Brackett Hall, home to the Department of Political Science at Clemson University
Brackett Hall, home to the Department of Political Science at Clemson University

This is the parent page for a list of resources for students of mine at Clemson University or students in the Department of Political Science. Students should also read dedicated pages I have to Pi Sigma Alpha and obtaining letters of recommendation.

Clemson’s Academic Calendar and Exam Schedule

These links will be as useful for students as they will be for me. I find myself looking for these every now and then.

Writing Resources

I never used my alma mater’s writing center when I was an undergraduate. In hindsight, I wish I did. Clemson’s political science students needs to take better advantage of this resource. Check The Writing Center at Clemson for resources to help you with your papers and other writing pursuits.

Borrowing from my friend Andy Owsiak’s (Georgia) resources, I also recommend the following books to help you with writing. The Handley (2014), McCloskey (2000), and Thomson (2011) books are my recommendations though the focus is not strictly on academic writing in political science. Handley’s book is about writing for the web while McCloskey and Thomson are writing for economists.

  • Becker, Howard S. 1986. Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish your Thesis, Book, or Article. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Handley, Ann. 2014. Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  • McCloskey, Deirdre N. 2000. Economical Writing (2nd ed.). Long Grove: Waveland Press, Inc.
  • Strunk, William and E.B. White. 2000. The Elements of Style (4th ed.). New York: Longman.
  • Thomson, William. 2011. A Guide for the Young Economist (2nd ed.). Cambridge: MIT Press.
  • Zinsser, William. 2006. On Writing Well. New York: HarperCollins.

Disability Services and Test Proctoring

Clemson University is a public university compliant with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act that guarantees the provision of services at the university level to qualified students with disabilities. However, it is the student’s job to initiate the provision of these services through the university. Two resources will be important. One is the Student Accessibility Services (SAS). SAS provides a directory of forms an eligible student may need to file with me.

The other is the Test Proctoring Center (TPC). Be mindful of TPC’s regulations. For example, scheduling a final exam in the testing center must be done (basically) two weeks in advance. A student that requires a quiet testing room for a midterm must also take the initiative to schedule the midterm at least a week before the day of the exam.