PICA Seminar (ENVS 91F/191F)

Through seminars and field experience students are encouraged to address questions important in the cultivation of sustainable communities. Environmental Studies faculty member, Steve Gliessman, leads a two-unit PICA Seminar (ENVS 91F/191F) each quarter that introduces students to concepts of community and agroecology in the context of sustainability. Students who take the Seminar for upper division credit are encouraged to take on a leadership role in the class. They are involved in leading hands-on activities out in the field which link discussion topics with practical experience. From planting cover crops in the Foundational Roots Garden, to building the Village composting system, to removing invasive plants at the CASFS farm, these students are able to share their knowledge with other members of the PICA community. Students who want to deepen their understanding of agroecology and gain more hands-on experience can also participate in 2-unit internships at local farms, school gardens, and community organizations. This course takes place on Thursdays from 4-7pm and includes a community meal.

"Another thing this class has taught me is to be confident, to just go and start projects, that there isn’t a right or wrong way to do things, and that a lot of the fun is experimenting and learning as you go.  Also that it is more fun when you are working with friends."

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Internships

PICA students are engaged in various internships locally, nationally, and internationally.

Local internship opportunities range from working with kids through the Life Lab Garden Classroom, to studying ecological garden design, to hands-on engagement with environmental justice initiatives. Agroecology, environmental education, conservation, and sustainability are all topics of study available through these internships which are sponsored by outside organizations.

PICA also offers a local internship working within the PICA community at UCSC. These internship opportunities are varied and can be tailored to fit the interests of each student. Examples of potential projects include leading activities in the PICA garden for the campus community, managing the Village compost system, and outreaching to students and other campus sustainability organizations. PICA internships are open to PICA Village residents and students who have completed the PICA Seminar.

International Internships

International internships are available at farms, non-profits, and environmental organizations around the world. Information about these internship opportunities can be found at the Environmental Studies internship office (491 Interdisciplinary Sciences Building) or through Community Studies. PICA has also recently formed a partnership with the Community Agroecolgy Network (CAN) to host interns in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Mexico. Please visit the CAN website for more information at http://www.communityagroecology.net/

Summer Exchange

August 4-15, 2008

This year was the pilot course for a 2 week summer Agroecology Student Exchange. Five students from The Intercultural Universities in Quintana Roo and the State of Mexico participated in this exchange program alongside 9 PICA students. The course consisted of short lectures and discussions, hands-on activities with the Village compost system and in the Foundational Roots Garden, and site visits at local gardens, farms, and the farmer’s market. Working together, students were able to combine theory with practice and deepen their understanding of the food system. Students shared in a rich cross-cultural exchange and gained insight into the importance of collaboration, direct connections, and new relationships.  Building community became a key part of the exchange, a lesson that spoke to the vital role that community plays all over the world in developing sustainable and socially just food systems. They saw the power that they have as individuals but also recognized the need to work together collectively to create change. Through their experience at PICA the students learned how to apply agroecology in developing community sustainability.

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