Moorpark College has an exciting method of teaching classes next semester. Learning communities classes combine two classes into one, where students can earn the six credits for both. Two professors teach the class together, each one covering an aspect of the subject. Learning communities classes have always been at Moorpark College since the college’s inception forty years ago. “The difference between that model and the models in the past decade are that we now focus the learning communities on a specific theme,” said Dr. Eva Conrad, president of Moorpark College. One example of the learning communities classes is the “The Lord of the Rings” class, which will be taught by philosophy Professor Janice Daurio and English Professor Nils Slattum. “From our separate disciplines, we look at the same piece of work,” said Daurio. According to Daurio, this is a class that all students will enjoy, not just the fans of the “The Lord of the Rings.” In fact, she says that if students haven’t read the book, it’s all the more reason to take the class. “It’s a story that appeals to al kinds of people,” said Daurio. “We look at the themes of ‘Lord of the Rings.’ What’s the nature of evil? Is there such thing as evil? What’s the nature of morality?” Other learning communities classes include “American Connection: Dissent and Equality” by English Professor Beth Gillis-Smith and History Professor Susan Kinkella; “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” by criminal justice Professor Leann Mulville and Criminology Professor Dan Vieira; “Psychology of Fear in the Cinema” by psychology Professor Margaret Tennant and film Professor Riley Dwyer and “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” by history Professor Nenagh Brown and anthropology Professor John Baker. “I am encouraged and excited about the national research on learning communities; they hold the promise of connecting students to one another and to the faculty,” said Conrad. “They create venues for students to actively engage with the material and to make connections that are more difficult to make when students take separate courses.”