Columbus State University

The International Learning Community

Center for International Education

What is the ILC? The ILC is a multi-disciplinary learning community of faculty

members and students committed to bringing international learning into the education of all students throughout their college career.

Faculty members commit classes to the ILC; they with their students participate in the co-curricular activities of the ILC.

Goal—Provide broad access to campus-based international learning that is holistic• experiential as well as theoretical;• at multiple points during a student’s development; and • in conjunction with the various disciplinary approaches.

How do faculty participate in the ILC? Faculty members submit class(es) they want

included. • January for Fall • September for Spring (TBC)

Classes are “I” designated (GEOG 1101I, HIST 1112I, EDSE 3117I or BUSA 3135I) but no enrollment restrictions.

Some are First Year Community but many are not. Includes lower and upper level classes. ILC faculty decide on the theme for the next year:

• ”Strangers in a Strange Land” for 2011-2012 ILC • “Revolutions: Technology, Communications and

Youth Movements in a Global Context” for the 2012-2013 ILC

Faculty Involved in the International Learning Community (ILC)

Faculty Involvement in 2010-2011

28 Faculty over 2 semesters

14 disciplines represented: Anthropology, Art History, Biology, Business, Communication, Education, English, Environmental Studies, Geography, History, Music, Political Science, Spanish, Sociology, Theatre

Faculty Involvement in 2009-2010

21 Faculty over 2 semesters

13 disciplines represented: Anthropology, Art, Art History, Business, Communications, English, Environmental Studies, Geography, Geology, History Spanish, Theatre, Political Science, Sociology

Students Involvement in the ILC 700-900 students per year take part of the ILC. 15-20 events during each semester:

• International Film Series• International Guest Lectures• “Global Dialogues” which are structured discussions led by

international students on variety of topics (dinner provided)

Field trips in Georgia and the region (Carlos Museum, Carter Center, Farmer’s Market, etc.).

CIE records attendance at each ILC event and distributes information to faculty whose students attended.

Faculty decide how to integrate the co-curricular and fieldtrip work into their class. Some require participation in X activities while others require short response pieces related to the activity.

What are the benefits of the ILC Engage students with an opportunity to

gain international learning on campus with programs and ILC-funded fieldtrips.

Develop collegiality working with faculty in other disciplines.

Participate in voluntary faculty reading circle.

Classroom Benefits of the ILC

Students can take part in 15-20 different lunchtime and evening activities (films, dialogues, lectures etc) during each semester.

Some faculty require students to write a short response piece about how an activity connects to one of the themes of their course or to personal experiences.

Students are more readily able to see the “real world” significance outside class.

Columbus State University

The International Learning Community

(online resources)

Center for International Education