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High School Preparation
No specific courses at the high school level are required for admission to the major in politics at UC Santa Cruz. Courses in history, literature, philosophy, and the social sciences, whether taken at the high school or college level, are appropriate background and preparation for the politics major.
Transfer Preparation
Transfer students will find it helpful to complete college courses that satisfy campus general education requirements
before coming to UC Santa Cruz. Courses from another institution may be considered for the politics major only if they appear on the student’s transfer credit list on the MyUCSC portal. Students who wish to substitute courses taken elsewhere for the Politics Department’s requirements should discuss the procedure with the department adviser.
While it is not a condition of admission, students from California community colleges may complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) in preparation for transfer to UC Santa Cruz.
Transfer course agreements and articulation between the University of California and California community colleges can be accessed on the ASSIST web site.
Careers
Administrative analysis
Campaign management
Congressional staffing
Foreign service
Government service
International business
Journalism
Law
Legislative research
Lobbying
Policy analysis
Political science
Public administration
Secondary school and college teaching
These are only samples of the field’s many possibilities.
Alum Focus
Dana Priest (B.S., politics, ’81) was awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting. She is a Washington Post reporter covering intelligence and national security issues. Her 2003 book, The Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace with America’s Military, critiques the trend toward soldier-peacekeepers. She has earned the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the National Defense and received a research and writing grant from the MacArthur Foundation. Michael Woo (B.A., politics and urban studies, ’73) is the first Asian American, as well as the first trained urban planner, to serve on the Los Angeles City Council. He authored a
far-reaching plan to prevent traffic gridlock in Los Angeles and was a major force in preventing overdevelopment and the
construction of mini-malls in his district.
Declaring the Major
Declaring the major in politics is a four-step process: (1) Complete and pass with a grade of C or better two lower-division Politics courses, (2) attend a declaration orientation workshop, (3) meet with your faculty adviser, and (4) meet with the politics undergraduate adviser. Each student meets with an assigned faculty adviser to discuss an intended program of study, including its breadth and purpose. The faculty adviser may suggest additional courses so that the student can achieve greater breadth or concentration. Students are encouraged to select related courses from other departments which complement their interests in politics.
Law in the Politics Major
Students interested in the law and legal issues may pursue the pathway in law and government as part of a politics major. The law and government pathway offers courses in both U.S. and international law, providing students a solid foundation in such
areas as constitutional law, family law, civil rights, and human rights. Students who hope to attend law school or pursue law-related careers can best prepare themselves for their future academic and professional work in a liberal arts major such as politics, which strongly emphasizes the development of analytic and writing skills.
Politics and Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) Combined Major
Students may pursue a combined major in politics and Latin American and Latino studies (LALS). This major offers a unique curriculum that combines courses from both the Politics and LALS Departments. Requirements for the major and information regarding the declaration process may be viewed in the Latin American and Latino Studies section of the UCSC General Catalog.
UCDC
The UCDC (quarter in Washington, D.C.) Program supervises and supports students who pursue internships and academic study in the nation’s capital. The program is open through a competitive application process to juniors and seniors in all majors. Students enroll for fall, winter, or spring quarter, earn 12–15 course credits, and continue to be registered as full-time students. Courses are taught by UC faculty along with visiting faculty from the Washington, D.C. area. Applicant selection is based on academic record, a written statement, letters of recommendation, and a personal interview.
Students live in the UC Washington Center, together with students from all of the participating UC campuses. This provides a social and intellectual community throughout the quarter.
Interested students in junior or senior standing with strong academic records are encouraged to apply. For further information, contact the UCDC coordinator, 5 Merrill College, (831) 459-2855, ucdc@ucsc.edu, politics.ucsc.edu/ucdc.
Comprehensive Requirements
The comprehensive requirement in the Politics Department can be satisfied in any of the following methods:
Course Credit Options
• successful completion of a politics senior seminar (190-series) that includes the writing of an extensive paper (no less than 15 pages) with a substantial research content. To enroll in a specific 190 seminar, students must have successfully completed prerequisite courses listed in the seminar’s catalog course description;
• successful completion of a politics graduate core seminar (enrollment in which is contingent on the written recommendation of two politics faculty) that includes the writing of an extensive paper (no less than 15 pages) with a substantial research content;
• successful completion of a senior thesis (courses 195A-B-C) of approximately 50 pages, with a substantial research content, supervised by a politics faculty member with a second reader;
• successful completion of one additional politics upper-division course with content linked to another course completed in any of the department’s “major pathways.” In conjunction with this course the student must receive faculty approval for and enroll in a two-credit independent study, Politics 199F, which requires completion of a substantial writing component (e.g., a term paper of no less than 15 pages in length).
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The most significant purpose of the politics major is to help educate a reflective and activist citizenry capable of sharing power and responsibility in a contemporary democracy. Courses address issues central to public life, such as democracy, power, freedom, political economy, social movements, institutional reforms, and how public life, as distinct from private life, is constituted.
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