Guide to the University of California, Berkeley, American Cultures Center records
Jessica Tai
University Archives
2023
The Bancroft Library
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
bancref@library.berkeley.edu
Contributing Institution:
University Archives
Title: University of California, Berkeley, American Cultures Center records
Creator:
University of California, Berkeley American Cultures Center
Identifier/Call Number: CU-597
Physical Description:
23.75 linear feet
(19 cartons)
Physical Description:
2.43 GB
(56 files)
Physical Description:
2 sound cassettes
Date (inclusive): 1970-2016
Abstract: Contains records of the American Cultures Center and material related to the creation and implementation of the American Cultures
requirement at UC Berkeley.
Physical Location: Many Bancroft Library collections are stored off-site and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Language of Material:
English
.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Accruals
Additions are expected.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transfer from the American Cultures Center, on November, 2014. Additions were made on October, 2018.
Arrangement
Materials within this collection maintain the original physical organization found at time of acquisition. Collection is arranged
and described at the container level.
American Cultures Center
Rooted in histories of powerful student organizing, the American Cultures (AC) Center promotes the teaching and learning of
race, racism, and anti-racism within institutions, communities, and local and transnational lives. The center supports community
engagement for courses and enhances student learning by creating social justice projects that impact community partners and
the university. Passed by the UC Berkeley Senate in 1989, the AC requirement was the first and only campus-wide graduation
requirement for all UC Berkeley undergraduate students. AC courses are offered in more than fifty departments in many different
disciplines at both the lower and upper division level.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], University of California, Berkeley, American Cultures Center records, CU-566, University Archives,
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Processing Information
Processed by Jessica Tai in 2023. Materials were rehoused in archival boxes and described at the container level. Some materials
have been retained in their original folders. Some original folder titles have been maintained and are indicated by quotation
marks.
Digital records were received on one CD-R and two 3.5" floppy disks. The files were scanned for viruses using Malware Bites.
One 3.5" floppy disk was blank. The remaining 3.5" floppy disk was forensically disk imaged by Library staff using AccessData
FTK Imager. The CD-R was logically copied using the Digital Archivist Resource Toolkit (DART).
Scope and Contents
Collection contains records of the American Cultures Center and material related to the creation and implementation of the
American Cultures requirement at UC Berkeley. Material includes clippings, committee minutes, correspondence, course and student
petitions, course proposals, course surveys, department files, event and seminar materials, fellowship applications, flyers,
grant proposals, reports, and syllabi.
Conditions Governing Use
Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction
of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Culturally relevant pedagogy
Multicultural education
Social justice and education
Universities and colleges -- Curricula -- United States
University of California, Berkeley American Cultures Center
carton 1
Committee minutes, course and program proposals, department procedures, grant proposals, and reports
1988-2008
Physical Description: 46 folders
Scope and Contents
Files including reports on the Student Information Systems forum, campus student grievance procedure, division of undergraduate
education meetings, supervisor training for employee treatment (ADA, etc.), reports: internal audit, annual report, Ford Foundation
grant proposal, National Endowment for the Humanities grant proposal, AC course approval guidelines, faculty advisory board
meeting documents, American Cultures Executive & Review Committee documents, AC subcommittee correspondence and list of courses,
exemption from AC credit documents for the School of Optometry, AC subcommittee meetings and minutes, summer sessions data,
committees on diversity, divisional reorganization, and advisory committee.
digital_folder 001
Summer session 2007 targets 54 excel files including 1989-2006 historical AC course data
2006
Physical Description: 0.001 GB(54 files)
Scope and Contents
Digital media was originally located in carton 1.
carton 2
Clippings, flyers, reports, fellowship and seminar files
1977-2012
Physical Description: 51 folders
Scope and Contents
Files include intercampus publications and reports, event flyers, correspondence, AC delinquents file, McGraw Hill publishing
project, clippings from the Daily Californian and other press news articles, flyers advocating for the instatement of an Ethnic
Studies requirement, American Cultures Faculty Fellowship, and community college seminar.
carton 3
Correspondence, course petitions, fellowship files, reports, newsletters, and program information
1970-2009
Physical Description: 57 folders
Scope and Contents
Files include intercampus publications and reports, event flyers, correspondence, AC delinquents file, McGraw Hill publishing
project, clippings from the Daily Californian and other press news articles, flyers advocating for the instatement of an Ethnic
Studies requirement, American Cultures Faculty Fellowship, and community college seminar. Course petitions for African American
studies, American studies, and anthropology.
carton 4
Course petition files
1990-2002
Physical Description: 27 folders
Scope and Contents
Petitions, syllabi, and correspondence sent to the subcommittee on the breadth requirement in American Cultures for courses
in the following departments: architecture, art history, comparative literature, dramatic arts, education, English, ethnic
studies, film studies, geography, history, humanities, info systems, journalism, language arts, linguistics, music, peace
and conflict studies, political science, public health, public policy, and psychology.
carton 5
Course petition files
1990-2010
Physical Description: 99 folders
Scope and Contents
Petitions, syllabi, and correspondence sent to the subcommittee on the breadth requirement in American Cultures for courses
in the following departments: rhetoric, social welfare, sociology, Spanish, urban planning, visual studies, women's studies,
English, forestry, ethnic studies, Native American studies, and history.
carton 6
Course petition files
1988-2008
Physical Description: 124 folders
Scope and Contents
Petitions, syllabi, and correspondence sent to the subcommittee on the breadth requirement in American Cultures for courses
in the following departments: ethnic studies, history, geography, english, African American studies, and American studies.
carton 7
Course petition files
1987-2006
Physical Description: 112 folders
Scope and Contents
Petitions, syllabi, and correspondence sent to the subcommittee on the breadth requirement in American Cultures for courses
in the following departments: anthropology, American studies, African American studies, comparative literature, architecture,
and art history.
digital_folder 003
003_WP 6.0 d172 bib.fnl d172 con.fnl Anthropology of Minority Cultures Bibliography
1997
Physical Description: 0.001 GB(2 files)
Scope and Contents
Digital media was originally located in carton 7.
carton 8
Course petition files
1990-2007
Physical Description: 113 folders
Scope and Contents
Petitions, syllabi, and correspondence sent to the subcommittee on the breadth requirement in American Cultures for courses
in the following departments: comparative literature, education, history, journalism, integrative biology, info systems, interdisciplinary
studies, linguistics, and music.
carton 9
Course petition files and clippings
1987-2007
Physical Description: 83 folders
Scope and Contents
Petitions, syllabi, and correspondence sent to the subcommittee on the breadth requirement in American Cultures for courses
in the following departments: political science, peace and conflict studies, Near Eastern studies, psychology, rhetoric, public
health, and religious studies. Clippings from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
carton 10
Clippings
1988-1993
Physical Description: 26 folders
Scope and Contents
Arranged and described by subject, including "affirmative action," "African Americans," "Asian Americans," "Chicano/Latino,"
"demography," "immigration," "mixed-race Americans," "Jews," "Middle East American," "multiculturalism," "Native American,"
"culture theory," "ethnic conflict," "Euro-American," "folklore," and "racism."
carton 11
Clippings, correspondence, fellowship and grant files, and reports
1986-2010
Physical Description: 51 folders
Scope and Contents
Materials related to the American Cultures center, American Cultures requirement, American Cultures fellowship, grant applications,
and program awards.
carton 12
Correspondence and course petitions
1976-2013
Physical Description: 59 folders
Scope and Contents
Includes course petitions from community colleges related to the American Cultures requirement. Incoming and outgoing correspondence
for first American Cultures Center Director, William Simmons, first Assistant Director, Ronald Choy, and American Cultures
Librarian, Corliss Lee.
carton 13
Course petitions and award and fellowship files
1991-2009
Physical Description: 65 folders
Scope and Contents
Includes course petitions from community colleges related to the American Cultures requirement. Material related to the American
Cultures faculty fellowship, student research prizes, and teaching awards.
carton 14
Correspondence, faculty and fellowship files, and seminar and lecture material
1989-2013
Physical Description: 42 folders
Scope and Contents
Correspondence for first American Cultures Center Director, William Simmons, first Assistant Director, Ronald Choy, and American
Cultures Librarian, Corliss Lee.
carton 15
Course petitions, faculty fellowship applications, AC department files
1986-2005
Physical Description: 101 folders
Scope and Contents
Syllabi and correspondence sent to the subcommittee on the breadth requirement in American Cultures for courses in the following
departments: dramatic arts, interdisciplinary studies, social welfare, sociology, Spanish, and women's studies. Files related
to the Faculty Teaching fellowship and AC department, including data, job ads, course listings, and correspondence.
carton 16
Community college seminar material, course petitions, and faculty fellowship applications
1984-2016
Physical Description: 56 folders
Scope and Contents
Syllabi and correspondence sent to the subcommittee on the breadth requirement in American Cultures for courses in the following
departments: communications, ethnic studies, dance, history, music, Spanish, and sociology. Files related to the Faculty Teaching
fellowship.
carton 17
AC Center events, budget material, committee and fellowship files
1989-2012
Physical Description: 18 folders
Scope and Contents
Files including Identifying Identities conference, AC Center Issues report, Ford Foundation and Mellon grant files.
carton 18
Event files, AC center files, course petitions, and fellowship files
1980-2016
Physical Description: 80 folders
Physical Description: 2 sound cassettes
Scope and Contents
Syllabi and correspondence sent to the subcommittee on the breadth requirement in American Cultures for courses in the following
departments: English, psychology, history, political science, music, and sociology. Material related to the AC Faculty Fellowship
and AC Center events and department activities.
carton 19
Student evaluations
1991-1997
Physical Description: 15 folders
Scope and Contents
Anonymous student evaluations issued by the academic senate.