CAT 124

CAT 124 is Sixth College's own high-impact experiential learning course that gives students the opportunity to learn through community engagement, critical analysis, and small group discussion. The courses bring together an interdisciplinary faculty to expound on themes of culture, art, and technology, examining different topics each quarter and over the summer, through distinct experiential learning opportunities. These classes fulfill the experiential learning requirement and are open to students in all departments and fields. Preauthorization requests for CAT 124 can be submitted through the Enrollment Authorization System and do not require a justification or any supporting documentation.

Winter 2026

CAT 124: Translation and Poetry Program

Amelia Glaser

Professor, Literature

Tuesday/Thursday 11:00 a.m.-12:20 p.m.

This course is centered on a teaching-internship program and will place UC San Diego students into K-12 classrooms, where they will teach courses in translation and poetry. During the first month of the quarter, you will be trained in the Translation and Poetry teaching methodology. Together, we will develop lesson plans that present poems from a variety of languages, in the original language and with a very literal translation or glossary. You will also be cleared to teach on local public school campuses. In February and March, you will visit a local classroom 8-10 times during the winter quarter, ideally twice each week for 4-6 weeks, where you will offer a short course in translating poetry. The goal of your teaching will be to expose children to the art of literary translation, as well as to a variety of languages. UC San Diego students need not be fluent in a second language in order to teach this class, but a second language and prior experience with literature will be helpful.

CAT 124: Mosaics and Climate Change

Adriana Tosun

Lecturer, CAT

Tim Lueker

Researcher, SIO

Monday 3:00-5:50 p.m. | Craft Center

The climate crisis is not only scientific reality, it is a social, political, and communication problem that requires inventive scientific, political, and artistic interventions. This experiential learning course brings together climate science with art and activism to explore the role of art and education in promoting sustainable environmental change. In this course, students will build mosaic murals in order to demonstrate the impact of environmental change to their campus community, and to advocate for our futures. Using stone tile made from ancient marine life, art glass, ceramic and porcelain tile, seashells, and other "found objects," students will create representations of climate change resulting from human development. For example, how might you represent the Keeling Curve and the significant uptick in carbon emissions post-WWII era? As part of their process, students will work together in both research and artistic partnerships: they will investigate the history of activist art and climate science (including the Keeling Curve, the record of rising CO2 concentration recorded at Mauna Loa Hawaii by the Keeling group at Scripps). Students' mosaic work will connect art and the climate crisis to imagine and collaboratively design a multi-panel installation to be installed on UC San Diego campus.