Spring 2009
Please contact the instructors (see: college directory) regarding any questions you may have about a specific Learning Community
Heroes and Villains
Introduction to Criminology
English Composition II
"Heroes and Villains" combines English Composition II and Introduction to Criminology, two highly popular courses. 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. Dead Man Walking, as presented in three formats, will be a major focus in this Learning Community and will reinforce the spring's Liberal Arts theme of the death penalty. Critical thinking and interpretive reading skills will be put to use in composing writing which links the Introduction to Criminology concepts with the literature considered in English Composition II. Instructors: Cynthia Crivaro and Linda Desjardins.
Crime & Passion
Criminal Justice 101
College Reading 021
* Both classes offered at the Lawrence Campus
Get ready to read and learn in a challenging field, Criminal Justice. Students in this learning community will increase their ability to communicate with others, think, read and write critically and to comprehend a wide range of texts with an emphasis on readings in the Criminal Justice field. The ability to effectively read and write is crucial in the Criminal justice profession. Many students in the field, or considering the law enforcement as a career, often feel uneasy in their abilities to communicate. This learning community will improve your confidence and turn report writing, and other forms of communication, into personal strengths. College Reading and Criminal Justice will encourage students interested in the Criminal Justice field to develop responsibility in themselves as students and learners, increase their self-awareness of their reading processes, and become more critically reflective as learners and problem solvers of the wider community. One of the major goals of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police is prioritization of reading and writing skills for recruit officers. This learning community will assist students in becoming highly competent readers and writers in their field. Instructors: Paul Cavan & Trish Schade.
Read It; Write It
English Composition I
College Reading
What two better courses to connect in a learning community- reading and writing? Using interrelated reading and writing assignments, we strive to create a learning environment focused on a theme that connects the work of the two courses. A book, common to both courses will provide the basis for reading assignments as well as a springboard for writing. Instructors: Gene Wintner & Joanna Fortna
Comparing Civilizations II
World Civilization II
World Literature 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. NOTE: World Civilization I and World Literature I are NOT pre-requisites for this Learning Community. Instructors: Steve Russell & Barbara Stachniewicz.
Seeing and Writing the World
Intro to Digital Photography
English Composition I
This course will give students living in a digital culture an opportunity to explore the world through the creative acts of writing and photography. Students' lives, their communities and their perceptions of the world will be the basis of projects and assignments. A supportive environment will be created to help students become more critically reflective as they develop a writing style and a photographic style. At the end of the semester, a multimedia portfolio will be produced. Instructors: Bryan Ward & Ginger Hurajt.
Nature & Numbers
This Learning Community integrates College Algebra and General Ecology. Our focus will be on applying mathematics to solve real life ecological issues. Mathematics is an important tool for understanding how populations grow, for modeling and investigating interaction among living organisms. Students will apply what they learn to solving nature conservation issues. Our Learning Community will include in-class group work as well as field work in which students will gather scientific data and use mathematics to understand what the data means. Come learn how numbers can help us conserve nature! Instructors: Mariana Melo & Jim Sullivan.
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 (but will not be limited to) study of human brain development and personality, investigation of the affects of drugs and alcohol on the brain and rest of the body, psychosomatic illness, and the organic basis of mental illness, as well as other relevant topics.
Smoke and Mirrors: Politics and Philosophy in the 21st Century
Intro. to Philosophy
American Gov't & Politics
Does our political system make any sense to you? How do we react when our government seems to be broken, as exemplified in crises like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina or the current financial collapse? How might philosophical inquiry enlighten our understanding of our place in society, and of our government and politics? This learning community combines an introduction to philosophical inquiry and an examination of American Government and Politics. It will foster a critical perspective on both, and students who want to put their philosophy into action (praxis) will be encouraged to do so. Instructors: Meredith Gunning & Stephen Slaner
Virtual You
Computer Applications
English Composition I
This learning community is all about the one entity that can ensure your academic and professional success: you. In Virtual YoU, we'll combine composition and computers to explore and communicate the past, present, and future you in the best ways possible. Independently and in teams, we'll create informative graphs, impressive written pieces, helpful databases, and compelling PowerPoint presentations-with a focus on their practical applications-and, in the process, we'll have fun. Instructors: Michael Broughton & Terry Cargan