Constellations

What are Constellations?

Constellations are year-long, multidisciplinary first-year experiences designed to build communities among first-year students. They comprise interconnected courses that explore a topic from multiple perspectives and feature small-group learning. Each Constellation will also offer at least one experiential component per semester.

Once matched to a Constellation based on interests expressed over the summer, students will take three courses from their Constellation throughout their first year: one in the fall semester, one in the spring semester, and their writing course (Writing 120) either semester.

Constellation Matching

In early June, all Trinity students who are not in FOCUS will receive an email with instructions for completing the Constellations Matching Form. This will give you an opportunity to share your interests before you are matched to a Constellation.

The deadline to complete the form is June 17. You can access the form in DukeHub beginning June 2, and matches will be announced on July 7. For questions, please contact constellations@duke.edu.

Constellations and the Office of New Student & Family Programs are hosting a webinar on June 3 at 4:00 PM. Join to learn about the matching process, the integrated Writing 120 courses, and to have your questions answered.

Virtual consultations will be offered through this link at following times EST:

Thursday, June 5, 3:00-5:00
Monday, June 9, 4:00-6:00
Wednesday, June 11, 2:00-4:00
Monday, June 16, 3:00-5:00

2025-2026 Constellations Topics

16 Constellations will be offered beginning in Fall 2025, each exploring an important and timely question. Learn more about the Constellations for 2025-2026 below.

Information about specific courses offered within each Constellation will be available in Spring 2025 before incoming students submit their preferences for Constellations.

Fall 2025 Constellations at a Glance

How can my education cause trouble and joy?

Delve into the process of human growth and development, from early childhood to adulthood, with a focus on the critical transition from high school to college. Reflect deeply on your own identity and beliefs about education’s role in fostering meaning and purpose. Through perspectives from education, psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology and public policy, this Constellation explores how education can empower human potential.

What drives us to innovate and create?

Harness your natural curiosity by exploring ideas through diverse perspectives and hands-on, interactive experiences. Build confidence in questioning the world, develop creative problem-solving skills, and engage with global cultures and viewpoints. Students will also critically examine the ethical implications of innovation, preparing to evaluate the impact of their ideas on society.

How do Asian cultural heritages circulate?

Explore diasporas resulting from migration in and out of East, South and Southeast Asia. Drawing on History, Ethnomusicology, Dance, Cultural Studies and Social Linguistics, this Constellation examines historical and contemporary diasporic patterns. Students are encouraged to connect these themes to their own experiences and identities.

Why do we need rules?

Through an interdisciplinary focus on Politics, Philosophy and Economics, this Constellation tackles pressing questions about the environment, income distribution and the good life. Students will interrogate both the unanswered questions of our time and the unquestioned answers offered by traditional academic disciplines and political leaders.

How does climate change affect our world?

Climate change intersects with nearly every field of knowledge, from anthropology to zoology. This Constellation invites students to examine climate change from a wide range of disciplines, equipping them to engage with its complexities and implications in their daily lives.

How does social control operate in the modern world?

The United States incarcerates nearly two million of its citizens. How and why did this happen? How much of it is just? This interdisciplinary cluster of courses examines mass incarceration through the lenses of law, media theory, sociology, history and more, encouraging students to critically explore the systems and ideologies that shape modern social control.

How do inequalities shape ourselves and our world?

Investigate inequality — its forms, causes, and potential solutions — through diverse perspectives. Students will critically explore systemic disparities and consider strategies to create a more just and equitable society.

How do we understand global histories?

Examine global transformations since 1945, including decolonization, shifts in the global order, and the evolving role of the United States. This Constellation engages students with themes of social justice, race, global civil rights, migration and war, fostering dialogue on the challenges and possibilities of resistance to injustice.

How do humans understand life, death and the in-between?

Explore how life, death, and the spaces in between are shaped by context — who is asking the questions, and when, where and how? This Constellation examines burial practices, cultural and linguistic influences on illness, and the implications of medical advances, challenging students to reflect on mortality and the evolving human experience.

How are we political bodies?

Investigate political systems, ideologies and movements while engaging your imagination to envision political alternatives. This Constellation examines how politics shapes human lives, from the individual body to collective societies, through history, art, literature and performance.

What is the Cosmos?

Explore the vast expanse we call the cosmos, the shape of time and the nature of space, how worlds are and have been arranged, whether the cosmos can be adequality represented, and the place of the human in contemplating its purpose and harnessing its energies. Join us as we reflect critically upon what has been imagined about worlds, the world, and our connection to it all.

How does artificial intelligence impact human experiences?

Explore the complex relationship between Artificial Intelligence and human society. This Constellation examines AI’s implications across law, ethics, art, science, education and beyond, encouraging students to critically evaluate its challenges and opportunities for shaping a humane future.

How do people respond to and resist colonialism?

Analyze the cultural, economic, and political dynamics of global relations in the context of colonialism and globalization. Courses in this Constellation highlight historical and contemporary systems of domination, as well as liberation movements, providing tools to understand and critique global power structures.

Peace or war?

This Constellation examines the causes of international conflict and the mechanisms of peace, offering insights into how wars are initiated, experienced and resolved. Students will grapple with the complexities of global tensions and stability, contextualized within historical and modern frameworks.

How do humans and natural systems interact in our complex world?

Integrating statistics, biology, ecology and theater, students will investigate the intersection of data and the natural world. They will learn foundational data science tools while exploring interdisciplinary challenges in public health, environmental justice and biology.

How do sports shape society?

Sports transcend boundaries of race, gender and occupation, serving as a unifying force. Students will explore the societal impact of sports through business, race, politics, religion and ethics, moving beyond the fan experience to understand the broader implications of the sports ecosystem.