Communities by Area of Study

Open Communities

Business & Economics Majors Community

If you have declared a major in business or economics, you must rank this as one of your Learning Community choices on the Joining the Pod survey. In this community, students in the Martin V. Smith School for Business & Economics (MVS) will engage with the idea of business as a force for good and in the study of how individuals make "rational" economic decisions. The BUS and ECON courses will be combined with a first-year seminar. A peer mentor will be embedded in the UNIV course to help you adjust to college life and share resources you need to succeed.

Eligibility/Condition: Open to all first-year students. Suggested for undeclared majors or students considering a major in business or economics. Unlike other communities, this one has five courses that students in the cohort will take together (three in the Fall and two in the Spring).

Fall 2023:

• UNIV 150 First-Year Seminar (GE: Area A3 Critical Thinking)
• ECON 110 Principles of Microeconomics (GE: D Social Science & Major Requirement)
• BUS 110 Business Law (Major Requirement)

Spring 2024:

• BUS 111 Introduction to Business Through Writing (Major Requirement)
• BUS/ECON 203 Introduction to Social Business (GE: D Social Science & Major Elective)

Computer Science Community

This community welcomes students who are interested in coding and computer science. The community will create opportunities for students who share interests in gaming, design, development and expression of algorithms. Along with Intro to Programming, you will take a First-Year Seminar together in the Fall semester and Professional Communication in the Spring. Taking all three courses together will allow you to start conversations and projects in one course and carry them into these others giving you the opportunity to learn and create together. Your community will also include a peer mentor who will help you navigate these three courses and your transition to college. 

Eligibility/Condition: Open to all first-year students. Meets requirements for Computer Science and Math majors. 

Fall 2023:

• UNIV 150 First-Year Seminar (GE: Area A3 Critical Thinking)
• COMP/IT 105 Introduction to Programming (GE: Area B4 Quantitative Reasoning)

Spring 2024:

• COMM 221 Professional Communication (GE: A-1 Oral Communication)

Discovery: Exploring the Social Sciences

Students in this community will be introduced to the theories and research in Psychology. You will have the chance to explore together some of the big issues in the field of psychology, what different types of psychologists do and how to critically evaluate psychological literature. Along with Intro to Psychology, you will take a First-Year Seminar together in the Fall semester and Public Speaking in the Spring. Taking all three courses together will allow you to start conversations and projects in one course and carry them into these others giving you the opportunity to learn and create together. Your community will also include a peer mentor who will help you navigate these three courses and your transition to college.

Eligibility/Condition: Open to all First-Year students. Meets pre-nursing prerequisites, and requirements for Health Science and Psychology majors.

Fall 2023:

• UNIV 150 First-Year Seminar (GE: Area A3 Critical Thinking)
• PSY 100 (GE: D Social Science & Major Requirement or E Lifelong Learning)

Spring 2024:

• COMM 101 Public Speaking (GE: A-1 Oral Communication) 

Politics & Pubic Service Community

Pre-law invites law school-curious students to explore the US Legal System in collaboration with others interested in legal careers. Through content and activities bridging law, politics and social science and involvement with the campus Pre-law Society, students in this learning community will gain perspective on how to build their own legal career path. A peer mentor will be embedded in your anchor course to help you navigate these three courses and your transition to college.

Eligibility/Condition: Open to all first-year students. Suggested for Political Science majors, and students who would like to go to law school after graduation.

Fall 2023:

POLS 150 American Political Institutions (GE: D Social Science and American Institutions Requirement)

COMM 101 Public Speaking (GE: A-1 Oral Communication)

Spring 2024:

POLS 201 Careers in Public Service and Law (Counts toward the major) 

Strange New Worlds Community

In this community, you will explore culture and creativity through an integrative study of archaeology and speculative fiction (an umbrella term for science fiction and fantasy). Students will learn the building blocks of creative writing through the lens of speculative fiction, creating entire worlds and societies for their characters to move through. You will also learn about human societies past and present and begin to analyze tools, buildings and activities to reconstruct how the people who used them lived. You will participate in assignments that span both Fall classes and use your learning about the past to bring your imagined worlds to life. You will have the opportunity to continue the Fall conversations into your Spring Philosophy course. A peer mentor will be embedded in the anchor course to help you adjust to college life and share resources you need to succeed. Possible field trips include a creative writing and archaeology themed trip to Santa Rosa Island.

Eligibility/Condition: Open to all first-year students. Suggested for students who are English and Anthropology majors or minors.

Fall 2023:

ENGL 160 Genre Fiction: Speculative Fiction (GE: C1 Arts)

 ANTH 105: Intro to Archaeology (GE: Area D Social Studies)

Spring 2024:

PHIL 130 Logic & Phil Reasoning (GE: Area A3 Critical Thinking)

Focused Communities

Biology Community

If you have declared a major in Biology, you must rank this as one of your Learning Community choices on the Joining the Pod survey. Students in this community will be introduced to the biology of organisms including ecology, evolution, diversity and human impacts. Along with BIOL 200, you will take a critical thinking course in which you will develop quantitative, information and scientific literacy and oral and written communication skills. This course introduces students planning on a major in the sciences to CI’s interdisciplinary approach to scientific, evidence-based reasoning. Students in the community will take Statistics for Biologists together in the Spring. Taking all three courses and the BIOL lab together will allow you to start conversations and projects in one course and carry them into these others, giving you the opportunity to learn and create together. Your community will also include a peer mentor who will help you navigate the courses and your transition to college.

Eligibility/Condition: Only first-year students who are enrolled at CSUCI as Biology Majors are eligible for this Learning Community.

 Fall 2023:

• BIOL/CHEM 150 Critical Thinking Science Majors (GE: A3 Critical Thinking or E Lifelong Learning)
• BIOL 200/200L Principles of Organismal and Population Biology (GE: B2 Life Sciences; B3 Laboratory)

Spring 2024:

• BIOL 203 Statistics for Biologists (GE B4: Mathematics-Quantitative Reasoning)

Healthcare Community

This community is for students interested in Nursing, Health Science and related areas of study. This is designed to provide a unique opportunity to explore the many career paths and options within the growing healthcare industry. You will participate in field trips and have opportunities to meet and interact with healthcare professionals. A peer mentor will be embedded in the anchor course to help you adjust to college life and share resources you need to succeed.

Eligibility/Condition: This learning community is limited to first-year students who have declared a major in Health Science or expressed an interest in Nursing. This community has four courses that students in the cohort will take together (two in the Fall and two in the Spring).

Fall 2023:

• UNIV 150 First-Year Seminar (GE: A3 Critical Thinking or E Lifelong Learning) or PHIL 130 Logic & Phil Reasoning (GE: Area A3 Critical Thinking)
• BIOL 210/210L Human Anatomy and Physiology I (Nursing and Health Sciences pre-requisite)

Spring 2024:

• COMM 101 Public Speaking (GE: A-1 Oral Communication)
• BIOL 211/211L Human Anatomy and Physiology II (Nursing and Health Sciences pre-requisite)