On October 10, 1966, the Free University of Seattle (FUS) began offering off-campus uncredited courses for University of Washington students in a variety of counterculture topics and other subjects not traditionally offered in universities. Founded during the turbulent campus atmosphere of the mid-1960s, FUS was the largest free university in the country during its first year, serving about 400 students in 26 evening classes. Within a couple of years the organization became an official business run by the Associated Students University of Washington (ASUW). The ASUW Experimental College expanded enrollment to non-students and served the community until its closure in 2017.
This course catalog for the Free University of Seattle, or "Free U," was for a session scheduled from June 24 through August 16, probably in 1967 or 1968. Classes offered over the summer included "Body Drawing," "Sensitivity Training," "Computer Programming," "Grass," "Southern Mountain Folk Music," and "Teenagers - Who Are You?"
Caption information source: "More Than 350 Enroll In Free University," The Seattle Times, October 9, 1966, p. 32. Caption information source: "Seattle’s Free University is inaugurated amidst much publicity," November, 1966, retrieved from https://socialism.com/fs-article/seattles-free-university-is-inaugurated-amidst-much-publicity Caption information source: "Last Exit on Brooklyn," retrieved from https://seattle.fandom.com/wiki/Last_Exit_on_Brooklyn
Physical Description: 1 newspaper (8 p.) : color ; 11.5 x 17.5 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
