Learning Communities
Ready to Find Your World?
Apply now for the 2009-10 First Year Experience Learning Communities!
There are several types of FYE Learning Communities, including ones based on majors, specific themes, or certain segments of the student population. For 2009-10, FYE will offer the following seventeen Learning Communities. There are approximately 400 FYE spaces available, so you will want to consider this option as soon as you can.
Please note: Placement testing results in mathematics or English may affect your eligibility for FYE Learning Communities which contain first year courses in those areas. If you have any questions about the enrollment process, please contact the FYE Office at (320) 308-2941 or grclark@stcloudstate.edu. During Advising & Registration Days, students enrolled in FYE meet with an advising staff member who is an “FYE specialist.” Prospective students are also encouraged to contact individual FYE faculty leaders whose names and contact information are provided below.
Aviation
This FYE Learning Community is for students interested in studying Aviation. It offers the opportunity to make friends with other new students who have similar interests while at the same time taking several classes together (a total of three). The classes include two beginning-level Aviation courses required for all Aviation majors, and an Earth and Atmospheric Science course which is required for two of the Aviation majors and which satisfies the general education natural science lab component.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010
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For more information contact the lead professor:
Angela Olson
arolson@stcloudstate.edu
Business: “W U N 2 LRN 2 B GT!”
(What You Need to Learn to be Great!)
Want to succeed in business? Being a strong communicator is probably the most important skill you’ll need—regardless of your major. Make friends and concurrently enroll in two courses that are critical to your success, COB 111 and ENGL 191. Improve your writing, identify a major and career path, and increase your understanding of yourself and others. FYE activities will include workshops and activities on business writing (memos, resumes, and cover letters), personality preferences, business presentations, and stress/time management. NOTE: There will be up to four groups of students in this FYE Learning Community, which will be offered in both the fall and spring.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010
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For more information contact the lead professor:
Mary Soroko
mpsoroko@stcloudstate.edu
Computer Science
Information science and computation skills are acknowledged to be fundamental to many fields of study. Computing helps us study the natural and artificial worlds. Conversely, knowledge of the natural world has been used to improve computing. This FYE Learning Community allows you to explore problem-solving and communication strategies with fellow new students, providing an introduction to computing and its applications. It may serve as a stepping stone to the minor, applied major, or our nationally-acredited major in Computer Science.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010
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For more information contact the lead professor:
Andrew Anda
aanda@stcloudstate.edu
Division of General Studies (DGS): “Self-Discovery: The Journey Begins”
This Learning Community designed for Division of General Studies (DGS) students will use literature to help students explore their personal growth and development. Students will enroll in an Introduction to Literature course which will focus on short stories that explore young adult themes, such as developing a sense of competence, managing emotions, relationships, and achieving integrity. By studying literature that considers how these common life challenges are confronted and resolved by a diverse range of characters, students will draw upon these stories as they explore their own experiences on campus in the COLL 150/Discovering the College Experience course.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010No courses scheduled. |
For more information contact the lead professor:
Nona L. Wilson
nlwilson@stcloudstate.edu
Division of General Studies (DGS) “Success3: Striving for Student Success”
This FYE Learning Community is designed for Division of General Studies (DGS) students who are looking to improve their math skills. The three classes that make up the cohort are Math 070/ Basic Math Concepts, College 110/Reading and Study Strategies, and College 150/Discovering the College Experience. This Learning Community gives students the opportunity to experience campus life, learn important college preparatory skills, and make lasting connections with both peers and faculty.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010 |
For more information contact the lead professor:
Marie Exner
meexner@stcloudstate.edu
Division of General Studies (DGS): “Power Up”
This Learning Community is designed for Division of General Studies (DGS) students who test into the enhanced version of English 191 (5 class hours per week). The three classes included--COLL 110/Reading and Study Strategies, ENGL 191/Introduction to Rhetorical and Analytical Writing, and CMST 192/ Introduction to Communication Studies--will make extensive use of technology to engage students in this interdisciplinary approach to required core classes. Explore the ways in which wikis, blogs, and eFolios can enhance your learning!
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010No courses schedule. |
For more information contact the lead professor:
Victoria L. Williams
vlwilliams@stcloudstate.edu
Education: “Becoming an Elementary Teacher”
Join this FYE Learning Community and explore Elementary Education as a career! You will take three courses: Introduction to Education and two others—Speech and Mathematical Thinking—required of all students. These linked courses will give you a real experience of what it means to start the journey to becoming an elementary teacher. You will develop a philosophy of teaching and discover the ins and outs of elementary education. With a focus on topics related to education, you will learn to think critically, organize your thoughts clearly, and speak and listen effectively. You will also use hands-on and interactive strategies to solve mathematical problems and make decisions. We are planning a year-long field experience in an elementary school and classroom where you will observe and assist a teacher. You will learn all this and more in a small close-knit group of not more than 25 students. We hope to make your first college experience a rewarding and successful one!
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010
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For more information contact the lead professor:
Lalita Subrahmanyan
lsubrahmanyan@stcloudstate.edu
Education: “Global Educators: South Africa”
This FYE Learning Community will provide students who are interested in majoring in Education with the opportunity to broaden their understanding, critical knowledge, and awareness of educational practices within a global context. Students who are undecided may also enroll in this FYE, as the courses fulfill general education requirements. Specifically, the courses in this FYE will contribute to increased knowledge and understanding of the social, cultural, educational, economic, and political systems of South Africa. Focus areas will be the history of South Africa (HIST 106), racial issues in South Africa (ETHS 201), and a comparative, global perspective on disabilities (SPED 203). Students will study issues of race, ethnicity, discrimination, prejudice, racism, and social inequality in a cross-cultural and global context. A cumulative project will be an optional international service learning project during the May 2010 Inter-session in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where students will work with school children.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010
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For more information contact the lead professor:
Kathryn E. Johnson
kejohnson@stcloudstate.edu
English as a Second Language: “Great Start: Academic English Transition
This FYE Learning Community is designed for “new Americans” who have been identified as needing coursework in English as a Second Language. Study areas include development of academic English skills through enrollment in ESL 102 or 202/Writing and Reading, and ESL 101 or 201/Listening and Speaking (ESL 101 or 201), as appropriate. All students in the FYE cohort will be enrolled in COLL 150/ Discovering the College Experience and COLL 110/Reading and Study Strategies, as well as COLL 120/Power Reading (in the second semester). Students will also become familiar with the wide array of academic support programs offered through Multicultural Student Services and other campus offices.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010
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For more information contact the lead professor:
Julie Condon
jjcondon@stcloudstate.edu
Meteorology
The Meteorology FYE is a program-based Learning Community for students interested in majoring in Meteorology. It provides an environment in which students can quickly get to know other students with interests similar to theirs. The Meteorology FYE provides an introduction to coursework required for Meteorology majors, including an orientation class (EAS 160) and introductory course in Meteorology (EAS 230). In addition, it provides a solid start in core/general education coursework with ENGL 191 and CMST 192.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010
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For more information contact the lead professor:
Dr. Anthony Hansen
arhansen@stcloudstate.edu
Pre-Med
This community is designed for students interested in Pre-Med and several other health-related fields of study. In addition to satisfying major program requirements through the selection of courses, students in this community will participate in special activities, discussions, and events tailored to their needs as Pre-Med students. For example, students will also meet, interact, and establish close relationships with the faculty member of the Pre-Med Committee. These faculty members will not only be teaching and providing FYE students with extra circular activities, but eventually writing their letters of recommendation for entrance to medical school. In addition, students will meet SCSU alumni who have been successfully admitted into medical schools, as well as others who have graduated or who are practicing physicians.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010
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For more information contact the lead professor:
Oladele Gazal
osgazal@stcloudstate.edu
Psychology
The Psychology FYE is a Learning Community designed to take a group of students who have expressed interest in the Psychology major and provide them with a rapid initiation into the field. By taking two of the four required core courses during their first year at SCSU, Psychology FYE students will be able to finish those four courses by the end of their sophomore year. This will allow participants to shape their course of studies to best reflect their developing interests in Psychology.
One way in which the FYE experience differs from the standard program for Psychology majors is that part of their Introduction to Psychology course will be devoted to exploring careers in and/or related to Psychology. The instructor will use an extra hour per week to discuss career areas in more depth, bring in guest speakers, conduct experiments, lead field trips, and assign additional readings or other projects designed to help students learn more about their career options. Also, each student will use the “efolio Minnesota” system. This will help FYE students develop an online portfolio of their academic career at SCSU, with the aim of displaying sample work to demonstrate and track their academic and extracurricular activities.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010
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For more information contact the lead professor:
Daren S. Protolipac
E-mail: dsprotolipac@stcloudstate.edu
South Africa-USA: Comparative Race Relations in an International Context
Students will examine social change in two societies with histories of racial oppression that have experienced major breakthroughs in race relations: the United States of America and Republic of South Africa. Students have the unique opportunity to observe first-hand the social changes occurring in South Africa through a spring semester study abroad program at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. There students will enroll in courses that have already been approved as equivalents for required SCSU general education courses. Students may also take NMMU courses that meet requirements for their proposed majors or minors, as well as electives. In their first semester, students in this Learning Community will study issues of race, ethnicity, discrimination, prejudice, racism, and social inequality in a cross cultural and global context by enrolling in two courses: Ethnic Studies 201/Introduction to Ethnic Studies, and History 106.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010
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For more information contact the lead professor:
Robert C. Johnson
rcjohnson@stcloudstate.edu
Thinking Out Loud: Connecting Lives to Social Change
This FYE Learning Community takes an interdisciplinary approach to the exploration of social justice and social change with a focus on social structures, community identities, and the politics of representation. The theme aims to create spaces and dialogues for students to think about their social locations and help them gain critical literacy. Creating sustained, non-antagonistic dialogue through a thematic focus on the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality will aid in the formation of communities for students and will help them articulate their voices, interests, and needs.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010No courses scheduled. |
For more information contact the lead professor:
Dr. Catherine Fox
cofox@stcloudstate.edu
Virtual Worlds
Do you have a second life? Have you owned a mob? Know what a MMORPG is (or do you want to know)? This FYE is designed for the tech-savvy and those who desire to be. We will critically analyze various New Media technologies and theories in both real and virtual classrooms.
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010No courses scheduled. |
For more information contact the lead professor
Kristian M. Twombly
kmtwombly@stcloudstate.edu
Warriors to University Students: An FYE for Veterans
This FYE Learning Community consisting of ENGL 191 and HIST 195 is offered to incoming first year and transfer students who are veterans of the United States Armed Services. Students who have served in two wars in which the U.S. has been engaged since 2002 and 2003, respectively, have been enrolling in college in greater and greater numbers. With the passage of the new G.I. bill by Congress, benefits for these veterans and their numbers will continue to grow. These students have a rich foundation upon which to examine the principles of democracy and citizen responsibilities that go along with living in such a society. They also represent a tremendous resource for rhetorical writing grounded in the reality of their experiences. [Note: Pending review and approval, a section of the COLL 150/Discovering the College Experience course specifically for veterans may be added to this Learning Community.]
Fall 2009
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Spring 2010No courses scheduled. |
For more information contact the lead professor:
James R. Heiman
jrheiman@stcloudstate.edu
