Community Studies B.A.

Information and Policies

Introduction

Founded in 1969, community studies is the oldest interdisciplinary academic program at UC Santa Cruz. The 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 experiential education and its curricular model has been emulated widely. Community studies also was a pioneer in addressing principles of social justice, specifically inequities arising from race, class and gender dynamics in society, and in critically assessing social change strategies.

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 examining the histories and contemporary dynamics of social justice movements, the nonprofit sector, public policy, and social enterprise. The core curriculum works in tandem with topical coursework that develops social science knowledge related to the program's twin emphases of economic justice and health equity. Off campus, students spend six months on field study participating in the work of an organization, contributing to its mission and developing a critical analysis of its wider field of social action.  Students work independently but with 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 immersion and participation in an organization pursuing a social justice mission. This intensive and extended field study experience 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 classroom-based learning. The major culminates with an original senior capstone integrating academic coursework with field study experience and analysis.

With the guidance of faculty and staff advisers, community studies students choose field placements related to the program’s areas of focus in health equity 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, tenant organizing projects, HIV/AIDS advocacy groups, housing rights advocates, harm-reduction programs, government agencies and the offices of elected officials, and still other organizations committed to and working for social good. As political, economic, cultural and technological landscapes shift, so do the needs and opportunities for social justice organizing. Community studies is attuned to how social transformations generate new opportunities for field study learning. Students graduate from community studies having engaged with a dynamic world through a unique mix of traditional pedagogy and direct experience.

Program Learning Outcomes

Community studies identifies eight Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) that capture exciting cross currents within the major. The PLOs combine classroom and experiential learning related to the social justice domains of health equity and economic justice. 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:

1. demonstrate deep knowledge of the history, causes, and contemporary manifestations of specific social justice issues related to health and economic inequality;
2. deconstruct institutional power residing in private enterprise, government, the media, and/or the non-‐profit sector;
3. analyze how communities attempt to overcome problems associated with inequality, cultural stigma, prejudice, and discrimination;
4. articulate research questions, methods, and findings appropriate to social science inquiry; and
5. 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:

1. identify, analyze, and help to construct strategies for social change through participation in the social justice work of an organization;
2. exhibit ethnographic observation skills by maintaining a regular record of detailed field notes;
3. demonstrate effective communication with the diverse constituencies involved in social justice work.

Academic Advising for the Program

213 Oakes College Academic Building
(831) 459-2371

To receive advising for the community studies major, students should schedule an appointment via slug success, email or call the program adviser. Full contact information is available on the program webpage. Our office is located on the second floor of the Oakes College Academic Building in room 213. The office telephone number is 831-459-2371. Students are encouraged to meet early on with the program adviser to develop an academic plan enabling them to take full advantage of the many learning opportunities available at UC Santa Cruz.

Transfer students should also consult the Transfer Information and Policy section.

Getting Started in the Major: Frosh

Students interested in pursuing the community studies major should communicate with the program adviser to learn about the program's distinctive curriculum and requirements. This is a moderately course-intensive sequential program, and students who intend to pursue this major should begin taking classes for the major in their first or second year at UC Santa Cruz. Completing lower-division general education courses that build an understanding of and engagement with social justice issues is a great way to satisfy university requirements while building a solid foundation for the upper-division coursework required in the community studies major. Completion of the writing requirements before taking the first upper-division topical is strongly encouraged.  

Transfer students should consult the Transfer Information and Policy section for specific recommendations to prepare for the major.

Transfer Information and Policy

Transfer Admission Screening Policy

Prospective students are encouraged to complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or to complete all UC Santa Cruz general education requirements before matriculation. The Community Studies program can easily accommodate students who transfer to UCSC for the fall quarter.  

Transfer students who plan to major in community studies will also find it useful to obtain a background in politics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, or community action and service. Prior to their first quarter at UC Santa Cruz, transfer students should prepare a program of study and once on campus meet with the community studies program adviser to discuss the focus of their academic and field study plans.

Getting Started in the Major: Transfer Students

Transfer students are strongly encouraged to participate in the campus orientation program and connect with the community studies program adviser to develop an academic plan prior to their fall course enrollment.  

Students must complete both CMMU 10, Introduction to Community Activism (offered only in the summer and fall quarters) and one topical course (see the Community Studies website) in either Summer Edge or their first fall term in order to declare the major by the transfer student deadline. Major qualification courses must be taken for a letter grade. Satisfactory completion is defined by a grade of C or better in both major qualifying courses.

As part of the declaration process, transfer students meet with the program director and/or staff adviser to review their academic plan for the major, including discussion of field study possibilities and appropriate courses to meet topical requirements. Students must submit their approved academic plan and declaration petition to the community studies staff adviser.

Significant changes to the student's academic plan must be approved by the program director.

Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process

Major Qualification

Petition to declare your major as soon as you have met qualification requirements and/or reach your declaration deadline quarter, whichever comes first. Students qualify to declare the community studies major by satisfactorily completing CMMU 10, Introduction to Community Activism, and at least one upper-division topical course from the approved list of courses. Major qualification courses must be taken for a letter grade. Satisfactory completion is defined by a grade of C or better in both major qualifying courses. Students must declare prior to enrolling in CMMU 102, Preparation for Field Study.

Students can file a petition to declare the major while still enrolled in major qualification courses if they are approaching their campus declaration deadline (i.e., in their sixth quarter, if admitted as frosh).

Transfer students should also consult the Transfer and Information Policy Section.

Appeal Process

Students who are informed that they are not eligible to declare the major may appeal this decision by submitting a letter addressed to the community studies program director within 15 days from the date of notification. Appeal letters should be submitted via email to the community studies program program adviser. Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, the program will notify the student and college of the decision.

How to Declare a Major

As part of the declaration process, students meet with the program director and/or staff adviser to review their academic plan for the major, including discussion of field study possibilities and appropriate courses to meet topical requirements. Students must submit their approved academic plan and declaration petition to the community studies staff adviser. Significant changes to the student's academic plan must be approved by the program director.

Letter Grade Policy

All courses for the major must be taken for a letter grade. Satisfactory completion of all major course requirements (core curriculum and topical courses) is defined by a grade of C or higher.

Double Majors and Major/Minor Combinations Policy

Many students combine community studies with another major. Students wishing to pursue community studies and a second major (i.e., "double major") should consult with the program adviser as early as possible to plan their course work to satisfy all their degree requirements. 

Community Studies does not offer a minor.

Study Abroad

Participation in EAP and other off-campus programs is strongly encouraged but requires advanced planning. Students considering EAP should schedule a meeting with the community studies adviser to determine the best quarter(s) for participation in such programs. Students may petition to have EAP coursework satisfy one (1) of their topical courses for the major if the EAP course work clearly relates to the student's academic plan in the major. Petitions will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Students are encouraged to learn more about study abroad and other opportunities on UC Santa Cruz's Global Learning website. 

Honors

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.

Requirements and Planners

Course Requirements

Community Studies Majors are required to take a total of 11 courses (one lower-division course in preparation for the major; seven upper-division core classes, two of which are 15 credits each; and three topical classes). In addition, they must successfully complete the senior capstone prior to graduation.

Lower-Division Courses

Complete CMMU 10 as early as possible, the course is only offered in the summer and fall quarter and is one of two required courses to declare the major.  

Upper-Division Courses

Community Studies core curriculum courses follow a sequential pattern and are only offered during specific academic quarters. Therefore it is very important to develop an academic plan as early as possible that takes the core curriculum sequence into account. Below are the required upper division core courses and quarters they are offered:

CMMU 101 winter quarter

CMMU 102 spring quarter

CMMU 105A, CMMU 105B, CMMU 105C summer and fall quarters (30 credits total)

CMMU 107 winter quarter

In addition to the core curriculum, students must successfully complete three topical courses to develop expertise in health equity and/or economic justice. Students are required to take all three topical courses prior to their field study (CMMU 105 Full-time field study- 15 credits per quarter, completed in the summer and fall)

Topical Courses

Students must complete three upper-division courses on topics related to health equity and economic justice from available approved courses. The program director also may approve other courses as appropriate and necessary. Topical 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 field study. The topical courses also permit students to work across academic disciplines by learning from community studies affiliate faculty. Note that not all topical courses are offered every academic year. Check the program website for current academic year offerings.

Topical courses for the major must be taken for a letter grade and satisfactory completion of the topical courses is defined by a grade of C or higher. All three topical courses must be completed before a student begins full-time field study (CMMU 105A-B-C).

Community Studies

Anthropology

Education

Environmental Studies

History of Art and Visual Culture

History

Latin American and Latino Studies

Oakes College

Politics

Psychology

Sociology

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. Although students in the major develop disciplinary writing skills throughout the core curriculum, they fulfill the DC requirement with two courses:

Comprehensive Requirement

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 whether 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.

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:

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 and histories 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 CMMU 107 will become the foundation for the thesis, whether as a template to be elaborated or as one or more chapters of the completed thesis. Students electing to write a senior thesis must have a faculty thesis adviser and under direction of the adviser, may enroll in the following courses for variable units in order to complete the thesis.

Student-Directed Seminar (SDS)

The SDS capstone option is reserved for exceptional students with a clear vision of a unique lower-division course they would like to offer other UC Santa Cruz students. Under the direction of a faculty adviser, the student develops and teaches a CMMU 42 course related to the student’s field study and academic coursework and submits a seminar completion report. Student-directed seminars required considerable advance planning; a proposal for the SDS must be completed before beginning the field study, i.e., a full year before the seminar would be offered.  All proposed SDS courses must be reviewed and approved by the campus Academic Senate's Committee on Courses of Instruction.

Planners

The tables below are for informational purposes and do not reflect all university, general education, and credit requirements. See Undergraduate Graduation Requirements for more information.

Suggested Major Planning Table

* WRIT 2 should be taken in or before spring quarter of the second year.

If CMMU 10 is not taken in the fall of the first year, it can be taken one year later. Likewise, the topical courses need not be taken in the quarters indicated as long as they are completed before CMMU 105. Students in their third year can still begin and complete the major as shown in the sample transfer planner (below). In addition to the specific courses shown in these planners, a student must complete courses satisfying the UC Santa Cruz general education and degree requirements.

Sample Transfer Planner

The tables below are for informational purposes and do not reflect all university, general education, and credit requirements. See Undergraduate Graduation Requirements for more information.