Synthesis Program

Program Highlights

The Synthesis Program utilizes a robust and distinctive approach to students' learning and emphasizes the importance of confronting large-scale, global issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Synthesis Program asks students to:

Participate in an equity-minded and inclusive curriculum that challenges students to investigate their positionality in order to develop ethical research and communication processes.
Critically explore questions related to the climate crisis and develop actionable frameworks for addressing these challenges.
Reimagine reading, writing, listening, and research practices in order to develop rhetorical awareness and create processes that allow students to use their critical thinking and voices to engage with today’s questions and challenges.
Work collaboratively on real-world projects to appreciate the value of interdisciplinary approaches and creativity, while developing practical and transferable problem-solving skills.
Take ownership of their education by setting personal learning goals, embracing risks, learning from failures, and engaging in reflective practices.

Course Descriptions

Synthesis 1/1R - Offered Winter & Spring

Synthesis 1/1R asks students to critically examine through an interdisciplinary and antiracist lens how we communicate about the climate crisis in order to address the question of how we get people to respond and take action. Through a variety of assignments and activities, students develop an awareness of both the message of a text and how the author crafted that message. They learn how to assess the purpose, audience, and context of different rhetorical situations.

Course Objectives

Engage with current conversations taking place around the climate crisis to develop critical reading and thinking skills
Reexamine and refine the processes of one’s own writing to enhance self-awareness as a writer and develop strategies for effectively communicating with diverse audiences
Learn about and begin to develop ethical communication processes
Learn about the role of collaboration in the learning process
Reflect on the learning environment of the Synthesis Program and engage in co-creating learning experiences

Synthesis 2/2R - Offered Fall, Winter, & Summer

Synthesis 2/2R builds upon the skills developed in Synthesis 1. In the first half of the quarter, students learn the links between climate change and racial justice. Using an antiracist framework, students work in a small group to research an aspect of the climate crisis. In the second half of the quarter, students are introduced to project design and learn how to draft a proposal. Students learn how to determine the scope of a project based on such criteria as time, money, and potential impact.

Course Objectives

Learn the basics of systems theory and how to analyze the causes and effects of the climate crisis through a systems framework; Additionally, learn how climate justice problems, challenges, or questions have been influenced by structural, historic, and/or systemic inequities
Learn about and develop an ethical research process that begins with conceptualizing a question and ends with a project proposal
Learn to communicate research questions and findings in different formats
Learn about and develop a collaborative research process
Reflect on the learning environment of the Synthesis Program and participate in opportunities to co-create learning experiences

Synthesis 100 - Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, & Summer

SYN 100 is a project-based course that builds upon foundational skills by taking a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to complex global problems. Each section focuses on a different theme, challenge, or question related to the climate crisis. Despite the different class topics, all students will learn by designing and executing a team project that addresses their section’s theme. Take a look at the quarterly SYN 100 course offerings here.

Course Objectives

Engage with the climate crisis through the lens of the section topic
Utilize design skills to create a project based on a driving question
Generate a plan to carry out proposed project
Ethically contribute to the open collaboration community of the Synthesis Program
Develop and apply collaboration processes that consider the positionalities of different team members
Reflect on the learning environment of the Synthesis Program and participate in opportunities to co-create learning experiences

Synthesis 150/150R - Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, & Summer

SYN 150/150R is recommended for Seventh College transfer students in preparation for SYN 100. Students critically examine, through an interdisciplinary and antiracist lens, key issues impacting our changing planet.

Course Objectives

Learn about decarbonization and its impact on UCSD and nearby communities; More broadly, learn how climate justice problems, challenges, or questions have been influenced by structural, historic, and/or systemic inequities
Learn about and develop an ethical research process that begins with conceptualizing a question and ends with a project proposal
Learn to communicate research questions and findings in different formats
Learn about and develop a collaborative research process
Reflect on the learning environment of the Synthesis Program and participate in opportunities to co-create learning experiences

Synthesis 100 Global Seminar - Offered Summer 2025

UC San Diego Global Seminars are summer session global experiences led by a UC San Diego professor. Students enroll in a package of two courses for a total of eight UC San Diego quarter units. Class sizes are between 15–28 students, so there are excellent opportunities for one-on-one interaction with some of the best faculty at UC San Diego. All courses are taught in English, except for the courses that are part of an intensive language program.

Read more about SYN 100GS: Storytelling for a Changing Planet scheduled for Summer Session I 2025 in Copenhangen, Denmark.

Collaborative Grading

Collaborative Grading is utilized across all Synthesis courses. With each course, students will contract at the beginning of the quarter for the labor and grade they commit to in relation to the course projects and activities. This approach to grading lifts up the importance of students' process over product. Students are empowered to develop their critical approaches to reading, writing, and thinking rather than earning their desired grade.

Students report that Collaborative Grading:

Increases interest in learning for themselves
Increases creativity and willingness to take risks
Invites deeper exploration of the course material
Provides a different source of motivation than traditional grades
Relieves anxiety and stress
Shifts the focus from grades to feedback

Additional Questions?

Please review the Synthesis Program section on Seventh College's FAQ page. For questions or concerns not addressed, contact synthesis@ucsd.edu.