Our Mission: The L.A. Encounters program supports initiatives within Occidental’s academic program that expand the depth and breadth of opportunities for students to engage with the community, culture, and environment of the greater Los Angeles region.
The L.A. Encounters program supports this mission by providing funding for faculty members who wish to enhance their courses by taking advantage of resources within the greater Los Angeles area. Past trips have included visits to museums, libraries, film screenings, plays, operas, concerts, walking tours, lectures, botanical gardens and zoos, cultural festivals, local schools, government agencies and NGOs, community events, and more. In all cases, these trips are intended to connect with the academic experience and to allow students to more fully engage with the city and people of Los Angeles .
How to Apply for Funding
Proposals can be submitted using the online form linked below. The Fall 2026 application form will be available on August 3, 2026. If you have questions about the status of a request, please contact laencounters@oxy.edu.
Student Learning Outcomes & Assessment
There are many different ways in which an L.A. Encounters-sponsored trip might complement or add to a course's learning outcomes. When you propose a trip, we ask you to indicate whether any of the outcomes listed below are applicable. You also have the option of providing your own learning outcomes. Following your trip, we will provide you with an anonymous survey to distribute to trip participants containing questions linked to your indicated outcomes.
Common Student Learning Outcomes:
- Trip participants will gain a better understanding of topics/concepts covered in the course(s).
- Trip participants will feel more connected with Los Angeles and/or the surrounding region.
- Trip participants will develop a sense of community with others in the course.
- Trip participants will connect with a community organization or community partner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Funding is limited, so we may not be able to approve all requests. In some cases, we will be able to offer partial funding with the hope that the remaining costs might be covered from other sources (departmental budgets, etc.). While we try to support as many trips as possible, priority will be given to proposals that clearly articulate a connection between the proposed travel and a course's learning objectives.
The primary objective of the LA Encounters program is to support field trips and other travel that are directly linked to an academic course (or, in some cases, multiple courses). Requests for funding for course-related trips should be submitted by a faculty member. In rare cases we may be able to support proposals from other members of the college community, though typically only in cases where the proposed trip has a strong connection with the college curriculum or can be demonstrated as providing a significant benefit to the cultural and intellectual life of the campus.
Due to our limited resources, we are not able to provide logistical support. While we may be able to provide some advice regarding the planning of a trip, the person requesting funding is ultimately responsible for organizing and overseeing the excursion.
In some cases the Center for Community Based Learning may be able to provide additional guidance and support.
The most common requests are for funding for transportation and admission costs. For longer field trips, we may able to provide funding for a snack or meal. If there are other costs associated with your planned trip, please be sure to include them in your proposal.
No. The LA Encounters program exclusively supports off-campus activities.
Contact us at laencounters@oxy.edu and we will be happy to help!