An Empirical Study of the Potential for Geography in University Living–learning Communities in the United States

Abstract

Living-learning communities (LLCs) have become an important part of the educational experience for many first-year university students. As academic units seek new ways to reach undergraduate students, partnering with an LLC is often an effective solution. This article explores a largely untapped link between LLCs and geography. An inventory of LLCs at USA universities with PhD-granting geography departments and a series of case studies collectively suggest that many existing LLCs focus on geographic or cognate themes, including globalization, international studies, diversity, sustainability, foreign language and natural sciences. Improved partnerships between geographers and LLCs could mutually benefit our students and the discipline.

Keywords:

• Geography education
• living-learning community
• residential college
• student engagement

Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the assistance of Doris Collins for data collection, and of Mary Elizabeth Garrison and the anonymous reviewers for their very helpful insights.

Notes

¹ Additional information about the LLCs offered can be found at the Residential Learning Communities International Registry sponsored by Bowling Green State University (http://pcc.bgsu.edu/rlcch/submissions/index.html).

² Although terminology varies across campuses, in this text the administrative unit responsible for co-curricular student support services is termed ‘Student Affairs’ and the unit in which academic programs are housed is termed ‘Academic Affairs’.