• Liberal Arts Learning Communities

    Learning Communities are groupings of two or more courses, often surrounding a common theme. There are two types of Learning Communities, Clusters (consisting of three or more classes) and Pairs (consisting of two classes).

    Learning Communities can help you:

    • Make connections among courses
    • Form a community with your classmates
    • Work closely with faculty
    • Be more successful in your courses
    • Be more likely to stay in school and graduate

    Learning Communities are strongly recommended for first-year Liberal Arts students.

    The clusters and pairs are listed below. To help you determine which themes and courses interest you most and which schedule works best for you, each includes a full description and schedule with CUNYFirst registration section codes.



  • Spring 2021 Learning Communities




    First Year Seminar (CMF090)
    Introduction to Communication Studies (HUC101)

    Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
    9:15 AM - 10:15 AM HUC101
    10:30 AM - 11:30 AM HUC101 HUC101
    11:45 AM - 12:45 PM CMF090 CMF090

    In this pair, students will:
    • Learn about the subfields of Communication Studies
    • Explore the opportunities offered by the Communication Studies program at LaGuardia
    • Meet people working in your field of study


    This pair:
    • Contains 4 equated credits - add at least 8 additional credits in session I and/or II to be full-time
    • Fulfills Program Core requirements
    • Contains these courses:
      • CMF090: CUNYfirst code 48610, Prof. Poppy Slocum
      • HUC101: CUNYfirst code 38068, Prof. Poppy Slocum


    Recommended for majors in:
    • Communication Studies


    Composition I (ENG101)
    General Psychology (SSY101)

    Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
    9:15 AM - 10:15 AM ENG101 ENG101
    10:30 AM - 11:30 AM ENG101 ENG101
    11:45 AM - 12:45 PM SSY101 SSY101
    1:00 PM - 2:00 PM SSY101

    In this pair, students will:
    • Examine various theories of mind, behavior, and identity through readings, discussions, and writing assignments
    • Explore how personal identity is shaped through perception, learning, memory, the environment, and communication
    • Consider how psychological practices and representations of mental health alter the ways in which people come to know themselves and their world
    • Develop research and critical thinking skills by collecting and analyzing data


    This pair:
    • Contains 6 credits – add at least 6 additional credits in session I and/or II to be full time
    • Fulfills your ENG101 requirement (Required Core)
    • SSY101 fulfils your Flexible Core requirement (“Individual and Society”) or a Program Core requirement for Liberal Arts or Psychology majors
    • Contains 2 of the 4 “key” courses for Nursing, OTA, PTA, and LPN majors
    • Contains these courses:
      • ENG101: CUNYfirst code 39433, Prof. Christine Marks
      • SSY101: CUNYfirst code 39434, Prof. Tomo Imamichi


    Recommended for majors in:
    • Health Sciences Majors
    • Biology majors
    • Liberal Arts majors
    • Psychology majors


    General Biology (SCB201)
    General Chemistry I (SCC201)

    Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
    8:00 AM - 9:00 AM SCB201
    9:15 AM - 10:15 AM SCB201 SCB201 SCB201
    10:30 AM - 11:30 AM SCB201 SCB201
    11:45 AM - 12:45 PM SCC201
    1:00 PM - 2:00 PM SCC201 SCC201
    2:15 PM - 3:15 PM SCC201
    3:25 PM - 4:25 PM SCC201
    4:35 PM - 5:35 PM SCC201

    In this pair, students will:
    • Learn about photosynthesis process and the energy transfers involved.
    • Improve unit conversions and dimensional analysis for measurements.
    • Learn about organic molecules and its application to biological systems.


    This pair:
    • Contains 8 credits - add at least 4 additional credits in session I and/or II to be full time
    • Contains these courses:
      • SCB201: CUNYfirst code 38759, Prof. Charles Keller
      • SCC201: CUNYfirst code 39096, Prof. Kevin Mark


    Recommended for majors in:
    • STEM majors
    • Liberal Arts: Math & Sciences majors


    College Algebra and Trigonometry (MAT115)
    General Biology (SCB201)

    Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
    9:15 AM - 10:15 AM SCB201 SCB201
    10:30 AM - 11:30 AM SCB201
    11:45 AM - 12:45 PM MAT115 MAT115 SCB201
    1:00 PM - 2:00 PM MAT115 MAT115 SCB201
    2:15 PM - 3:15 PM SCB201

    In this pair, students will:
    • Learn basic concepts covering General Biology I: chemistry of life, cell structure and function, cellular respiration,photosynthesis, cell cycle and cell division, classical and molecular genetics and gene expression, DNA replication, genetic engineering, development, evolution,speciation and phylogeny.
    • Practice math in biological context and understand biological processes by numeric measurements.
    • Learn how to use mathematical methods and equations to solve practical biological problems such as measurements, conversions, titration, enzymatic activity, chemical reaction rate, gene composition, Mendelian genetics, evolution process, allele frequency calculation, phylogeny mapping.


    This pair:
    • Contains 7 credits – add at least 5 additional credits in session I and/or II to be full time
    • Fulfills your Required Core math requirement (MAT115)
    • Fulfils your Required Core science requirement (SCB201)
    • Contains these courses:
      • SCB201: CUNYfirst code 39442, Prof. Na Xu
      • MAT115: CUNYfirst code 39441, Prof. Tao Chen


    Recommended for majors in:
    • All STEM majors
    • Biology majors


    Culinary Arts I (SCD114)
    Elementary French (ELF101)

    Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
    9:15 AM - 10:15 AM ELF101 ELF101
    10:30 AM - 11:30 AM ELF101 ELF101
    11:45 AM - 12:45 PM SCD114 SCD114
    1:00 PM - 2:00 PM SCD114 SCD114
    2:15 PM - 3:15 PM SCD114

    In this pair, students will:
    • Learn the foundations of food science, food preparation, use of culinary equipment in a commercial kitchen, and sanitation practices
    • Describe key elements of the French cuisine using paragraph length discourse
    • Identify the significant contributions of French cooking in the western culinary world
    • Acquire at least a rudimentary understanding of major culinary arts jargon and their applications in the French language
    • Become familiarized with the basic aspects of French culture in the preparation of meals, eating habits, and table manners
    • Write a recipe in the French language and present it orally


    This pair:
    • Contains 5 equated credits - add at least 7 additional credits in session I and/or II to be full time
    • Fulfills Program Core (SCD114) and Flexible Core (ELF101, World Cultures) requirements
    • Contains these courses:
      • SCD114: CUNYfirst code 39134, Prof. Cynthia Vazquez
      • ELF101: CUNYfirst code 49112, Prof. Habiba Boumlik


    Recommended for majors in:
    • Nutrition and Culinary Management


    Introduction to Discrete Math (MAT231)
    Object-Oriented Programming (MAC190)

    Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
    2:15 PM - 3:15 PM MAT231 MAT231
    3:25 PM - 4:25 PM MAT231
    4:35 PM - 5:35 PM
    5:45 PM - 6:45 PM MAC190 MAC190
    6:55 PM - 7:55 PM MAC190 MAC190

    In this pair, students will:
    • Identify connections between mathematics and computer programming
    • Apply mathematical concepts and models when writing computer programs
    • Write computer programs to find solutions to mathematical problems


    This pair:
    • Contains 6 credits - add at least 6 additional credits in session I and/or II to be full-time
    • Fulfills Program Core requirements
    • Contains these courses:
      • MAT231: CUNYfirst code 38638, Prof. Steve Cosares
      • MAC190: CUNYfirst code 39440, Prof. Andi Toce


    Recommended for majors in:
    • Computer Science


    Public Speaking (HUC106)
    Modern Problem Solving (MAT123)

    Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
    9:15 AM - 10:15 AM HUC106 HUC106
    10:30 AM - 11:30 AM HUC106 MAT123
    11:45 AM - 12:45 PM MAT123 MAT123
    1:00 PM - 2:00 PM MAT123 MAT123
    2:15 PM - 3:15 PM MAT123 MAT123

    In this pair, students will:
    • Understand the reasons to adopt sustainable consumer behaviors
    • Experiment with sustainable consumer behaviors at home and school
    • Use the four-step problem-solving process and modeling to create well-reasoned arguments to convince others to adopt sustainable consumer behaviors
    • Learn to present effective written and oral arguments


    This pair:
    • Contains 10 equated credits - add at least 2 additional credits in session I and/or II to be full-time
    • Fulfills Required Core (MAT123) and Flexible or Program Core (HUC106) requirements
    • Contains these courses:
      • HUC106: CUNYfirst code 38074, Prof. Patricia Sokolski
      • MAT123: CUNYfirst code 49284, Prof. Marina Dedlovskaya


    Recommended for majors in:
    • Liberal Arts: Social Science & Humanities (including the options)