Spring Seminars Open to Undergrads
Looking to add another credit or two? We have classes for you!
Check out these First Year Seminars for Spring 2026 rooted in feminism!
Feminist Climate Modeling: Care & Repair
CRN: 41604
Course: 002-21
Units: 2
Day/Time: Thursday 4:10 pm - 6:00 pm
Instructor: Sarah McCullough & Harlin/Hayley Steele
In this first year seminar, we will explore and repair leading climate models and modeling frameworks that are used by the UN and world leaders to organize climate policy meetings. Questions we will explore include: What is climate modeling and why is it important? How can historical bias become congealed into climate models, impacting their accuracy and usability? How has fossil-fuel-funded meddling impacted climate models, and what can we do to repair impacted models and modeling frameworks?
Activities will include discussing and assessing leading climate models including I-PAT, STIRPAT, and the SSPs. Students will learn historical context for the models we’ll be working with. We will engage in group discussions and activities in which we strategize repairs for leading climate models. You will also receive training in feminist understandings of science, and feminist approaches to constructing scientific knowledge.
The Legacy Of Rachel Carson
CRN:41659
Tuesdays, 10-11:50am
2 units, P/NP
Instructor: Tessa Hill
This course will explore the writing and activism of Rachel Carson. Rachel Carson is best known for writing Silent Spring, which is often described as a book that launched the environmental movement in the United States in the 1960's. Silent Spring was a call to action over the potential risks of chemical pesticides to the environment. However, her writing extends far beyond this book - and delves into multiple different topics including the wonder of the natural world, concerns about the directions of scientific research, and interactions between government and science.
In this course, we will read Silent Spring, as well as a few of Carson's other writings, and review materials about her work. In each class period, we will explore scientists who are working today that carry on the legacy of Carson, via their research, writing, and activism.
Inclusion and Exclusion in Food Cultures
CRN: 41579
Course: 001-006
Units: 1
Day/Time: Tuesday 12:10 - 1 pm
Instructor: Sarah McCullough
Food is a major way through which we experience community, learn about culture, and connect with each other. At the same time, we also judge people based on what they eat and food gatherings can be used as an excuse to overlook deeper structural divisions. This course will enable students to explore how food has shaped their identity and understanding of the world. Students will learn about the role of food in culture and share their own food traditions. We will also explore the role of nutrition and how moralism gets tied up with what someone does (or doesn't) eat. The value of this course comes from teaching students how the simple act of eating can be a microcosm of the complex world we inhabit. We will explore how to cultivate joy and connection in sharing a meal, while also acknowledging the hardship, history, and conflict that food can represent. After this class, students will never look at food the same way again.
Imagination Practices in Community Engaged Research and Artmaking
CRN: 41592
Course: 002-008
Units: 2
Day/Time Wednesdays 3:10-5 pm
Instructor: Erica Kohl-Arenas & Stephanie Maroney
In this seminar, we will explore and engage the theories and practices of community engaged research in the arts, humanities, and design. This seminar is led by staff at Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life (IA), a national consortium based at UC Davis that brings together scholars, artists, designers, humanists, and organizers to imagine, study, and enact a more just and liberatory ‘America’ and world. The seminar will draw from IA’s national work to share examples of projects that strengthen and promote public scholarship, cultural organizing, and campus change to inspire collective imagination, knowledge-making, and civic action on pressing public issues.
De Noche, De Día..¡Arriba La Jotería! Identity, Culture, and Queer Latinx Futures
CRN: 41603
Course: 002-020
Unit: 2
Day/Time: Thursday 3:10 pm - 5:00 pm
Instructor: Ruben Zecena & Rodrigo Bonilla
De Noche, De Día… ¡Arriba La Jotería! celebrates the resilience, creativity, and pride of queer and trans Latinx communities. In this seminar, we explore identity, culture, and activism “day and night,” examining histories of resistance, current issues, and popular culture representations. Together, we’ll analyze films, music, art, and digital media while reflecting on personal and collective experiences. This seminar will combine discussions, short lectures, interactive activities, and weekly journals intended to engage students in a multimodal learning environment. Students will develop communication and critical thinking skills, engage in respectful dialogue, and learn strategies to navigate higher education as queer and trans Latinx individuals. We will connect identity development to leadership, ethics, and global perspectives that ground students in a critical approach to enact change. By the end, students will have a deeper understanding of queer and trans Latinx history and culture, practical tools for success at UC Davis, and a stronger sense of how to lead and thrive in diverse communities. This course is for anyone interested in identity, justice, and building a more inclusive future.