Writing and Civic Engagement Track
Focuses on study of and practice with writing related to governance, citizenship, and civil society. Students study and practice communication that aims to influence public understanding of civic issues, such as op-ed pieces, policy briefs, and political campaigns and functions within a civic organization to meet its mission, such as grants, educational brochures, and marketing documents.
Apply
Applications are due during Fall quarter of the applicant's senior year. They must have the prerequisites completed or in progress in order to apply.
Applicants must submit a digital writing portfolio totaling 15-20 pages to the Writing Program office. After submitting the application portfolio, send an e-mail to the director of the Civic Engagement track, Patrick McHugh, at [email protected].
For more information and to download the application, visit the UCSB Writing Program Website.
Applicants must submit a digital writing portfolio totaling 15-20 pages to the Writing Program office. After submitting the application portfolio, send an e-mail to the director of the Civic Engagement track, Patrick McHugh, at [email protected].
For more information and to download the application, visit the UCSB Writing Program Website.
Take Civic Engagement Capstone Classes
If accepted into the writing minor, students will take the following courses in their senior year:
- Writing 153A: Civic Engagement and Public Writing (Winter)
- Writing 153B: Writing for Civic Organizations (Spring)
- Writing 150: Internship (Spring) and/or Writing 162: Advanced Public Speaking (Spring)
Participate in an Internship
Student internships typically begin Spring Quarter of one's senior year. However, they can begin as early as Fall or Winter and extend into Spring Quarter. Previous writing minor participants have interned in a wide range of areas, from private law offices to nonprofit organizations to county governments to newspapers and so much more.
The internship component allows for in-depth immersion into a particular field and provides students with real-world work experience. While students are in charge of securing their own internship, they receive support and referrals from Professor McHugh. Check out the alumni tab to see some sample internships that students have participated in.
*Please note that the internship is taken in addition to the Writing 153A and Writing 153B capstone courses and can be taken alongside Writing 162 or in place of Writing 162.
Past Internships Students Have Done:
Legal
Education
Social Justice
Environment
Public Health
Community
Political
Santa Barbara Nonprofits
The internship component allows for in-depth immersion into a particular field and provides students with real-world work experience. While students are in charge of securing their own internship, they receive support and referrals from Professor McHugh. Check out the alumni tab to see some sample internships that students have participated in.
*Please note that the internship is taken in addition to the Writing 153A and Writing 153B capstone courses and can be taken alongside Writing 162 or in place of Writing 162.
Past Internships Students Have Done:
Legal
- Santa Barbara District Attorney Office https://www.countyofsb.org/da/
- HER Lawyer https://herlawyer.com/
- Judge Brian Hill, Santa Barbara Superior Court [email protected]
- Law Offices of Robert B. Locke
- Judge James Herman, Santa Barbara Superior Court
- Maho-Prentice LLP, https://maho-prentice.com/
- Sanger Swysen & Dunkle https://www.sangerswysen.com/frank-j-ochoa
- Legal Aid Foundation https://www.lafsbc.org/
Education
- Santa Barbara Education Margie Yayahvi, Executive Director [email protected]
- Partners in Education Illa Llinares [email protected]
- AHA! https://ahasb.org/
Social Justice
- Truth in Recruitment [email protected]
- Fund for Santa Barbara https://www.fundforsantabarbara.org/about-us/internships/
- IV Community Services District--Policy intern https://islavistacsd.ca.gov/
- Nuclear Age Peace Foundation https://www.wagingpeace.org/
- Habitat for Humanity https://www.sbhabitat.org/
- Food Bank of Santa Barbara https://foodbanksbc.org/
- Just Communities https://www.just-communities.org/internshipprogram
- Girls Inc. of Santa Barbara https://girlsincsb.org/
- Girls Rock https://www.girlsrocksb.org/
- Pacific Pride Foundation https://pacificpridefoundation.org/
Environment
- Clean Coalition https://clean-coalition.org/
- Eco Vista https://ecovistacommunity.com/
- Unite to Light https://www.unitetolight.org/#/
- IV Surfrider https://islavista.surfrider.org/?gclid=CjwKCAiAzNj9BRBDEiwAPsL0dzl9ystfrpWmC26ZbZ8-UjD0iBZnNnR1yf9BNC3y7VundEeeSr0UQhoCr7sQAvD_BwE
- 350.org of Santa Barbara https://350sb.org/
- Climas LLC https://www.climadvisor.com/
- Land Trust of Santa Barbara County https://www.sblandtrust.org/nextgen/
- Community Environmental Council https://www.cecsb.org/
- Santa Barbara Channel Keeper https://www.sbck.org/
- Heal the Ocean https://www.healtheocean.org/
Public Health
- Visiting Angels https://www.visitingangels.com/santabarbara/home?vs_key=CtjSZ1E2AlMh8QCF&gclid=CjwKCAiAzNj9BRBDEiwAPsL0d7lmdBmhqexWzbCToR_Wc8CjetpDGDkwaOFbKFpdL4eSJT7vdQyFThoCOecQAvD_BwE
- Path Point https://www.pathpoint.org/
- Planned Parenthood https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/california/santa-barbara/93101/santa-barbara-center-3268-90170
- SEE International https://www.seeintl.org/?gclid=CjwKCAiAzNj9BRBDEiwAPsL0dzwxJQkdEzgFYZhwbojFfzRUVfy_mcRo3pHzQn1QNZG17BA12PT44hoCPUEQAvD_BwE
- Santa Barbara County Public Health http://www.countyofsb.org/phd
Community
Political
- U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal https://carbajal.house.gov/
- City Council Representatives https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/cityhall/council/meet/default.asp
- Santa Barbara County Democratic Party https://www.sbdems.org/internships/
Santa Barbara Nonprofits
- Organic Soup Kitchen https://www.organicsoupkitchen.org/
- Direct Relief https://www.directrelief.org/
- Vitamin Angels https://www.vitaminangels.org/
- Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation https://www.teddybearcancerfoundation.org/
- CALM (Child Abuse, Listening & Mediation) https://calm4kids.org/
- Goleta Education Foundation https://www.goletaeducationfoundation.org/
- Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation https://sblibraryfoundation.org/
- Santa Barbara Museum of Art https://www.sbma.net/
- UCSB Associated Students https://coc.as.ucsb.edu/as-positions/
- UCSB Alumni Association https://www.alumni.ucsb.edu/
- UCSB Sustainability https://sustainability.ucsb.edu/internships
- UCSB Her Campus https://www.hercampus.com/school/ucsb/
- Mission Scholars https://missionscholars.org/
- Gateway Educational Services https://www.gatewayeducationalservices.org/
- SB CAN (Santa Barbara County Action Network) https://www.sbcan.org/about
- Family Service Agency https://fsacares.org/
- Santa Barbara Dance Alliance http://www.sbdancealliance.com/home
- Storyteller Children’s Center https://storytellercenter.org/
- Domestic Violence Solutions https://dvsolutions.org/
- STESA (Standing Together to End Sexual Assault) https://sbstesa.org/
- Kind Mind in Santa Barbara https://www.kindmindsantabarbara.org/
- Mindful Heart Programs https://mindfulheartprograms.org/
- Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History https://www.sbnature.org/
- Lotusland https://www.lotusland.org/
- One805 (supports first responders) https://one805.org/
- Wilderness Youth Project https://wyp.org/
- Environmental Defense Center https://www.environmentaldefensecenter.org/
- Los Padres Forest Watch https://lpfw.org/
- The Write Team https://www.thewriteteam.net/#the-write-team
- SB Entrepreneur http://www.sbentrepreneur.org/
- Nonprofit Kinect https://www.nonprofitkinect.org/nonprofit-board-development-santa-barbara
- The Turner Foundation https://www.theturnerfoundation.com/