Democratic Education at Cal (DeCal) Courses

Anthropology majors can propose a Decal course to be taught under Anthropology faculty sponsorship. Each faculty member can sponsor only one course. Start early to identify and work with a faculty sponsor from the Department.

Deadlines for consideration by the Department Curriculum committee are: October 1 and March 1. These deadlines are necessary to allow time to complete COCI paperwork.

Students wanting to develop a Decal course should familiarize themselves with the Decal program guidelines, and follow them step by step. The program link is here:

https://decal.berkeley.edu/facilitate/start-your-own-course

You can follow the steps defined there; Anthropology-specific actions are indicated below:

(1) Create a course description that shows the frequency and length of class meetings; a reading list; an outline of each week's topic that includes reading required for that week; a clear description of assignments and requirements for the class, with the percentage each will contribute to the final grade and due dates.

(2) Answer the five questions on the Course Proposal form.

(3) Give the form and syllabus to the sponsoring faculty member. They must fill out a second checklist, add a letter, and sign.

(4) Submit these materials to the Department Curriculum Committee (email anthropology@berkeley.edu). The committee will review the proposal and may ask for changes.

(5) Staff working with the Curriculum Committee will forward the proposal to the Department Chair to complete the final checklist and signature approval page.

(6) Students submit the proposal through the Decal program.

Student faciitators of the Decal will work with Anthropology staff to identify available space at the suggested time and day. Decal offerings will be scheduled in Department space on an as-available basis.