Program Description
In describing the department and major at UCSC, the term politics (rather than political science or government) is used because the study of political life requires a far more inclusive approach than that which is associated with conventional social science methods and because politics happens in places other than governments. 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. Materials and approaches that seem fruitful for illuminating the issues are applied. Thus, the program is problem oriented, less concerned with observing the boundaries of subfields or academic disciplines than with making sense of our lives as citizens.
More specifically, the study of politics is the study of the way human communities shape and share a common life by their institutional practices, ideas, interests, and expectations. It looks at the way collective decisions are made and the obstacles citizens meet as they try to forge a shared and just life. It is concerned with maintaining the integrity of diverse points of view about how we ought to live and with the need for defining some shared language in order to deliberate about the question. Politics faculty at UCSC emphasize the need for larger perspectives, whether they be drawn from studying the politics and cultures of other societies or of earlier periods. They also link the study of domestic to international politics and bring theoretical concerns to bear on the current and recurrent issues that mark the modern polity.
The study of politics is a critical part of a liberal arts education. Since political issues and practices are embedded in and reflective of the whole experience of a community, the study of politics can constitute the center of such an education drawing on history, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, economics, literature, and law.
The programs offered by the UCSC Politics Department are designed to acquaint students with a broad range of issues studied by those in the field. The department offers an undergraduate major, a minor, a combined Latin American and Latino studies/politics major, and a doctoral degree. The Politics Department also administers a program in legal studies; see the Legal Studies section for details.
A major in politics is appropriate background for students interested in careers in law, journalism, or teaching; in political and governmental work from local to international settings; and in corporations dealing with global issues. Many UCSC politics graduates have also gone on to do advanced work in distinguished graduate and professional schools. Others have found active and challenging careers in business and community organizing. Still others have turned to scholarship and writing. But regardless of career direction, 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.
There are many opportunities provided to UCSC politics students for field work and for internship placements. Students are encouraged to develop their own extensive independent research projects.
Students are given individual attention from politics faculty members to help them in their studies. The members of the faculty are firmly committed to the value of a liberal arts education, but they are also actively engaged in programs of research and writing. The research interests of the faculty range from the theory of justice to the problem of war, from campaign strategy to relations between the rich and the poor countries of the world.
Many upper-division politics courses can serve as supplements to the work of students majoring in other disciplines of the social sciences and humanities.
No specific courses at the high school level are required for admission to the major in politics at UCSC. 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.
Major Requirements
One lower-division politics course. All students are required to take one course from those numbered 1 through 79, except for student-directed seminars (numbered 42), as a prerequisite to upper-division courses in politics. (These have an IS general education code.) This course is normally taken during the first year.
One core seminar, Politics 100. This seminar exposes students to central problems and debates in the study of politics. It emphasizes the study of broad theoretical issues through a variety of analytical and methodological approaches. Topics include class, political language, nationalism, state power, imperialism, equality, revolution, and political change. The core seminar is required of all majors during the sophomore or junior year. Those students intending to participate in the UC Education Abroad Program are advised to take the core seminar by the end of the sophomore year. Course 100 is also a prerequisite to the Politics 190 senior comprehensive seminars. Because it is writing intensive, the core seminar provides the opportunity for students to develop writing abilities by working closely with the instructor and a writing tutor. Because there are discussions, the seminar provides the opportunity for students to develop skills in stating a position, offering interpretation, and presenting arguments in front of their peers.
Four upper-division politics core courses. The following four groups of courses constitute the core of the politics major. Four courses are required: two courses from one group, one course from a second group, and one course from a third group. In general, upper-division courses are not recommended for freshmen.
Theory
105A Classical Political Theory
105B Modern Political Theory
105C Recent and Contemporary Political Theory
U.S. Politics
120A Congress, President, and the Court in American Politics
120B Society and Democracy in American Political Development
120C State and Capitalism in American Political Development
Comparative
140A Politics of Advanced Industrialized Societies
140B Comparative Post-Communist Politics
140C Latin American Politics
International
160A International Politics
160B Global Organization
160C Security, Conflict, Violence, War
Course 160A, offered fall quarter, is very strongly recommended prior to taking the other international core courses.
Four upper-division politics electives. Four additional politics courses are to be selected from courses numbered 101–199.
Comprehensive Requirements
The comprehensive requirement in the Politics Department can be satisfied in any of the following methods:
• 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 the Politics 100 core seminar and one of the 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, beyond the requirements of the major, in which the content is linked to another such course in any of the department’s major “pathways” (see below for details), provided that the additional course itself contains a substantial writing component (e.g., a term paper of no less than 15 pages in length);
• passing a one-hour oral comprehensive examination. The initial subjects of the exam shall be given by a list of four topics submitted by the student, each topic defined by (approximately) four books (or equivalent articles), subject to prior approval by a regular member of the faculty in politics by a date fixed by the department. Two examiners shall be designated by the chair of politics. As the scope of the exam is comprehensive, the examiners will be free to ask questions which take the exam beyond the topics and titles submitted. Permission to meet the comprehensive requirement by an oral exam shall be subject to selection by lot if applicants exceed spaces (this option carries no course credit);
• completion of a satisfactory bibliographic essay, of no less than 15 pages, identifying those books and articles which have most influenced the student’s understanding of politics and explaining how they have contributed to that understanding. The paper will adduce authors’ interpretations and arguments as part of a narrative whole, through which the student will identify and develop what the student considers most central to his or her sense of politics; it must not be merely a seriatim report of the texts. The list of at least five books (or books-and-articles equivalent) shall be subject to prior approval by a regular member of the faculty in politics, by a deadline fixed by the department. A reader, and a second reader in the case of doubtful papers and papers sufficiently strong to be candidates of Honors, shall be designated by the chair of politics. (This option carriers no course credit.)
Minor Requirements
To complete a minor in politics, a student must take five upper-division politics courses. Of these, four are to be selected from the core courses, two from one subfield (groups listed above) and two from another subfield. The fifth course is to be selected from courses numbered 101–199. The lower-division prerequisite, the Politics 100 core seminar, and the senior comprehensive seminar are not required for the minor.
General Undergraduate Information
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.
Combined major. The Politics Department offers a combined major with the Latin American and Latino Studies Department. Requirements may be reviewed in the Latin American and Latino Studies section of the catalog.
Double majors. The department accepts proposals for double majors. A student pursuing a double major meets the full requirements of the politics major as well as the full requirements of the other major subject.
Peace and security studies. A faculty member is designated to advise students on how to meet the politics major requirements through courses in politics and other disciplines which are focused on peace and security studies.
Advising. Declaring the major in politics is a three-step process: (1) attend a declaration orientation workshop, (2) meet with your faculty adviser, and (3) 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.
Pathways. The following pathways are suggested to help students choose courses in their area(s) of interest. The pathways do not constitute tracks within the politics major.
(Note: in the Politics 100-series courses, topics vary by instructor.)
Conflict and security: courses 70, 107, 129, 160, 173, 190B, 190C, 190G. 190W
Markets and politics: courses 43, 70, 100, Globalization and Cultural Politics; 100, Power and Participation; 105C. 111, 120C, 124, 141, 142, 160, 174, 190K, 190S
Race, class, and gender: courses 5, 10, 100, Race and Gender Matters; 100, Race Law; 100, Feminism and Politics; 100, Power and Participation; 101, 105C, 110, 111, 112, 120B, 120C, 124, 127, 140C, 146, 150, 190Q, 190T, 190V
Culture and power: courses 5, 80T, 100, Political Discourse; 100, Language and Politics; 100, Revolution; 100, Power and Participation; 100, Love and Justice; 101, 105A, 105B, 105C, 107, 110, 114, 141, 142, 146, 150, 190V, 190W
Citizenship and democracy: courses 5, 10, 20, 100, Is Justice Possible? 100, Feminism and Politics; 100, Power and Participation; 100, Love and Justice; 101, 105A, 105B, 105C, 107, 110, 111, 112, 114, 120A, 120B, 141, 142, 146, 150, 190N, 190Q, 190W
Law and government: courses 20, 100, Race and Law; 105A, 105C, 107, 110, 111, 112, 120A, 127, 129, 141, 146, 173, 174, 179, 190G, 190N, 190Q, 190W
States and regions: courses 43, 70, 107, 140C, 140E, 141, 146, 150, 160, 175, 190V, 190W
Global governance: courses 70, 107, 111, 140E, 160, 173, 174, 175, 179, 190B, 190G, 190S, 190W
Course credit from other institutions. Courses from another institution may be considered only if they appear on the student’s Transfer Credit Summary. Students who wish to substitute courses taken elsewhere for the Politics Department’s requirements should discuss the procedure with the department assistant.
Senior thesis. Students interested in working on original research and writing under the supervision of a faculty member may pursue an independent study, Politics 195A-B-C. Completion of the senior thesis satisfies the comprehensive requirement.
Graduate Program
The organization and character of the graduate program issue from a fundamental rethinking of what it means to study politics in the twenty-first century. Sensitive to concerns historically associated with this enterprise, the program is committed to restoring the relevance of contemporary political life to research and teaching. With equal regard for the future, the program has been designed to supersede the conventional subfield boundaries of political science and even disciplinary divisions that too often serve to fragment, tame, and quarantine political phenomena, thus diminishing the very relevance that we seek. Impressed by the fact that much of the best work in political science today overcomes the conventional boundaries of the discipline’s subfields, the Politics Department has structured its graduate program in a new way. It reconnects themes central to political inquiry by reorganizing the field into three related areas of emphasis.
Political and Social Thought brings together the study of traditional political thought, modern social and critical theory, and the contributions of legal and institutional analysis of various kinds. The emphasis in this area is on both the tradition of political theory and the more recent literatures that challenge the distinctions between political and nonpolitical modes of critique and analysis. Many of the courses offered also address the theoretical and methodological questions underlying social and institutional research.
Social Forces and Political Change concerns the transformation of social forces into political ones. Accordingly, it focuses on the formation, articulation, mobilization, and organization of political interests and identities; their mutual interaction; and their effects on state structures and policies, as well as the effects of these same structures and policies on them. The politics of social movements unites substantive and theoretical concerns from comparative and American politics in addition to some concerns from international politics as well. This emphasis also draws upon social historians, community studies scholars focused on social mobilization, and sociologists interested in the relationship between social movements and public policy.
States, Political Institutions, and the Global Political Economy emphasizes the study of political institutions as instruments of collective decision making and action, both comparatively and internationally. It focuses principally on the state but includes analysis of transnational, subnational, and regional political institutions as well. This emphasis includes the study of state responses to domestic conflict and to the changing contours of the international economy, analysis of the role of the state in shaping domestic and international politics, and the role of transnational and subnational political institutions.
What unites these three areas of emphasis is that each focuses in a different way on the relations among material life, institutional authority, collective mobilization, and political vision at all levels of politics. Our program has been designed to capture the intellectual synergy among these elements. Although the best recent scholarship in political studies is already achieving this level of integration, no other graduate program in the United States has such an explicit, integrated focus and organization. It thus provides a rich and unique graduate experience for those interested in thinking beyond the state-centered policies and conflicts that still form the center of our discipline as it is conventionally taught.
Additional range and diversity are brought to the program by including the graduate faculty scholars working in related disciplines in both the social sciences and the humanities: community studies, economics, history of consciousness, Latin American and Latino studies, philosophy, sociology, and women’s studies. The graduate faculty coheres around thematic as well as methodological interests and commitments. Across area specializations and disciplinary boundaries, a strong complementary interest in the social foundations of democratic politics and democratization is shared by those whose research addresses comparative and American politics, the sociology of social movements, and area and gender studies. Democracy and democratization are also central to the work of the program’s political and social theorists as well as to those focusing on international relations and political economy. Moreover, the graduate faculty, although exceptionally diverse with respect to the substantive questions engaging its members, is uniformly committed to an integrated and theoretically informed approach to issues of political analysis.
Finally, the program places particular emphasis on teaching. Developed by a faculty member always strongly oriented toward—and with a considerable record of excellence in—undergraduate teaching, the program’s design incorporates “the teaching of teaching” for its students and stresses the component of civic education in undergraduate instruction.
Details of the policies for admission to graduate standing as well as the program brochure, application, and information on financial support opportunities are available through our web site: http://politics.ucsc.edu. For more information, refer to the Graduate Studies section.
Ph.D. Program
The graduate curriculum in politics includes six stages: (1) four core seminars; (2) eight other graduate-level courses, three of which must be Politics Department courses, along with further training as appropriate in language and methodology; (3) teaching assistant seminars and graduate colloquia; (4) a qualifying examination consisting of written and oral parts; (5) the research and writing of the dissertation; and (6) its oral defense. Note: Please check with the department office for updated listings of course offerings and the appropriate year in which to undertake specific electives.
M.A. Degree
Our program is intended to lead to a Ph.D. in politics; there is no separate M.A. program. All curricular requirements are aimed at preparing students for timely and successful completion of a doctoral dissertation. However, all students will be eligible to receive an M.A. upon successfully passing the course work requirements and completing an acceptable 30-page journal-quality paper, either within the context of a course or independently, although not the field statement. Students will be advanced to candidacy only upon successful completion of the qualifying examination.