Climate Justice/Action/Resilience Scholars (CJARS) Program 2023-2024  Application Deadline: October 20, 11:59pm or until the cohort is full
The Climate Justice/Action/Resilience Scholars Program is an initiative of the Social Sciences Division, with the courses cross-listed in the Anthropology and Urban Studies and Planning Departments. In the course series, students examine the historical, structural and cultural roots of the climate crisis, its effects across diverse communities and ecologies, and the creative ways local people respond and build collective resilience.  

The first quarter's focus is inquiry: students will engage in hands-on research, mapping, and documentation of climate change and the urgent social, environmental and health challenges to which it is connected.  Students will gain knowledge from community members on the ground across multiple localities, and support their efforts to mitigate the negative impacts of climate disruption and related crises.

In the second course of this series, students deepen and apply their knowledge of the diverse ways the climate crisis manifests and interacts with local conditions and histories of inequity and injustice.  Students continue to participate in collaborative learning and community-based action and/or research.  In addition, they will co-plan and implement a climate communication and resilience-building event (in collaboration with local San Diego youth).

This course series centers equity, justice, ethical community engagement, mutual care and respect, bidirectional learning, and collaborative action. Students approved for the program will enroll in ANTH/USP 128A (Winter Quarter 2024) and then, pending completion of the first course, ANTH/USP 128B (Spring Quarter).  The course series is "high work load - high reward" with a significant amount of time spent in local San Diego communities.  The high expectations are reflected in the 6-unit load for each course (12 units total, the equivalent of three courses).  The courses must be taken for letter grades. The class will formally meet from 9:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. on Fridays both quarters, however, there are a number of off-campus activities that are part of the commitment, some during regular class hours, a few outside of them.  Some of those dates have yet to be determined (they depend on the availability and schedules of our community partners), but the following dates are tentatively in place:

January 19-21, 2024: CJARS Retreat in Anza Borrego Desert
February 9: VERY extended day (8am-7pm) Solidarity Farms & San Pasqual Reservation
February 17: (Saturday 9am-3pm) Project New Village Community Work Day and visit to Ocean View Growing Grounds
March 1: Extended day (9am-3pm) Trolley-based Community Climate Resilience Mapping
Dates/times of additional Spring community-based activities yet to be determined

This course series is taught by Dr. Leslie R Lewis, a faculty member in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning.  Her disciplinary training is in Anthropology and Public Health and her research interest span issues of environmental and climate justice, homelessness/houselessness, (in)equity across both systems and the individual life course, transformative pedagogy, and community-based, participatory action research.  If you have questions, you can reach Dr. Lewis via email at lrlewis@ucsd.edu.

To apply to be a Climate Justice/Action/Resilience Scholar, please respond to the questions below.  I am interested in who you are as a person, what questions and concerns you wrestle with, and what gifts you bring to the world.  Please share as little or as much as you'd like for each of these questions; there are no right answers.

The program welcomes (and will be enriched by) students from all disciplines and backgrounds.  We can accommodate up to 25 students, and will accept applications until October 20th, 2023 at 11:59pm, or until we reach the registration limit.  Students will know of their status once we reach the class size limit or by the end of week 4 of fall quarter so they can plan their winter schedules. Applicants above the 25 student limit will be placed on a waitlist.
Email *
Name *
Major(s) & Minor(s) *
PID# *
Anticipated graduation date *
What draws you to the Climate Justice/Action Scholars Program? *
How did you hear about the program? *
What do you hope to get out of this experience? How would you see this experience fitting in with your educational, career, and life goals? *
What are your most pressing questions right now? (Could be personal, societal, ecological, existential, anything!) *
What are the largest sources of stress, anxiety, anger, and/or grief right now for you? *
What are your greatest sources of strength? (Could be people, places, practices, principles, personal qualities, or internal commitments, e.g., faith, love, movements for justice, etc., that keep you going, even when times get hard) *
What are the qualities or habits you feel most proud of about yourself? *
What values or principles do you try to be guided by in your life? *
What is something that people wouldn't know about you just by looking at you, something that might surprise them? *
Requirements and Expectations
The Climate Justice/Action Scholars (CJ/AS) Program involves a significant commitment during the Winter and Spring Quarters. It will be a rigorous, but deeply enriching experience. Students must enroll for a letter grade and be prepared to put in hours outside of regular class time. Because of the additional time commitment, the courses are worth six units each (each course has the workload equivalent of 1 1/2 courses).  Climate Justice/Action Scholars will meet on Fridays from 9:00am. - 11:50am. On some of these days we will go on outings to explore surrounding San Diego communities, learn from partner organizations, community members and local indigenous tribes/bands, and collaborate (in learning, research, and action) with local youth. On occasional Fridays we will spend the whole day together.  For that reason, having your whole Friday available will be very helpful.  We will likely have a few Saturday or weekend commitments between January and June as well.  

Right now we have a retreat planned for the end of week 1 of Winter Quarter (Friday 1/13, 9am through Sunday, 1/15, 3pm) during which time we (tentatively) will be staying together at the Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center.  We will figure out carpooling, and this trip will be subsidized by funding through the Social Sciences Division so that no one pays more than $50 for room, meals and gas (if this presents a challenge for you, please let me know).  Please indicate below the extent to which you are able to commit to these activities, as well as share any concerns or constraints you have.
Are you able to commit to attending the full CJ/AS retreat in Anza-Borrego 1/13-1/15)? *
If no, or if you have any concerns or constraints, please explain.
Do you foresee difficulty attending course activities on occasional Friday afternoons? *
If yes, or if you have any concerns, please explain.
Do you anticipate any difficulty attending course activities on occasional Saturdays? *
If yes, or if you have any concerns, please explain.
Please elaborate or clarify, if you need to
Do you have a car (or access to a car) that you can use to drive to CJ/AS outings? *
If you do have (access to) a car, and can drive classmates, how many passengers can you bring?
Is there anything else you would like to add before submitting your application?
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND APPLICATION!
We hope to be able to accommodate all students who are interested in this program.  If the number applying exceeds available spots, we will maintain a waitlist of applicants beyond the first 25.  All applicants will be informed of their status once our registration limit is reached, and by the end of week 4 (10/28) at the latest so they can plan their winter classes.  Please feel free to email Dr. Leslie R Lewis (lrlewis@ucsd.edu) if you have not heard your status by the end of day on the 28th.
A copy of your responses will be emailed to the address you provided.
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