Learning Communities and Integrated Studies
Upcoming Course Schedule 2026-2027
Learning Communities (LC’s) meet the Integrated Studies (IS) tag requirement by using integrative learning practices to encourage creative and critical thinking, while allowing students and faculty to explore issues and concerns of a major theme from a variety of academic disciplines.
First Year Learning Communities (FYLC’s) are a subset of LC’s tasked with a specific goal to provide a transformative educational experience by bringing together beginning students from diverse backgrounds and providing a specific set of tools for their academic journey.
FYLC’s are Hybrid courses, with in-person sessions on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:15-12:50 in either room 4151 or room 3211.
Fall 2026
LC 100 (071008)
The Stories We Keep: Thinking and Writing in Historical Narratives
What is history if not a collection of stories? In LC 100, students are invited to explore how history is constructed, interpreted, and communicated through writing. With a focus on immigration, race, and culture in the United States, The Stories We Keep asks students to explore methods of storytelling, including various modes of creative expression, formal writing, the oral tradition, and the writing of narratives to better understand how these methods of historicizing inform our collective knowledge.
As a combined course, it introduces students to essential academic writing practices while examining the power of narrative in shaping our understanding of the past. By the end of the course, students will not only strengthen their writing and critical thinking skills but also gain a deeper awareness of their own position in relation to history and how they, too, participate in creating and interpreting historical narratives. Who are we if not a collection of the stories of our lives?
Instructors:
Jordan Charlton, jordan.charlton@seattlecolleges.edu
Michelle Morado, michelle.morado@seattlecolleges.edu
Meet the requirement for Integrated Studies + Earn course credit for:
ENGL& 101 Composition I (Basic Requirement)
AME 150/HIST 150 Race and Culture: An American History (ICS)
LC 125 (071009)
The Art and Science of Losing: Finding Yourself through the Literature and Psychology of Loss
Have you ever been lost, in reality or metaphorically? Have you experienced a great loss? Have you ever wondered how people recover from their deepest losses?
In this class, through integrating psychology and literature, we’ll seek to find a better understanding of the painful experience of loss. By understanding loss, we will discover our individual and collective purpose, resilience, and strength. We’ll explore the psychological concepts and research findings around loss, grief, and confusion, and we will analyze the language and rhetoric that shape our understanding of these concepts. Join us in this 10-credit learning community and together we will navigate the literature and psychology of loss until we find our way.
Instructors:
Johnny Horton, johnny.horton@seattlecolleges.edu
Krystle Balhan, krystle.balhan@seattlecolleges.edu
Meet the requirement for Integrated Studies + Earn course credit for:
ENGL& 101 Composition I (Basic Requirement)
PSYC& 100 Introduction to Psychology (ICS)
Winter 2027
LC 200 (071015) - AANAPISI
Rice, Race and Resistance: Understanding Asian and Pacific Islander Communities and Issues
“Rice is life”. For most Asian cultures, this statement is true in more ways than just about food. It is about the nourishment of our racial/ethnic identity and feeding our strengths as a community.
In this supportive learning community, we will focus on examining one's racial identity and strengths in the global context of A&PI communities historically and today. We will also analyze how language and rhetoric shape our understanding of AAPI issues and learn how to center marginalized voices in larger discussions of global issues. A&PI resilience and efforts for social justice will be explored. Students will experience community advocacy and foster connections with local A&PI community organizations through optional service learning.
Instructors:
Takami Nieda, takami.nieda@seattlecolleges.edu
Tracy Lai, tracy.lai@seattlecolleges.edu
Meet the requirement for Integrated Studies + Earn course credit for:
ENGL& 102 Composition II (Basic Requirement)
AME111 Introduction to Asian American and Pacific Islander Issues and Communities (ICS, GS) (ESJ)
LC 225 (071016)
Separating the Real from the Reels: How to Fight Misinformation, Build Trust and Create Community
Today’s information environment is awash in rumors, lies, half-truths and disinformation. This interdisciplinary class explores how and why misinformation spreads and how we can fight back by building community trust. Through collaborative writing and research, we will unearth misinformation that affects us and take action together to support our communities. Topics will include information capitalism, social media, and the embodied experience of information overload.
Instructors:
Erin Steinke, erin.steinke@seattlecolleges.edu
Althea Lazzaro, althea.lazzaro@seattlecolleges
Meet the requirement for Integrated Studies + Earn course credit for:
ENGL& 102 Composition II (Basic Requirement)
SSC 187 Information and Social Justice (ICS | ESJ)
Spring 2027
LC 250 (071018) - Equity and Social Justice Emphasis
From “Me” to “We”: Understanding Poverty, Power, and Possibility
Why do some people seem to have opportunities everywhere they turn, while others run into barriers at every step? Is poverty simply about personal choices, or are larger systems shaping people’s chances in life? How do things like wages, rent, or the cost of groceries affect not just individuals, but entire communities?
In this 10 credit First Year Learning Community, we’ll explore these questions by integrating sociology and economics together. This allows us to look at how resources are distributed, how markets and incentives shape decisions, and how systems like education, housing, and work influence people’s opportunities. A big part of this learning community is curiosity. We will question common assumptions about poverty, success, and responsibility, and examine the dominant cultural narratives that often shape how we think about these issues. Rather than accepting simple explanations, we will ask deeper questions about how systems, policies, and social structures influence the opportunities people have. By the end of the course, the goal is not just to understand these issues more clearly, but to see how the story of “me” is always connected to the story of “we.”
Instructors:
Greg Hinckley, gregory.hinckley@seattlecolleges.edu
Asefeh Houshyari, asefeh.houshyari@seattlecolleges.edu
Meet the requirement for Integrated Studies + Earn course credit for:
SOC& 101 Survey of Sociology (ICS, US)
ECON& 201 Micro Economics (ICS)
LC 251 (071019) - Global Studies Emphasis
Everyone Eats: Language and the Global Politics of Food
Travel the world and explore migration, identities, and global influences on food cultures: cuisines, foodways, and tastes. We will examine critical food issues like nutritional justice, transnational influences upon local tastes, and sustainability. We will also investigate how language shapes our understanding of food politics, popular discourses that frame food issues, and the material impacts of language on food’s intersections with identity, health, and culture.
Instructors:
Takami Nieda, takami.nieda@seattlecolleges.edu
Christopher Chan, christopher.chan2@seattlecolleges.edu
Meet the requirement for Integrated Studies + Earn course credit for:
ISP 201 The Making of the 21st Century
ANTH 270 Food, Culture & Politics
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2026-2027 Schedule
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What
Learning Communities and Linked Courses explore issues and concerns of a complex topical theme by integrating multiple subject perspectives, leading students to actionable responses and solutions to contemporary problems. These models of teaching and learning are the basis of Integrated Studies at Seattle Central.
They accomplish this with interactive curriculum and critical pedagogy, including student-led seminars, field trips, group projects, performances, guest speakers, co-curricular activities, service learning - going beyond the traditional classroom activities.
Options
Enroll in a Learning Community or Linked Course and earn 8-15 credits that meet the required Integrated Studies special designation for the AA degree.
- Learning Communities (LCs): enroll in one class with fully integrated coursework from multiple subjects; all instructors are present for all sessions.
- First Year Learning Communities support new-to-college students with a strong academic and social foundation. They are 10-credit, hybrid classes that meet in person on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:15am - 12:50pm.
- Linked Courses: enroll in two courses with some integrated assignments & projects from both subjects; the two instructors teach separate sessions.
Students rave about the transformative educational experience and are eager to enroll in other LCs as they continue their college journey.
Why
- Explore issues and concerns of a topical theme with instructors from different subject areas.
- Develop creative and critical thinking skills, while making connections across academic disciplines.
- Enter and complete an educational journey that welcomes life experiences and encourages problem-based learning.
- Gain a sense of belonging at our college while building bonds with peers that will help achieve academic success.
- Meet the Integrated Studies special requirement for the AA transfer degree.
It was extremely different but I enjoyed it thoroughly. This has been such a unique experience, and I can't stress enough that it was for my first quarter of college. When looking back at when I wanted to take a gap year after graduating high school, I am so grateful that I changed my mind and was presented with this class.
I really like that there were constant connections being made between the four subjects and that helped me connect and understand the things I was learning.
Interdisciplinary... Many subjects connected which helped me to think outside of the box and simultaneously about intersecting ideas.
I felt grateful to experience concepts and perspectives that I hadn't before. I wanted to share them with my family and friends, because I wanted them to experience the joy of learning something new too. I wanted to change aspects of my life that I previously thought were given, so that I could make a greater impact on issues that I didn't see before. I wanted to meet more people that had perspectives and concepts that were different than mine, and look for classes that would continue to challenge my view of the world.
The subjects/instructors were cohesive, organized and well-integrated. The assignments were not confusing. I really enjoyed the learning model…
“sets the tone that we are all learning from each other, that there is not just one way to learn or frame knowledge. The kinds of questions we ask are different, and it is deeply beneficial to examine even how and why we pose the kinds of questions we do coming from the perspective of our disciplines, our subject positions, our personalities. I often feel like I am in a laboratory of ideas, a workshop of sorts when I am team-teaching. This practice of enquiry reinforces for our students that knowledge is not a fixed object but is dynamic and exciting.”
Phebe Jewell (Stories Beyond Bars; Say Their Names)
“learned a great deal on how to integrate material from multiple disciplines and to put them together in a meaningful way. It has inspired me to try to incorporate more authentic problems and problems that require an interdisciplinary approach in my other sections of courses.”
Danielle Mallare-Dani (Math in Motion I & II)