INTEGRATED

Heroes and Villains

“Heroes and Villains” combines two highly popular courses, English Composition II, taught by Professor Desjardins, and Introduction to Criminology, taught by Professor Crivaro. The integration of these two courses will provide students with the opportunity to explore, through literature, film and theater, the worlds of good and evil. Using real and fictitious case studies, students will learn about the field of criminology and relate concepts studied in Introduction to Criminology to wrongdoing found in diverse literary works in various genres.

Departments of Behavioral Science and English: Professors Cynthia Crivaro and Linda Desjardins

Comparing Civilizations II

This Learning Community will integrate World Civilization II and World Literature II and focus on the period from about 1600 to the present. We will use literary texts to better understand the cultures that produced them and we will use historical texts to shed light on the literature. Most importantly, students will be actively engaged in understanding the relationship between the two disciplines, and in understanding their own roles as learners. We will all work to create a supportive community for learning.

Departments of English and Global Studies: Professors Barbara Stachniewicz and Stephen Russell

Infinite Frontiers: Space & Science Fiction

Astronomy is one of the oldest of the sciences. Writers, poets, and peoples around the world have imagined the unknown as scientists verified what is out there. It is the combining of the knowledge of astronomy with the creativeness of writing that drives our learning community. While students look up and imagine what is out there, they will gain an understanding of what IS out there. The combination of knowing and imagining allows our students’ worldviews to grow as they see new frontiers, both real and imagined, appear before their eyes.

Departments of English and Natural Science: Professors Lisette Espinoza and Mark Reinhold

Smoke & Mirrors: Politics & Philosophy in the 21st Century

How might philosophical inquiry enlighten our understanding of our political system? This Learning Community combines an introduction to philosophical inquiry and an examination of American government and politics. How do we get beyond smoke and mirrors? Join us as we consider – through lectures, discussions, and audio-visual materials – what a rational outlook toward politics might look like in the 21st century.

Department of Global Studies: Professors Stephen Slaner and Meredith Gunning

The Human Experience: From Body to Mind

This Learning Community will examine the integral relationship between the human mind and body. Topics to be covered will include study of the scientific method with examples in biology and psychology, cells as the basis of all human activity, the major organ systems, basic psychological principles, human brain development and personality, the affects of drugs and alcohol, the organic basis of mental illness, and other relevant topics.

Departments of Behavioral Science and Natural Sciences: Professors Carolyn Cohen and Ken Thomas

LINKED

It’s Not Easy Being Green

We hear the word “green” often enough these days, but what does it really mean? In this learning community linking English Composition I and College Reading, we will explore our relationship with the natural world, examining topics such as “nature vs. nurture,” environmentalism, and living a natural lifestyle. We will read and write about people who have lived close to nature and about solutions to current environmental issues. We will build toward a vision of a productive and hopeful future.

Departments of English and Academic Preparation: Professors Joanna Fortna and Eugene Wintner

Express Yourself

Express Yourself is a linked Learning Community course that combines a Basic Writing course with the College Success Seminar. In the Basic Writing course, the students will learn and improve their writing skills necessary to be successful in English Composition I. Emphasis will be on composing essays and further work on sentence and paragraph structure. Students in this learning community will be required to attend a ½ hour of additional lab outside of regular class time. All Basic Writing students are required to visit the professional writing tutors at the Writing Center to receive one-on-one tutoring for the essays they write in the Basic Writing course. In the College Success Seminar, students will learn to take initiative for personal, professional and academic success. The focus of the course will be on techniques and resources to improve self-understanding, information literacy, computer literacy, critical thinking and study skills, and community building. In linking these two courses, the Express Yourself learning community is designed to provide and infuse the necessary skills for success in college with the writing skills needed to communicate learning, thoughts and ideas through writing.

Departments of Academic Preparation and College Success: Professors Clare Thompson-Ostrander and Duane Quinion