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Please remember that this document is a supplemental resource that should be used alongside MyAccount.

**QLC courses are co-requisites & are completed in pairs. You will choose TWO QLC courses in the same Learning Community (LC).**

Please remember to check your Degree Audit often to reference which QLC categories you have completed & which categories you have not:

MyAccount → Students → My Degree Progress→ View All Details → Click the PDF icon until another tab loads/opens to show your Degree Audit

*20- Individuals and Society- explores themes/issues of identity and personal responsibility

*30- Institutions and Society- explores themes/issues of civic and social responsibility

*40- Science and Society- explores importance of role scientific knowledge and practice play in public life

*50- Creativity and Innovation- explores way creative and innovative thinking and practice shape individual identity, community development and society

*60- Quantitative reasoning- students may also meet this mathematics requirement by taking a MAT course in their major rather than in a QLC

You will choose one QEN 102 course AND one 100 level QLC because these courses are co-requisites. For example:QEN 102-005 LC2

with QLC 140 LC2

> Both being in LC 2means they share a topic!

(learning community 2)

002 & 0038888888@@@@@@@@@@@

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 1: The Pursuit of Happiness

Exercise, meditation, career, sex, Oprah- what leads to happiness? From the time of Plato and Aristotle to the 21st century, thinkers and researchers have been engaging with the meaning of happiness. In this learning community, students will analyze, practice, and reflect on the art of happiness.

QEN 102

001, 002

QLC 120

Rhetoric and Argument: Happiness All Around You Part of the First-year Writing Program, this course is designed to follow QEN 101. What factors contribute most to a happy life— big salary, service to others, family and close relationships, passion? How much control do you have over whether or not you achieve it? Is there a happiness threshold in every individual or could we all be happier? In this course students will research, analyze, and argue about various perspectives on happiness and the best methods for pursuing it. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

Philosophy of Well-BeingWhat do great philosophers – as well as contemporary neuroscience and psychology – have to say about happiness and a good life? Students will learn about and try living out a number of philosophies (including Socrates, Aristotle, Epicurus, the Stoics, the Buddha and the existentialists), will reflect on those philosophies and experiences, think critically, and choose and develop the philosophy of life they think best provides the best guide. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Sarah Creech

Daniel Terry

Refer toMyAccount for the updated

meeting days, times, &

modalities for each course

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 2: Tomboys, Sissies, and Queens: Performing Gender in Society

This learning community will explore how our societal constructs of gender shape our perceptions and realities.

QEN 102 004 & 005

QEN 102 006

QLC 140 LC2

Steak, Salad, & Sugar: Gender & Identity in Modern Food Rhetoric Why do we assume that chefs are men and cooks are women? That steaks are for boys, while candy is for girls? In this course, we will investigate the connection between what we eat and who we are by analyzing the many kinds of texts—such as advertisements, films, social media, and cookbooks—surrounding contemporary food culture, particularly in the U.S. By learning to critically read and write about these cultural texts, we will consider how they work rhetorically to shape our individual and collective values, beliefs, and assumptions about issues surrounding gender, sexuality, and who society believes we should become. Co-requisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

Damsels, Heroes, and the Gendering of Icons Heroes inspire us by showing us who we can become, as well as what traits to emulate. What’s the difference between a hero and a heroine? How does gender influence the role models for children? For adults? In this rhetoric and argument course, we will explore heroes as a social construct within the context of gender. How have female role models been historically overlooked? How do super heroes reveal gender constructs? As we investigate various texts, including a book and film, we will consider how heroes are shaped and regarded. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community. Co-requisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

**Gender and Sport Performance Students will examine exercise and sport performance through the lenses of historical and cultural aspects of identity. Topics will include genetic and physiologic differences that predispose athletic performance, nutritional strategies and interventions, health disorders, and psychological effects of gender discrimination in sport. Students will apply scientific inquiry through lab investigations on these topics, and analyze primary literature sources/examples. Corequsite: QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Bonnie Shisko

Amy Knab Julie Dow

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meeting days, times, &

modalities for each course

Julie Funderburk

QLC 140 LC22 **Gender and Sport Performance Students will examine exercise and sport performance through the lenses of historical and cultural aspects of identity. Topics will include genetic and physiologic differences that predispose athletic performance, nutritional strategies and interventions, health disorders, and psychological effects of gender discrimination in sport. Students will apply scientific inquiry through lab investigations on these topics, and analyze primary literature sources/examples. Corequsite: QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Amy Knab Julie Dow

**Both QLC 140 classes in this LC will substitute as KIN 120 Foundations of Exercise & Sport ScienceKIN 120 is a major requirement encouraged for second semester first-year students majoring in EXSS

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 3: The Crossroads of Popular Culture and IdentityThis learning community will explore America’s portrayal of diverse ethnic, racial, religious and gender identities in popular culture. Exploring the intersections between film, novels, television series, and the media, this learning community offers an academic exploration of the ways in which popular culture construct both collective and individual identity stories. Acknowledging how deeply rooted popular culture is in our daily lives, we will examine how our lived experiences are impacted by the stories we tell.

QEN 102 007

008, 009

QLC 120

The American StorytellerPart of the First-year Writing Program, this course is designed to follow QEN 101. In a now-famous TED Talk, novelist Chimamanda Adichie explains the “danger of single story.” When we flatten an identity group to a singular stereotype, we don’t allow for beautiful complexity and nuance to inform our understanding of humanity. This course will examine the power of storytelling and identity – who gets to tell the stories, which stories are told, and what happens when we are robbed of the ability to tell our own stories.Co-requisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community

America and Its OthersThis course will explore the way films, novels and other aspects of popular culture serve to construct an imaginary “Other” in the American public consciousness. More specifically, this course will focus on the otherizing of Muslims through the lens of Islamophobia and will explore its intersections with racism, sexism, and xenophobia. From Disney’s Aladdin (1992) to award-winning American Sniper (2014), students in this course will assess the ways in which films, novels, and media shape public conceptions of Muslims, exploring characteristic themes, such as misogyny, patriarchy, violence, force and coercion. How do these constructions impact the lived experiences of Muslim Americans? Co-requisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Shawn Bowers

Knudson, Laura

Mubarak Hadia

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times, & modalities for each course

Rhetoric & CompostionPart of the First-year Writing Program, this course is designed to follow QEN 101.Co-requisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community

QLC 150 Kevin Calcamp

Generation Z: Memory, Ethnography, and IdentityTn a pivotal scene in Disney’s The Lion King, Rafiki tells Simba, “You don’t even know who you are”. What you remember and how you remember it are personal and complicated. Your very identity is formed through your cultural memory. In this course, the focus of study will be you. What has happened in your past that created your present self? Did art, or sports, or movies and television have a major influence on your identity? What do you remember about your life, and how do those memories create your unique perspective? Together, we will explore cognition and memory, reflect on how American popular culture has shaped our identities, and how we can bring meaning and purpose to our lives and share these memories as storytellers (writers and performers). By understanding your individual identities, you can better understand your generation and how popular culture unites us through commonalities.

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 4: What’s your lens? How do you see difference? Diversity is a given--how we see it, understand it, and respond to it is influenced by the lens through which we view it. In this learning community we will explore the themes of identity, diversity and inclusion from a constellation of perspectives: social perspective, biology, language, religion, the Hebrew Bible, and other literature. QEN 102 010 & 011

012

QLC 120

QLC 130

QLC 140

Rhetoric and Argument: Our Diverse Identities This course is designed to follow QEN 101. Who are you? Where are you from? What makes you, you? Are there multiple 'yous'? In this class, you will explore questions of identity and diversity through a cultural lens. For instance, how do you create your identity? How is identity created for you? How is your identity defined/reflected by family, friends, the larger culture? How do you understand identity? You will read, research, and write about questions of identity in our multicultural world. You will consider the role of language and storytelling in the formation of identity as you consider both your own identity as well as others. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

The Bible: Who's In and Who's Out What does the Bible say about identity and diversity, inclusion and exclusion, power and privilege, rights and responsibilities, exile and home? How are modern issues of diversity such as gender, socioeconomic, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability and age addressed in ancient texts and how do Biblical teachings impact society today? While people from many walks of life make claims to what this Bible says, the Bible is not univocal. This course will explore the diverse voices in which the Hebrew Bible speaks: theological voices, womens’ voices, prophetic voices, and voices of social justice. Students will identify modern voices that speak to them on these issues and find their own voices to use in addressing issues of diversity and identity that impact society today. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.All Kinds of Kinds In this course we will explore our diversity as it relates to ability. Living in a diverse society includes living with people who are differently abled. Differences can be due to physical or intellectual disability, learning differences, or mental health issues. How do our abilities and disabilities define us? What does it mean to live with a disability? How do we react to those who are differently abled? What is society’s response and responsibility? What do our laws say about this? What is our personal response to this aspect of diversity in our lives and how does it affect our identity? Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

The Biology of You From conception and throughout your life, how does biology define you? In this course, we will study personal identity and diversity from a biological perspective. We will explore the role that genetics and the microbiome play in shaping individuality. How is it that genetically identical twins develop into distinctly different individuals? How can the bacteria in your gut affect the decisions you make and the diseases you develop? We will also examine how your environment can affect your DNA and microbiome and thus define your identity. The course will include a laboratory component with an emphasis on the scientific method. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Tracy Perez

Charles Israel

Judy Schindler

Yu-Ling Chen

Joanne Walsh

Refer toMyAccount for the updated

meeting days, times, &

modalities for each course

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 5: Sustainability How do people connect with the environment and what does this connection (or lack of connection) mean for the future? In this learning community, we will address multiple perspectives on the interaction between people and the environment.

QEN 102 014, 015

QLC 130

QLC 140

Sustainability and Responsibility Part of the First-year Writing Program, this course is designed to follow QEN 101. Environmentalist, Aldo Leopold argued for a “land ethic” that considered the land as a member of the community, and not just the place where community happens. But how does that work when the land has no voice? Do we as citizens of the land have an ethical responsibility to the land? Where do we draw the lines? In this course, we will study the implications of what it means to engage in a land ethic by reading important texts, viewing and listening to podcasts, TED Talks, and documentaries. Finally, we’ll consider our own local community, the place we call home, in an effort to understand what a land ethic looks like in action. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

A Greener World: Politics, policy, and the environment This course examines how politics and policy decisions impact sustainability. The course will analyze green political movements, the effect of electoral decisions on environmental policy and how environmental policy decisions are made. The focus of the course will be on how the rights and responsibilities of citizenship relate to sustainability issues. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

The Science of Sustainability In this course, students will explore how humans affect and are affected by the environment. The emphasis will be on our current knowledge of sustainability and how the scientific method is used to improve our understanding of human impact on the planet. Corequisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Heidi Giffin

Mark Kelso

Scott Weir

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meeting days, times, &

modalities for each course

016Staff, Staff

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 7: Culture and Health Culture affects health in a variety of ways, from how we define sickness and health to who gets sick and who has access to treatment. Of particular influence on health outcomes are our health beliefs, which are influenced by cultural norms, cognitive biases, and the sources of information we access. Inaccurate health beliefs shaped by myths and misinformation may encourage unhealthy behaviors, discourage healthy behaviors, and even shape the health care system itself and impact the quality of care an individual receives. In this LC, we will investigate the effects of culture on health through cross-cultural comparisons as well as in-depth examinations of our own health beliefs and behaviors and their effects on our well-being, with a focus on improving health information literacy for ourselves and our communities.

QEN 102 020, 021

QLC 120

QLC 130

Culture, Rhetoric, and Global Health Part of the First-year Writing Program, this course is designed to follow QEN 101. This class will look at the impacts of our rhetoric and cultural beliefs on health outcomes for people in the U.S. and around the world. This includes how media representations of health crises and the propagation of health myths affect public policy and health-seeking behaviors, how both cultural norms and institutional inequalities surrounding gender, race, class, and sexuality create unequal health outcomes, and how cultures differ in their beliefs about health. We will explore these issues through research and written argumentation. Corequisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

Introductory Logic

Fulfills the logic requirement of the major in Philosophy and Religion. Co-requisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Mind, Body, and Culture As far back as ancient Greece, physicians and philosophers have contemplated the connection between the mind and the body. Today, psychologists are examining the ways that our mind impacts our physical health. In this class we will learn about how psychologists research and learn about the links between our mind and body. We will also explore how individuals acquire information about their own health and how misinformation and cognitive biases may influence health behaviors. Finally, we will examine the impact of our psychological well-being on our health and explore the following questions: What is our physiological response to stress? How does the stress response impact our immune system? Can prolonged stress intensify or cause disease? What are methods that may help control the stress response, and can these methods improve wellness? In this course, you will have the opportunity to explore how your own culture, personality, habits, and lifestyle may be affecting your health, and how adopting new habits may improve your health. Co-requisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Tracy Stephens

Eric Mullis

Bianca Sumutka

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meeting days, times, &

modalities for each course

022

Staff, Staff

100 Level Learning Communities for First-year Students

LC 8: What is the role of culture?

QEN 102 023

024, 025

QLC 120

QLC 150

Chimes of Freedom: Music & Social ChangePart of the First-year Writing Program, this course is designed to follow QEN 101. Popular music is the soundtrack of our times and of our lives. We each have our own special songs or albums that help us celebrate good times and that sustain us in tough times. Beginning around the mid-1950s though (and arguably much earlier than that), popular music changed radically. At first, it just seemed like entertainment, junk that was manufactured to sell records to teen-agers. But somewhere around the time Bob Dylan plugged in an electric guitar in the mid-1960s, pop music began to be recognized as an art and as a political and cultural force. We’ll talk about how that happened and what it means to us today. How does popular music reflect social change, and how does it sometimes foster those changes. Co-requisite of QLC 1** from the same learning community.

Stand-up Comedy and Culture

Kobre, Michael

Silvoy, Steven

Giffin, Heidi

Calcamp, Kevin

Comedy is a powerful force that addresses issues in culture, examines society, and makes us better people. In this course, we will examine the role of culture in our society and how stand-up comedians address, engage, and subvert this culture in their performance. How are our values, beliefs, traditions, and expressions expressed in stand-up comedy? What values, beliefs, traditions, and expressions are universal, steeped in American culture, rooted deep in our heritage, or localized to our own geographic regions? We’ll examine what makes for successful comedy, study comedians and how they perform their material, and create our own stand-up comedy that explores our views and understanding of culture. Engaging in group collaboration, inventive ways of thinking, and learning ways to use writing and performance as tools for expression, we’ll critically examine how culture shapes our individual identity and how we contribute to that culture.Co-requisite of QEN 102 from the same learning community.

Culture and Rhetoric: How does the Immigrant story get told?“Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” How do individuals’ choices affect the community and culture around them? In our current individualistic society, it is easy to see the world as a limited narrative. Culture is expressed in many ways, but writing is one of the most intimate and powerful ways to share one’s story. Therefore, we will explore immigrant culture through various genres, including memoirs, poetry, news, short stories, music, and yes, even Broadway.

This General Education Learning Community focuses on the concept of “culture”: the systems of values, beliefs, traditions, and expressions that we absorb and create in both conscious and unconscious ways and that affects the ways we see ourselves and others. We’ll consider how culture shapes an individual’s place in the world. We’ll examine these questions though the study of popular music, creative nonfiction, and theatre.

Refer toMyAccount for the updated

meeting days, times, &

modalities for each course