Schedule of Classes   Civic Engagement Opportunities

UCLA Center for Community Learning

In collaboration with academic departments, the UCLA Center for Community Learning (CCL) offers undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in a variety of structured and rigorous academic courses that promote citizenship, leadership, and social justice through service learning, internships, and other community-based learning experiences. The courses connect the research interests of faculty members and students with the needs and priorities of UCLA’s community partners. The center advises students on internships and service learning opportunities and administers the Civic Engagement minor and the University of California Center Sacramento program. See the CCL page.

Civic Engagement Minor

The Civic Engagement minor is designed to provide students with a core analytical, experiential, and theoretical framework for understanding issues of community building, governance, and the use of civic resources. It examines the connections between individual success and societal structures, while exploring traditions of service and the history of civic movements. The minor can be paired with any major as an applied and active way of putting disciplinary tools to use and is intended for highly motivated students of any ideological perspective who are committed to education among a broader community of learners. See the CCL Civic Engagement Minor page.

Internships and Service Learning

The Center for Community Learning (CCL) provides opportunities for junior and senior students to link hands-on experience with classroom education. Many courses and programs are offered that require fieldwork in the form of internships or community service projects. Interested students should visit A265 Murphy Hall, (310) 825-7867, for advice on enrolling in internships and service learning courses. Courses are listed on the CCL internship page and service learning page.

AAP students who participate in the Rosa Parks Community Development Internship Program and Teachers for Tomorrow can earn academic credit by enrolling in CCL-sponsored community-based service learning projects.

University of California Center Sacramento

The University of California Center Sacramento (UCCS) is an academic state government program sponsored by the UC Office of the President. The center’s long-term goal is to bring together UC faculty members with undergraduate and graduate students to pursue research related to state government, politics, and public policy.

The quarterly experiential learning program offers students an opportunity to participate in an intensive internship course and take a research seminar course that investigates policy issues. Along with internship placement and academic courses, the center offers a speaker series featuring prominent guests from state government. The residential program is open to juniors and seniors who have completed a significant part of their upper division and major courses. UCCS is open to students in all fields of study. Contact the UCLA Center for Community Learning, A265 Murphy Hall, (310) 825-7867; see the UCCS website or CCL Sacramento page.

Quarter in Washington, DC

The Center for American Politics and Public Policy (CAPPP) selects undergraduate students each fall, winter, and spring to participate in its Quarter in Washington Program. The program offers an opportunity to combine UCLA courses with research and field experience. Students live at the UC Washington Center for up to 12 weeks, dividing their time between courses taught by UC faculty members and a part-time internship placement. They are registered as UCLA students and earn UC credit in multiple majors by petition for all classes taken. The core course, a research development seminar, is multiple-listed in political science, sociology, and history, meets the capstone requirement for the Public Affairs minor, applies toward the Civic Engagement minor, and is eligible for College Honors by petition. At least one course in a subject other than political science, such as economics or history, is offered each quarter. All courses take advantage of Washington’s unique resources for study and research. Center administrators help students find a field placement that complements a substantial research project. Contact the CAPPP Office, 4250 Public Affairs Building, (310) 206-3109 or send e-mail to info@cappp.ucla.edu; see the Quarter in Washington Program website.