Courses for Credit

Learn by doing. Make an impact.

Cardinal Courses connect classroom learning with community engagement. Students can explore over 150 courses across disciplines that combine academic rigor with hands-on service experience, addressing real-world challenges along side community partners. The Cardinal Courses below are offered by Haas Center staff and/or in conjunction with Haas Center programs.

Challenging the Status Quo: Innovation in the Public Sector (CSRE 142C, EARTHSYS 135, INTNLREL 142, URBANST 135: 3-5 units, Spring). Examines social entrepreneurship and innovation for systems change through real-world case studies co-taught by Haas Distinguished Visitors leading cross-sector initiatives.

Citizenship in Action (ETHICSOC 10: 1-2 units, Winter). Provides students enrolled in COLLEGE 102 the opportunity to experience civil dialogue, immigration, collective action, and inequality in action through field visits in the Bay Area.

Community Engaged Research - Principles, Ethics, and Design (URBANST 123B, CSRE 146B: 3 units, Spring). Prepares students for summer community-engaged research through ethical frameworks, collaborative design processes, and partnership-centered inquiry practices.

Community-Engaged Scholars Seminar (URBANST 196, EDUC 196: 1 unit, Autumn). Specifically for students participating in the Haas Center's Community-Engaged Scholars Program, this seminar explores the theory and practice of research as a form of public service and includes interactive workshops and public presentations of research-in-progress.

Designing Research for Social Justice: Creating a Community Engaged Research Project (URBANST 123A, CSRE 146A: 3 units, Winter). This course guides students through designing community-engaged research proposals using a social justice lens that prioritizes community partnership and benefits, preparing them for funding scholarship and fellowship opportunities.

Ethics and Leadership in Public Service (EDUC 126A, CSRE 126C, ETHICSOC 79, URBANST 126A: 3-4 units, Spring). Explores ethical questions that arise in public service work, as well as leadership theory and skills relevant to public service work.

Leadership, Organizing and Action: Intensive (CSRE 127B, ETHICSOC 127B, URBANST 127B: 3 units, Winter). Community organizing makes a difference in addressing major public challenges that demand full engagement of the citizenry, especially those whose voices are marginalized. In this course you will learn and practice the leadership skills needed to mobilize your communities for positive social change. The class will be an intensive held the first two weekends of winter quarter, beginning on Friday afternoon and running through early Sunday evening, with one follow-up session Week 9 of the quarter.

Pathways of Public Service (UAR 82: 1-2 units, Autumn, Winter, Spring). Offered Wednesday evenings from 6:30–7:30 in the Otero dorm lounge (but open to students from any residence), the Pathways class welcomes community and campus leaders for conversations exploring public service pathways—from direct service to philanthropy to community organizing. Two-unit option provides additional leadership development.

Preschool Counts: Engaging Young Children in Math (EDUC 171: 1-3 units, Winter, Spring). Explores early childhood mathematics education: theory, practice, and development for ages 4-5.

Public Service and Social Impact: Pathways to Purposeful Careers (ENGLISH 180, INTNLREL 74, POLISCI 74B, PSYCH 190A, PUBLPOL 75B, SOC 190A, SYMSYS 193, URBANST 190A: 2 units, Autumn). Explore diverse public service careers through weekly expert speakers and optional hands-on sessions for networking, career coaching, and launching your job/internship search.

Public Service Immersion: Exploring Service in the Bay Area (UAR 85: 1 unit, Winter). Service-learning course for sophomores and Frosh Service Liaisons that introduces students to ethical and effective service through activities and Bay Area service treks.

Service Learning Practicum (EDUC 98SI: 1 unit, Winter). For Alternative Spring Break program leaders, this course provides the skills and philosophical framework to develop and lead an ASB experience.

Storytelling for Leadership, Organizing, and Action (URBANST 127D: 1 unit, Autumn). Structured as a one-weekend intensive workshop, this experiential course introduces students to the leadership practice of public narrative, a storytelling tool for social change. Part of the Leadership, Organizing, and Action program of the Haas Center and Office of Religious and Spiritual Life.

Tutoring: Seeing a Child through Literacy (EDUC 103A: 3-4 units, Winter). A hands-on service-learning course tutoring K-2 children twice weekly while learning about literacy development and instruction with diverse learners.