UC Riverside Washington Academic Internship Program (UCDC)

Subject abbreviation: UCDC College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Jennifer Merolla, Ph.D., Chair

1100A Hinderaker Hall

• (951) 827-2634

ucdc.ucr.edu

Committee in Charge

Mohsen El-Hafsi, Ph.D. (Operations and Supply Chain Management) Randolph C. Head, Ph.D. (History) Jeanette Kohl, Ph.D. (Art History) S. Karthick Ramakrishnan, Ph.D. (Political 463 / Programs and Courses student lounge, laptop computers, and printing privileges are available to University Honors students.

Admission to the First Year component of University Honors is based on an application, essay, high school grades, aptitude scores and achievement test scores. Students take University Honors courses and participate in workshops, personal growth, and community service activities. First-year courses encourage innovative approaches to introductory courses and provide an avenue for faculty to present topics in a multidisciplinary approach that ignite the students’ minds in regards to how research is conducted. A goal of University Honors courses is to expose students to methods of conceptualizing issues and framing questions that characterize disciplines.

The sophomore component of University Honors is designed for continuing Honors students, as well as serving as an entry portal for high-achieving UCR students who did not have the opportunity to participate in the first-year component. This component offers students an introduction to the Honors experience and the wealth of opportunities available to undergraduates at UC Riverside. Our goal is that participants will engage in an array of meaningful scholarly endeavors throughout their years of undergraduate study. Interested students must apply to the program and meet the minimum GPA and units earned by spring quarter of their freshman year at UCR. For details, visit honors.ucr.edu.

The upper-division curriculum provides students with the framework to produce a capstone project, resulting from faculty- mentored, undergraduate research. This structure is adaptable to almost any major and allows each student the flexibility to work with a faculty-mentor to shape a research program to meet the ambitions of the project. We have excellent student-faculty research and leadership opportunities for juniors and seniors participating in University Honors. Continuing UCR students with an excellent academic record may apply to participate in University Honors. Students who transfer to UCR as juniors with excellent academic records may also apply to University Honors. During the junior year, students narrow their research or leadership focus, select a faculty mentor, and prepare to undertake the honors project. The program provides support in all phases of this planning. The honors project is usually undertaken by the first two quarters of the senior year and is completed well before graduation. The completed thesis or project is submitted to the faculty mentor for approval. The approved capstone project and a cumulative GPA of 3.4 will qualify a student for graduation with University Honors distinction. The honors designation appears on the official transcript. UCDC 191H Seminar in Health Policy (4) Seminar, 3 hours; outside research, 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): upper-division standing or consent of the instructor; admission to the UCR Washington Center program. Examines the shape of the US health care system, and the trail of public health care policies. Comple- ments the internship experience of students whose internships related to health care by connecting their internship experience to a focused research project. Guides students through the process of conducting focused and detailed research. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.

UCDC 191-I Seminar on the United States Supreme Court (4) Seminar, 3 hours; outside research, 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): upper-division standing or consent of the instructor; admission to the UCR Washington Center program. Introduces the Supreme Court of the United States as a legal, political and cultural institution. Complements the internship experience of students whose internship relates to law and the courts by connecting their internship experience to a focused research project. Guides students through the process of conducting focused and detailed research. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.

UCDC 191M Seminar in Washington, D.C. (4) Seminar, 3 hours; outside research, 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): upper-division standing or consent of instructor; admission to the UCR Washington Center Program. Examines aspects of the Washington, D.C., area, including cultural, political, and governmental institutions as well as the sciences, arts, and media. Requires a substantial research paper or project, the result of guided independent work drawing on the unique aspects of Washington, D.C. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.