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2009-2010 Political Science Tentative Schedule
Fall 2009 Special Topics Courses
Thinking about graduate school?
Academic and Administrative Calendar
Enrollment and Registration Calendar
FAQ
Where do I retrieve my exams and finals for a course?
Those exams on which a Buckley waiver has been affixed are made available for retrieval after final exam week. Because of the large number of exams, this is not a quick turnaround so we ask that you not come in the day on which you have completed an exam and ask for yours to be returned. It is a large, cumbersome task and takes time to organize. SSB 314 is our pick up spot and the examinations are placed into file drawers with labels. If you are unable to locate your exam, please discuss this with the instructor. Department staff do not have exams nor are they able to assist with locating your exams. Exams are kept for one full quarter and they are then shredded.
I would like to take an Incomplete in a course
University policy states that the request for an Incomplete is designed to accommodate those students who have work of non failing quality and have circumstances beyond their control, i.e., hospitalization, etc. The use of an Incomplete is not to be for travel plans or other situations which are within the control of the student.
I have an existing Incomplete and would like to find out how to extend this
Under extraordinary circumstances an Incomplete may be extended; however, documentation is required to support the situation. An example of this would be illness was the reason for the filing of the original incomplete and the illness has continued and the student has been unable to complete the course. The student is required to submit original documentation from a medical provider stating very clearly the date(s) within which the student was unable to perform school work. Any request for an extension of an Incomplete will not be supported by the department unless the student is able to provide documentation as described.
I find that I have two final exams scheduled for the same day. What am I allowed to do?
University policy allows students to take two final exams on the same day. In a situation where a student is enrolling into two courses and the final exams fall on the same day/time, the student is advised to choose between the courses. No special arrangements are allowed. If a student has enrolled in three courses and the final exams are on the same day, the student needs to make a request of one of the instructors for special arrangements. No instructor is obligated to provide such an arrangement. It is the responsibility of each student to check the final exam schedule when they are enrolling into courses for each quarter.
I received a grade in a course and do not agree with it
All courses are final once an instructor has submitted their grades for a course to the Registrar. Grade appeals are considered only when non-academic criteria has been used or a course instructor has clearly erred in entering the grade. All discussions regarding grade appeals must begin with the instructor of record.
I have not received a grade in a course. What can I do?
If the final published grade deadline has passed and a grade is not posted for a student, the student should first contact the instructor. Most missing-grade issues are easily resolved once the student brings that to the attention of the instructor.
I have a grade from a previous quarter and would like to discuss it with the instructor but they are not on campus any longer. What can I do? Please contact one of the undergraduate advisors to inquire if a current e-mail is available for you to contact this instructor.
How do I change my grading option?
Grading options may be changed on WebReg within the published deadline (http://www.ucsd.edu/current-students/academics/classes-enrollment/undergraduate-enrollment/enroll-in-classes.html). Change of grading option requests past the published deadline will not be considered.
Graduate School
Which Political Science major is better for graduate school ? For Law School?
You may find information regarding graduate school for Political Science majors at: http://polisci.ucsd.edu/undergrad/resources/graduate_school.html
Questions regarding law school should be directed to the Law School advisors in Career Services Center.
What kinds of careers does a Political Science Degree lead to?
You may find additional information at: http://polisci.ucsd.edu/undergrad/resources/graduate_school.html and careers.ucsd.edu
Enrolling/Dropping Classes
How do I add a class that's full?
If a class you wish to enroll in is full, you need to add yourself to the waitlist. The waitlist system is automated and if an enrolled student drops, you will be added in the order of the waitlist, i.e., as one student drops, the first person on the waitlist is enrolled.
How do I add/drop a course?
You may drop the course on WebReg. Follow the deadline for adding/dropping as no exceptions can be made to any missed deadlines.
How do I enroll in the senior honors seminar?
You may find more information here: http://polisci.ucsd.edu/undergrad/honors-program/index.html
Transfer Students:
I am a transfer student. How do I know which classes to enroll in? Once your community college courses have transferred to UCSD, please e-mail askpolisci@ucsd.edu for assistance. Please wait until your courses are reflected on your UCSD transcript before doing this.
I want to transfer to UCSD. How do I know which courses from my community college will transfer to the Political Science major at UCSD? The website www.assist.org will assist you in determining which of your community college political science courses will transfer to the UCSD POLI major.
I transferred in POLI 10, 11 & 12, does this mean I need to take POLI 13 at UCSD? Yes. If you have also transferred in POLI 13, you will need to take a 13th upper-division political science course for the major. You may find additional information here:
http://polisci.ucsd.edu/undergrad/transfer-credits/index.html
How do I know if my community college/4 year college courses have transferred to the POLI major? Please visit www.assist.org for a list of articulated community college courses with UCSD. Please e-mail askpolisci@ucsd.edu for any questions regarding 4 year college courses.
You may find additional information here:
http://polisci.ucsd.edu/undergrad/transfer-credits/index.html
Incoming Freshman
How do I enroll in a Freshman Seminar? If you are a freshman with freshman standing, go ahead and enroll in the seminar, if it still has room. If you are a freshman with sophomore standing and need authorization to enroll, please send an e-mail to askpolisci@ucsd.edu with your name, PID #, and the section ID of the seminar in which you wish to enroll.
What are my major requirements? You can find more information about the Political Science major here: http://polisci.ucsd.edu/undergrad/major-and-minor-requirements/index.html
Study Abroad
I am going to study abroad next quarter. What steps should I take? You may find more (http://polisci.ucsd.edu/undergrad/study-abroad/index.html) at the Study Abroad page.
I have the Programs Abroad Academic Planning Form. How do I get it signed? Please bring the form to the Political Science Department where it will be reviewed and signed. You will receive an e-mail in your UCSD account once the form has been signed instructing you to pick it up.
I have returned from studying abroad and want my courses to count for my major/minor. What do I do? Upon returning from studying abroad, you must petition each course you want to count for the major. This is the case even if you received pre-approval prior to traveling abroad. You may download the forms to petition the courses here: http://polisci.ucsd.edu/undergrad/study-abroad/index.html
Major
Are Pass grades allowable for the major? No. All courses taken for the major and minor must be taken for a letter grade. A grade of C- or better is allowable for the major and minor.
Are Internships allowable for the major? No. Internships are never allowable for the Political Science major credit.
What do I need to do to Double Major? You may obtain the double major petition from your College. Please complete the form and the quarter by quarter plan and write the statement of purpose before seeing a political science advisor.
Which classes will overlap with my double major? If you plan to double major in Political Science and Economics, ECPON 120A & 120B will overlap with the Political Science major and will waive the POLI 30 major requirement, as long as a grade of C- or better is received in both courses.
Minor
What courses will count for the minor? You may find more information regarding the Political Science minor here: http://polisci.ucsd.edu/undergrad/major-and-minor-requirements/minor.html.
How do I change my minor to Political Science? You may change you minor online at Tritonlink.
Alternate Exams
University policy on alternate exams may be found in the UCSD catalog: http://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/front/AcadRegu.html
An instructor may administer an examination at an alternative time if a valid reason is given by the student for not taking the regularly scheduled examination. Valid reasons include: serious illness and family disasters. Rescheduling as a result of a religious obligation is governed by the UCSD Policy on Religious Accommodation.
In adherence to this policy, the Political Science Department will be unable to accommodate students who have 2 finals on the same day or at the same time. All final times are posted on Tritonlink when students enroll in courses, and it is each student's responsibility to ensure that the student does not enroll in two courses with finals at the same time.
University policy (http://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/front/AcadRegu.html) states that all grades are final and may only be changed because of a clerical error. If you believe that a clerical error has been made, please contact the course instructor or TA before contacting the department. If the instructor finds a clerical error, he or she must contact one of the undergraduate advisors directly to assist with processing the grade change.
Please contact the course instructor directly to inquire about your grade. Once you have established contact, the instructor must contact one of the undergraduate advisors about getting the grade on your record.