|
A group of Berkeley faculty members (The Subcommittee on the Breadth Requirement in American Cultures*) determines which courses satisfy the American cultures requirement.
Please carefully review these petitioning guidelines before you decide to petition.
Please Note:
-
You receive AC credit for one course. A combination of courses is ineligible.
-
You may petition to substitute any course that you have completed with a passing grade – either at UC Berkeley or another college.
-
To receive AC credit for a course taken at another college, the course itself must be transferable for UC Berkeley credit (at least 3 semester units or 4 quarter units).
-
The petition review process takes several weeks; it is not instantaneous.
Have a backup plan. The American Cultures Subcommittee could deny the petition. Students are strongly encouraged to be prepared to satisfy the AC requirement by taking an approved AC course in case their petitions are denied. Students who wish to substitute a course should submit the petition well before their last semester. Many AC courses are offered each semester, and there is always a chance that students may need to take an AC course in one of their final semesters if their petition is denied.
Petition Process
In order to request the substitution of a course for AC credit, students must submit (1) the student petition form, (2) a letter written by the student explaining how the course fulfills the AC requirement, and (3) a copy of the course syllabus. Additionally, students may submit a letter from the instructor explaining how the course fulfills the AC requirement. The letter from the instructor is optional, but the letter from the student is required. .
-
Make sure that all the blanks have been filled in on the petitioning form [pdf].
-
The letter must explain how the course fulfills the AC requirement:
- "Does the course address theoretical and analytical issues relevant to understanding race, culture, and ethnicity?" How?
- "Is the course integrative and comparative within the larger context of American society, history, culture, economy, or environment?" How?
- "Does the course take substantial account of groups drawn from at least three of the following: African Americans, indigenous peoples of the United States, Asian Americans, Chicanos/Latinos, and European Americans?" How is each group incorporated into the course?
If the student is submitting a letter from the instructor, the student is strongly encouraged to provide a copy of these three questions directly to the instructor to ensure that the instructor’s letter includes all the needed information. These questions are part of the AC Course Approval Guidelines.
-
The course syllabus must include:
-
A detailed course description;
-
Detailed lecture and discussion topics;
-
A complete list and description of required assignments; and
-
A course reading list.
If any of these items are missing from the official course syllabus, students are expected to attach them themselves.
To petition to substitute a course for AC credit, please complete the petitioning form [pdf] and submit it to:
Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate
(c/o American Cultures)s
320 Stephens Hall
-
The AC Subcommittee meets once a month, during the fall and spring semesters, on Friday mornings. Student petitions must be received by 4pm on the Monday before the meeting. Students will receive a response from the Academic Senate within two weeks of the meeting when the petition was reviewed.
|
