Community Studies

231 Oakes Academic Building
(831) 459-2371
http://communitystudies.ucsc.edu

Program Description

Community studies is an interdisciplinary major that integrates scholarship and community engagement in both research and teaching. Since its founding in 1969, and across radically changing political landscapes, the department has maintained a focus on identifying, analyzing, and helping to construct sites for social change and cultural transformation. To this end, the Community Studies Department addresses principles of social justice and the dynamics of racial and class inequity through courses that explore constructions of community and their implications.

The range of the faculty’s disciplines, research interests, and arenas of civic engagement permits the department to delve into cross-cutting contemporary approaches that color every aspect of social life. The major offers community studies students a dynamic array of courses in areas such as public health and health politics, gender and sexuality, political economy and globalization, agriculture and food justice, race and racism, historical and contemporary social movements, immigration history and policy, and the theory and practice of documentary representation.

 Pedagogically, community studies relies on developing a critical awareness of the relationship between the theoretical and practical issues involved in social change, and of the wider global contexts in which social justice is defined and achieved. A distinguishing feature of the community studies major is the six-month, full-time field study. The department’s model of field study immersion requires undergraduate majors to spend six months engaging with specific communities through residence and participation (mostly) non-profit organizations with a social change and/or social justice mission. The undergraduate core curriculum focuses on the development of academic tools for social analysis and field observation/participation while deepening students’ knowledge of specific histories and theoretical perspectives that are essential to the study of communities and transformation. Students complete their work in the major with a senior capstone project integrating academic course work, field study, and original research. The major usually takes about two years to complete.

With the shared guidance of a faculty adviser and a field study coordinator, community studies students choose field placements related to one of the department’s areas of focus. Placements have been arranged in the past with health centers, immigrant rights organizations, newspapers, media centers, direct action mobilizations, sustainable development projects, city planning departments, neighborhood organizations, civil rights groups, farm-to-school programs, battered women’s shelters, legal clinics, community-based cultural organizations, 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.

Facilities

The Community Studies Department maintains several unique resources for students. A media laboratory is available where majors can learn the use of video, audio, and photography as research and presentation tools. Two field-study coordinators work with students to develop part- and full-time field studies, and a field study resource office is available to assist students in selecting an appropriate organization. The field study office provides logistical and academic support during the field study, while also functioning as a liaison between students, faculty, and host organizations.

Major Program

The program for all students in the major includes courses that develop a substantive focus for the field study, courses that contextualize the field study in broader social forces, courses that provide methodological tools for analyzing the field study, the field study itself, and the capstone requirement. Students who wish to pursue a major in Community Studies are recommended to satisfactorily complete course 10, Introduction to Community Activism prior to beginning their path through the sequential core curriculum, i.e., before they enroll in Community Studies (CMMU) 100 (A-Z).

It is important to emphasize community studies is a major with a sequential core curriculum. This means that some required courses must be successfully completed in a specified order, as indicated by the quarter(s) when those courses are offered.

Students are expected to arrange the rest of their academic program of study around the six-month, full-time field study (two quarters of 15 units each). Students must conduct their fieldwork in summer and fall quarters so that they can enroll in course 194, Analysis of Field Materials immediately upon their return because course 194 is offered only in winter quarter. The remaining two directed electives, one course in political economy (the 140 series) and one course focusing on cultural politics and representation, may be completed any quarter prior to finishing the major.

Language competency must be demonstrated by all students planning a field study in a non-English speaking country and, therefore, such students must plan appropriate language study well in advance of the field study. In addition, students must demonstrate 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. Students who find media production relevant to their fieldwork and are required to take course 80L prior to their field study; note that course 80L includes labs facilitated by the instructional staff of the Social Sciences Media Laboratory, located in 47 Social Sciences 2.

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 a CMMU 100(A–Z) seminar and the other may be any of five-credit, lower- or upper-division course except for the 42 series of student directed seminars or independent or field studies.

The process of declaring the community studies major begins when a student enrolls in a section of CMMU  100(A–Z), the gateway seminar series. Prospective majors must choose a seminar that matches their own academic and social justice focus. Because of their small size, the CMMU  100(A–Z) seminars are enrolled through an “interview only” procedure, which usually takes the form of attending the first class, participating in discussion, and completing a questionnaire regarding background and interests. Based on this interview, each CMMU 100 (A-Z) instructor will decide who gets priority in the class. Although they are open to all students, prospective community studies majors enjoy priority enrollment. You must attend the first class to be considered for enrollment.

It is wise to communicate with your potential CMMU 100 (A-Z) instructor to discuss your plans for the major prior to the beginning of the quarter to make sure that the Community Studies Department and the specific course you have chosen is appropriate for your interests and needs. 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 areas of expertise and/or the student’s academic interests cannot be fulfilled by current department offerings.

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. If you are accepted into the class, a permission number will allow you to register; you can then move on to the next step.

3. Print out a Declaration of Major petition from http://advising.ucsc.edu, fill in the University General Education and College Requirements portion, and obtain the signature of your college adviser. Complete the Application for Admission to Community Studies (available in the Student Handbook, found on the department web site: communitystudies.ucsc.edu. Prepare an academic study plan on a separate piece of paper with your plans for completing all requirements for the major including field study and selection of directed electives.

4. Write a three- to four-page essay (typewritten) explaining:

• Why you think that the community studies major is the best way for you to pursue your academic and social change interests and how your focus matches the emphasis of your gateway seminar.
• The type of social change or 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), to prepare you to work with this organization.
  Your social location, defined as the intersections of nationality, immigration history, ethnicity, racial privilege, class, gender, age, urban/rural/suburban/ex-urban upbringing, and/or sexuality that affect how you perceive and act in the world.
• The ways your social location may influence and/or be influenced by your proposed six-month field placement.

Keep in mind that the department is interested in both the substance of your essay and your ability to express yourself in written form.

5. Meet with your Community Studies 100(A–Z) seminar professor to discuss your essay, electives, field-study plans, electives, and other application materials. Be prepared to be flexible on your elective choices as your faculty adviser may make other recommendations. 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. Well before the deadline for the declaration of major, bring your completed Declaration of Major petition, draft study plan, signed application form, and essay to the Community Studies Department office (231 Oakes College) for final approval and processing. You are not officially declared until step 6 is finalized.

Note: you cannot begin course 102 without declaring the major. Failure to do so will defer your progress in the major until the following year when the 102 course is next offered (spring only).

Major Course Requirements

100(A–Z), Gateway Seminars

The CMMU 100 (A-Z) seminars provide students with a substantive focus for their academic work and field study. In each of these courses, students learn about the social, cultural, historical, geographic, and/or economic context of specific issues as well as efforts to change existing conditions.

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 research. The final project is a field study prospectus with articulated research questions and methods.

120-129, Race, Class, and Privilege Electives

These courses examine race, class, and other hierarchies of difference as they intersect with structural inequality, self-identification, and identity politics. The requirement may be satisfied within or outside the department from a pre-approved list of courses.

130-139, Regional/Historical Electives

Students have a choice of courses that provide historical/geographic knowledge of particular peoples, places, or regions in preparation for their field study. The requirement may be satisfied within or outside the department from a pre-approved list of courses, by petition, or through an approved independent study.

140-149, Political Economy Electives

Students have a choice of courses that examine the dynamics, logics, and/or institutions of colonialism, capitalism, neoliberalism, and/or globalization. The requirement may be satisfied within or outside the department from a pre-approved list of courses.

150-159, Cultural Politics and Representation Electives

Students have a choice of courses that examine ideas of discourse, social construction, knowledge, and representation as they help explain political and cultural contestation in the arts, science, medicine, media, and everyday life. The requirement may be satisfied within or outside the department from a pre-approved list of courses.

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 papers during the field study.

194, Analysis of Field Materials

This course is designed for students 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 capstone requirement. Students work with their field material to develop findings and arguments. 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.

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. The DC requirement will normally be met within one to three courses already required for the major. For detailed information on this major’s DC requirement, consult your major adviser or see the 2010-11 general catalog.

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 incorporates field study observations and contextualizes their findings historically and theoretically; the essay can incorporate writing completed in other courses, including CMMU 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 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. In general, a thesis involves a more tightly developed argument related to field study findings than the senior essay. It may also involve post-field-study research; typical length is 35–50 pages, including bibliography. Students begin the senior thesis during course 194 and should complete it in the following quarter(s) by enrolling in course 195, Senior Thesis.

Senior Project: Students may choose to complete a senior project in other genres of social documentation including video production, photography, audio 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 by enrolling in course 195,
Senior 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 that relates to the student’s field study and social justice focus, accompanied by a seminar completion report.

The department selects only a limited number of student-directed seminars each year. Selection is based on the excellence 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.

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.

Honors in the Major

Honors in the community studies major are awarded to graduating seniors whose academic performance in their major coursework is judged to be consistently excellent to outstanding. Students must also do excellent work on their senior capstone requirement; an honors-eligible senior essay must be particularly outstanding. The senior capstone must have intellectual merit, a genuine social change/social justice focus, and evidence that the student gained insight into processes of social change. In accordance with UCSC policy, the Community Studies Department aims to award honors to approximately 15 percent of community studies graduates.