Please note: students in Pre-Nursing Program will be automatically enrolled in the Nursing Leadership LLC.

First-year residents who select Academic Fusion LLCs will be automatically enrolled in the listed introductory course and will reside in close proximity to one another in Warren Olney Hall or Orchard Meadow Hall. Generally, the professor for this class will also serve as their first-year advisor. Over the course of the fall term, the professor, students, and residence advisors will attend lectures, films, museum exhibitions, and other activities related to the central theme of their LLC. Some classes will have an upper division student assigned as a teaching assistant who will offer help with coursework throughout the semester.

Ethnic Studies Living Learning Community

Course: Ethnic Studies 51: Introduction to Ethnic Studies: An introduction to the history, concepts, and issues concerning Ethnic Studies.

The course compares the experiences of African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, Chicanas(os)/Latinas(os) within a global context. Historical, social, economic, cultural, and environmental resources are employed in analyzing the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Class activities include lectures, discussion, films, and guest speakers.

Advisors:

Déborah Berman Santana, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley

Professor Santana’s research interests include economic sustainability, political sovereignty and environmental justice, theory and practice of community activism, political ecology, historical legacy of racism and colonialism, militarism and the environment, Latin America, the Caribbean, and U.S. Latinas/os.

Vivian Chin, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley

Professor Chin’s research interests include Asian American, Asian diaspora, and Pacific Islander literature and history; cultural studies; race and gender studies, and popular culture.

History Living Learning Community

Course: History 61: China and Japan to 1800: An introductory survey of China and Japan from ancient times to 1800, focusing on the political, social, and cultural development of these two traditional societies.

Advisor:

Wah Cheng, Ph.D. University of Chicago

Professor Cheng’s research interests include the quest for the people's voice in modern China, early Chinese periodical press, emergence of the public realm in late Qing China, Western missionaries and construction of China, state and national formation in modern China, and literature and society in modern China.

Music Living Learning Community

Course: Music I, Exploring Music: Performance, Creation and Cultural Practice: An introduction to music from the perspectives of performer, composer, improvisor, instrument-maker, and scholar.

Music will be studied as a social art, as a performance practice, as acoustic architecture and as spontaneous creation, as historical artifact and as cultural signifier. Projects for the class include playing music, listening and analysis, composing, recording, and writing. No knowledge of music, notation, or instrumental skill is necessary.

Advisor:

Fred Frith, MA, Cambridge University

Professor Frith’s interests include composition and songwriting; the performance of both composed and improvised music; collaboration in the fields of theater, dance and film; and improvisation pedagogy.

Philosophy Living Learning Community

Course: Philosophy 9, Introduction to Philosophy: A critical examination of works by classical and contemporary philosophers and the questions they raise.

Topics vary, but include: the problem of social organization and the nature of justice; the scope and limits of human knowledge; the fundamental nature of the cosmos; the concepts of art and beauty; and the Socratic question: What is the best kind of life for a human being to lead?

Advisor:

Jay Gupta, Ph.D. University of Toronto

Professor Gupta’s research interest include nineteenth century European philosophy (particularly Hegel and Nietzsche); aesthetics; critical theory/political philosophy; and philosophy of mind.

Psychology Living Learning Community

Course: Psychology 49, Introduction to Psychology: An introduction to the subject matter, methods, and current status of psychology, including brain function, child development, perception, learning and thinking, motivation and emotion, personality, abnormality, and social psychology.

The focus of this course is on human behavior, with only limited reference to animal research, and includes cross-cultural issues where applicable.

Advisors:

John Ruch, Ph.D. Stanford University

Professor Ruch’s research interests include visual thinking and problem solving, and computer-based multimedia strategies in education.

Dean Morier, Ph.D. University of Minnesota

Professor Morier’s research interests include social psychology, personality and social behavior, and social cognition.

Women and Gender Studies Living Learning Community

Course: WAGS 72: Introduction to Queer Studies: An introduction to key concepts and theoretical questions in the interdisciplinary field of queer studies.

This course explores the processes by which sexuality is socially constructed with particular attention to how sexuality intersects with other categories of difference such as race, gender, class, ability, and national origin. The course introduces students to a range of issues affecting different queer communities and explores historical and contemporary examples of queer organizing and resistance.

Advisors:

Priya Kandaswamy, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley

Professor Kandaswamy’s interests include feminist and queer theory; race, gender, and U.S. welfare politics; women of color in the U.S.; theories of race and sexuality; sexuality and citizenship; and geographies of race, gender, and sexuality

Professor: Judith Bishop, Ph.D. Graduate Theology Union

Professor Bishop’s research interests include women’s history, gender theory in religion, Religion and the Body, and Religion in Public Discourse.

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Scholars in Action Living Learning Communities (SA-LLCs)

Adventure Education Living Learning Community

The Adventure Education Community provides residents the opportunity to explore the beautiful landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Adventure Education uses outdoor experiences as a forum for teaching important skills and abilities applicable to all aspects of life at Mills College and beyond. Community experiences may include hiking, camping, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting. Adventure Education supports growth in integrity, leadership, social awareness, and appreciation of diverse ways of knowing and being. As a resident of the Adventure Education LLC, students will have opportunities to:

• broaden their capabilities,

• develop their outdoor leadership, decision-making, and technical skills, and

• enhance their understanding of the relationship between people and nature.

Students who select to live in the Adventure Education Community should possess the desire to enjoy and learn from outdoor experiences. Prior experience with outdoor activities is not required.

Child Development Living Learning Community

The Child Development LLC, co-sponsored by faculty in Education and Anthropology, provides opportunities for students to explore their interests in working with young children in a wide variety of contexts and to learn more about their development and growth.

Students will be given opportunities to pursue their own questions and interests related to young children. The LLC activities will include on- and off-campus lectures and movie nights, focusing on interdisciplinary topics such as the role of culture and the brain in children’s development. Students will also visit daycare centers and schools to see children’s learning in action. This LLC takes advantage of the diversity of early childhood education resources in the Bay Area to give students a real-world foundation for future Mills courses in Anthropology, Child Development, and Education, and to help them identify and build their interests in these areas.

Leadership and Social Justice Living Learning Community

Mills women change the world in many ways. Students who select to live in the Leadership and Social Justice Community will have the opportunity to develop their visions for creating change. Residents in this LLC will cultivate their potential for to leadership, critical thinking, and civic engagement. Programming for the Leadership and Social Justice Community may include coordination of campus roundtables, teach-ins, and participation in Bay Area political actions. Using the Social Change Model of Leadership Development, participants will gain the critical life-skill of transforming theory into practice.

Nursing Leadership Living Learning Community

(All pre-nursing students living on campus will be automatically enrolled in this LLC.)

The Nursing Leadership Program (NLP) builds on students’ coursework by providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to aspire to leadership roles within the nursing profession. Throughout the year, nursing students will participate in co-curricular, interdisciplinary leadership seminars and workshops. Some events provide “narratives of leadership” by inviting leaders in the nursing field to campus to speak to students about their career trajectories and self-initiated projects that exemplify leadership in action. Other events focus on building skills such as empathy, conflict resolution, and self-advocacy. Students take most of their courses together and will be assigned a special advisor for this program.

Provost’s Book Group Living Learning Community

Students will read and discuss literary and non-fiction works with Provost and Dean of the Faculty Sandra Greer. The group will also attend readings by well known authors and share meals inspired by great works of fiction.

Science Living Learning Community

This LLC is a good starting point for students considering majoring in any of the scientific disciplines. It will provide an opportunity to live and work with students who are enthusiastic about science, but who have a range of interests from medicine to environmental science. While there is not a specific class associated with this LLC, most students in this LLC will take one (or more!) of Biology 4, Chemistry 4, Chemistry 17 or Calculus I in their first semester.

Sustainability and Local Food Living Learning Community

This LLC brings together residents interested in exploring their ideals, assumptions and awareness regarding the production and consumption of food. Students will have the opportunity to develop community leadership skills in promoting energy and water conservation, waste reduction, recycling and local food connections. Participants will also plan and prepare dinners for the group, learn about nutrition and sustainable farming practices, and develop cooking skills. Students may also choose to grow food in the Mills College garden. No prior cooking experience is required.

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