Special programs
We’d like to call your attention to some learning and teaching opportunities that you may not find in the General Catalog.

Student-taught and initiated courses
The DeCal program listed in the next few columns offers students a way to create and teach their own classes. Another way is to find a faculty sponsor for a field study (97/197/297), directed group study (98/198/298), or independent study (99/199/299). (The 90s are lower division, 190s are upper division, and the 290s are graduate.) Check your College or School Announcement for more information.

Undergraduate Course Facilitator Training & Resources (UCFTR)
The UCFTR office provides undergraduates with advice and resources to design and facilitate the best possible special studies class (aka 98/198, or DeCal). Support includes: individual consultations; online resources; drop-in workshops; customized facilitator trainings; and “The Craft of Facilitating” seminar, Education 97/197, section 12 (slc.berkeley.edu/ucftr; Student Learning Center; 123 Cesar E. Chavez Student Center; georgealonzo@berkeley.edu; 510/642-3075).

DeCal (Democratic Education at Cal)
DeCal is an ASUC-sponsored organization that supports 100-200 student-initiated classes each semester. It’s a great alternative for students who want to explore new academic, social, and educational issues outside of the mainstream curriculum. Some past courses have included:

ABCs of Iran: 27 Years of Revolution
All About Cancer: Relay for Life
Bar, Lounge, and Nightclub Entrepreneurship
Blackjack and Poker
Bookworlds: Harry Potter and the Order of the Berkeley
Female Sexuality
Intro to DJ’ing
Introduction to Stocks
Italian Cooking
James Bond: Politics, Pop Culture, Hero
“Sex and the City” and the Contemporary Woman
The Joy of Garbage
The Physics of Superheroes
The Simpsons and Philosophy
The Weblog as a Medium for Nonfiction Creative Writing
Topics in Wine
Why We Laugh: Analyses of Comedy

Most classes are small, require a high degree of participation, are 1-2 units, and are offered as pass/no pass. DeCal classes typically start during the second or third week of the semester. To add a DeCal course, visit their online course schedule (decal.org; 320 Eshleman Hall; decalprogram@gmail.com; 510/642-9127).

American Cultures
The Breadth Requirement in American Cultures (AC) is a Berkeley campus requirement established in 1989 to introduce students to the diverse cultures of the United States through a comparative framework. The requirement can be satisfied with courses in more than forty academic departments that compare cultures drawn from at least three of five groups: African American, Asian American, Chicano/Latino, European American, and Native American. You can access a list of AC courses as well as answers to FAQs on the AC website (americancultures.berkeley.edu).

Freshman and Sophomore Seminars
Freshman and Sophomore Seminars are the Berkeley faculty’s way of welcoming you into Cal’s intellectual community. Seminars are small classes that emphasize interaction and discussion; they provide a nice counterpoint to the learning experience in our large lecture halls.

Professors from all over campus have joined efforts to offer an impressive array of seminars. For freshmen, we have one-unit courses (numbered 24) with space for up to 15 students. We also have seminars listed 39A-Z. These can bear 1.5, 2, 3, or 4 units, and are limited to 25 freshmen and sophomores. The courses numbered 84 are limited to sophomores only; these are one- and two-unit courses enrolling 15 students.

Freshman and Sophomore Seminars often result in informal mentoring relationships; because students come to know their seminar professors fairly well, they often feel comfortable returning to these professors for guidance through every stage of their educational process.

The most up-to-date information can always be found online (fss.berkeley.edu; 301 Campbell Hall; 510/642-8378).

Letters & Science Discovery Courses
Letters & Science Discovery Courses are explicitly designed to engage the interest of non-majors who want a top-quality breadth experience and who are eager to take intellectual risks. They are taught by some of Cal’s most outstanding faculty, and explore areas of interest at a deeper level than introductory courses typically do (lsdiscovery.berkeley.edu; 301 Campbell Hall; 510/642-8378).

On the Same Page
All new L&S freshmen and transfers receive a free copy of a selected influential work in the mail. Students then have multiple opportunities to discuss the work with faculty and fellow students in Freshman and Sophomore Seminars and in special discussion sessions in the residence halls. The featured authors (or directors, composers, etc.) then visit the campus to discuss their work and to give students a chance to meet them. The first book selected for the program was A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking; for fall 2007, we read and discussed Lincoln at Gettysburg by noted historian Garry Wills; and for fall 2008, students will receive and discuss two films by acclaimed director Ang Lee and screenwriter/producer James Schamus (onthesamepage.berkeley.edu).

Tutor for credit
Cal Corps Public Service Center can place you with student-initiated tutoring programs, community- and school-based programs, as well as with the Bears United in Literacy Development Program. Student tutors can earn academic credit or work-study pay. Volunteer commitment ranges from three to 10 hours a week. You can tutor almost any subject, at any grade level, almost any time of day, in any number of schools! There is a particular need for math, science, literacy, and writing tutors. Visit the website for open positions (calcorps.berkeley.edu; Cal Corps Public Service Center, 505 Eshleman Hall; ccorps@berkeley.edu; 510/642-3916).

Summer Sessions
Berkeley Summer Sessions offer more than 500 courses in 85 academic disciplines and are an ideal way to speed up the progress of your academic career. Take courses that are impacted during fall and spring, make up a deficiency, or learn a language. Begin summer study as early as May or as late as July. Complete a full semester of coursework during six, eight, or 10-week sessions. All courses carry regular academic credit and will be recorded on your UC Berkeley transcript. Through Summer Sessions, you can also combine travel with study (see here), or prepare for your career by signing up for an academic internship (see here). Summer Sessions catalogs are available online beginning in late fall (summer.berkeley.edu; 1995 University Avenue, Suite 117; summer@berkeley.edu; 510/642-5611).