Lower-Division

Teaches foundational concepts for intellectual exploration and personal development within an academic community: analysis, critical thinking, metacognition, engagement with others across difference, and self-efficacy. Engages students in Rachel Carson's intellectual tradition of investigating relationships between environment and society.

Orientation to and exploration of the nature of the liberal arts, and of learning at research universities. Topics include: academic planning for upper-division coursework; enrollment processes; and understanding pathways to degree completion; UCSC resources that support health and well-being strategies for academic success; the cultivation of just communities; the prevention of sexual harassment and violence; campus conduct policies; awareness of risks associated with drug and/or alcohol use; and an introduction to traditions of community-engaged learning, ground-breaking research, and interdisciplinary thinking that define a UC Santa Cruz degree. This course can be taken for Pass/No Pass grading only.

An interactive course providing students with the opportunity to assess and revise methods of and purposes in studying. Critical, effective approaches to reading, writing, participating in lectures and sections, taking exams, balancing competing responsibilities, and utilizing campus resources are all explored. Enrollment by permission of college adviser.

Lower-division introduction to the sustainabilities and social justice minor. Students grapple with the complex and interconnected challenges of the climate crisis, settler colonialism, and racial capitalism as theoretical lenses to explore the different ways “sustainability” as a term is taken up and used in different contexts for different goals.

Introduces tips and techniques to supplement and expand a student's existing repertoire of science/mathematics problem-solving skills for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classes. The material covered is intended to aid development as a confident learner and future expert in the student's major.

Introduces tips and techniques to supplement and expand a student's existing repertoire of science/mathematics problem-solving skills for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classes. The material covered is intended to aid development as a confident learner and future expert in the student's major.

Students consider the representation of the sea in selected texts, noting how it becomes the focal point for the fears, hopes, and prejudices of Western civilization. Students write critical papers and their own narratives.

Students understand their peers and themselves better through an exploration of issues that affect the daily life of college students. Topics include campus/student cultures, the academic system, and other critical issues. Overview of campus resources also provided.

Examines issues of oppression, privilege, and social justice within a global and environmental context through self-reflective and group work. May include an optional service-learning component requiring travel during spring break.

A case study of the 1970s-1990s UC Santa Cruz effort to restore a nearly extinct peregrine falcon population including reviews of the Endangered Species Act, falcon physiology, and the innovative conservation biology techniques that led to success.

Develop practical skills and knowledge in naturalist observation. Acquire an overview of the field of natural history, particularly applied to the UCSC campus. Document an evolving and multidimensional personal experience of natural spaces, including, but not limited to, wilderness. (Formerly KRSG 3.)

Overview of theories of student development, critical student issues, and skills needed for appropriate peer leadership interventions. Utilizes a variety of learning modes including readings, discussions, case studies, lectures, and group projects. Interview only: approval of instructor; Resident Assistant (RA) pre-employment training course.

Discussion-based seminar where students read works by two key figures in science fiction: Octavia Butler. Ursula K. LeGuin. Students reflect on the social commentary and speculative futures these books offer in a time of global climate change; the impact of these authors on science fiction and environmental thinking; the unique power and possibilities of science fiction genre itself; and how to cultivate a lasting reading practice based on pleasure, not obligation. Emphasis is placed on developing skills and practices of collaborative reading and reflection. To promote reading deeply and mindfully, all texts are read in hard copy, provided at no cost to students. (Disability Resource Center digital accommodations will be provided as needed.) (Formerly Kresge College 12, Reading Science Fiction: Octavia Butler and Ursula LeGuin.)

Introduces service-learning theory and practice for students engaging in service-learning work in the college, college-related projects, community service organizations, or public agencies.

Students develop and work on media projects related to the college theme of Environment and Society in film, on television, in print, and on the Internet. Students work in groups with specific instructors and project leaders. Enrollment by application and instructor consent.

Students explore how to find active hope and agency within the evolving climate crisis. Through classroom discussions, journal reflections, interactive workshops, and guest speakers, students actively engage in collaborative learning around climate justice movements with a focus on the intersectionality of race, gender, class, and more. (Formerly Education for Sustainable Living Program.)

Introduces key technological solutions to environmental problems; discusses their underlying principles; and examines their societal dimensions. Topics include: conventional and renewable energy; emerging technologies for transportation, energy efficiency clean water; planetary engineering; and lean manufacturing.

Students write about and discuss a variety of films and articles about environment and society. Topics may include water, food systems, wilderness, wildlife, pollution, global warming, nuclear energy, conservation, and environmental activism.

Learn sustainable, ecologically sound horticulture, permaculture, and small-scale organic agricultural practices through hands-on gardening experience. This outdoor interdisciplinary course operates within a food justice framework. (Formerly Rachel Carson College Garden Internship.)

Individual study for lower-division students directed by a faculty member affiliated with the college. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency.