Overview

This Handbook is designed to aid students and faculty participating in the Learning Cluster (LC) program at Soka University of America. It is revised annually to inform students and faculty about LC policies.

Learning Clusters are a signature feature of the SUA curriculum, some of SUA’s most exciting, innovative courses. Offered annually during the 3.5-week January Winter Block, LCs are intensive 4-credit courses. All SUA undergraduate students must complete two LCs; one in their first year and one in their second year, with some students completing an additional LC in their third year. Guided by a faculty member, LCs are intended to tackle real-world issues in creative ways. LCs are immersive, with daily contact and students enrolled in only one class, enabling off-campus learning. Rather than traditional catalogue courses, most LCs are created anew each year through faculty-student collaboration.

SUA’s mission is “to foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life.” LCs speak to this mission, as they move beyond traditional classroom environments, with some able to travel regionally or globally with the support of competitive grants. All told, LCs are among the most popular, fulfilling parts of our students’ journeys.

LC Learning Objectives
In taking Learning Cluster courses, students will:

• Develop critical, analytical, and investigative skills to formulate educated responses to a specific problem or question
• Develop personal and leadership skills to work collaboratively toward the completion of a common project
• Develop skills and awareness as concerned and engaged global citizens

Background
Specialized, intensive courses taking place between regular semesters have long been staples of liberal arts education. Leading liberal arts universities refer to similar courses as January-terms, J-Terms, Interterms, and Winter Terms. The term ‘Learning Cluster’ was coined by John D. Montgomery as SUA prepared to open its doors. The first LCs were offered in May 2002, and May and August in the following year. In 2007, all LCs shifted to the January block, and 2009 saw the first travel grants. SUA offers approximately 25 LCs annually, with classes capped at 11-12 students. In SUA’s first 20 years (2002-2022), we have offered over 600 LCs. For more information, including examples of LC courses, please see the LC webpage. A full list of SUA LCs is available here.

Enrollment and Credit Hours
All SUA undergraduate students are required to take at least two LC courses. Students must enroll in an LC during their first and second year. Depending on Study Abroad, some third-year students may also enroll in a third LC as an elective. Incoming third-year students will be asked to confirm their interest and availability early on so that SUA can confirm the list of LC faculty. LC courses are small, providing a rich, responsive learning environment. In 2025, all on-campus LCs are capped at 11 students and all NFF grant classes must have 12. Faculty may not increase enrollment caps to accommodate waitlisted students.

LCs courses are intensive seminars, with students earning four credit hours over the Winter Block. This means that they should have about three contact hours per day across about 15 days of instruction. Students should expect to spend nearly two hours outside of class (reading, planning, research, writing, and creating) for every hour of in-class time across the course. Students should anticipate a workload commensurate with a full course load in a regular Fall or Spring semester.