Crown College
Crown College Administration Building
831-459-2412
https://crown.ucsc.edu
Academic Programs
Academic Literacy Curriculum
College Scholars Program
Crown College
Crown College seeks to provide our students with a living and learning environment in which they can positively develop intellectually and socially. Crown is traditionally viewed as the “science college,” and it does have a strong presence of engineering, biology and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) students but lots of students majoring in the social sciences and some arts and humanities students call Crown home as well.
Crown is located on a hilltop surrounded by a redwood forest. The award-winning architecture with its white walls and high-pitched tiled roofs suggests a hillside Mediterranean village. The college’s residential facilities house approximately 800 students. The facilities at Crown College were built through a partnership of public funds and a gift from the Crown Zellerbach Foundation.
We enjoy the strong support of generations of Crownies that have maintained alive the connection they formed when they were students here. Alumni participate in advisory capacity in the college’s governance and their generous contributions have allowed Crown to renovate both Crown’s Library and its Fireside Lounge; enrich our Core experience, and expand our curriculum.
For more information on the Crown’s academic and social environment please visit Crown’s website and also see this feature article: Crown College: Science Minded, Socially Mindful.
Academic Emphases
From the time of its founding in 1967, issues pertaining to the role of science and technology in society have been a focus of special interest at Crown College. We approach these issues from an interdisciplinary perspective that recognizes the influence of social and cultural factors on the scientific enterprise, as well as the ways in which science and technology influence our society.
Orientation
All new frosh and transfer students who start fall quarter are required to enroll in one of two online orientation courses. Frosh will enroll in CRWN 1A, Crown 1A: Introduction to University Life and Learning. Transfer students will enroll in KRSG 1T, Kresge 1T: Introduction to Research Universities and the Liberal Arts. Crown 1A and Kresge 1T integrate introductions to academic skills with the online Slug Orientation process, and begin student preparation for their studies at Crown and throughout UC Santa Cruz.
CRWN 1A Introduction to University Life and Learning (1 credit)
Offered online in summer quarter
KRSG 1T Introduction to Research Universities and the Liberal Arts (1 credit)
Offered online in summer quarter
Students who are admitted to winter quarter will take an orientation course during their first term.
Core Course
CRWN 1, Academic Literacy and Ethos: Ethical and Societal Implications of Emerging Technologies
Offered fall quarter
Crown College’s entering frosh enroll in our core course, CRWN 1, which explores the theme, Ethical and Societal Implications of Emerging Technologies. Students work individually, in small groups of four to five students, and in sections of 25 to 30 students, thereby modeling and embracing the diversity found across campus. CRWN 1 looks at the current technological revolution and its implications both locally and globally. CRWN 1 also explores the ethical dilemmas involved and what we can do as responsible citizens to address the challenges facing our society. Deeper goals of this course include fostering a sense of belonging, and ensuring that our students develop the analytical reading, critical thinking, and effective communication skills that they need to succeed in their studies.
A central component of the course is a group research project, in which students study the impact of a technology of their choice, while learning strategies for effective group work. The core course is enhanced through our plenary series, which gives students opportunities to meet intellectual leaders and hear them speak, and through focus groups, where they have the opportunity to engage in discussion with all our faculty. We also organize a science-fiction short story contest, and students are encouraged to attend and/or present at Crown’s Social Fiction Conference. In winter of their frosh year, our students also have other opportunities to build on their Core experience by performing a play connected to the theme of Core or by turning their research project into a podcast.
Other Academic Programs
Complementing its focus on science and technology, Crown supports the development of transferable skills and experiential learning through funding for class projects and through its curriculum in the areas of entrepreneurship, computer modeling, and multimodal communication.
On the entrepreneurship front, Crown offers entrepreneurship (CRWN 90) and social entrepreneurship (CRWN 92) classes, opportunities for experiential learning getvirtual.org getvirtual.org_taking care of business, and facilitates interested students access to incubator space and funding opportunities through its partnership with the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development. Crown also offers an internship with Crown’s Center for Applied Ethics and Values of Emerging Technologies to examine in depth the ethical implications of emerging technologies (CRWN 97)
To support computer modeling, Crown offers one class in computer modeling of human behavior (CRWN 88) and one bioinformatics class (CRWN 89).
Crown also offers a variety of classes supporting multimodal communication and artistic expression. This includes a drama class tied to Core (CRWN 96), a videography class (CRWN 86), a podcasting class (Crown 98), and a sci-fi class (CRWN 80).
Crown College is one of the colleges hosting the College Scholars Program, which provides a congenial and challenging academic home for a select group of well-prepared students at UC Santa Cruz. This enriched program of study includes special courses, seminars, colloquia, and other events into the fall of the sophomore year. Admission to the College Scholars Program can be by invitation during the admissions process based on high school academic performance (early entry) or in winter of the freshman year based on academic potential shown during the first quarter at UC Santa Cruz (late entry).
College Advising
Crown Advising is located in the Crown Administration Building and is staffed by the college assistant, professional academic advisors, and peer advisors, when staff are permitted on campus. Crown Advising offers appointment advising (phone, in-person, or remotely via Zoom) every weekday in fall, winter, spring, and summer. To schedule an appointment, students should use Slug Success (https://ucsc.campus.eab.com). For quick questions or completion of most forms, students are encouraged to email crownadvising@ucsc.edu. Please visit our website for the most up to date information about advisor availability.
Crown Fellows and Staff
Crown College faculty fellows are listed on the college's faculty directory.
Crown College Core faculty instructors are listed on our Core Course Faculty directory.
Crown College staff are listed on the college's staff page.