To help students meet the demands of society, the University of Houston is using the framework of learning communities and constructivism to create a cross-disciplinary approach to teaching to provide media-rich thematically linked courses to engage a diverse student population. A case study investigated three semesters of thematically linked courses, "Places in Time and Multicultural America," that used a thematic cross-disciplinary approach to curriculum involving the History and English departments, the Instructional Technology Program, the University Writing Center, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. During this study, the need for a new linked courses model evolved that supports the inclusion of university and community resources. (Contains 3 figures.)