Course Development

Background image: Images of AC Faculty (left to right): Brandi Summers, Khalid Kadir, T. Carlis Roberts

"The challenge is to teach a course pitched at two levels at once: to engage and challenge the most sophisticated of a department's majors while introducing new methods to those who have never before ventured into this."

Course Development and Faculty Support 

Offering an AC course provides a unique teaching opportunity at UC Berkeley, including participating in the nation's first and groundbreaking university-wide 'diversity' curriculum. Students from freshman to senior year are drawn to vital conversations within the AC classroom of our past, present and future racial and cultural histories. And it is one of the very few teaching experiences on campus, where students from all corners of the campus, will be sitting next to each other and learning from one another in the same classroom. As complex, rich and compelling as the country's cultural fabric is, so are the courses which are developed as part of the AC curriculum.

The AC Center staff welcome all inquiries from faculty about the AC curriculum. Whether a faculty member is seeking to develop a course 'from scratch' or creatively reinvent a course which has been offered by other colleagues. To begin this process and learn about the expectations of the Academic Senate Committee on American Cultures, faculty should contact AC Director, Victoria Robinson at victoriarobbi@berkeley.edu. Indeed, the Subcommittee strongly suggests that instructors consult with Dr. Robinson prior to submitting their final materials. 

Senate Committee Meeting Dates

All materials should be submitted directly to the Academic Senate in 320 Stephens Hall #5842. For a list of meeting dates for the current academic year, please visit the Academic Senate's Meeting Dates page. 

Basic Course Development Guidelines

Are you a faculty member interested in learning how to create an AC course? Please visit our basic course development guidelines page.

Additionally, this compiled Best Practices document, built from observations by faculty in constructing AC courses, is available for additional guidance.

Course & Classroom Access Guidelines

Please note that all courses must be accessible to students with disabilities. The Disabled Students Program is available to help resolve any challenges involving students with disabilities, including issues related to off-campus activities and wheelchair access