THE BENEFITS OF A LEARNING COMMUNITY
You and the other students in your LC are enrolled in two courses together. These linked courses form the basis of your fall semester schedule. Finding a study partner has never been so easy!
LCs are an excellent way to make new friends with similar interests. As part of a community of no more than 20 students, you and your community members will share not only learning experiences and out-of-class activities, but support one another's academic success.
Faculty mentors will be there to guide you. They will help you make connections between what you learn in the classroom and what you experience outside the classroom.
Engage in academic as well as social activities such as trips to agencies and museums, concerts, lectures, dinners, informal gatherings, and service projects with faculty and students from your linked courses.
About Our Communities
Florida Southern offers the following residential-based Living & Learning Communities (LLCs):
GATEWAY TO ART
Art majors only
Do you love to create? For students who wish to live with like-minded artists, this community will allow you to showcase your talents as you explore innovation, creativity, and collaboration alongside people that share your passion.
Housing: Wesley
Fall courses:
ART 1120 Design Fundamentals
ART 1131 Drawing I
ENG 1005 Writing about Art
Spring courses:
ART 1132 Drawing II
ART 2170 Figure Drawing
ARH 1100 Survey of Western Art
Outside the Classroom: Trips to gallery openings and museums will expose you to works of art and their interpretation. You will meet as a group in the residence halls to work on group projects and socialize in informal settings.
LAW & POLITICS
All majors
This community is designed for students with an interest in law and legal studies, policy and policymaking, and the broader arena of the study of politics and government, including international politics. The focus will be on the human creation of government and governmental frameworks, with an emphasis on rule making (law), how rules are made, and who makes them.
Housing: Nicholas Hall
Fall courses:
POS 1125 American Political System
POS 2900 Introduction to International Relations
Spring courses:
POS 2500 Law and the Courts
POS 2400 National and International Political Economy
Outside the classroom: Weekly meetings with dinner guests (people from the judiciary, local law firms, and/or political organizers). Help plan all-campus events such as Constitution Day and Inauguration Watch.
MUSICIAN'S WORLD
Music majors only
What is it that determines successful outcomes for musicians? How is excellence in the concert hall, classroom, theatre, or recording studio achieved? Studies suggest that talent in any enterprise is developed through focused attention drawn from the desire to practice inherent skills. Experts are not born experts. They progress by cultivating habits and routines that lead to increasing levels of accomplishment and maturity. This community will help aspiring musicians acquire the skills needed for success.
Housing: Wesley Hall
Fall courses:
MUS 1197 Student Recital
MUS 1151 Aural Skills I
Spring courses:
MUS 1198 Student Recital
MUS 1152 Aural Skills
Outside the classroom:
Master class events, trips to concerts and art museums, lunches with faculty, and mixers.
NURSING
Nursing majors only
Designed to support first year (BSN) students, you’ll have the opportunity to build your team, leadership, and nursing skills by engaging in nursing related service-learning activities in underserved populations. Faculty and peer mentors will provide assistance as you transition into college life and advance through this very demanding program.
Housing: Joseph-Reynolds Hall
Fall courses:
NUR 1100 Principles of Health Care
NUR Freshman Seminar
Spring courses: TBD
Outside the classroom:
Bi-weekly around the table discussions of current health events in the news, visits to Children’s Medical Services, Talbot House, and perhaps helping to build a Habitat for Humanity House.
How do I participate?
If you are interested in participating, opt-in online when completing your New Student Enrollment forms »
Remember: Learning Communities are offered to first-year students only and residential communities will be limited to approximately 20 participants.
Florida Southern offers the following Learning Communities (LC). These communities do not have a residential component.
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ATHLETIC TRAINING
Athletic Training majors only
This community will introduce you to the knowledge base required of a certified athletic trainer. Students will be paired with upper-class mentors who will take mentees to their own off-campus clinical sites. Students will also work with the staff of FSC Athletic Training assigned to Intercollegiate Athletics.
Fall courses:
ATP 1277 Perspectives in Athletic Training
ATP 1305 Clinical Experience Practicum
BIO 2215 Anatomy & Physiology I
ATP 1234 Medical Terminology
Spring courses: TBD
Outside the classroom:
Mentorships with upper class students is a hallmark of the athletic training department as well as social events for students.
MUSICIAN'S WORLD
Music majors only
What is it that determines successful outcomes for musicians? How is excellence in the concert hall, classroom, theatre, or recording studio achieved? Studies suggest that talent in any enterprise is developed through focused attention drawn from the desire to practice inherent skills. Experts are not born experts. They progress by cultivating habits and routines that lead to increasing levels of accomplishment and maturity. This community will help aspiring musicians acquire the skills needed for success.
Fall courses:
MUS 1197 Student Recital
MUS 1151 Aural Skills I
Spring courses:
MUS 1198 Student Recital
MUS 1152 Aural Skills
Outside the classroom:
Master class events, trips to concerts and art museums, lunches with faculty, and mixers.
ENGAGING SOCIETY THROUGH SERVICE
All students-especially those who are undecided
“Adopt” different agencies to partner with on service learning projects. The projects will approach issues the agencies face from a variety of academic disciplines- arts, humanities, business, and social sciences- so that students can see how different majors approach real world problems.
Fall courses:
FSC 1070 Engaging Society through Service
(formerly SCC 1997 Making a Difference)
PSY 1106 Psychology and the Social World
Spring courses:
HIS 1115 The West and the World to Early Modern Era
Outside the classroom:
Students and faculty will work together on service projects outside of the classroom at the agency site and also gather informally for social activities (pizza night, sport events).
WICKED PROBLEMS SUPER STORMS
All majors
Wicked problems/issues are a form of social issues that are difficult to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements. These problems are often “written off” as being too cumbersome to bother with. Yet these are issues that deserve our attention and focus. Obesity one such issue with far ranging impacts with respect to business practices, health, public policy and even the environment. This community will examine how a variety of academic disciplines- arts, humanities, business, and the life and physical science and social sciences- study obesity so that students can see how different majors approach real world issues.
Fall courses:
New Course- Exploring Science and Society through Research
ENG 1005 Writing about Food
Outside the classroom:
Students and faculty will watch and discuss videos, interact with off campus speakers and visit governmental agencies. We will also gather informally for dinners and other social activities.
“Learning communities are great! You always have someone to help you.”- Clara Morose
GAMES OF STRATEGY
All majors
Game Theory is a relatively new branch of mathematics dealing with decision-making. Its applications to economics have resulted in twelve Nobel Prizes (including one to John Nash of A Beautiful Mind fame), and yet the basis of game theory involves only high school mathematics. In this community, students will learn the fundamentals of game theory and its applications in a fun and interactive way.
Fall courses:
MAT 2022 Elementary Statistics
MAT 1997A Games of Cooperation and Revenge
POS 1997B Bombs and Rockets
Outside the classroom:
Play games, watch and discuss movies, ponder puzzles, and interact with invited speakers from a variety of fields.
PR & ADVERTISING
Advertising and public relations majors only
This community provides an integrative curriculum for PR and Advertising majors blending public address skills with industry standard technology.
Fall courses:
COM 2500 Desktop Publishing
SPC 1500 Fundamentals of Speech
Spring courses:
COM 2600 Principles of Advertising and PR
Outside the classroom:
Meals with guest speakers, field trips to local PR and advertising agencies.
WRITING & TALKING ABOUT THE NEWS
Broadcast, print and online majors only
Learn about the technology and reporting for the news media through hands-on experiences in producing media such as the student newspaper and newscasts. Be challenged to go beyond the classroom and investigate the world around you through the eyes of a professional journalist.
Fall courses:
SPC 1500 Fundamentals of Speech
COM 2110 Media Writing
Spring Courses:
COM 3300 News Reporting
Outside the classroom:
Discussions with professionals in industry, visits to newsrooms (print and broadcast) as well as other social events.
If you are interested in participating in a learning community, opt-in online when completing your Course Preference form.