Learning Communities

Liberal Arts Learning Communities

Liberal arts students love to learn and improve the world, especially alongside other thoughtful people. The IU School of Liberal Arts has two types of communities for meaningful learning:

  • Liberal Arts Community, a Residential Based Learning Community (RBLC)
  • Learning Communities
North Hall, home to the Liberal Arts Community

Liberal Arts Community

The Liberal Arts Community is a Residential Based Learning Community that blends studying and socializing to help you bond with other liberal arts majors and faculty as you live and explore liberal arts together.

Located in North Hall, the Liberal Arts Community offers academic, service, and social activities on campus and in Indianapolis. You’ll explore your values and goals, develop leadership skills, and grow as a student, citizen, and future professional. And you’ll interact often with faculty and staff—for example, by working with faculty on research and service projects.

You can apply to join the Liberal Arts Community if you’re an undergraduate student, enrolled in classes, and you’ve been admitted to the School of Liberal Arts as a direct admit or as a current student.

For more information, contact Kait Bedel, School of Liberal Arts Admissions Counselor (kbedel@iu.edu).

Learn more about the Liberal Arts Community

Learning Communities for first-year students

Explore a topic that interests you, make friends, and set yourself up for success in one of IU Indianapolis's Learning Communities (LCs).

Every fall, the School of Liberal Arts offers several LCs for first-year liberal arts students. Each LC includes two or three courses connected by a theme, such as journalism and mass media, communication and sociology, or justice and democracy. One of the courses is a first-year seminar that helps you transition to college life.

Benefits

  • Small classes to easily connect and engage with other students.
  • Dedicated staff to turn to so you never feel lost or out of place facing new challenges (faculty member, advisor, mentor, career counselor, and a librarian.)
  • Field trips and other campus or Indianapolis-area community experiences.
  • Long-term planning to best reach your academic, career, and personal goals.

Each year LCs are connected to the IU Indianapolis Bridge Week Program. Incoming freshmen attend Bridge Week activities from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week before the official start of the fall semester. You will enroll in an LC during registration at orientation. Bridge Week and your LC will help you jump-start your college career and find community in Liberal Arts at orientation.

During your IU Indianapolis orientation, ask your advisor which LC is best for you.