Community Engaged Learning

Urban Studies students in China

Photo by Delan Chan

Community Engaged Learning is the hallmark of an Urban Studies education. It enables students to apply what they learn in the classroom to a real-world urban challenge by integrating academic coursework with public service. 

Our courses encourage students to see the link between theory and practice, develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and gain fluency in cross-cultural collaboration and communication.

All Urban Studies majors will have an opportunity to participate in a community engaged learning experience as part of their course of study. This is also an opportunity for students to explore potential career paths and prepare for summer fellowship experiences, honors thesis research, or senior capstone work.

Fulfilling the Requirement

Choose one of four pathways

Enroll in an Urban Studies Approved Course

(Recommended): Enroll in a course approved by Urban Studies (see Course Project Gallery)

Please note that NOT all Haas Center fellowships or Cardinal Courses automatically fulfill the Urban Studies major community-engaged learning requirement. Other classes with a significant community-engaged learning component may count towards the requirement. Requests should be submitted through the Course Substitution Petition and approved by the Program Co-Director. We recommend that you confirm before enrolling in the course as to whether it can meet the community engaged-learning component.

Complete an Independent Internship

Complete an independent internship in a government agency or a non-profit/community organization relevant to the major while enrolled in URBANST 201A.

Community Engaged Learning Criteria

The minimum time commitment for an independent internship is 80 hours, to be completed over approximately 10 weeks. 

The community-engaged learning experience must consist of substantive work. In all cases, majors are encouraged to work with their supervisor at the organization to establish learning goals (a template for the Placement Objectives Agreement is available as guidance), and create tangible products – such as written reports, presentations, or digital and physical artifacts – to demonstrate that they have achieved those goals.

Students are encouraged to work with their organization longer than 10 weeks, but the 80-hour minimum should not be spread out over a longer period, except in special cases such as research projects. Internships should ideally be completed before the beginning of winter quarter of senior year, or two quarters before graduation. 

In accordance with university policy, internship credit is awarded for the work that emerges from the internship, not merely for internship hours. No transfer credit is awarded for internships.

Credit and Grading

  • Declared majors in Urban Studies are required to fulfill at least 3 units of credit for the Urban Studies Internship by registering for URBANST 201A, SINY101, OSPPARIS 17, or OSPCPTWN 14; or an approved course such as URBANST 141 or URBANST 164.
  • Students who continue their internship work beyond the 80-hour minimum may request up to 4 additional units of credit through URBANST 194, totaling 120 hours of work.
  • The internship grade (S/NC) will be based on the quality and depth of the internship learning plan, the final paper or product, and the evaluation supplied by the project supervisor and/or faculty mentor.
  • Students who receive compensation for their internship - from a Haas Center Fellowship, Community Service Work Study, or the organization itself - may receive academic credit for the internship, provided all other criteria for the internship process are met.
  • Students may not count more than 7 units of internship, including URBANST 194 Internship in Urban Studies and URBANST 201A Capstone Internship in Urban Studies toward their major.

Students who intern for a private sector organization may receive credit for URBANST 194, but cannot enroll in URBANST 201A credits to meet the capstone requirement. Please note that credit for the internship must be arranged prior to the internship commencing. The Urban Studies Program does not grant credit for internships midway through or after the internship has been completed.

For internships completed in the summer, students may enroll in 201A in a later quarter, but ONLY if the arrangement is approved by an Urban Studies program director BEFORE the internship begins.

For more opportunities through the Haas Center for Public Service, please see Cardinal Quarter opportunities.

 

Conduct Research

Conduct research with the guidance of a faculty mentor

See Urban Studies Departmental Research Program for latest opportunities. If the research is not done for credit, students taking this path must make up the community-engagement units by taking three additional units elsewhere in the major, such as in their concentration or in electives.

Obtain a Cardinal Service Notation from the Haas Center

Complete Haas Center for Public Service requirements for the Cardinal Service notation.

The community engaged learning experience must consist primarily of substantive work. In all cases, students must work with a supervisor at the organization to establish learning goals through the  Learning Objectives Agreement and create deliverables– such as papers, reports, presentations, or models – demonstrating that they have achieved those goals. Because the Cardinal Service Notation itself does not count for credit, students taking this path must make up the community-engagement units by taking three additional units elsewhere in the major, such as in their concentration or in electives.

Additional Resources