The Community Engagement & Social Change Minor
The Community Engagement and Social Change minor is an interdisciplinary program that creates a unique opportunity for students to examine strategies for social change through sustained engagement in Los Angeles and beyond. It complements any major.
Students pursuing the Community Engagement and Social Change minor must complete the following requirements (see table below).
For a list of approved courses to fulfill the minor requirements, please review the CESC Minor Course List.
Requirement |
Course Information |
| One (1) Core course | Community Engagement and Social Change 50XP or 100XP |
| Two (2) Community-Engaged courses | Includes experiential learning (XP), service-learning (SL), community-based research, and 195CE internship courses
One (1) of the two (2) courses can be lower division |
| One (1) Strategy of Social Change course | Includes courses on community organizing, policy development, advocacy, social entrepreneurship, activism, or translational research |
| One (1) Upper Division Elective | The course selected should further a student’s interests and prepare you for your Capstone research courses |
| Two (2) Capstone Community-Engaged Research courses | Community Engagement and Social Change 191AX (winter quarter only) and 191BX (spring quarter only). Capstone courses must be taken in successive winter and spring quarters. |
There is a maximum of 2 upper division course overlap between your major and the CESC minor. A minimum of 20 units applied toward the minor requirements must be in addition to units applied toward major requirements or another minor.
Special Programs
UC Center Sacramento educates California’s future leaders in the craft of politics and policymaking, while making the expertise of faculty of the nation’s leading university available to decision-makers in the legislative and executive branches of government.
| UCCS Course | Fulfills CESC minor requirement |
| Political Science 192A: Political Science Internship | One (1) Community-Engaged course |
| Political Science 195: The California Policy Seminar | One (1) Strategy of Social Change course |
| Political Science 196E: Research Design & Methods | One (1) Upper Division Elective course |
The UCLA Quarter in Washington program offers students the opportunity to intern in Washington, DC while remaining a full-time UCLA student. QIW includes a combination of internships, coursework relevant to Washington, DC, and making career connections at the national level.
| QIW Course | Fulfills CESC minor requirement |
| Political Science M194DC | One (1) Upper Division elective course |
| Any 195CE internship course | One (1) Community-Engaged course |
| Political Science, History, Sociology, or Public Affairs M195DC | One (1) Community-Engaged course |
For more course information, application details, and syllabi, please visit the UCLA Quarter in Washington program.
APPLY TO THE MINOR
ELIGIBILITY
To apply to the minor, you must:
APPLICATION NOTES
Declared CESC minor students who would like academic advising should contact Myrna Dee Kikuchi at mkikuchi@college.ucla.edu for assistance
To read a selection of the most recent capstone research papers, please visit: https://escholarship.org/uc/ucla_communitylearning
CESC Senior Spotlight: Sam Glick, Undergraduate Research Week 2021
FACULTY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Community Engagement and Social Change Minor’s Faculty Advisory Committee is made up of the following members:
| Andrew Atkeson (Chair) | Economics |
| Jennifer Jay | Civil & Environmental Engineering |
| Rashmita Mistry | Education |
| Amy Ritterbusch | Public Affairs |
| Rafael Romero | Undergraduate Neuroscience IDP |
| Ananya Roy | Urban Planning, Social Welfare |
| David Shorter | World Arts and Cultures |
COMMUNITY PARTNERS COUNCIL
The UCLA Center for Community Engagement (CCE) formed a Community Partners Council in 2023 to help us more fully integrate our partners into the development and assessment of our programs. The Council advises on all aspects of the Center’s work, including the development of reciprocal faculty/student partnerships with community organizations. Council members share their experience working with students and faculty, and the impact these partnerships have for their organizations and the communities they serve.
Focus areas for the Council:
- Inform strategies to expand collaboration between UCLA and the communities of LA.
- Inform the development of new and expanded methods of community engagement.
- Assist with assessing the impact of CCE programs on our community partners.
- Inform the development of skills, training, and management tools for students and partner organizations.
2023-24 Council Members
- Mateo Acosta, Senior Community Engagement Manager, 826LA
- Domenica Castillo, Curator, Museum of Social Justice
- Amanda Díaz, Senior National Hotline Manager, Freedom for Immigrants
- Mario Fedelin, Chief Executive Officer, Changeist
- Jason Foster, President and COO, Destination Crenshaw
- Joi Jackson, President, Grow Cycling
- Jessica Marin, Volunteer and Program Manager, Chrysalis
- Ernie Yoshikawa, Development Manager, Koreatown Youth & Community Center
CONTACT US
Interested Students & Current CESC Minors
Students interested in learning about the minor are invited to attend a CESC Information Session OR view a recorded information session on our website. You may also email communityengagement@college.ucla.edu with questions.
Prospective students should contact CESC Academic Counselor, Myrna Dee Castillo Kikuchi , with questions or requests for informational meetings.
Declared students should contact CESC Academic Counselor, Myrna Dee Castillo Kikuchi for assistance with DARS requests, academic advising, or other questions.
General questions can be referred to communityengagement@college.ucla.edu