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, we address principles of social justice and the dynamics of racial and class inequity as well as 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 lively choice of concentrations in which to specialize, including public health and health politics, political economy, agriculture and food justice, race and racism, historical and contemporary social movements, globalization, politics of culture, and systems of documentary representation. Pedagogically, community studies relies on developing a dynamic 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. The department’s model of specific communities through residence and participation in (mostly) non-profit organizations with a social change mission. The undergraduate core curriculum focuses on the development of academic tools for social analysis and field observations/participation while deepening students’ knowledge of specific histories and theoretical perspectives that are essential to the student of communities and transformation. Students complete the major by preparing a senior capstone project integrating academic course work, field study, and original research work. The major usually takes about two years to complete.

With the intellectual 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 with health centers, immigrant rights organizations, newspapers, minority media outlets, city planning departments, neighborhood organizations, civil rights groups, farm-to-school programs, 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, and a field study resource office is available to assist students in selecting an appropriate field study organization.

Major Program

The program for all students in the major includes preparatory courses, the field study itself, post-field-study course work, electives chosen to broaden knowledge for the individual’s senior capstone requirement, and the capstone requirement itself. Students who wish to pursue a major in Community Studies are required to satisfactorily complete Community Studies 10, Introduction to Community Activism. It is recommended that students complete this course prior to beginning their path through the sequential core curriculum, i.e., before they enroll in Community Studies 100(A-Z). It is required that students satisfactorily complete Introduction to Community Activism prior to beginning Community Studies 198, the full-time field study.

It is important to emphasize community studies is a major with a sequential core curriculum. This means required courses must be taken in a specified order established by the quarter(s) when those courses are offered.

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 will learn about a distinct area of academic theory and social justice practice that will become the focus of their academic study plan, field study, and senior capstone requirement. Several sections of Community Studies 100(A–Z) are offered each fall and winter quarter. Theory and practice topics vary from year to year and may include economic justice; health care; race and ethnicity; immigration, social documentation, agriculture and food; Asian-American activism; resistance and social movements; and cultural work and social justice. Following the Theory and Practice seminars is Community Studies 102, Preparation for Field Study, offered only in spring quarter.

Students are expected to arrange the rest of their academic program of study around the two-quarter (six-month) full-time field study (15 units each quarter). Students must conduct their fieldwork in summer and fall quarters so that they can immediately follow up with Community Studies 194, Analysis of Field Materials, offered only in winter quarter.

Language competency must be demonstrated by students planning a field study in a non-English speaking country. 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 completing their field study—whether that place is a neighborhood in Santa Cruz, New York City, or a small village in Guatemala. Students may also find media production skills useful in their fieldwork and are encouraged to visit the Social Sciences Media Laboratory, located in 47 Social Sciences 2, 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 a Community Studies 100(A–Z) seminar 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 academic and social justice focus. Because of their small size, the Community Studies 100(A–Z) seminars are enrolled by “interview only.” Although they are open to all students, prospective community studies majors enjoy priority enrollment.

To fulfill the declaration of major process, prospective majors must prepare a three- to four-page essay outlining how their academic and 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 Community Studies 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. If you are accepted into the class, a permission number will be given to you; you can then move on to the next step.
3. Print out a Declaration of Major petition from your student portal (MyUCSC), 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) for completing all requirements for the major including field study and upper-division electives. (Be prepared to be flexible on your elective choices as your faculty adviser may make other recommendations during step 5.)
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. The department is interested in both the substance of your essay and your ability to express yourself in written form.
   • The 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 intersection of nationality, immigration, ethnicity, racial privilege, class, gender, age, and sexuality in you background and current social status.
   • The ways your social location may influence and be influenced by your six-month field placement.
5. Meet with your Community Studies 100(A–Z) seminar professor to discuss your essay, field-study plans, electives, 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. Before the declaration of major deadline, 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 completing step 6. Failure to do so will defer your progress in the major until the following year when the 102 course is again offered. CMMU 102 is offered only in spring quarter.

A student may be directed to another department of study on campus in those instances where his/her academic 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 from which they will decide who gets priority in the class. It is wise to meet with him or 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 Core
Sequence Requirements Credits

10 Introduction to Community 5
Activism
(spring)

100(A–Z) Theory and Practice 5
(fall or winter)

102 Preparation for Field Studies
(spring) 5
198 Independent Field Study
(summer/fall) 30
194 Analysis of Field Materials
(winter) 5
Three upper-division electives
(all quarters) 15

10, Introduction to Community Activism

Community Studies 10 seeks to make sense of our contemporary era when community activism would seem so alive and well, and yet a shocking and sad number of people continue to lead lives of material deprivation and social exclusion. A goal of the course is resolving this seeming paradox by making clear and necessary distinctions among charity, empowerment, grass roots organizing, and human rights—put simply, activism designed to help people and activism designed to eliminate the need for help.

The course explores different kinds of community activism (e.g., volunteering, faith-based activism, nonprofit-based service provision and advocacy, community-based organizing) and critically appraises their strengths and shortcomings and their interconnectedness. The aim is learning how certain desirable societal outcomes (e.g., ending hunger, eliminating homelessness, improving on-the-job working conditions) are made more or less possible through different activism strategies. A central goal is developing a critical perspective on the contemporary political economy of charity and so-called empowerment. Toward this end, we consider how the brave new world of neoliberalism has set in motion a devolution of responsibility for collective well-being to the individual through the efficacy of localized private organizations that now constitute sites where political struggle takes place and citizens are formed.

100(A–Z), Theory and Practice Seminars

Each of these courses explores the relationship between theory, practice, and social justice within a particular subject area. The Community Studies 100(A–Z) seminars are designed to raise questions about the relationships between different theoretical perspectives and social justice. For example, do social psychological, historical, or literary theories vary in their usefulness in helping us understand social justice work around race and racism? What is the relationship between activism and theory? How do social justice activists select, develop, and, sometimes, even seem to reject their own theoretical perspectives?

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 immerses 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 with a local community-based social justice organization is a central component of the course; this activity should ideally approximate the kind of work students intend for their full-time field study. Other course components for 102 are organized around the part-time field study for this 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.

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 capstone requirement. A central question addressed in the course is how the student’s theory and practice of social justice has been affected by his or 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.

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 intellectual 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 the substantive content of the courses is related to the full-time field study and academic plan. 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.

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): 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.

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 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 demonstrate that the student gained insight into processes of social change.