Learning Communities

The American Association of Colleges and Universities names Learning Communities as a “high-impact practice,” noting that the students who participate in a learning community experience “significant educational benefits.” (AACU reference)

New students are encouraged to apply to one of four Learning Communities (LC) for the fall semester. Students in a Learning Community take two courses together and explore issues on a deeper, multi-disciplinary level.

All courses offered in the Learning Communities satisfy a general education requirement, so the LC’s are a great choice regardless of a student’s intended major.

Learning Communities receive funding from the Office of Student Success for out-of-classroom experiences ranging from field trips to suppers outside of Wofford. Because of this, the Learning Communities also provide new students with a greater opportunity to form meaningful relationships with their instructors and with other students.

All students accepted to participate in a learning community will be placed in the LC class sections before the first round of registration. Students will then be able to register for an additional five hours during the first part of registration on July 22 and then complete their schedules on July 24.

How do I participate in a Learning Community?
  • Choose one or more of the four LC’s that interest you.
  • Complete the brief application.
  • Applicants will be informed of their acceptance on a rolling basis beginning on July 1.

Learning Community Opportunities

LIBA 101Y | College Student Development | TR 1430-1550 | Dr. James Stukes
FYI 101Z | First-Year Interaction Seminar | MWF 0830-1020 | Dr. Boyce Lawton

Join Wofford’s Office of Student Success for a learning community that will provide an overview of a wide array of theories that inform the developmental processes of college students. Students will gain a better understanding of how experiences related to developmental, environmental, and individual factors are connected to the overall success of all students striving to navigate the college environment.

Instruction will include the analysis of social, cognitive, identity, and other theoretical frameworks. Students will gain valuable insight and tools they can employ during their college years and beyond.

LIBA 101X | Climate: Justice, Beauty, and Hope | 1030-1120 | Dr. Christine Dinkins
SPAN 303A | Advanced Spanish | MWF 0930-1020 | Dr. Laura Barbas Rhoden

How can we imagine and co-create a world of flourishing? In a reality marked by headlines trumpeting disasters, what does it mean to understand the world in which we live more deeply and take thoughtful action? This learning community offers students a chance to understand the roots of climate realities and to develop and practice tools for resilience and regeneration.

Build your skills and cultural understanding in Spanish in the classroom and community (in Spanish 303) and learn from writers and creators shaping resilience worldwide (LIBA 101).

LIBA 101W | Theatre of Justice I | TR 0930-1050 | Dr. Mark Ferguson
THEA 212A | Art of Acting | TR 1300-1420 | Professor Abigail Dillard

This learning community is intended for students interested in art, music, dramatic literature, and performance; prior experience in or with theatre is certainly welcome but absolutely not required. The community is focused on ways in which theatre and drama function to increase empathy, sharpen analytical skills, and serve as dynamic training for responsible citizens in a representative democracy.

The Learning Community combines the LIBA 101 (Theatre of Justice) with the introductory course called Art of Acting. Both courses fulfill general education requirements for graduation; additionally, Art of Acting is pre-requisite for a Theatre major or minor.

Good drama—like all good art—poses, and sometimes even attempts to answer, questions about the nature and purpose of human existence and how we might proceed towards a more just and free society. It does so by exposing injustice, interrogating human frailties and motivations, and shining uncomfortably revealing light on our assumptions and prejudices.