Environmental Studies 5-Unit Lower-Division Internship
Environmental Studies 83
Times & locations vary
*updated March 2024
Official course description:
Supervised learning experience related to environmental problem-solving. Students may work with government agencies, multiple on-campus organizations, private organizations, citizen action groups, or in specialized apprenticeships on an individual or team basis. This 5-credit internship puts students in the field and offers them the experience of practicing environmental problem-solving. This internship experience focuses on specific skill development and exposes students to unique, hands-on learning experiences.
Learning objectives
The specific learning objectives for this course vary by internship. Overall, at the end of this course, you will be able to:
Course components:
Despite the varying agency-specific tasks, each internship has the same required components:
Fieldwork (120 hours): The specific work varies by the internship, but the 120 hours includes your work with your host agency. You can keep track of your hours using this timesheet, but 5-unit interns are not required to submit time sheets. Up to 12 hours of your internship may be readings or videos to make up missed days (e.g., due to inclement weather, holidays, or illness) unless you have an internship that is based on readings (e.g., textual analysis for a policy internship or the reading Life Lab interns do as they learn about teaching). These 12 hours need to be cleared with your agency sponsor.
The 120 hours do not include your work for the academic part of your internship, e.g., attending the orientations and mid-quarter meetings or writing in the journal and crafting a final paper.
Journals (500 words per week): You will keep track of your work through journaling each week. The journals may be handwritten or typed, include pictures or drawings, and may be done by the day or weekly, preferably in black or dark blue ink. Journaling helps you remember the specifics of your work, the people with whom you’ve interacted, the progress you are making towards your own learning objectives, and any challenges or achievements along the way. Please consult the Internship Handbook for further information on journaling and paper-writing.
Final paper (2500 words): The final paper critically reflects on what you experienced during your internship this quarter. The format is open, though the internship handbook has many suggestions, and your faculty sponsor can also provide ideas for what you can write about if needed.
Evaluation of your internship: At the end of the quarter, please complete your evaluation of your internship. The internship office will work with your agency sponsor to be sure they complete your final review.
Agency evaluation of your work: Your agency sponsor will evaluate your work at the end of the quarter. The evaluation form will be emailed to the agency from the internship office.
All work is due on Canvas at the end of week 10 (the last day of “instruction,” NOT the last day of finals).
Coursework grading:
The course is graded on a pass/no pass basis and is predicated on the completion of—--
1) the 120 hours of fieldwork
2) the 500-word weekly journal assignments
3) a 2500-word final paper
Academic accommodations: UC Santa Cruz is committed to creating an academic environment that supports its diverse student body. If you are a student with a disability who requires accommodations to achieve equal access to this course, please submit your Accommodation Authorization Letter from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to your faculty sponsor, privately during my office hours or by appointment, preferably within the first two weeks of the quarter. Please discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course with your faculty sponsor. All students who may benefit from learning more about DRC services are encouraged to contact the DRC at 831-459-2089 or drc@ucsc.edu.
Inclusivity: It is the intent of the Environmental Studies Internship Program that students from all backgrounds and with all perspectives feel included and can learn and achieve their goals in this course. The diversity that all students bring to this class is a resource, strength, and benefit. We intend to bring to class materials and activities that embrace a diversity of perspectives, experiences, and positions. Your suggestions for making this learning community as inclusive as possible are encouraged and appreciated. Please let the internship office and your faculty sponsor know if you identify ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups. If any internship meetings or field work conflicts with your religious or cultural events, please let us know so we can work together to make alternative arrangements.
CARE: UCSC Campus Advocacy, Resources & Education (CARE) believes all people deserve to live and engage in an environment free from violence. The CARE program provides support, advocacy, resources, and violence prevention education to the UC Santa Cruz community. CARE responds to the needs of students and others impacted by stalking, dating/domestic violence, and sexual assault by providing free and confidential services. CARE also collaborates with students, faculty, and staff to educate the campus community about our vital role in preventing violence and creating social justice locally and globally.
Title IX: Title IX prohibits gender discrimination, including sexual harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. If you have experienced sexual harassment or sexual violence, you can receive confidential support and advocacy at the Campus Advocacy Resources & Education (CARE) Office by calling (831) 502-2273. In addition, Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) can provide confidential counseling support (831) 459-2628. You can also report gender discrimination directly to the University’s Title IX Office (831) 459-2462. Reports to law enforcement can be made to UCPD, (831) 459-2231 ext. 1. For emergencies, call 911.
Faculty and Teaching Assistants are required under the UC Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment to inform the Title IX Office should they become aware that you or any other student has experienced sexual violence or sexual harassment.
Academic Integrity (thanks to UCSC's Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning and UC Berkeley’s Center for Teaching and Learning for structure & language)
Academic integrity is as critical in an online environment as during in-person instruction. It is the moral code of academia, the trust that researchers, scholars, and creative artists put in each other to do what is correct and honest, even when no one is looking.
There are two critical spheres of academic integrity in this class:
Plagiarism & self-plagiarism:
To copy text or ideas from another source (including your own for other courses and work purchased or copied from others) without appropriate attribution is plagiarism. For additional information on plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and how to avoid them, see, for example: https://guides.library.ucsc.edu/citesources/plagiarism