Writing Guidelines

WRITING AND THE DC REQUIREMENT IN POLITICS

Students of every major must satisfy their major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. The DC requirement for Politics majors is fulfilled by completing any three of the required four core courses (105A, B, C, D; 120A, B, C; 140A, B, C, D; 160A, B, C, D). The goal of the Disciplinary Communication requirement is to ensure that you acquire the skills in writing and other forms of communication necessary for the major. The central goals of the core courses are breadth of knowledge within the major and training and improvement in writing. You should see the core courses as a progressive and cumulative process requiring sustained attention to the form and quality of your writing. Another form of disciplinary communication is speaking and discussion. You are encouraged to work on the clarity and quality of your contributions to section and lecture discussions. 

CITATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF SOURCES IN PAPERS

All courses in the Politics department use one of two standard forms of citation (1) parenthetical or in-text citations and 92) footnotes. For the in-text system the department follows the Modern Language Association (MLA). For footnotes, the Chicago Manual of Style. Find style guides for the two systems and more information here.

General Education Requirements in Writing at UCSC

For information regarding the campus writing requirements and guidelines visit the Writing Program web site.