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Learning Community Courses

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There are more than 50 sections in 13 popular courses associated with a Learning Community. With help from your advisor, select the course that fits most closely with your interests and academic pursuits then enroll in the Learning Community (LAS 100) connected to that course. All of the courses fulfill a General Education requirement toward your major.

Course Descriptions

CHEM 101 Introductory Chemistry
An introduction to the basic concepts and language of chemistry, with lectures, discussions, and lab. A preparatory chemistry course for students who require additional background before enrolling in CHEM 102. This course utilizes labs, group activities, and demonstrations to assist in understanding concepts and to promote critical thinking. This course has been approved for graduation credit for all students in the College of LAS. Students in other colleges should check with their college office. Prerequisite: 2.5 years of high school mathematics, or credit or concurrent registration in MATH 012.

CHEM 102 General Chemistry 1
For students who have some prior knowledge of chemistry. Principles governing atomic structure, bonding, states of matter, stoichiometry, and chemical equilibrium; descriptive chemistry of the elements and coordination compounds. Prerequisite: Credit in or exemption from MATH 012; one year of high school chemistry or equivalent. Placement into 102 by the Chemistry Placement Test recommended.

CLCV 115 Mythology of Greece and Rome
Studies the major myths of Greece and Rome and their impact upon later art, music, and literature. Shares two hours of lecture with CLCV 111; additional hour of lecture-discussion for a closer analysis of topics. Credit is not given for both CLCV 115 and CLCV 111.

ECON 102 Microeconomic Principles
Introduction to the functions of individual decisionmakers, both consumers and producers, within the larger economic system. Primary emphasis on the nature and functions of product markets, the theory of the firm under varying conditions of competition and monopoly, the study of resource markets, the distribution of income, and the role of government in prompting efficiency and equity in the economy. Students receiving credit for ACE 100 may not receive credit for ECON 102.

ENGL 103 Introduction to Fiction
This class is designed to introduce you to the study of literature and literary history at the university level. It will provide you with a basis for understanding the historical role and place of fictional narratives; give you an understanding of the idea of genre; establish ways to think about how political contexts, reading practices, and cultural norms contribute to the meaning of fictional works; and help you develop a rich, portable vocabulary to interpret and analyze narrative strategies. To develop our sense of how different kinds of fictional texts both reflect and influence the cultures in which they circulate, the first half of the course will examine the relationship between early-modern philosophies of "human nature" and popular travel narratives from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, while the second half will analyze how nineteenth- and twentieth-century writers often represent social conflicts through their characters' internal psychological struggles, thereby developing a new and complicated literary type: the "anti-hero." Course requirements include a midterm, a final exam, and two writing assignments. Credit is not given for both ENGL 103 and ENGL 109.

HIST 142 Western Civilization Since 1660
Fundamental developments--social, economic, cultural, intellectual, and political--in the history of mankind and Western society since 1660; includes the rise of modern science, the French and Industrial revolutions, the Romantic movement, the growth of nationalism and socialism, imperialism, urbanization, the Russian Revolution, Nazi Germany, the world wars, and the West and the underdeveloped world. Credit is not given for both HIST 142 and HIST 143.

IB 150 Organismal & Evolutionary Biology
Introduction to function, genetics, and evolution of organisms, and their ecology and diversity.

LAS 100 Learning Communities
Weekly meetings for first-year LAS students enrolled in the Learning Communities program to prepare them for academic and personal success at the University of Illinois through introduction to collaborative learning, institutional resources, study skills, and campus involvement. Prerequisite: Students must be enrolled in an LAS course associated with LAS Learning Communities.

MATH 115 Precalculus
This course covers analytic geometry, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometric functions of real numbers, trigonometric functions of angles, analytic trigonometry, and limits, and has a preview of calculus and a focus on modeling. Students may not receive credit for this course and MATH 016. Students may not receive credit for MATH 115 if MATH 115 is taken after receiving credit for MATH 220 or MATH 221. Prerequisite: MATH 012 and an adequate ALEKS score.

MATH 220 Calculus and Analytic Geometry I
An introductory course in calculus and analytic geometry, including basic techniques of differentiation and integration, with applications including curve sketching, antidifferentation, the Riemann integral, fundamental theorem, exponential and circular functions. Credit is not given for MATH 220 and either MATH 221 or MATH 234. Prerequisite: MATH 016 or MATH 115; and an adequate ALEKS placement.

MATH 231 Calculus II
Second course in calculus and analytic geometry: techniques of integration, conic sections, polar coordinates, and infinite series. Credit is not given for both MATH 231 and MATH 230. Prerequisite: MATH 220 or MATH 221.

MCB 150 Molecular & Cellular Basis of Life
An introductory course focusing on the basic structure, metabolic, and molecular processes (including membranes, energy metabolism, genes) common to all cells. Emphasis on unique properties that differentiate the major sub-groups of organisms (archaea, bacteria, plants, and animals), and will discuss how cells are integrated into tissues and organs in multicellular organisms.

PS 101 Introduction to US Government & Politics
This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the study of American government and politics. We will discuss the institutions that comprise the U.S. system, the nature of individual participation in the political process, and the interactions between individuals, institutions, and other actors and organizations (e.g., the media, political parties, and interest groups). Our approach to these topics will be theoretical and analytical. As such, we will go beyond simply describing the characteristics of the American political system to investigate why it is organized as it is and how it has changed over time, how individuals develop their political attitudes and patterns of behavior, and how the actions of elites and the mass public come together to shape public policy outputs. By the end of the course, students should have a solid understanding of the workings of the U.S. government, an increased capacity to critically analyze politics, and an appreciation of the social scientific approach to the study of politics.

PSYC 100 Introduction to Psychology
A study of human behavior with special reference to perception, learning, memory, thinking, emotional life, and individual differences in intelligence, aptitude, and personality; emphasis on the scientific nature of psychological investigations; and discussion of research methods and the relation of their results to daily life and everyday problems. Requirements include attendance at lectures, discussions, and six hours of participation as a subject in psychological experiments. Psychology 100 is an introductory survey course. A multimedia approach is used in the course, including the use of video clips, computer exercises, reading assignments, group discussions, and special projects. Credit is not given for both PSYC 100 and PSYC 103.

SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
Examination of how societies grow and change; reciprocal effects of economic, political, community, familial, and scientific institutions on each other and on individual life changes; and social conflict, problems of bureaucratic growth and planned and unplanned social change.