recounts, "writing a thesis helped me crystallize the most important educational aspects of my studies for both myself and others." After sifting through hundreds of pages of field notes, and thousands of pages of research materials, the result is not only a valuable new resource, but a larger bag of tricks: analytica1, research, and writing skills are all very much in demand in this information age. The consolidation, however, is not limited to a thesis. Those disinclined to write, or who want to explore other forms of presentation, may produce a.video, direct a · seminar course, or make a community presentation, among other possibilities. One student, Paula Smith, organized and performed a dance piece, and wrote commentary on the challenges of producing art for social change. Still, there is yet another option, the Synthesis Pathway: fusing previously written papers together, adding an introduction and conclusion. Overall, however, most students opt to write a thesis. The thesis has also been a savior of the program. For the funds to continue flowing to CS, it has to prove its academic legitimacy, and the worthiness, pertinence, and effectiveness of the curriculum. Every five years, CS comes under scrutiny from an external review board, which evaluates the quality of its academic program. "The tangible pile of senior theses," states Rotkin, ''many of which are much better than most masters' theses, are compelling evidence.that students are not only doing great work in the community, but that they are also doing great work in the classroom." Come evaluation time, the social responsibility of the program isn't taken lightly. The UC system has the general mission of (1) research, (2) teaching, and (3) public service. The fulfillment of the latter by CS racks·up a number of passing points. CS provides about half of the University's total public service hours. "We play such an active and visible role as sort of the public relations," says Rotkin, "that the University would like to keep us around. From their point of view, we can be trotted out when necessary as evidence that they ar~ doing something useful for the world." : .. · .. \ · . . , . But even while academic powers nod their heads in approval of the publiC service, they generally frown on publicized radical acti~ities. The training of organizers who want things shifted, who want to actively redistribute power and resources, makes the program vulnerable. Freidland said, "when some of our students turned up in the early years on Cesar Chavez's boycott picket-line in front of Safeway, McHenry [the Chancellor at the time] got a letter f9rm Peter McGalin, the head of Safeway [and big-time donor to the University] saying, 'Why are you giving academic credit to students who picket my store?"' The students explained: "because Safeway supports the exploitation of farm workers, the land, and the consumer." They were affirming the saying of Myl~s Horton: "the most important education is action; the most important action is the struggle for justice." Overall, however, Community Studies has survived the last 24 years because its faculty and administrators are shining examples of the responsible academic. Rotkin states, "the·fact that our faculty are interdisciplinary, that they don't think there is one discipline that answers all of the questions we have about the 'Yorld - 'what's wrong? How can it be fixed? What kinds of social change models make sense? Where is the best placement for students to be asserting energy into the real world to make a difference? Etc.' - means that they are an interesting group of people." Faculty research includes the study of ethnic communities around the world, political economy, labor, mental health, and organizing. Each of the faculty has practiced what they preach, having done extensive community work. The Administrative Assistant, and backbone of the program, Sherry Phillips, says, "the crux is in the commitment to education for social change. All of our faculty are really committed. Styles may differ, but the integrity of instruction remains constant." Like all social endeavors, conflicts arise. Struggles between faculty about prom~tion, course load, and Publishor-Perish pressures, can temporarily detract from the central goal of teaching undergraduates. And sometimes faculty and students butt heads, usually over curriculum or, in one RAIN Summer 1994 Volume XIV, Number 4 Page 47
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