Learning Through Dialogue Community

The Learning Through Dialogue Community is an exciting new opportunity for CSU students and will launch starting Fall 2021.
The Learning Through Dialogue (LTD) Community brings together students of diverse identities and backgrounds to engage in dialogues, connect, and learn across differences. Students in LTD will build relationships, skills, awareness, and knowledge that prepare them to engage and take action for inclusion and social change on campus and beyond.
Participation in this community is application based. Students who are accepted will co-enroll in 2-3 classes with other LTD students, live together in Durward Hall**, and take part in various service-learning, social, and educational opportunities.
What is LTD?
The Learning through Dialogue learning community incorporates elements of intergroup dialogue in its curriculum. This community fosters awareness, relationships, and understanding both within and beyond the classroom setting. Students will become more aware of their own identities and values as well as others’ and will gain skills needed to communicate and cooperate across diverse groups. This is the community for you if you will be living on campus and have the desire to learn, live, and dialogue with others!
Community requirements
Housing
Students in the LTD community must live on-campus. The residence hall for the LTD community will be Durward Hall**
Durward Hall is a community-style floor with traditional rooms. Students share a communal bathroom with other members of the floor. Students have access to a common room on each floor of the hall and a kitchen on the first floor of the hall. Learn more about Durward!
We encourage students of all genders to apply, and there are community bathrooms to be used by all genders living on the floor.
If you require accommodations, please contact University Housing at housing@colostate.edu
Required courses
There are 3 required courses for the Learning Through Dialogue community: A fall LTD seminar, a spring LTD seminar, and a section of Composition 150.
1) Fall LTD Seminar. 2 credits. Open to LTD community members only. In this course, students will learn foundations and skills for dialogue. The course will be highly interactive and use activities and dialogues to help students learn about diversity and systems of inequality in society
2) Spring LTD Seminar. 2 credits. Open to LTD community members only. In this course, students will build on the Fall seminar, moving from awareness & understanding to action. Students will learn how to facilitate dialogues and lead change on campus.
3) Composition 150: All LTD students who have not tested out of Composition 150 will enroll in sections of CO150 dedicated for LTD students.
● Composition 150 is an AUCC and will help move LTD students towards completing graduation requirements. This course will specifically enhance and complement your experience in the Learning Through Dialogue community because it incorporates dialogue and dialogic teaching/learning strategies into its curriculum.
Move-in and Orientation
All LTD students are required to move in one day before the regular move-in date to participate in the required Community Orientation & Retreat together.
For Fall 2021, LTD students will move in before classes start.
**COVID impacts and unknowns may modify designated housing for Learning Communities as University Housing continues to follow the direction of the university and local health officials to determine the best way to move forward with assignments. If we are unable to assign you to the Learning Community’s designated hall, you will still be able to participate in the community, and we will work closely with our University Housing partners in supporting the residential experience of students within their assigned hall.
Who can apply?
Any undergraduate degree-seeking CSU student in any major who has an interest in learning across differences and developing their dialogue skills to make a difference for the betterment of their community.
Contact us:
If you have any questions, please reach out to the LTD community coordinators:
Laxmi Shastry
Laxmi.Shastry@colostate.edu
Coordinator for Intergroup Relations
970-491-8854
Mitchell Holston
Mitchell.Holston@colostate.edu
Assistant Director for Inclusion and Student Engagement
970-491-4712
We are very excited to welcome you to campus as we continue to learn and evolve from this year. COVID impacts and unknowns may modify designated housing for Learning Communities as University Housing continues to follow the direction of the university and local health officials to determine the best way to move forward with assignments. If we are unable to assign you to the Learning Community’s designated hall, you will still be able to participate in the community, and we will work closely with our University Housing partners in supporting the residential experience of students within their assigned hall.
Finally, more information from your Learning Community will be sent to students regarding any orientation dates and other requirements.
For the latest information, you can also check: https://covid.colostate.edu/ If you have specific questions about your residence hall application you can also contact University Housing by phone at 970.491.4719 or email at housing@colostate.edu.
Please contact your Learning Community for more specific information.