Credit Course Descriptions (Spring 2012)

LCOM 098

Accelerated Math: Fundamentals/Elementary Algebra (6 CR)

This 16-week course is an integration of the content of both Fundamentals of Mathematics and Elementary Algebra and graded as if taken as two separate courses. You will earn 3 credit hours in Fundamentals of Mathematics and 3 credit hours in Elementary Algebra that will transfer as if they were being taught in the traditional format. Students will receive credit on their transcript for MATH 111 and MATH 115. Note: MATH 115 may fulfill some certificate requirements, but will not fulfill degree requirements.

Associated Costs: These are additional (out-of-pocket) expense considerations that students should expect in addition to the course tuition, fees, and textbooks. $0 to 100.

LCOM 099

Accelerated Math: Elementary Algebra/Intermediate Algebra (6 CR)

This 16-week course is an integration of the content of both Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra and graded as if taken as two separate courses. You will earn 3 credit hours in Elementary Algebra and 3 credit hours in Intermediate Algebra that will transfer as if they were being taught in the traditional format. Students will receive credit on their transcript for MATH 115 and MATH 116. MATH 115 may fulfill some certificate requirements, but will not fulfill degree requirements.

Associated Costs: These are additional (out-of-pocket) expense considerations that students should expect in addition to the course tuition, fees, and textbooks. $0 to 100.

LCOM 120

Business Math/Learning Strategies for Math (4 CR)

Students earn 4-credit hours (3 credit hours for MATH 120 Business Math and 1 credit hour for LS 174 Learning Strategies for Math). This 4-credit hour course facilitates mathematics learning by integrating thinking skills, study skills and mathematical content. The student will acquire life-long learning skills along with fundamental math procedures and concepts. Students in this learning community class will learn problem solving, test taking and cognitive skills. They will apply these skills to their math textbook, homework assignments, class discussions and lectures. This course will also address emotions and attitudes which may block math learning, and will offer strategies and techniques designed to overcome these feelings. Active learning will be encouraged through activities such as pair and share, journal writing, group discussions, self-assessments and collaborative learning. 4 hr. lecture/wk.

LCOM 126

Composition II and U.S. History to 1877 (6 CR)

Students earn 6 transferable credit hours in general education requirements (3 for ENGL 122, Composition II, and 3 for HIST 140, U.S. History to 1877). The philosophy behind joining these two courses together is to encourage students to think critically and write effectively with American history providing unifying themes. Writing instruction works best when students can focus sustained attention on one particular discipline. Writing in college and the workplace demands the ability to synthesize often conflicting information gathered from various sources. The discipline of American history provides ample opportunities for students to develop skills in composing various types of prose.

LCOM 127

Composition II and US History Since 1877 (6 CR)

Students earn 6 transferable credit hours in general education requirements (3 for ENGL 122, Composition II, and 3 for HIST 141, U.S. History Since 1877). The philosophy behind joining these two courses together is to encourage students to think critically and write effectively with American history providing unifying themes. Writing instruction works best when students can focus sustained attention on one particular discipline. Writing in college and the workplace demands the ability to synthesize often conflicting information gathered from various sources. The discipline of American history provides ample opportunities for students to develop skills in composing various types of prose.

LCOM 128

Art History: Renaissance to Modern/Furniture and Ornamentation: Renaissance to Modern (6 CR)

Students earn 6 credit hours (3 for ARTH 182, Art History: Renaissance/Modern, and 3 for ITMD 231, History of Furniture & Ornamentation/Renaissance-20th Century). NOTE: This learning community will meet on campus on Tuesdays and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on Thursdays. In a traditional curriculum the history of the visual arts and architecture and the history of furniture and ornamentation are taught separately. In this learning community the two courses will be thoroughly integrated, thus providing students with a more accurate and meaningful way to learn. The class will meet once a week on the JCCC campus and once a week at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, MO. Students, therefore will have the unique opportunity to study paintings, sculpture, furniture and the decorative arts from the Renaissance to the present using historically significant objects and art works. The class will involve such activities as oral presentations about art works in the museum and researching and writing about furniture and ornamentation. Students should have reliable transportation for the weekly drive to the Nelson-Atkins and should NOT enroll in an 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. class.

LCOM 132

Composition II/Literature of Science Fiction (6 CR)

Students earn 6 credit hours (3 for ENGL 122, Composition II, and 3 for ENGL 243, Literature of Science Fiction). Students in this learning community will integrate their work in Composition II with their work in Literature of Science Fiction. Science fiction literature will be read and evaluated and will act as the subject matter for the writing inherent in the Composition II course objectives: we'll read and summarize science fiction stories and criticism; we'll critique and synthesize definitions of science fiction, its development, and its key concepts; and we'll explore the translation of text to screen.

LCOM 135

Social Issues:Appomattox-9/11 (6 CR)

Students earn 6 transferable credit hours in general education requirements (3 for SOC 122, Introduction to Sociology, and 3 for HIST 141, U.S. History Since 1877). Come explore American society in a learning community combining U.S. History since 1865 with Introduction to Sociology. Examine historical events with sociological eyes and understand how we created this society in which we live. We'll cover everything from A to Z: Appomattox to Z-Boys, Economics to Ecology, Family to Feminism, Media to the Moral Majority, Religions to Race, Social Class to Sexuality, Technology to Terrorism and Wealth to World War II.

LCOM 140

Selling Interior Products (6 CR)

Students earn 6 credit hours (3 for ITMD 132, Interior Products, and 3 for MKT 134, Professional Selling). In this learning community, students will learn in-depth product knowledge inclusive of specific features and benefits for numerous interior products. Additionally, students will learn how to utilize professional selling skills to sell interior products. Students will practice through role playing the steps of professional selling to illustrate the application of skill techniques in each step. 6 hrs. lecture/wk.

LCOM 142

Digital Literacies (6 CR)

Students earn 6 credit hours (3 credit hours for ENGL 121, Composition I, 1 credit hour for CWEB 105, Intro to Web Pages: Dreamweaver; 1 credit hour for CWEB 115, Intermediate Web Pages: Dreamweaver and 1 credit hour for CWEB 130, Intro to Flash) (The CWEB courses would be taken in sequence throughout the semester.) This course combines the basic thinking skills and core competencies needed to thrive in the modern interactive environment. Students will enroll in ENGL 121 and CWEB 105, 115 and 130. Students will learn to transform "technobabble" into a language they can speak and understand. The course unlocks the power and potential of the Internet through a four-step inquiry process of awareness, analysis, reflection and action. This course helps students acquire an empowering set of "navigational" skills which include the ability to: 1) access information from a variety of sources; 2) analyze and explore how messages are "constructed" whether print, verbal, visual or multi-media; 3) evaluate media's explicit and implicit messages against one's own ethical, moral and/or democratic principles and 4) express or create their own messages using a variety of media tools.

LCOM 145

The Origins of Human Nature (6 CR)

Students earn 6 credit hours (3 for SOC 122 Intro to Sociology and 3 for PSYC 130 Intro to Psychology). Is it nature? Is it nurture? Are we who we are because of our genes or our environment, or both? Experience this Learning Community to learn what sociology and psychology have to say about human nature.

LCOM 147

Foundations of Modern Thought (6 CR)

Students can earn 6 transferable credit hours in general education requirements (3 for HIST 126, Western Civilization: Readings and Discussions, and 3 for SOC 122, Intro to Sociology). Modern social issues and structures have their origins in classic thought and writings. This learning community connects the heritage of Western thought to our contemporary lives. Search for the connections to democratic thought, social inequalities, the creation and dissolution of community, and other foundational ideas of modern society.

LCOM 149

Interpersonal Communication Navigation (4 CR)

Students earn 4 transferable credit hours in general education requirements (3 for SPD 120, Interpersonal Communication, and 1 for HPER 102, Navigation 102). This 4-credit hour course combines principles of effective communication with helping students experience a successful transition to college life. Students will learn practical life management skills and how to enhance their academic skills, while navigating through the fundamental elements of the communication process. Students in this learning community class will learn principles of communication theory, terminology of human communication, and will apply communication skills in everyday life. Students will have an opportunity to learn about self, one's self-concept, and how we relate to our world through healthy interpersonal relationships. Students will participate in self-awareness and career exploration activities that involve campus and community resources. Through decision-making activities, conflict management role playing perception awareness drills, and mastering one's listening skills, students will view and appreciate communication in a new and improved way. Emphasis will be on interactive and participatory activities, that include journal writing, small and large group discussion, quizzes and self-assessment.

LCOM 151

American and Global Terrorism (6 CR)

Students earn 6-credit hours (3 credit hours for POLS 124 American National Government and 3 for ADMJ 224 Introduction to Terrorism). This course gives an overall view of terrorism and the impact on the American political system. This is a Coordinated Studies Learning Community that includes three full hours of on-campus instruction plus online work. The American government course is a JCCC online offering of many years.

LCOM 153

Russian Literature and Russian Culture (6 CR)

Students earn 6-credit hours (3 credit hours for ENGL 130, Introduction to Literature and 3 credit hours for HUM 137, Introduction to Russian Culture). This course is an interdisciplinary survey of Russian culture and literature from the ninth century to the present day. Students examine representative examples of Russian fiction, poetry, drama, art, architecture, music, and dance within their cultural, historical and political context. Russian poetry, drama, and fiction do not stand in isolation from the culture that produced them and are most fruitfully studied and understood within that context.

LCOM 155

Elem Algebra/Learn Strat Math (4 CR)

Students earn 4-credit hours (3 credit hours for MATH 115, Intro to Algebra and 1 credit hour for LS 174, Learning Strategies for MATH). This course facilitates mathematics learning by integrating thinking skills, study skills and mathematical content. The student will acquire life-long learning skills along with the basic skills of algebra. Students in this learning community class will learn problem solving, test taking and cognitive skills. They will apply these skills to their math textbook, homework assignments, class discussions and lectures. This course will also address emotions and attitudes which may block math learning and will offer strategies and techniques designed to overcome these feelings. MATH 115 may fulfill some certificate requirements, but will not fulfill degree requirements.

LCOM 157

Fund Math/Learn Strateg Math (4 CR)

Students earn 4-credit hours (3 credit hours for MATH 111 Fundamentals of Math and 1 credit hour for LS 174 Learning Strategies for Math). This course facilitates mathematics learning by integrating thinking skills, study skills and mathematical content. The student will acquire life-long learning skills along with fundamental math procedures and concepts. Students in this learning community class will learn problem solving, test taking and cognitive skills. They will apply these skills to their math textbook, homework assignments, class discussions and lectures. This course will also address emotions and attitudes which may block math learning and will offer strategies and techniques designed to overcome these feelings. Active learning will be encouraged through activities such as pair and share, journal writing, group discussions, self-assessments and collaborative learning.

LCOM 159

Intimate Relationships (6 CR)

Students earn 6-credit hours (3-credit hours for PSYC 130, Introduction to Psychology and 3-credit hours for SOC 131, Marriage and the Family). Does media imitate life or does life imitate media? Experience this learning community that combines Psychology and Marriage and the Family. Explore intimate relationships by applying sociological and psychological principles to episodes of classic shows such as "The Brady Bunch," and "Leave it to Beaver," as well as "Sex and the City," "Big Love," "Brokeback Mountain," and other popular shows. Find the keys to understanding the intimacies of contemporary relationships in this spicy course.

LCOM 161

Where Do You Live? (6 CR)

Students earn 6-credit hours (3 for ENGL 122, Composition II and 3 for BIOL 130, Environmental Science). Most Americans are only dimly aware of their immediate environment, and they know even less about how that place fits into, impacts, and is impacted by the global environment. Through reading, writing, and discussion, this course will raise students' awareness of where they are and help them become more conscious of their own place in and responsibility to the earth's ecology. This is a Coordinated Studies Learning Community that includes six full hours of on-campus instruction.

LCOM 163

Russia: Empire of East & West (5 CR)

Students earn 5-credit hours (2 for FL 246, Conversational Russian and 3 for HIST 160, Modern Russian History). This interdisciplinary Russian Conversation and Russian History course allows students to build their conversation skills with the vocabulary and grammar appropriate to describe and discuss the events, personalities and forces that shaped Russia as an Eurasian empire. The course requires 2-credit-hours weekly time and 3-credit-hours of online work.

LCOM 165

American Histories/Family Hist (6 CR)

Students can earn 6-credit hours (3-credit hours for ENGL 121, Composition I and 3-credit hours for HIST 141, U.S. Since 1877). U.S. History comes alive and makes more sense to people when they can see the big and little events in light of their own family's stories and memories. Not only will students study the expected topics (World War II, Viet Nam, the Great Depression), they will also explore the history of private life: what people ate, wore, worked and played at in any given era. At the same time, students will work on writing their own family's history. Instead of approaching Composition I as a series of unrelated essays, students will learn to write by focusing on how class readings and discussions related directly to their own and their family's lives. Through narrative, analysis, and research, they will create a document that their family can rely on and refer to over the course of generations to come.

LCOM 167

Society: From Cells to People (6 CR)

Students earn 6 credit hours (3 for SOC 122 Intro to Sociology and 3 for BIOL 122 Principles of Biology) What is the difference between the society in the ant hill in your backyard and the society of a human megalopolis? Do bacteria have a society? Enroll in this Learning Community to study the parallels between biological and sociological structures. Learn how the processes of life evolve, function, change, and interact in the biological and social worlds. Examine the diversity within the unity of life.

LCOM 169

Intermediate Algebra/Learning Strategies for Math (4 CR)

This course is a combination of Intermediate Algebra (MATH 116 - 3 credit hours) and Learning Strategies for Mathematics (LS 174 - 1 credit hour). This course should be strongly considered for any student who has taken Intermediate Algebra repeated times without success. The student will acquire life-long learning skills along with fundamental math procedures and concepts. Students in this learning community class will learn problem solving, test taking and cognitive skills. They will apply these skills to their math textbook, homework assignments, class discussions and lectures. This course will also address emotions and attitudes which may block math learning and will offer strategies and techniques designed to overcome these feelings. Active learning will be encouraged through activities such as pair and share, journal writing, group discussions, self-assessments and collaborative learning. The course meets for approximately one hour more per week than a regular course.

LCOM 170

Writing Strategies/Fundamentals of Reading (6 CR)

This 16-week course is an integration of the content of both ENGL 102 Writing Strategies and RDG 125 Fundamentals of Reading as if taken as two separate courses. You will earn 3 credit hours in the Writing Strategies and 3 credit hours in Fundamentals of Reading as if they were being taught in the traditional format.

LCOM 172

Interactions, Reactions: Exploring Sociology Through Fiction and Writing (6 CR)

This course is an integration of the content of both ENGL 121 Composition I (3 credit hours) and SOC 122 Introduction to Sociology (3 credit hours). This course offers students an opportunity to explore sociology while at the same time allowing them to apply what they learn to their own interactions with others via writing. This Learning Community introduces sociology's most important concepts, themes and methodologies by focusing on select short stories that illustrate all three. Fiction brings sociology to life. Plots concern human interactions and reactions: to and among families, loved ones, neighbors, political leaders, communities, and authorities. Writing itself is likewise grounded in sociology. After all, the primary purpose of writing is to communicate with others. By writing, you will be practicing the art of communication in the broader academic community.

LCOM 174

Elementary Debate/Reading Skills Improvement (6 CR)

This 16-week course is an integration of the content of both SPD 130 Elementary Debate and RDG 126 Reading Skills Improvement as if taken as two separate courses. You will earn 3 credit hours in Elementary Debate and 3 credit hours in Readking Skills Improvement as if they were begin taught in the traditional Format.

Associated Costs: These are additional (out-of-pocket) expense considerations that students should expect in addition to the course tuition, fees, and textbooks. $2 to 5.