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“Knowledge is something I collect,” says Kyle Glover. “Really that’s what interests me, is everything. I want to study everything. That’s why I’m drawn to Carl Jung — he was the last man, they say, to know everything.”
For a student of such ambitions, Wagner’s learning communities are just about ideal. This past semester, Glover took his intermediate learning community (or ILC). Titled “The Outsiders,” this ILC linked a course on 20th-century women philosophers and a world literature course.
What is the ILC?
The Intermediate Learning Community (ILC) may be taken anytime between the first year and senior learning communities. The ILC may also be used to fulfill core requirements of the undergraduate curriculum. This learning community addresses interdisciplinary topics, allowing students to see the social and intellectual links between diverse perspectives. The intellectual and cultural environment created by learning together for a semester encourages active participation in the learning process. The goals are to expose students to, and involve them in, an interdisciplinary experience of “learning by doing” through sophisticated writing, challenging research and an integrated final project that facilitates critical thinking. The ILC concludes with a written or an oral presentation.
Most students will find it beneficial to take the Intermediate Learning Community early in their college career to fulfill two of the core requirements. Other students will be advised to take an Intermediate Learning Community required by their major. In all cases, students should plan ahead with their advisor to assure that this requirement is fulfilled in a timely manner.
- Dr. John Esser
- Intermediate Learning Community Coordinator, Professor