Kresge Curriculum

Kresge 1: Academic Literacy and Ethos (“Core”)

In KRSG 1 (also called “Core”), first-year students learn foundational practices for intellectual and personal development in an academic community: analysis, critical thinking, meta-cognition, engagement with others across difference, and self-efficacy. Taught seminar-style in a class of 25-30 students, KRSG 1 empowers students to practice academic styles of reading, analysis, and discussion that will contribute to their success as a student no matter which major they choose. The course also helps first-years to build a sense of belonging to the college community they’ve just joined.

Kresge Core is framed by three overarching questions: How do I learn? Why do I learn? and From whom do I learn? We begin the quarter with close reading, reflection, and discussion of some key texts that take up what it means to be part of a learning community (i.e. college). Midway through the quarter, each student undertakes an “oral history” project, for which they interview an Elder – a parent, grandparent, teacher, mentor, etc. – about a transformational experience in that person’s life. Then, for the final Capstone Creative project, students retell that person’s story in a creative genre, for instance, a graphic novella, poem, song, short story, painting, or mini-documentary. 

At the end of the quarter, students have an opportunity to share their creative projects with one another in class, and also to exhibit their projects at Core Night, a mini arts-and-culture festival on the last Thursday evening of Fall instruction. 

In addition to their Core seminar, students attend “plenaries” on certain Thursday evenings. Plenaries are large gatherings of multiple sections and feature Kresge alums and UCSC faculty talking about their scholarly and creative work.

Transfer Curriculum

Kresge has long been the unofficial college for Transfer students, and now offers a scaffolded Transfer Curriculum, designed in collaboration with Services for Transfer, Re-entry, and Resilient Scholars (STARRS), to help Transfer students transition from community college to UCSC and take full advantage of the opportunities at a research university.

The curriculum begins with KRSG 1T (Introduction to Transfer Life and Learning), the 1-credit summer Orientation course for all incoming Transfer students. 

KRSG 25 (Transfer Excellence at the Research University), a 2-credit course offered in Summer, Fall, and Winter, guides Transfer students toward deeper engagement with the research university. Students work in small-scale learning communities and the course is designed as a catalyst for opportunities in undergraduate research, internships, creative projects, and experiential learning. Topics include: excelling in the quarter system and upper-division classes; centering strengths and overcoming imposter syndrome; developing research goals; financing educational goals; and planning for life after graduation, including careers and graduate school.

KRSG 102 (STARRS Internship) is an opportunity for students to intern at Services for Transfer, Re-entry, and Resilient Scholars and develop professional skills. Students dialogue about university policy; identify structural barriers faced by minoritized and other disadvantaged communities when pursuing higher education; collaboratively design projects to address them; and implement and lead civic-engagement activities. Enrollment is by instructor permission and an application is required to match student-interns’ skills and interests with specific internship projects being offered. Email jrceja@ucsc.edu for application and more information.

Kresge also supports STARRS’ year-end Research and Leadership Symposium, which features STARRS / Kresge interns, the Cultivamos Excelencia Research Scholars, the EOP Pathways to Research Scholars, and the Pan African Research Scholars. 

Enhancement Curriculum

The Enhancement Curriculum is made up of small seminars, workshops, and practicums designed to give undergraduate students an opportunity to explore their interests in creative writing and media-making, to read as a collaborative practice, and to make the most of their college experience and build long-lasting life skills like public speaking. These courses are 2 or 3 credits and many of them fulfill the PR (Practice) General Education requirement, giving students an opportunity to enhance their UCSC experience while completing their major.

Creative Practice

Kresge has long been a place where students interested in creative arts, creative writing, and media-making can thrive. Courses in the Creative Practice initiative include: 

• KRSG 2 (The Power of Filmmaking)
• KRSG 65W (Kresge Lab: Creative Writing) 
• KRSG 70 (Media for Climate Justice)

Learn to Love Reading Again

In Winter 2025, Kresge launched Learn to Love Reading Again (LRRA), a series of 2-credit reading seminars based on three anchoring principles: 1) we read for the sake of reading, not for a test; 2) we engage in discussion to deepen our insight; and 3) we read on paper (students receive all required books and readers on paper, for free). LLRA courses are designed for collaborative reading and fulfill the PR-E General Education requirement. Courses in the LRRA initiative include:

• KRSG 10 (Reading Science Fiction)
• KRSG 12 (Reading Marx)

College and Life Skills

College can be overwhelming – the following courses help you navigate UCSC and develop (long-lasting!) skills to make the most of your college experience. 

• KRSG 100 (University Learning With Intention and Purpose)
• KRSG 30 (Theater for Public Speaking)