Community Studies


207 College Eight Academic Building
(831) 459-2371
http://communitystudies.ucsc.edu

Community studies, an interdisciplinary major, is integrating knowledge and methodologies from the social sciences and humanities to examine theory and practice in a variety of social justice domains. The UCSC faculty offer courses related to social justice—including broad structural and social changes and community-based organizing—in the following areas: global political economy with regional and local impacts; the intersection of class, race, gender, and sexuality in relation to health; labor studies, including the history of the working class; youth cultures, youth activism, and empowerment; race and racism; cultural work in social justice; gay and lesbian issues; and resistance and social movements. The faculty has engaged in community-oriented fieldwork in the U.S., Latin America, and elsewhere.

The major provides an opportunity for the student who is actively committed to social justice to work on a full-time basis beyond the boundaries of the university. Each student in the program builds his or her curriculum around a combination of course work and a six-month field study or internship with a community organization or agency. The core curriculum includes courses in preparation for field study as well as in theory and analysis. Students complete the major by preparing a senior project integrating field study, classroom, and research work. The program has no lower-division prerequisites and usually takes about two years to complete.

With the guidance of a faculty adviser and a field study coordinator, UC Santa Cruz community studies students choose field placements related to one of the department’s core areas. The majority of field studies have been in California, although students have worked as far away as Mexico, Central America, New York, Thailand, London, Paris, and Nairobi. Placements have been with health centers, immigrant rights organizations, newspapers, minority media outlets, city planning departments, neighborhood organizations, civil rights groups, battered women’s shelters, legal clinics, programs for seniors, tenant unions, government agencies and the offices of elected officials, trade unions, and other organizations committed to and working for social justice in communities.

Facilities

The Community Studies Department maintains several unique resources for students. A media laboratory is available for majors (and others in the social sciences) to learn the use of video, radio, film, and graphic media as research and presentation tools. Two field-study coordinators work with students to develop part- and full-time field studies.

Major Program

The program for all students in the major includes preparatory courses, the field study, post-field-study course work, electives chosen to broaden knowledge for the senior capstone requirement, and the senior capstone requirement itself.

To begin the major and declaration process, a student must be enrolled in one of the Community Studies 100(A–Z), Theory and Practice, seminars. These seminars are gateways into the community studies major. Students learn about a distinct area of social change and social justice theory and practice that will become the focus of their academic study plan, field study, and senior project. Several sections of Community Studies 100(A–Z) are offered each fall and winter quarters. Topics vary from year to year and may include economic justice; health care; race and ethnicity; immigration, social documentation, sustainability in agro-food systems; youth empowerment; and resistance and social movements.

Students are expected to plan the rest of their program of study around the two-quarter (six-month) full-time field study. Students complete their fieldwork in summer and fall so that they can immediately follow up with course 194, Analysis of Field Materials, offered only in winter quarter.

Knowledge of Spanish or another language is useful to many students in their fieldwork. Students are required to have appropriate language skills for their field studies. Students may also find media production skills useful in their fieldwork and are encouraged to visit the Social Sciences Media Laboratory, located in Social Sciences 2 Building, early in their academic career.

Admission to the Major

A general background or course work in politics, sociology, anthropology, and/or community activism is suggested for students considering the community studies major. Students are required to have enrolled in two community studies courses at the time they declare the major: one must be one of the 100(A–Z) seminars and the other may be any of the lower- or upper-division courses except for the 42 series of student directed seminars or independent or field studies.

The process of declaring the community studies major properly begins when a student enrolls in a section of Community Studies 100(A–Z), the Theory and Practice seminar series. Prospective majors must choose a seminar that matches their own social justice and field-study focus. These seminars are offered during fall and winter quarters only. Because of their small size, the 100(A–Z) seminars in which students enroll are by “interview only.” Although they are open to all students, prospective community studies majors enjoy priority enrollment.

To fulfill the declarations of the major process, prospective majors must prepare a three-page essay outlining how their social justice focus matches the emphasis of their theory and practice seminar. The essay should also describe their academic study plan, including relevant upper-division electives and their tentative field-study plans. Students then meet with the professor in charge of their 100(A–Z) seminar to review and discuss the essay and other application materials. Occasionally, a student is not accepted into the major because the student’s social justice and field-study focus are poorly matched with the department’s theory and practice areas.

Instructions for Applying to the Major

1. Attend a department orientation held at the beginning of each quarter (check the Schedule of Classes for date/time/location).
2. Choose and enroll in the appropriate Community Studies 100(A–Z) seminar (see enrollment procedures below).
3. Pick up a Declaration of Major petition from your college; and obtain approval for Part 1, signed off by your college academic preceptor. Prepare an academic study plan for completing all requirements for the major including field study and upper-division electives. (We strongly suggest you consult with your Community Studies 100[A–Z] instructor when you develop your academic plan.)
4. Write a three- or four-page essay (typewritten) explaining why you want to be a community studies major. Include in this essay a description of the following:
   • the social change/social justice organization with which you expect to work;• the classes you have taken and/or plan to take, in addition to Community Studies 100(A–Z), which prepare you to work with this organization;
   • your social location (Social location is the intersection of nationality, immigration, ethnicity, racial privilege, class, gender, age, and sexuality in your background and current social status);
   • the ways in which this will influence and be influ- enced by your six-month field placement.
5. Before the declaration of major deadline, meet with your Community Studies 100(A–Z) seminar professor to discuss your essay, field-study plans, and other application materials. Obtain the faculty signature on the application form. Bring any evaluations or progress reports from currently enrolled courses to support your application to the major.
6. 6. Bring your completed Declaration of Major petition, draft study plan, signed application form, and essay to the Community Studies Department Office (202 College Eight) for final approval and processing.

Note: you cannot begin course 102 without completing step 6. Failure to do so will defer you to the next year in which course 102 is offered.

A student may be directed to another department of study on campus in those instances where his/her interests cannot be fulfilled by current department offerings.

Community Studies 100(A–Z) Enrollment Procedures

All Community Studies 100(A–Z) courses are “Interview Only.” Our goal is to provide access to these courses for those students who plan to become community studies majors. You must attend the first day of class. Each instructor will ask you to provide information on which they will base their decision as to who gets priority in the class. It is wise to meet with him/her to discuss your plans for the major prior to the beginning of course 100(A–Z) to make sure that Community Studies Department and the 100(A–Z) course you have chosen is appropriate for your needs.

Major Course Requirements

Summary of Requirements Credits

• 100(A–Z) Theory and Practice 5 (fall or winter)
• 102 Preparation for Field Studies 5 (spring)
• 198 Independent Field Study 30 (summer/fall)
• 194 Analysis of Field Materials 5 (winter)
• Three upper-division electives 15 (all quarters)

The primary course objective is demonstrating how current issues and problems can be researched by better understanding the relationship between theory and practice—how theory gives rise to certain kinds of issues and actions and, in turn, how practice can introduce new ways of thinking about the world. The goal is to expose students to different ways of perceiving and understanding the world and to engage them in an ongoing dialogue about the “practical implications of theory” and the “theoretical implications of practice.”

102, Preparation for Field Study

This course is designed to immerse community studies majors who are planning full-time field study in the practical and theoretical work of field study with a focus on activist research—that is, study conducted by and with activists so as to participate in and learn from their work. A required part-time field study of six to eight hours/week with a local community-based social justice organization is a central component of the course that should ideally approximate the kind of work students intend for their full-time field study. Other course assignments are organized around this core component of the course.?

Community Studies 102 engages students in a range of issues common to all field studies and focuses on the relationship between theory, field methods, and on-the-ground fieldwork. It gives students the opportunity to develop interpersonal and organizational skills and to learn how to relate issues in the fieldwork within a community/region to those within the global society. Assignments are designed to rigorously prepare students for activist research in a social justice organization by fostering specific research and organizing skills.

Upper-Division Electives

Each student in the major must complete three upper-division electives. The purpose of the elective requirement is to ensure that students have the necessary substantive background for their field studies and senior capstone requirement. At least one of these courses must be from the Community Studies Department, but the other two may be from another campus program as long as their topics are related to the full-time field study. Senior Thesis and independent studies do not fulfill the elective requirement. At least two of the three electives must be completed prior to the full-time field study. Electives must be approved by the student’s 100(A–Z) seminar professor.

198, Full-Time Independent Field Study

A distinguishing feature of the community studies major is the six-month, full-time field study, an arrangement facilitated by the student’s Community Studies 100(A–Z) instructor and the field study coordinators. During the field study, students are enrolled at UCSC and receive full-time university credit. Students in the 100(A–Z) courses are presented with recommended organizations from which to select their placements. The Field Study Office provides full placement information and guidelines for setting up placements, along with logistical and academic support during the field study.

194, Analysis of Field Materials

This course is designed for community studies seniors returning from their full-time field study. The course has two related goals: (1) to help students, both individually and collectively, analyze and gain perspective on their field experiences and (2) to move students through the process of completing the senior projects. A central question addressed in the course is how the student’s theory and practice of social justice has been affected by his/her field experience. Each student has a unique field-study experience; and, collectively, students have been involved with widely varying types of organizations with little or no relation to each other. Yet there is common ground, and students have much to learn from each other. Thus, a related objective of this course is to discover and travel the common ground. For students completing the major with a senior essay, the essay is completed in course 194. For students doing a senior thesis, project, or student-directed seminar, the student completes at least three major pieces of writing; some or all of which will be incorporated into the completed thesis, project, or student-directed seminar.

Senior Capstone Requirement

Each student must fulfill a senior capstone requirement, either through the senior essay, a senior thesis, a senior project, or a student-directed seminar. For a thesis, project, or student-directed seminar, the student must choose a faculty member to serve as his or her adviser.

Senior Essay: Students complete a senior essay that analyzes local, global, and theoretical contextualizations of field study; the essay should incorporate essays completed in other courses, including course 100(A–Z) and field study, along with essays written in course 194. The minimum length is 25 pages, plus bibliography. The senior essay is completed entirely in course 194, Analysis of Field Materials.

Senior Thesis: Some students may choose to complete a senior thesis, which is comprised of linked essays combining local and global contextualizations of field study and theoretical and historical analysis of social justice issues at the heart of the field study. The thesis can incorporate essays from other courses (including course 194), but must involve significant post-field-study research using primary source materials; typical length is 35–50 pages, including bibliography. Students begin the senior thesis during course 194 and generally complete it in the following quarter(s).

Senior Project: Students may choose to complete a senior project in other genres of social documentation including film and video production, photography, sound production, creative writing, and other formats such as grant proposals and organizing pamphlets. The senior project also requires a significant analytical essay of 20 pages, plus bibliography, describing the project conceptualization, rationale, methodology, and evaluation. Students begin the senior project during course 194 and complete it the following quarter(s).

Student-Directed Seminar (SDS): Some students may propose to teach a student-directed seminar to fulfill their capstone requirement. Under the direction of a faculty adviser, the student develops and teaches a Community Studies 42 course that relates to the student’s field study and social justice focus, accompanied by a seminar completion report.

The department selects a limited number of student-directed seminars each quarter. Selection is based on the quality of the SDS proposal, the relevance of the subject matter to the major, the student’s background preparation, and the total number of proposals submitted each quarter. The Committee on Educational Policy gives the final approval.

For students interested in teaching a student-directed seminar, it is recommended that they meet with their adviser early on—prior to the full-time field study—to begin the process of obtaining course approval. A short written work providing the theoretical basis for the project, giving a brief analysis of the connection between the student’s field work and the project itself, a course syllabus, a bibliography, and copies of their evaluations are required, along with a letter from the sponsoring faculty.

Students planning on teaching a student-directed seminar must apply and receive approval. Students must also take course 199, Tutorial, the quarter prior to teaching the SDS to give them time to prepare the course material. A Student-Directed Seminar Guide, giving detailed information about preparing for and teaching an SDS, is available in the department office.

Social Documentation Program

Community Studies Department is inaugurating a new Master of Arts degree program in Social Documentation and plans to welcome its first class of students in fall 2005. The program combines the development of technical skill in the production of one or more documentary genres with core skills in social science research and analysis to produce graphic expressions of people's lives and cultures, the conditions in which they work and sustain themselves, and their efforts to improve their lives and communities. The two-year curriculum is interdisciplinary and will involve faculty from Community Studies and other campus departments along with visiting professional documentarians. The new master's program will further the longstanding social justice aims of the department through its emphasis on documenting problematic and underrepresented aspects of social life. Further information regarding the program, its admissions criteria, and the application process can be found at http://communitystudies.ucsc.edu