Dear future students of the Race and Oral History in San Diego Course (HIUS 120),
This class is going to be an amazing challenging and rewarding experience. It was definitely the best class I took as UCSD.
The race and Oral History in San Diego course is a project class.
This course is putting together lecture, readings and community work. You will be required to do the readings, an oral history and a group project. Even if it seems a lot, everything is linked. The readings help you to push your thinking forward and to improve your community work. This class can be overwhelming if you don’t engage yourself since week 1 but if you do it, you’ll be fine. I’ll just advise you to don’t procrastinate in this class.
Personally, I am a communication senior student from France. This class was eye-opening for me. I grew up a lot by taking this class and I even figure out what I want to do in the future thanks to it. I worked for ten weeks with Detainee Allies, a non-profit that uses letter to reach out to refugees detained at Otay Mesa. Thanks to the skills I learnt, I manage to get a position in a non-profit who includes refugees and asylum seekers through rugby (similar to what American football is in the United States).
However, you need to be aware that this class is time consuming and you will need to be engaged at 100%, but it is worth it! This class offers a wide range of opportunities. You will also learn various transversal skills. I will advice to any student to take this class — whatever your background or your major is. Your will be able to learn a lot about the community you are working with but also about community work in general. This is a very special work! For me, this community work allowed me to have a first step into what an active life looks like.
You’ll be welcomed by amazing partners who will be more than happy to guide you. This class is an amazing opportunity because you will not only learn in class. The out-of-class experience is a big part of this course. You have to be fully engaged, building a relationship with your community partner is essential!
N.F
