Prep Program 2012
The IR/PS Prep Program is designed to equip students with the skills and abilities to succeed in the demanding environment of graduate studies. The program provides a review of IR/PS classroom skills as well as insight into the academic and cultural environment at IR/PS. The Prep program consists of four components: Analytical Writing (AW), English as a Second Language (ESL), Quantitative Methods (QM), and Economics (ECON). Prep is for anyone who wants to be up-to-speed on the first day of classes.
"Seamless transition to what we learned and how we learned it, into the fall quarter." - IR/PS student
Prep Registration
All admitted students will receive an email with enrollment instructions in June. Students who do not have an academic or professional background relevant to a particular course are conditionally admitted to the program and required to complete Prep course(s).
For additional questions regarding Prep please email: irps-studentaffairs@ucsd.edu
Click here to download a 2012 Prep Calendar. (PDF)Component Description
Analytical Writing (AW)
Lecture Dates: August 13, 2012 - September 10, 2012
Days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Hours: 11am - 1pm
Final Paper Due: Monday, September 10, 2012
Registration fee: $700
Instructor: Nancy Gilson
Required Books:
-Human Rights by Andrew Clapham (ISBN: 0199205523)
-Globalization by Manfred Steger (ISBN: 0199552266)
-Citizenship by Richard Bellamy (ISBN: 0192802534)
-International Migration by Zhalid Koser (ISBN: 0199298017)
Analytic Writing is recommended for all incoming students who need work on graduate level analytic reading and argumentative writing skills. The course is structured around readings used in first year core classes. Students will attend a lecture twice a week where the readings, writing assignments and argument strategies will be discussed. The third meeting each week will be a two hour writing lab using experienced tutors and peer review to strengthen student writing at both the grammatical and analytic levels. You will learn how to structure an argumentative essay, write an introductory paragraph with a strong thesis and forecast, how to draw the best evidence from a text and to pose and persuasively address a counterargument. All students in the course will be encouraged to meet one on one with writing tutors.
Students within an acceptable range of English proficiency may be required by the Admissions Committee to also enroll in the Global Leadership Institute's summer intensive English programs commencing in July and August.
Academic English Skills
Dates: August 13, 2012 - September 13, 2012
Days: Monday through Thursday
Hours: 8:30am - 10:30am
Registration Fee: $1000
Location:1428
Instructor: Nancy Peritz
This interactive course is designed to improve English skills for academic purposes. Students will build their communication skills through speaking, listening, reading and writing exercises that simulate the graduate level classroom environment. Course goals include: develop critical reading skills that include skimming, reading for main ideas and key phrases, paraphrasing and summarizing, write well- supported paragraphs and essays, give and receive feedback during peer editing and class discussions, improve listening and note taking skills, expand and apply knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, and work as a team to design and deliver a PowerPoint presentation.
Math Camp
Dates: August 6, 2012 - August 10, 2012
Days: Monday through Friday
Hours: 10am - 12 pm
Registration fee: None, required for all Econ and QM students
Location: Robinson Auditorium
Instructor: Philip Lau
Math Camp is a five day long course that reviews basic mathematical concepts used in the first-year core courses. This course is required for students registered for the QM and Econ components. Major topics covered in the course will include:
• Basic Arithmetic
• Linear Equations
• Functions
• Derivatives
• Optimization
Quantitative Methods (QM) & Math Camp
Lecture Dates: August 6, 2012 - September 6, 2012
Days: Tuesday, Thursday
Hours: 11am - 1pm
Final: Wednesday, September 12, 2012, 1pm-3pm
Mandatory Workshop: Tuesdays 2pm - 4pm
Registration Fee: $500
Location: Robinson Auditorium
Instructor: Philip Lau
Required Book:
-Statistics for Managers Using MS Excel by David Levine (ISBN: 0137035195)
The QM component provides students with the set of quantitative skills required for IR/PS core courses. Topics include:
• Elementary arithmetic: real numbers, absolute value, multiplication, division, powers, roots, logarithms, and sets
• Equations: linear equations, quadratic equations, and higher-order equation solving
• Elementary calculus: functions, derivatives, optimization, and area under the curve
• Elementary statistics: descriptive statistics, distributions, sampling and probabilities
• One-sample and two-sample hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, expectation, decision under uncertainty
Economics (ECON) & Math Camp
Lecture Dates: August 6, 2012 - September 10, 2012
Days: Monday, Wednesday
Hours: 2pm - 4pm
Final: Thursday, September 13, 2012, 1pm-3pm
Mandatory Workshop: Thursdays 2pm - 4pm
Registration Fee: $500
Location: Robinson Auditorium
Instructor: Junjie Zhang
Required Book:
-Managerial Economics by William Samuelson (ISBN: 1118041585)
The ECON component prepares students for IR/PS core economic and management courses. The course builds on the basic mathematical tools acquired in the first week of the Quantitative Methods component and provides students with a set of useful tools and concepts for economics and finance. Topics include:
• Comparative advantage and specialization
• Demand: utility, individual vs. market demand, and consumer surplus
• Supply: profit maximization and producer surplus
• Elasticity: price, income, and cross-price
• Maximization: using calculus and graphs
• Market structure: perfect competition, monopoly, and oligopoly
• Expected value and net present valuation
