Crown College
Crown College Administration Building
831-459-2412
https://crown.ucsc.edu
Academic Programs
Academic Literacy Curriculum
College Scholars Program
Academic Emphasis
From the time of its founding in 1967, issues pertaining to the role of science and technology in society have been a focus of special interest at Crown College. We approach these issues from an interdisciplinary perspective that recognizes the influence of social and cultural factors on the scientific enterprise, as well as the ways in which science and technology influence our society.
More recently, Crown is adding an entrepreneurship and innovation component through its partnership with the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development (CIED). This partnership includes co-sponsoring talks and slams as well as a summer class in entrepreneurship.
Crown College emphasizes experiential learning and facilitates the establishment of internships with faculty fellows through advertising of individual projects and by providing funding to support them.
Core Course
CRWN 1, Academic Literacy and Ethos: Ethical and Societal Implications of Emerging Technologies
Offered fall quarter
Crown College’s entering frosh enroll in our core course, CRWN 1, which explores the theme, Ethical and Societal Implications of Emerging Technologies. Students work individually, in small groups of four to five students, and in sections of 25 to 30 students, thereby modeling and embracing the diversity found across campus. The course looks at how technological revolutions happen, how they transform societies, and how these changes in turn generate new ideological narratives. Deeper goals of this course include fostering a sense of belonging, and ensuring that our students achieve college-level reading, critical thinking, and effective communication skills.
A central component of the course is a group project, in which students place a technology of their choice in its societal context, while learning strategies for effective group work. The core course is enhanced through events such as the “Meet the Author” series, which gives students opportunities to meet notable writers and hear them speak in the intimacy of the provost house. We also organize a science fiction short story contest, and students are encouraged to attend and/or present at Crown’s Social Fiction Conference, which features keynote speakers, movies, cosplay, debates, and presentations in a variety of formats around science fiction, fantasy, and gaming topics and how they are relevant to our current society.
College Advising
crownadvising@ucsc.edu
Phone: 831-459-2665
Crown College Administration Building
Other Academic Programs
Crown, in collaboration with Merrill College, offers a leadership development program, which combines leadership theory with a variety of opportunities to connect theory to real-world experiences, including field studies and student leadership positions.
In addition, Crown College offers the College Scholars and the Science Learning Community programs. The College Scholars Program provides a congenial and challenging academic home for a select group of well-prepared students at UC Santa Cruz. This enriched program of study includes special courses, seminars, colloquia, and other events into the fall of the sophomore year. Admission to the College Scholars Program can be by invitation during the admissions process based on high school academic performance (early entry) or in winter of the freshman year based on academic potential shown during the first quarter at UCSC (late entry).
The Crown Science Learning Community (SLC) is an innovative program that provides extra support to first-year students who are interested in pursuing a major in the sciences or engineering. Students enrolled in this program live together, forming a supportive community that promotes collaborative learning and group problem solving. To facilitate this process, SLC students are placed in a special section of CHEM 1A or MATH 3 and participate in a residentially based study group. The program often acts as a bridge to the ACE Program in the physical and biological sciences and engineering.
Similar to the Science Learning Community, Crown’s Baskin Scholars Community focuses on underrepresented student success in engineering. Participants are housed together and receive tutoring, mentoring, and other assistance.