UC Summer Courses in Our Nation’s Capital
The University of California Washington Center in Washington D.C. is offering three courses this summer which are available to all UC students regardless of campus and all visiting students from other colleges and universities.
Sponsored by Berkeley Summer Sessions, these courses correspond to Session C and run for eight weeks beginning the week of June 20th, ending August 12. In addition to in-class lectures and discussions, each of the courses will include visits from Washington experts (including political aides, journalists, and policy experts) and field trips to iconic institutions such as the Department of Justice, the Newseum, and the Washington Post.
Again, courses are open to all UC students regardless of campus and visiting students from other US colleges and universities. UC Berkeley and UC Merced students will earn four semester units per course from UC Berkeley. UC students on the quarter system will earn six quarter units per course. Currently, these courses are not open to visiting international students.
Registration
Please read over information on making changes to your courses as well as Summer Sessions deadlines before registering.
• UC Berkeley students register through TeleBears.
• Other UC (non-Berkeley) students register here.
• Domestic visitors register here.
Courses
• Contemporary Politics and Media (CNN 59508)
• The Repeopling of America (CNN 49085)
• The Politics and Policy in US Science (CNN 76240) Canceled
Financial Aid
Financial Aid is available to eligible UC Berkeley Students who register for at least six units in the summer. For more information, please visit the Financial Aid Website. Berkeley Summer Sessions offers several online courses that can help you meet the minimum unit requirement for financial aid.
Note: UCDC students who are not UC Berkeley students should contact their UCDC campus program advisor for financial aid information. Other non-Berkeley UC students (not part of UCDC) should contact their home campus financial aid office for information.
Contacts
For all academic-related questions about UCDC's summer courses, please contact:
Matthew Dallek, Associate Academic Director U.C. Washington Center
Email: matt.dallek@ucdc.edu Phone: 202.974.6352
For questions about pre-enrolling in courses, please contact:
Chantal Quintero, Program Administrator, U.C. Washington Center
Email: chantal.quintero@ucdc.edu Phone: 202.974.6381
MEDIA STUDIES C103
Contemporary Politics and Media - SUMMER 2011 Media Research Seminar
University of California Washington Center
Instructor: Marc Sandalow
Dates: 6/20/11-08/12/11
This seminar will explore the evolving relationship between governing and the news media. It is designed particularly, though not exclusively, for students interning at news organizations, political press offices, speechwriting groups, public relations firms or those with a passion for writing or politics. With a focus current news, the course will feature an examination of the purpose of political journalism, how elected officials and candidates exploit - and rely on -- journalists, the development of sophisticated modern propaganda, the demise of print journalism and the implications of social networking. Washington is the perfect backdrop for such a course, with the opportunity to visit iconic institutions, such as the National Press Club, the Washington Post and the Newseum, as well as the chance to witness up close the work of journalists, politicians and
other political communicators at the top of their profession. The class will feature lectures, discussions, field visits and guest speakers from the ranks of journalism and politics. Readings include scholarly material as well as first hand accounts from political figures and journalists. Students will be expected to keep abreast of political news by reading newspapers and the Internet daily throughout the term.
Most students will write several news stories, including an in-depth article on a topic of their choice. Others may choose to pursue a more traditional research project in consultation with the instructor. In addition, all students must complete several shorter writing assignments, and a mock TV assignment, aimed at teaching the craft of journalism and political communication. Assignments will be adjusted to meet individual campus requirements.
HISTORY 137AC
The Repeopling of America
Instructors: Matthew Dallek, Ph.D. & Philip E. Wolgin
Dates: 6/20/11-08/12/11
(This Course Satisfies Berkeley's American Cultures Requirement).
As Congress once again turns to comprehensive immigration reform, understanding the evolution of American immigration policy is all the more important. Turn on any of the major cable news channels and immigration is front-and-center, as pundits on all sides of the political spectrum debate the seemingly intractable issues of border security, amnesty and legalization, assimilation, and incorporation. Those on the left and right agree that the current immigration system is dysfunctional, but differ significantly in their prescriptions on how to solve the problem. But from where did the contemporary quagmire of immigration reform emerge? In this seminar we will seek to understand how legislators, interest groups, and the public have approached the major questions and themes of U.S. immigration, as well as how immigration law has developed over the course of the 19th and 20th century.
In the first two thirds of the class we will survey the history and development of American immigration policy through 1965, paying special attention to the shifting landscapes, coalitions, and frameworks for policymaking. We will also examine the place of race, economics, and foreign policy in shaping admissions. Part one will discuss the foundations of American immigration through WWII, and focus on the experiences of Asians, Latinos, and white Europeans as they navigated U.S. law. Part two of the class will discuss immigration policy after World War II, with an emphasis on the major legislative battles of the second half of the twentieth century. Finally in part three we will apply what we have learned to more recent debates, in an effort to make sense of the issues facing contemporary reform efforts. Topics will include the economics of migration, border security and enforcement, refugees and asylum, and what "assimilation" or incorporation even means in 21st-century America.
Finally, we will examine how groups such as Muslim Americans have fared under immigration law and in public discourse, and how the landscape of immigration reform has shifted post-9/11. Through course readings, section discussions and visits with practitioners in their workplaces, this course will bridge the gap between a historical understanding of immigration in the United States and the current state of race and ethnic relations in American society. The course will draw on Washington as an experience, integrating guest speakers including congressional and White House aides, think tank policy analysts, and journalists covering immigration.
TOPICS IN AMERICAN POLITICS 109W
The Politics and Policy of US Science
Instructor: Bruce E. Cain
Dates: 6/20/11-08/12/11
The US government plays a major role in promoting and nurturing science in America. In turn, these investments are expected to help drive the economy, improve public life, and inform and guide policy decisions, ranging from public health to national defense. The Obama administration has given a relatively high profile to science and science funding, with notable emphases on energy, green technologies, and basic research. The US funds the natural sciences and engineering in many ways including peer reviewed grants, national labs, agricultural stations, private contracts, and even Congressional earmarks. This course will look at the role of the federal government in science including both the support of science and the use/misuse of scientific information in the policymaking process. Topics will include patterns of science funding, the debate over government- vs. private sector-driven technology development, stem cell research, military research, climate change policy, and the like. Enrollment will be open to all students, but natural science and engineering students who want to gain a better understanding of how the US political system impacts scientific activities are particularly encouraged to take this course.