Undergraduate Field Study Program

Full Time Field Study(for Majors only)

The Community Studies Department takes pride in the experiential education component of our major, one in which you can both contribute to and learn from organizations that are actively working for social change in a variety of fields. During the course of the major, you are required to complete both a part-time and a full-time field study internship.

The two-quarter full-time field study is required of all Community Studies majors and is taken over the summer and fall quarters. Your field study must be related to the theory and practice course (CMMU 100A-Z course) you choose. Full time field studies may be arranged in Santa Cruz or elsewhere in the world, provided the organization is an appropriate one in which to study the issues covered in your CMMU 100A-Z course. The Department has a field study resource office to help you select and develop their full-time field study, located in Oakes College 214. All field placements must be approved by both a faculty advisor and a field studies coordinator.

There are two field studies coordinators available to help guide you through the process of locating both a part-time and full time field studies placement, but you are ultimately responsible for securing your own field study placement. You are also required to attend three field study workshops in conjunction with your chosen theory and practice (CMMU 100A-Z) course. These workshops will cover topics such as

• - how to narrow your search for a placement;
• - how to contact organizations;
• - the academic requirements for the work you will be expected to submit while in the field.

The deadline for turning in your completed Goals and Objectives Contract for full time field placement will be 5 PM Monday, March 15, 2010. There are NO exceptions to this deadline.

Part-Time Field Study (for Majors and Non-Majors)

One- or two-quarter local internships are available for 2-10 units of academic credit. The amount of credit is related to the amount of time spent per week on the field study and the amount of academic work associated with the placement. The Santa Cruz community and the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas are blessed with a large number of social change organizations that are appropriate sites for part-time internships. You will need to have an organizational sponsor and a faculty sponsor. Community Studies majors will be placed into their part-time internship during the second week of the “CMMU 102: Preparation for Field Study” course.Please contact one of the program's Field Coordinators for more information.