Explore culture and identity.
Culture and traditions are often the foundations upon which one builds their black identity and its intersectionality. In collaboration with the African American Studies program, you will be challenged to understand the various experiences among the African/black diaspora, encouraged to learn and develop critical thinking skills outside the classroom, relate your passions to your academics, and better Iowa’s Black Community through campus involvement.
This Living Learning Community requires students to take an academic course connected to the community. You will be pre-enrolled in the LLC course, which will be included in your academic schedule prior to summer Orientation.
This community was founded by Iowa black students with the objective to aid with the transition of incoming black students at the University of Iowa. This community is for students who seek to strengthen knowledge and empowerment of black students.
I grew up always being the minority in various spaces. The Young, Gifted, and Black LLC was an opportunity for me to have a safe community. This community allowed me to have other students around me who could understand my struggles and rally for my success, while pushing each other to be black excellence.
The Young, Gifted, and Black LLC has allowed me to connect with other students and learn more about my culture. Having this community closely located to the cultural houses, has allowed me to be involved with the Afro-House, which is where a majority of the black organizations host events and programming. This LLC has allowed me to create lifelong friendships, develop a support system when I’m struggling, and allowed me to celebrate my blackness.
Exploration of various contemporary social topics (e.g., education, religion, literature, theater, media, politics, sports, criminal justice, health, economics); use of readings, interactive experiences, course assignments (reading essays, interview/profile, observation analysis, case study, final paper), and unit quizzes to understand black life in the 21st century.
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A campus partner is a faculty or staff member on the University of Iowa campus that is passionate about the community and who meets regularly with a designated living learning community team. These individuals guide the learning component of the community, may teach the course in common, and help connect students to various resources across campus.
Shirleena Terrell
Coordinator, Afro-House Cultural Center
shirleena-terrell@uiowa.edu
Carlos Nelson
Academic Coach, Center for Diversity and Enrichment
carlos-nelson@uiowa.edu
Dr. Ashley Howard
Assistant Professor, African American Studies
ashley-howard@uiowa.edu