LEARNING COMMUNITIES AT UNC CHARLOTTE

“Residential” - has a residential component requiring students to live together in the same residence hall, unless otherwise noted.

“Non-Residential” - has no residential component; students can live either on or off campus, unless otherwise noted. 

Arts and Sciences/University College Learning Community
Freshmen with declared majors in College of Arts & Sciences and undeclared freshmen in University College; Residential and Non-Residential; one section for commuters only.
The College of Arts and Sciences/University College Learning Community students are enrolled in several general education courses required of all majors at the University.  Students work closely with a designated academic advisor.  Through their shared enrollments in classes, students have the opportunity to work in groups on a number of course related projects, form common study groups, and develop core friendships and associations with other Learning Community students.
www.coas.uncc.edu/flc

Building Educational Strengths and Talents (B.E.S.T.) Learning Community
Freshmen enrolled in B.E.S.T. Program; Residential
The Building Educational Strengths and Talents Learning Community introduces select, undecided, first-generation college students, to the culture of higher education.  The Community encourages Achievers (students) to adapt their skills to meet the educational challenge in four ways: 1) experimenting with the application of various academic support systems, in conjunction with required coursework; 2) providing opportunities to interact regularly with faculty and advisors; 3) shifting the focus from managing distractions to developing strengths and interests; and 4) helping Achievers to form healthy bonds with other students, as well as with the larger community through its service learning initiative.  Though the Learning Community is a one-year experience, Achievers will receive continued support from the program through graduation.
www.ucae.uncc.edu/best/best_home.html

Business Learning Community
Freshmen accepted into Belk College of Business designated as pre-business, pre-accounting, and pre-economics; Residential
The Business Learning Community (BLC) is a one year residential program. Students in the BLC interact closely with their peers, faculty, and staff and are encouraged to become active in their own educational experiences-to take their learning beyond the classroom and apply it to the business world. Freshman students in the Belk College face numerous hurdles as they progress to their upper division curriculum. The BLC will provide selected students with an increased ability to cope with first year challenges, allowing for a more successful transition to demanding upper division coursework.
www.belkcollege.uncc.edu/BLC

Community Service Learning Community
Freshmen Living Off-Campus only, interested in Community Service; open to all majors and disciplines, with exception of students in Architecture, Engineering, Nursing and the Honors Program; Non-Residential
This interdisciplinary, non-residential learning community, designed for students living off-campus, draws on the ideals of service learning, which combine volunteer efforts with academic study. Students in this learning community will have opportunities to make a difference by volunteering in the local community, form relationships with students living on- and off-campus, and learn about community and campus resources.
www.dso.uncc.edu/volunteer

Computing and Informatics Learning Community
Freshmen accepted into College of Computing & Informatics majoring in Computer Science or Software & Information Systems; Residential yet open to students living on and off campus
The CCI-LC is designed to jump-start the participants’ academic careers through studying and learning experiences more commonly associated with a small college: a close knit environment and community of mutual support. Recognizing that all significant development projects today are team efforts, the College of Computing and Informatics Learning Community provides opportunities both for individual work and group work through team assignments, study groups, and community-wide activities that will provide life-long learning skills and ease the transition from high school to college, and eventually to the workplace.

Criminal Justice Learning Community
Transfer Students majoring in Criminal Justice; Non-Residential
The Criminal Justice Learning Community will facilitate the students’ academic and social transition into the University, Department of Criminal Justice and the criminal justice discipline.  Students will be introduced to campus and community resources during their first semester and will be actively engaged in volunteer work in the criminal justice or related service sectors in the spring semester.  Participation in the Criminal Justice Learning Community will strengthen the process of learning in two of our courses; Research Methods and Criminal Justice Theory.  Students will also satisfy their oral and written General Education requirements by enrolling in our Learning Community.
www.criminaljustice.uncc.edu/undergrad.htm

Engineering Learning Community
Freshmen accepted into College of Engineering; Residential
Students in the Engineering Learning Community will have a variety of opportunities to network with other students, learn from one another, and teach others by taking classes and working on projects together. In addition, through mentoring and study groups students in the community acquire the skills necessary to improve and enhance learning.  The LC encourages students to achieve academic excellence with the support of a tight-knit community of persevering students, dedicated staff, and involved faculty.
www.coe.uncc.edu/students/flc

English Learning Community
Freshmen and Transfers majoring/minoring/have an interest in English; Two year program; Residential yet open to students living both on and off campus
The English Learning Community is for students who have an interest in a broad range of cultural and academic backgrounds. Students will receive a head start in the English major/minor and in General Education requirements through three interlinked courses per semester. Features of the program include a peer mentor, individualized advising (including early career exploration), instructional support for the math phobic, and early connections both with English Department faculty as well as with a variety of campus academic, cultural and social programs. We highlight the interrelated themes of literacy, the arts, and community in our participation in the full range of Charlotte’s rich cultural resources.
www.english.uncc.edu/learningcommunity

The Gender Excellence (Gen X) Learning Community
Freshmen with interest in issues related to women, gender and activism; Open to male and female students in all majors and disciplines, including undeclared; Non-Residential
The Gender Excellence Learning Community (Gen X) is designed to enhance students’ knowledge of social justice issues that relate to women and gender and to help them make early connections with a variety of women and gender related campus, cultural and community programs.  During the program, students in the Gen X learning community will participate in a variety of classroom and community experiences that focus on women and gender.  These experiences draw on the ideals of service learning, which combine volunteer efforts with academic study.  Students will also make progress towards their General Education requirements and have individualized advising during the program.  Finally, through their shared enrollments in classes, students will work in groups on a number of course related projects, form common study groups, and develop core friendships and associations with other Learning Community students who share their interests.
www.genx.uncc.edu

The Global Village Learning Community
Freshmen with interest in sociology and anthropology; Non-Residential
The Global Village Learning Community is designed to introduce freshmen interested in the social sciences to the disciplines of sociology and anthropology.  There are two main foci of the learning community.  The first is to introduce the students to the disciplines, especially to their inquiry of social arrangements and institutions.  The second is to expose students to the outcomes and impact of various social arrangements using a cross-cultural perspective.   One of the main vehicles to achieving these goals will be service learning.  Service learning will be an integral portion of the learning community’s activities throughout the academic year.  The setting for this experience will be chosen in a way that allows students to see how social arrangements impact different members the social groups.  This may be accomplished in a health care, educational, or means tested setting.  At the end of the academic year, the students will be given the opportunity to travel to an international site for academic coursework and comparative setting.  Ideally students will engage in a variety of social and educational experiences, including service learning opportunities.  To the greatest extent possible, students should participate in a setting that approximates the one in which they worked in Charlotte during the previous nine months.  Both the service learning experience and accompanying coursework and other field work will be used to help students embrace and examine the principles they studied through the school year.

During the academic year students in the Global Village will meet sociologists and anthropologists who have studied, worked and conducted research around the world.  They will also connect with various international communities in the Charlotte area.  These opportunities will be linked to courses they take during their freshman year, particularly those offered as freshman seminar, introductory coursed in sociology and anthropology, social psychology, or liberal studies courses taught by sociologists and anthropologists.  During the summer, students will be invited to participate in an international experience where they will take classes and investigate cross cultural experiences in a four week course abroad.  After completing the year in the Global Village students will be prepared to participate as a world citizen in their academic work and preparation for their careers.
www.sociology.uncc.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=59&Itemid=84

Health and Human Services Learning Community
Freshmen and Sophomores accepted into College of Health & Human Services; Residential
The Health and Human Services Learning Community, the COHAHS Connection, is a program for students pursuing a major in nursing, social work, athletic training, or health fitness. Students will take classes, participate in community services, and learn together to enhance their understanding of different health care and social service disciplines and to increase their communication and teamwork skills so they can function successfully in these settings. In the first year, they will live together in the same residence hall and in the second year may elect to live together on campus. Individual academic advisement, registration for courses, and faculty support will be provided both years. Our overall goal is to provide collaborative teaching services to better prepare each student for possible entry into the four competitive college majors.
www.health.uncc.edu/dept/homepage.cfm?dept=lc

History/International Studies Learning Community
Freshmen majoring in History or International Studies; Residential
The Department of History sponsors a combined History and International Studies Learning Community for entering Freshmen. The program is devised as such that students receive course credit in required General Education courses, as well as those specific to their major.
 

History Learning Community
The History Leaning Community offers entering freshmen the opportunity to work with instructors who due to talent and popular demand are otherwise not accessible to first-year students. The program offers a hands-on introduction to the versatile and multi-faceted craft of history while Learning Community members explore various aspects of human suffering: facing the Holocaust through the eyes of perpetrators and victims, exploring the Rwanda genocide with a former Ambassador to Africa, following the trail of slavery across the Atlantic, and studying the evolution of war and conflict in the contemporary world. In addition the History Learning Community provides its members with prime housing in single or double suites in C.F. Lynch Hall, extracurricular activities of interest, and dedicated academic advising. One does not have to be an advanced student to enjoy this Learning Community; just have a genuine interest in history.
 

International Studies Learning Community
The International Studies Learning Community offers entering freshmen interested in international relations, conflicts, politics, and economics, a hands-on introduction to this multidisciplinary field.  In cooperation with the Director of the International Studies Program, the Department of History has put a syllabus together in which Learning Community members explore issues in the developing world with a former ambassador, review the implications of the Holocaust, study war and conflict resolution in the twentieth and twenty-first century, and look back at international slave trade across the Atlantic. In addition, International Studies Learning Community members receive prime housing with their History Learning Community peers in single or double suites in C.F. Lynch Hall, extracurricular activities of interest, and dedicated academic advising. All courses count towards major or general education requirements.
http://www.history.uncc.edu/learning_community.htm

Leadership Learning Community
Freshmen with interest in Leadership Development; Residential
The Leadership Learning Community is a program for first year students who have an interest in developing or building leadership skills and abilities. All freshmen students of any major or discipline are eligible to participate. This experience is designed to enhance students’ knowledge of leadership and their ability to lead ethically in today’s multicultural and quickly changing world. Participants will also take part in structured activities and experiences outside of class that will focus on providing leadership opportunities as well as helping first-year students adjust to college life.  Students will also enroll in the University’s Programs in Leadership and Organizational Training (PILOT) series and will receive personal leadership advising.
http://leadership.uncc.edu/

Political Science Learning Community
Freshmen with interest in Political Science; Non-Residential
This Learning Community will enable students to integrate classroom knowledge with “real world” experience through directed service learning opportunities.  Students in this learning community will participate in a Freshman Seminar, enroll in other courses together, and engage in public service as part of a course on Citizenship.  Internships at public or non-profit agencies will be arranged for the members of this community.  The objective of this learning community is to develop a proactive and positive approach toward public service. It will provide students with the ethical knowledge, research skills, and practical experience they need to bridge the gap between public service and academia.  This learning community will also give students a practical outlet to satisfy their interest in public service in a setting in which they may share their experiences with one-another.

Psychology Learning Community
Freshmen majoring in Psychology; Non-Residential
Open to students living both on and off campus, the Department of Psychology is invested in providing our undergraduate majors a top notch opportunity to learn about the broad expanse of psychology and prepare our students to take their place in graduate programs and the work force. 
www.psych.uncc.edu/PLC.htm

Teacher Education Learning Community
Freshmen designated as pre-education and who wish to become teachers; Residential
This initiative, sponsored by the College of Education, offers a powerful vehicle for capturing and supporting students’ interest in teaching as they complete their educational requirements for admission to the College of Education.  The pervasive theme of the Teacher Education Learning Community is diversity, a critical element as students prepare to assume responsibility for the learning of diverse students in today’s classrooms.
http://education.uncc.edu/coe/studentorgs.htm

University Transition Opportunities Program (UTOP) Learning Community
Freshmen who participated in UTOP; Residential yet open to students living both on and off campus
The UTOP Learning Community, sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Academic Services, works closely with all Colleges to ensure our students are taking the requisite classes for their freshmen year. The Learning Community is designed to have students engaged in coursework and activities that emphasize liberal arts education and diversity, campus connections, and growth and development.  Participants continue to enroll in classes together and share the same living/learning environments during the fall and spring semesters.  Academic support services and co-curricular activities are provided.
http://www.mas.uncc.edu/utoplc.html