CARA Course List

Our courses offer experiential learning for Oakes students of any major, many of these courses also fulfill General Education Requirements (GEs) and range from 2 to 5 units. Check out the CARA courses that are being offered this quarter.

 

 

OAKS 47 – Building an Inner Sanctuary (2 units)

    • This course invites the cultivation of one’s internal resources in order to build capacity for solidarity and community-­oriented action. In the face of growing concerns around stress, trauma, and mental health on and off-campus, this class offers a framework to guide self-­care.

OAKS 48 – Slugs Speak: Our Stories, Our Selves (2 units, PR-S)

    • Students learn about the power of story to make change through this Storytelling for Justice project. Students practice developing personal life stories, learn to create and facilitate community space, and participate in a community storytelling event focused on intersectional identities.

OAKS 67 – The Politics of Food: Labor and Social Justice (2 units)

    • Demonstrates the intersection between the respect for diversity and social justice and the interests of UCSC’s Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. Topics include the racial politics of food, farm labor, organic farming, and activism.

OAKS 73B – Oakes College Mentoring: Service Learning Practicum (2 units, PR-S)

    • Course that supports students who are mentoring new Oakes students. Mentors work as academic peer counselors, providing mentees with support, resources, and guidance as they adjust to college.

OAKS 80H – Rainbow Theater Cultural Studies (5 units)

    • Introduction to multicultural theater and multicultural plays that aims to bring cultural awareness to all students interested in theater discipline.

OAKS/LALS 128 – Latino Media in the U.S. (5 units, IM)

    •  Explores the history and practice of Latino media in the U.S. with an emphasis on work created by, for, with, and about Latino constituencies. Course highlights the role that media plays in struggles for social change, political enfranchisement, creative self-expression, and cultural development.

OAKS 130 – Writing Resistance: Creative Writing Workshop (5 units, PR-S)

    • Engages diasporic and people of color (POC) writers whose work inspires social justice. Through course materials and creative exercises, students examine and break down the roadblocks that create silence.

OAKS 167 – Food Systems: Culture, Social Justice, Sustainability (5 units, PR-S)

    • Examines the complexities of food systems with special attention to labor practices, food access, and food production. Students consider the nature of culture in advancing problematic notions of food options and sustainability.

OAKS/EDU 151A – Corre la Voz: Community Literacies and Power Seminar (2 units)

    • Seminar that introduces new mentors to Corre la Voz pedagogies for engagement and development; ethical and constructive observation practices; and strength-based assessment.

OAKS/EDU 151B – Community Literacies Field Study (3 units, PR-S)

    • Field study that provides training and structure for mentor work in the Corre la Voz program. Each mentor is assigned one or two students and work in learning activities with these students, focusing on discussion; logging their engagement; and building on their strengths and interests to advance growth.

OAKS 153 – Community Mapping (5 units, PR-S)

    • Students study the theories and methods of community mapping, and work in research teams to design and conduct social-research projects. Emphasizes research questions that focus on assets and capacities, as well as on participatory-action research for justice.

OAKS 188A – Introduction to the Legal Profession and Legal Aid Work (2 units)

    • Gives students a practical overview of legal professional ethics and the practice of law. Students will learn the basics of the State Bar of California’s Rules of Professional Conduct, professional skills, and from various local legal professionals in civil, criminal, and transactional law.

OAKS 188B – Legal Field Practice: Professional Skills and Ethics (3 units, PR-S)

    • A community-engagement course designed to introduce students to social justice work with community organizations advocating for increased access to Know Your Rights material and other legal information. Gives undergraduates opportunities for working on projects in the legal field or with legal information to empower under-served communities.

OAKS 189 – Building Websites for Social Justice (2 units, PR-S)

    • Students learn to build an interactive, user-centered websites that serve the needs of a social justice organization. Learning the basics of WordPress design, meeting with stakeholders, and helping them articulate their objectives and target audiences. Students work in teams to develop a WordPress site and a short user guide for our partners.