Community Studies
2015-16 General Catalog
213 Oakes Academic Building
(831) 459-2371
http://communitystudies.ucsc.edu
Program Description
Founded in 1969, community studies is the oldest interdisciplinary program at UCSC. The longstanding hallmarks of community studies are its focus on social justice and its distinctive pedagogy integrating classroom learning and extended field study. Community studies was a national pioneer in the field of experiential education and its civic engagement model has been emulated widely. Community studies was also a pioneer in addressing principles of social justice, specifically inequities arising from race, class and gender dynamics in society at large, and in critically assessing strategies for achieving social change.
The undergraduate major offers highly motivated and focused students the opportunity to pursue a rigorous course of study combining on- and off-campus learning. On campus, students complete a core curriculum enabling them to identify, analyze, and help construct strategies for social justice movements, nonprofit sector advocacy, public policy making, and social enterprise. The core curriculum works in tandem with topical coursework that develops expertise in specific domains of social science scholarship related to their field study. Off campus, students commit to spending six months immersed in a setting where they participate in and analyze the social justice work of an organization, with a goal of making a meaningful contribution to the organization’s mission. Students work independently but with active guidance from both campus faculty and an on-site supervisor from the field study organization.
The undergraduate core curriculum begins with the development of skills in social analysis and field observation/participation while deepening students’ knowledge of specific histories and theoretical perspectives essential to the study of communities and social transformation. Next, through the six-month full-time field study, students engage with specific communities through residence and participation in an organization with a social justice mission. This intensive and extended immersion is a distinguishing feature of the community studies major. Finally, students return to campus to analyze their field study experience and its relation to their ongoing classroom-based learning. The major culminates with a senior capstone integrating academic coursework, field study analysis, and original writing.
With the guidance of faculty and staff advisers, community studies students choose field placements related to one of the program’s areas of focus in health justice and economic justice. In the past, placements have been arranged with community health clinics, women’s and feminist organizations, immigrant-rights centers, media advocacy organizations, homeless resource and support groups, sustainable development projects, queer and transgender organizations, neighborhood or workers’ collectives, civil rights groups, community food security programs, legal clinics, community-based cultural organizations, programs for seniors, tenant or labor unions, HIV/AIDS advocacy groups, harm reduction programs, government agencies and the offices of elected officials, and still other organizations committed to and working for social justice. As political, economic, cultural and technological landscapes shift, so do the needs and opportunities for social justice organizing. It is a dynamic world and throughout its history Community Studies has been noteworthy for being attuned and responsive to innovative field study opportunities.
Community studies alumni have pursued a wide variety of professional careers in health care, K-12 education, public policy, social work, urban planning, higher education, and law. According to a 2005 alumni survey, almost 100 alumni have founded non-profit social justice organizations and many more have served on non-profit boards and/or in executive director positions.
Program Overview
Community studies is a major with a sequential core curriculum. This means that core curriculum courses must be completed in a specific order:
| Fall Quarter | CMMU 10, Introduction to Community Activism |
| Winter (pre-field study) | CMMU 101, Communities, Social Movements, and the Third Sector |
| Spring | CMMU 102, Preparation for Field Study |
| Summer/Fall | CMMU 198. Independent Field Study (15 units per quarter) |
| Winter (post-field study) | CMMU 194, Analysis of Field Study |
In addition to the core curriculum, students must successfully complete at least three topical courses to develop expertise in their designated emphasis (health justice and/or economic justice). Students are encouraged to take as many topical courses as possible prior to their field study. Two directed electives complete the requirements for the major, one each in the areas of race/class/privilege and regional/historical contexts. These electives are designed to ensure that all students develop knowledge of the history, culture, and political economy of the place where they will be carrying out their field study—whether that place is a neighborhood in Santa Cruz, New York City, or a small village in Guatemala—and develop a critical consciousness about their own social locations. Students must complete both directed electives before beginning field study.
A list of approved topical and elective courses will be posted in the program office and updated regularly on the program web site.
In sum, the program includes courses that develop a substantive focus for field study immersion, courses that contextualize the field study in wider social and geographical processes, and courses offering instruction about methods relevant to conducting and analyzing the field study experience.
Transfer Students
The Community Studies program can easily accommodate students who transfer to UCSC for the fall quarter. To ensure a smooth transition, all transfer students should contact the Community Studies undergraduate adviser as early as possible to discuss course enrollment and declaring the major.
Declaring the Major
In order to declare the community studies major, a student must satisfactorily complete CMMU 10, Introduction to Community Activism, and at least one upper division topical course from the approved list of courses. Students may then declare the community studies major at any time, but must declare prior to enrolling in CMMU 102, Preparation for Field Study. As part of the declaration process, students meet with the program director to review their academic plan for the major, including discussion of field study possibilities, directed electives, and appropriate courses to meet the topical requirements. Students must submit their approved academic plan and declaration petition to the Community Studies staff adviser. Any change to the student’s academic plan must be approved by the program director.
Major Course Requirements
10, Introduction to Community Activism
This course introduces students to different approaches to community activism including charity, volunteering, labor and community organizing, non-violent resistance, non-profit sector involvement, and media advocacy.
101, Communities, Social Movements, and the Third Sector
This course critically engages with concepts central to the major including constructions of community in social-change efforts and the institutionalization of social movements in third-sector organizations. It is designed to deepen students’ understanding of the opportunities and obstacles embedded in various avenues of social action.
102, Preparation for Field Study
This course examines participatory and other social-research methods including participant observation, conducting interviews, writing ethnographic field notes, and collecting descriptive data. Students receive practical experience with developing research questions, methods, and writing field notes. The course also addresses ethical and logistical issues of community-based research. The final project is a literature review completed in partial satisfaction of the disciplinary communication (DC) general education requirement.
Topical Requirements
Students must complete three upper-division courses in the topical area of health justice and/or economic justice from available approved courses listed below. The program director also may approve other courses, as appropriate. These courses are an essential component of the community studies major because they define the focus of students’ overall academic plan and their work on full-time study. The topical requirements also permit students to work across academic disciplines by enrolling in the many fascinating topical courses offered by community studies affiliate faculty. Note that not all topical courses are offered every academic year. Check the program website for current year offerings.
Race, Class, and Privilege Electives
These upper-division courses should examine race, class, and other hierarchies of difference as they intersect with structural inequality, self-identification, and identity politics. Students complete this requirement through a course selected from an approved list of directed electives posted on the Community Studies program web site and at the program office.
Regional/Historical Electives
Students have a choice of upper-division courses that provide historical/geographic knowledge of particular peoples, places, or regions relevant to their full-time field study. Students complete this requirement through a course selected from an approved list of directed electives posted on the Community Studies program web site and at the program office.
Topical Courses
Community Studies
CMMU 132, American Cities and Social Change
CMMU 134, No Place Like Home
CMMU 141, Economic Justice
CMMU 143, Walmart Nation
CMMU 145, Globalization and its Discontents
CMMU 149, Political Economy of Food and Agriculture
CMMU 156, Politics of Obesity
CMMU 157, Ageism and Activism
CMMU 160, Women’s Health Activism
CMMU 161, Introduction to Public Health
CMMU 162, Community Gardens and Social Change
CMMU 163, Health Care Inequalities
CMMU 186, Agriculture, Food and Social Justice
Anthropology
ANTH 134, Medical Anthropology: An Introduction
ANTH 136, Biology of Everyday Life
ANTH 153, Medicine and Colonialism
ANTH 194P, Space, Place, and Culture
Economics
ECON 180, Labor Economics
ECON 189, Political Economy of Capitalism
History
HIS 115A, U.S. Labor History to 1919
HIS 115B, U.S. Labor History 1919-present
HIS 115C, Learning from the U.S. Great Depression
HIS 123, Immigrants/Immigration in U.S. History
HIS 190S, Women and Social Movements in the U.S.
Latin American and Latino Studies
LALS 166, Latino Families in Transition
LALS 175, Migration, Gender, and Health
Politics
POLI 120C, State and Capitalism in American Political Development
POLI 122, Politics, Labor, and Markets in the U.S.
POLI 124, Politics, Poverty, and Inequality in America
POLI 190L, Poverty Politics
Psychology
PSYC 147A, Psychology and Law
PSYC 147B, Psychology and Law
PSYC 149, Community Psychology: Transforming Communities
PSYC 153, Psychology of Poverty and Social Class
PSYC 155, Social-Community Psychology in Practice
PSYC 159H, Community-based Interventions
Sociology
SOCY 122, Sociology of Law
SOCY 127, Drugs in Society
SOCY 131, Media, Marketing, and Culture
SOCY 176A, Work and Society
SOCY 177, Urban Sociology
SOCY 177E, Eco-Metropolis: Research Seminar in Urban and Environmental Studies
SOCY 177G, Global Cities
198, Full-Time Independent Field Study
During the full-time, six-month field study, students are enrolled at UCSC and receive full-time university credit. Students are required to submit field notes and several analytical essays during the field study. Students are guided by a campus faculty adviser and on-site organization supervisor.
194, Analysis of Field Materials
This course is designed for students returning from their full-time field study and has two related goals: (1) to help students, both individually and collectively, analyze and gain perspective on their field experiences; and (2) to facilitate completion of the senior capstone requirement. Students work with their field material to develop findings and arguments and connect those to relevant theoretical literature(s). Then, in a series of discussion forums, they use their analyses to confront those issues that most forcefully challenge social justice work in the contemporary moment. The written work of 194 completes the DC requirement.
Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement
Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division DC requirement. The community studies program’s model of experiential pedagogy relies heavily on writing instruction to develop students’ analytical, reflexive, and communication skills. As stated, although students in the major develop disciplinary writing skills throughout the core curriculum, they fulfill the DC requirement with course 102 and course 194.
Senior Capstone Requirement
In addition to the full-time field study, another distinctive feature of the major is the emphasis placed on the capstone. Each student must fulfill this requirement, either through a senior essay, a senior thesis or a student-directed seminar. For a thesis or student-directed seminar, the student must work directly with a faculty adviser, usually for two quarters.
Senior Essay: All students complete a senior essay that incorporates field study observations and contextualizes their findings historically and theoretically. Most students pursue this capstone option. The minimum length is 25 pages, plus bibliography. The senior essay is completed entirely in course 194, Analysis of Field Materials.
Senior Thesis: Outstanding students may choose to complete a senior thesis, which is comprised of field-study observations, historical and theoretical contextualizations of the field study, and deeper analysis of the social justice issues at the heart of the field study. The thesis also involves post-field-study research; typical length is 40–50 pages, including bibliography. The senior essay completed during course 194 will become the foundation for the thesis, whether as a template to be elaborated or as one or more chapters of the completed thesis.
Student-Directed Seminar (SDS): The SDS capstone option is reserved for exceptional students. Under the direction of a faculty adviser, the student develops and teaches a Community Studies 42 course related to the student’s field study and academic coursework and submits a seminar completion report. Student-directed seminars need advance planning; a proposal for the SDS must be completed before beginning the field study.
Honors in the Major
Honors in the community studies major are awarded to graduating seniors whose performance, including coursework, field study, and the senior capstone, is judged by a faculty committee to have achieved excellence. Highest honors in the major are reserved for students with consistently outstanding academic performance.
Program Learning Outcomes
Community studies identifies eight Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) that together capture exciting cross currents within the major. The PLOs combine classroom and experiential learning related to the social justice domains of health and economic inequality. They also enumerate expectations for student achievement in social science research and writing and communication skills within a diverse society.
Critical Thinking
Students earning a B.A. in Community Studies will be able to:
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demonstrate deep knowledge of the history, causes, and contemporary manifestations of specific social justice issues related to health and economic inequality;
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deconstruct institutional power residing in private enterprise, government, the media, and/or the non-‐profit sector;
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analyze how communities attempt to overcome problems associated with inequality, cultural stigma, prejudice, and discrimination;
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articulate research questions, methods, and findings appropriate to social science inquiry; and
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demonstrate analytical writing ability that effectively integrates theoretical and experiential knowledge about social justice.
Community Engagement
Students earning a B.A. in Community studies will be able to:
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identify, analyze, and help to construct strategies for social change through participation in the social justice work of an organization;
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exhibit ethnographic observation skills by maintaining a regular record of detailed field notes;
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demonstrate effective communication with the diverse constituencies involved in social justice work.
Revised: 09/01/15
