |
| 07 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 9:20am–10:25am Wed 7:10pm–9:00pm | Soc Sci 1 161, TBD In Person | J. A. Kay | Closed 28/28 |
| 08 | Seminar | Tue Thu 8:00am–9:35am Wed 7:10pm–9:00pm | Merrill Acad 130, TBD In Person | N. Higdon | Closed 29/28 |
| 09 | Seminar | Tue Thu 1:30pm–3:05pm Wed 7:10pm–9:00pm | Merrill Acad 130, TBD In Person | S. Parmeter | Closed 28/28 |
| 10 | Seminar | Tue Thu 3:20pm–4:55pm Wed 7:10pm–9:00pm | Merrill Acad 130, TBD In Person | S. Parmeter | Closed 28/28 |
| 11 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 12 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 10:40am–11:45am Wed 7:10pm–9:00pm | Merrill Acad 132, TBD In Person | J. A. Kay | Closed 28/28 |
| 13 | Seminar | Tue Thu 1:30pm–3:05pm Wed 7:10pm–9:00pm | Merrill Acad 132, TBD In Person | C. Wong | Closed 28/28 |
| 14 | Seminar | Mon Wed Fri 1:20pm–2:25pm Wed 7:10pm–9:00pm | Merrill Acad 132, TBD In Person | J. A. Kay | Closed 28/28 |
| 15 | Seminar | Asynchronous | — | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
| 16 | Seminar | Tue Thu 9:50am–11:25am Wed 7:10pm–9:00pm | Merrill Acad 130, TBD In Person | N. Higdon | Open 27/28 |
| 17 | Seminar | Tue Thu 11:40am–1:15pm Wed 7:10pm–9:00pm | Merrill Acad 132, TBD In Person | C. Wong | Closed 28/28 |
| 18 | Seminar | Tue Thu 8:00am–9:35am Wed 7:00pm–9:00pm | Merrill Acad 132, TBD In Person | Staff | Closed 0/0 |
Who teaches it
| Instructor | Rating | Difficulty | Would take again | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nolan Higdon | 3.8 / 5 | 2.5 / 5 | 66% | 46 |
| Daniel Fister | 1.3 / 5 | 3.3 / 5 | 0% | 7 |
| Josef Kay | 4.8 / 5 | 1.8 / 5 | 100% | 6 |
| Cindy Wong | 4.1 / 5 | 2.4 / 5 | 77% | 29 |
| Sarah-Hope Parmeter | 3.5 / 5 | 2.5 / 5 | 14% | 37 |
From RateMyProfessors, which is student-submitted and not a survey. Small review counts move a long way on one bad quarter.
SlugAtlas is a student project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by UC Santa Cruz. Course data is a snapshot of the public class search; myUCSC is authoritative for enrolment.