Stevenson College (University of California, Santa Cruz)
General Information
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Adlai E. Stevenson College is a residential college at the University of California, Santa Cruz. It was founded in 1966, only a year after the university was established. Currently, the college is host to the Linguistics Department, as well as many humanities faculty.
The college was named after Adlai Stevenson,[1] an American politician and United Nations ambassador. The college was founded in 1966, a year after the establishment of the university and its first college, Cowell.
The Core Course
The core course at Stevenson College is Self & Society. It is the only two-quarter long core course at the university and students can earn up to five general education requirements.
The course holds an emphasis on analytical writing, critical thinking, and oral presentation skills. Due to the broad nature of the course, students find themselves learning about and discussing religion, political theory, social criticism, and literature. Some texts that the course includes are the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, the Koran, Plato’s Five Dialogues, The Autobiography of Malcom X, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, The Communist Manifesto, Persepolis, and much more. Students enjoy the small seminar sections, to discuss many ideas relating to “self” and “society.”
Living at Stevenson
At Stevenson College, there are eight dormitory houses that are separated into two adjacent locations: “upper quad” and “lower quad.” Each house contains single, double, and triple rooms, and can house approximately 60 students. Stevenson College also has apartments that are an option for non-freshman undergraduate students. They house approximately 136 students, and come fully furnished.
The knoll, which has one of the most spectacular views of the Monterey Bay from campus, is a popular hangout for all Stevenson students. It is common to see students studying, napping, or even sun bathing on the knoll at any given time during the year.
The Stevenson Coffee Shop is also another popular hangout where students and professors can eat, socialize, and study. If that environment is too distracting however, students have found that the Stevenson Library is a great, quiet location to work on papers and do any late night assignments they might have.
Finally, Stevenson College is also located just above the university’s gym and pool, giving its students easy access to an excellent workout facility.
Community at Stevenson
Stevenson College holds many events for its community as well. College Night happens two to three times a quarter, where students enjoy specially themed meals with some type of live entertainment. Open Mic Nights at the Stevenson Coffee Shop are also a fun event that occurs several times a month. Anybody can sign up, and many students perform songs, recite poetry, or even perform magic tricks. The Resident Advisors (RAs) at Stevenson College also host many events each quarter that everybody is invited to participate in.