Services
Services
LMU Extension
Center for Religion and Spirituality
The Center for Religion and Spirituality makes a vital contribution to the mission of Loyola Marymount University by expanding LMU's religious and educational outreach to a wider range of constituencies in Southern California and beyond. As part of LMU Extension, the Center embodies LMU's commitment to serve the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, other local churches, religious groups, and the general public through the development of diverse programs related to religion, spirituality, faith, and justice.
In collaboration with the Department of Theological Studies and other departments and divisions of the University, the Center sponsors a variety of continuing education courses, certificate programs, lecture series, weekend workshops, summer institutes, and special events. It also provides online courses and other nontraditional venues for religious education, faith formation, and spiritual development, thus linking the University and its mission to the greater Los Angeles community and beyond.
Continuing Education
LMU Extension offers certificates, courses, programs, institutes, conferences, and lectures which provide a variety of educational experiences to members of the community. There are three types of classifications of such offerings.
The first of these is Professional Development courses in a certificate or professional development program with identifiable subject areas or in particular disciplines, e.g., teacher education. These are offered under a departmental rubric and carry University semester hours of continuing education/professional development credit. The second type are those courses with academic content falling outside the normal undergraduate or graduate offerings. Such courses and programs are offered under the rubric CNTX. Credit is recorded in semester hours; 1.0 semester hour represents 10 continuing education contact hours. The third type is personal enrichment programs covering a variety of activities that might include dance, martial arts, or yoga, to name but a few.
Regular Loyola Marymount undergraduate students may enroll in "For Credit" LMU Extension courses with permission of their College or School Dean, at the fees quoted for such courses, above and beyond regular fulltime tuition. Enrollment in other LMU Extension offerings is unrestricted unless otherwise specified, also at the fees quoted.
Los Angeles Center for International Studies
The Los Angeles Center for International Studies (LACIS) prepares and encourages teachers and students to relate constructively to people of other traditions with dignity, respect, and understanding.
LACIS organized seminars and workshops for World History teachers in Los Angeles middle and high schools. Programs and services for teachers are supported by foundation grants and through fees for services. Support includes grants from th Freeman Foundation through the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia and from the Los Angeles Educational Partnership.
LACIS also administers the Southern California Consortium for International Studies (SOCCIS), a network of university faculty that encourages institutional and faculty commitment to an “internationalized” curriculum and sponsors seminars on area studies. These include African, East Asian, South Asian, Latin American, European and Russian, and Near Eastern Studies. SOCCIS also facilitates communication regarding Study Abroad at area campuses.
Study Abroad
LMU sponsors several study abroad programs for summer, semester, and full-year.
The Study Abroad Office is located in University Hall 1840, or you can call and make an appointment to speak with a Study Abroad counselor at (310) 338-1973.
New Europe Program
Important economic and political changes are taking place in Europe. LMU's New Europe Program, in Bonn, Germany, is conveniently located near vital European centers such as Brussels and the Hague.
In affiliation with the Academy for International Education, the New Europe Program offers both semester and full-year opportunities.
A range of courses is available in business administration, liberal arts (including German and other European languages), and communication, giving participants an opportunity to work toward their degrees in an academically diverse environment without losing a semester. Faculty come from LMU, German universities, and AIB. Enrollment in a German language course is mandatory for all students who participate in the Program.
Students with a minimum GPA of 2.8, who are in good standing at any college or university, are invited to apply for the Fall, Spring, or full academic year. Applications to the New Europe Program are available through the Study Abroad Office. Students may register for 12 to 17 semester hours of credit during the Fall or Spring semester. Students receive semester hour credit on the LMU transcripts for courses taken.
The program costs (comparable to the cost of a full-time student in residence at LMU) include tuition, housing, breakfast and dinner, public transportation in Bonn, several cultural activities, and excursions and site visits to metropolitan centers such as Paris, Brussels, Bruge, Berlin, Prague, and Dresden. For those students staying the entire academic year on the New Europe Program, an additional excursion to Spain is offered during the Spring semester. The cost does not include round-trip airfare, textbooks, and other personal expenses.
All LMU financial packages can be applied to the New Europe Program; LMU tuition payment plans are applicable. For complete information, consult the Study Abroad Office.
Film and Television Program in Germany
This program is located in Dusseldorf, Germany, and focuses on film in the European context— the Avante Garde, independent film making, and other experimental media. This is designed as a semester program with Fall semester offerings focusing on Production—Film and Television majors, and with the Spring semester focusing on Media Studies for all students. Taught by LMU faculty and European film and television experts in the Loyola Marymount University tradition, the courses are offered in the form of master workshops, providing students with an exclusive learning experience. The close interaction with faculty that is afforded by this format makes the program unique. Students receive 15 semester hours of credit by taking workshops and a German language and culture course.
The semester in Dusseldorf includes excursions and educational field trips to give students a deeper insight into fi lm and TV production in Europe. Depending on the semester and opportunity, students will attend film festivals, visit production sites, go to film museums, and meet and talk with directors, producers, and others in the media field. A week excursion to Berlin and Prague, two centers of film production, will bring to life the theories learned in the classroom and will help to inform and stimulate students in their own artistic productions. Each student will produce a 10-15 minute video documentary. Staff and teaching assistants in film will assist with the technical and creative needs, if necessary.
Students with a miniumum GPA of 2.8, who are in good standing at any university or college and, for the Fall semester, have completed the PROD and FTVS prerequisites, are invited to apply. The program cost is comparable to fulltime residency at LMU and includes tuition, housing, breakfast and dinner, excursions, and public transportation within Dusseldorf. Applications are available in the Study Abroad Office.
Semester in India Program
The Semester in India Program offers a unique opportunity for students to learn about India, one of the world's oldest civilizations. The primary focus of the program is on Indian religions, arts, languages, and cultures. There are also components that involve a study of environmental sciences in India and an opportunity to engage in service learning.
The program is located is Sikkim, a state of northern India. This site is especially interesting in that it offers students an opportunity to engage in a multi-faceted study of the cultures of the Himalayan region, an area that is remote and unstudied but one with a rich and varied cultural history. The program allows students to engage with some of the world's oldest cultures (Nepali, Tibetan,Indian, and Bhutanese) and to study the traditions, arts, religions, and practices of these cultures. Students will return from this experience with an enhanced appreciation of the unique character, deep spirituality, and aesthetic sensibilities developed by the various peoples living on the "roof of the world".
The semester in Sikkim, India, includes excursions to the neighboring areas of Bhutan, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong, as well as a guided trek in the beautiful Himalayan highlands of Western Sikkim. Although Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim and the principal setting for the program, is situated at an altitude of about 6,000 feet above sea level, its temperature is remarkably temperate throughout most of the year, and it typically receives very little snow. The rich and verdant natural vegetation of the hillsides is filled with cardamom, exotic orchids, and many other unusual flowers. The area also contains a broad range of medicinal herbs that have been isolated over the centuries and continue to play a significant role in the traditional medicine practices of the region. These can be studied by those who wish to know more about Tibetan medicine and ecology.
The program includes a comprehensive set of courses, including sociology and anthropology, religions of India,
environmental sciences and ecology, and art and history. Language instruction is available in Hindi, Tibetan, Sanskrit, and Nepali.
Semester in London
The program is located in London at the facilities of the Foundation for International Education. FIE facilities are located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea that covers an area of four-and-a-half square miles and has a population of 150,000. Some of London's most famous streets, academic institutions, and historic sites— including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Imperial College, University of London - SOAS, and Royal Albert Hall—lie in the immediate neighborhood surrounding FIE's facilities. Kensington is much more than monuments and museums. Kensington is a residential area of architectural beauty, a mixture of small alleyways and grand boulevards, where the ghosts of famous residents (T.S. Eliot, J.S. Mill, and Beatrix Potter) mingle with modern homeowners such as Hugh Grant, Elizabeth Hurley, and Dustin Hoffman. The West End, London's main theater district, is just 15 minutes away.
Summer Abroad
Summer programs are offered in Africa, China, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Ireland, Italy, Guatemala, Mexico, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The Washington Center in Washington, DC also offers summer internship opportunities for students. These programs offer courses in language, culture, business administration, science, the arts, and humanities.
Affiliate Programs
LMU is affiliated with programs in the following countries: Australia, Austria, China, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, Venezuela, and many other countries throughout Europe, South America, and Asia. The University has both formal and informal affiliations with programs sponsored by institutions or organizations around the world. LMU has formal student exchange programs with Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan; Sogang University in Seoul, Korea; Universidad de Deusto in San Sebastian, Spain; Ateneo de Manilla; and Iberoamericana Universidad in Mexico.
It is also possible for students to plan with their advisors individually tailored programs with non-affiliated institutions abroad.
Credit Transfer
All Study Abroad work completed through a sponsoring institution must be documented on an official transcript from a U.S. institution accredited by one of the six regional associations of the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities. Study Abroad work completed at an international institution must be documented on an official academic record from an institution recognized by the Ministry or Department of Education of that country.
Other University Services
Basil P. Caloyeras Center for Modern Greek Studies
The Caloyeras Center for Modern Greek Studies provides students with an opportunity to study the culture of contemporary Greece. By means of courses in the language, literature, and the arts of the Greece of today, a doorway is opened to the past, which is thus given a fresh and compelling reality.
The Center has the following goals:
• To offer courses in modern Greek language, postclassical and modern literature and history, the Greek Orthodox tradition, theatre, cinema, dance, music, and the fine arts.
• To encourage students to pursue a minor in Modern Greek Studies.
• To sponsor lectures on subjects pertaining to Greece which are of interest to the academic community and to the public at large.
• To encourage students and faculty to pursue studies and research projects in Greece.
The Center supports the courses that lead to a minor in Modern Greek. (See "Classics and Archaeology" in this
Bulletin.)
The Center for Global Education
The Center for Global Education promotes international education to foster cross-cultural awareness, cooperation, and understanding. Living and working effectively in a global society requires learning with an international perspective.
We promote this type of learning by collaborating with colleges, universities, and other organizations around the world to:
• create new and enhance existing study abroad programs
• integrate an international and intercultural perspective into the US educational system
• increase the ethnic diversity of participants in study abroad and provide special resources to support their participation
• provide information to better prepare students and other travelers for their experience abroad
• encourage research in the field of international education.
Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles
Overview
The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles was established in 1994 to assist students, the University, and the community at large to become agents for change that leads to social justice. Using Los Angeles as a laboratory for understanding the urban experience, the center has become a university leader in developing mutildisciplinary courses, producing highly regarded applied research, and promoting civic involvement.
Programs
Southern Californians and Their Leaders is one of the only systematic analyses of how our leaders view contemporary Los Angeles, the opportunities and constraints they face, and the conditions that facilitate leadership. Current activities include leadership roundtables, public opinion polls and leadership surveys, leadership internships, and a leadership lecture series. These activities enable students to apply their classroom knowledge in a real-world setting and aim to empower them to serve their community with skill and compassion.
The Community Studies Program gives students the opportunity to examine patterns and trends reshaping Los Angeles from the perspective of individual neighborhoods. Through in-depth neighborhood analyses, this program gives residents a voice on issues facing their communities. Community studies have focused on communities with a
strong Jesuit presence: Hollywood, Pico Union, East Los Angeles, Watts, Lennox, Westchester, and Playa Vista.
In a short span of time, the center has established one of the best undergraduate archives in the nation, the Research Collection. The research collection promotes preservation and analysis of historical documents of public officials, post-World War II developers, latetwentieth-century Los Angeles reformers and reform movements, and prominent Catholic families. Holdings include a decade’s worth of the original program tapes of KCRW 89.9 FM’s Which Way, L.A.? as well as the papers of Rebuild L.A., Los Angeles Educational Alliance for Restructuring Now (LEARN), Los Angeles Annenberg Metropolitan Project (LAAMP), Fritz B. Burns, and Mike Roos, to name just a few. A complete index to the research collection and the contents of individual collections is available online at http://lib.lmu.edu/special/csla/csla.htm.
Disability Support Services
The Disability Support Services (DSS) Office, which is located on the second fl oor of Daum Hall, offers resources to enable students with physical, psychological, and learning disabilities, as well as ADD/ADHD, to achieve maximum independence in their educational goals.Services are offered to students who have established documented disabilities under federal and state law. We also advise students, faculty, and staff regarding disability issues. Please visit our website for more details: http://www.lmu.edu/dss/ or contact us at (310) 338-4535. Please note that all information is confidential.
Learning Resource Center
The Learning Resource Center, located on the second floor of Daum Hall, LMU’s tutoring and writing center. Students, faculty, and staff can enlist the help of tutors and specialists to enhance the learning process. Peer tutors work with students one-on-one discussing course concepts, reviewing class notes, and preparing for exams. Writing tutors provide assistance with papers across the curriculum. The professional staff with expertise in math, writing, reading, science, and study skills also work one-on-one with students, as well as create small learning groups for requested courses. For additional information on LRC services, please call (310) 338-28477 or visit http://www.lmu.edu/lrc.
Orientation
The Orientation Program welcomes new students to the Loyola Marymount community. During Orientation, students are introduced to the academic and co-curricular programs of the University, meet with faculty for individual academic advisement, and are assisted in registering for courses. Students also become familiar with all of the services, activities, and resources available to them. Throughout the Orientation Program, students interact in small groups, led by current LMU students. Since Orientation provides a useful introduction to the people, programs, and opportunities LMU offers, all new students are required to participate in the program. For additional information, please contact the Orientation office at (310) 338-7429.
University Libraries
The Charles Von der Ahe Library, named for its principal donor, was constructed in 1959 and doubled in size in 1977. It contains the collections of the University’s Westchester campus, which totals approximately 500,000 books and bound periodicals, 42,000 media including CDs and DVDs, 101,000 microfilms, 3,000 current periodical titles in paper subscriptions, and over 16,000 electronic periodical subscriptions. In addition to the Library’s online catalog, LINUS, network access is also available to online index databases such as Lexis/Nexis Academic™ and PROquest Research Library™. For a complete listing of available databases, please go to the Library home page: http://www.lmu.edu/library. In addition, the Library is a member of the LINK+ Consortium, an organization created to allow patrons to borrow books from member libraries with over 4.5 million books. The Library’s Instruction Program offers classroom instruction in information literacy and database searching.
The Department of Archives and Special Collections houses collections of art, rare books, manuscripts, and the University Archives. Notable holdings include the St. Thomas More, Oliver Goldsmith, and Helena and John Weadock Collections of rare English and American first editions. Other important collections are the papers of the motion picture producer Arthur P. Jacobs, best known for the Planet of the Apes series, and the Werner Von Boltenstern postcard collection which contains a million cards. The department also houses the Research Collection of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles which collects research materials relating to local public officials, post-World War II developers, late twentieth-century reformers, and prominent Catholic families.
The Library’s Media & Reserve Services Department provides reserve materials for student class work, as well as equipment and materials in various multi-media formats. Study carrels are equipped so that students can listen and view media, including CDs and DVDs.
In summer 2009 the library moves to the newly-constructed William H. Hannon Library on the bluff of the Leavey campus. A highlight of the new building will be the Information Commons where students can learn, work, and collaborate on class projects using state-of-the-art information technology. A media lounge and cafe will provide comfortable seating and a casual learning environment. With 88,000 square feet of space over three floors, the William H. Hannon Library will bring together materials and services of a traditional library and the 21st century digital library.