By Lydia Miller, Contributing Writer
Instead of random room assignments, there are a few halls of Marsh that aren’t so random. When the class of 2019 registered for their courses this year, they had the option of joining something fairly new on Wofford’s campus: Living-Learning Communities (or, LLCs).
The LLCs are a freshman core class (two are humanities, two are upper level courses) and FYI (First Year Information) classes combined in content and students. All the students who are in an LLC class live on the same hall and spend more time together than most traditional classes do. This fall, four LLCs were offered to freshmen: Art and Life, Philosophy in Action, Civic Learning and Introduction to Documentary Filmmaking. Each of the classes corresponds with an FYI course, but in the case of Art and Life and Civic Learning, they do not correspond with a humanities, but with upper level courses (Studio Art and Spanish 303, respectively).
“Studio art is about exploring the different ways of using different media in art and learning how to trust yourself as an artist,” says Sheridan Kate Murray, a freshman member of the Art and Life LLC.
Because the LLC core classes are connected to the FYI classes, professors are able to spend more time focusing on the students in that specific course and teaching them the way they learn best.
“Our FYI is similar to the other FYI classes, but ours is created more to understand yourself as an artist,” Murray says.
Having all the students in the course live on the same floor of Marsh has provided more opportunities for the LLC, especially by integrating the community aspect of the title.
“We take the classroom experience a step further by spending a lot of time together out of the classroom,” Murray says. “Our LLC was given access to the old RD room, and we have committees that are planning different social events for the LLC.”
This is not the first time Wofford has had an LLC. Last year, first-floor Carlisle was dedicated to the freshman class’s Theatre of Justice LLC. After the success of that LLC, Wofford decided to expand the program to offer even more freshmen this opportunity.
“It’s helped [my transition to Wofford] a lot, because the class is so much smaller and you get to spend a lot of time with people who have similar interests,” Murray says. “It’s allowed me to jump into a class that would normally be a big commitment as well as take part in larger opportunities in the community.”