Introduction to Political Science

Summary

Political science, a social science, delves into the study of government, politics, and power dynamics, influencing our daily lives. It encompasses various subfields such as American government, international relations, political theory, and comparative politics. This discipline equips individuals with critical thinking and analysis skills, preparing them for careers in government, international organizations, nonprofits, education, diplomacy, business, and journalism. It fosters a nuanced understanding of complex political phenomena, emphasizing the importance of studying political science for a comprehensive view of societal structures and human behavior.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ Political science is the study of government and politics, focusing on power relationships and political behavior.
• 🌟 It is a social science that impacts our lives directly and indirectly, from law enforcement to civil liberties.
• 📚 The discipline is broad, with subdisciplines including national, state, and local government, international relations, political theory, and comparative politics.
• 🌐 International relations explores how global actors interact, covering topics like human rights, globalization, and foreign policy.
• 💭 Political theory and philosophy delve into the works of great thinkers and ideologies such as socialism, communism, and feminism.
• 🔍 Comparative politics analyzes different political systems worldwide, using thematic or country-by-country approaches.
• 🔢 Research methodology and quantitative analyses are the scientific aspects of political science, using numbers to understand political behavior.
• 💼 A political science degree offers diverse career options, including government, international organizations, nonprofits, education, diplomacy, business, and journalism.
• 🧠 It enhances critical thinking, argument formulation, and the ability to analyze current events with a deeper understanding.
• 🌈 Political science teaches the complexity of the world, encouraging a nuanced view beyond simple black-and-white thinking.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of political science?

Political science is the systematic study of government and politics, focusing on political behavior and power relationships.

How does political science relate to other social sciences?

Political science is a social science like sociology, psychology, or anthropology, as it studies human behavior, specifically in the context of politics.

What does the phrase 'who gets what, when, where, and how' mean in the context of political science?

This phrase defines political science by emphasizing the study of how resources, power, and decisions are distributed and exercised in society.

Why is it important to study political science?

Studying political science is important because politics directly and indirectly impacts our lives, shaping our civil liberties, rights, and everyday experiences.

Can you provide examples of how politics affects daily life?

Politics affects daily life through government services like policing, firefighting, and military, as well as decisions on textbook costs and legal rights during encounters with law enforcement.

What are the subdisciplines of political science?

Subdisciplines of political science include national, state, and local government, international relations, political theory, comparative government and politics, and research methodology.

What topics are covered in international relations courses?

International relations courses cover topics such as human rights, globalization, international relations theories, power dynamics including hard and soft power, and foreign policy decision-making.

What does political theory or political philosophy involve?

Political theory and political philosophy involve studying the works of great thinkers and engaging with questions about the nature of power and human beings, as well as discussing various ideologies like socialism, communism, Islamism, and feminism.

How does comparative politics differ from other subdisciplines?

Comparative politics involves analyzing different political systems worldwide, using either a thematic approach to study broad themes like revolutions or a country-by-country approach to focus on specific nations' political systems and issues.

What career opportunities can a political science major lead to?

A political science major can lead to careers in government, international organizations, non-profits, teaching, diplomacy, foreign service, the State Department, business, journalism, and more.

How does political science help in understanding current events?

Political science helps in understanding current events by providing tools to analyze and critically evaluate news and political developments, enhancing argument formulation and critical thinking skills.

What does political science teach about the complexity of the world?

Political science teaches that the world is not simply black and white but is filled with nuances and shades of grey, encouraging a more nuanced understanding of global issues.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Introduction to Political Science

Political science is defined as the systematic study of government and politics, falling under the social sciences category. It focuses on human behavior, specifically political behavior, and explores power relationships. The study is crucial as it impacts our daily lives through various government entities like police, fire departments, and the military. It also delves into civil liberties and rights, which are influenced by political decisions made by politicians and elected officials. The discipline is broad, encompassing subdisciplines such as national, state, and local government, international relations, political theory, comparative government and politics, and research methodology. Each subdiscipline offers a unique perspective on political phenomena, from the study of political systems and ideologies to the analysis of global actors and their interactions. A background in political science can lead to various career paths, including government service, international organizations, non-profits, education, diplomacy, business, and journalism.

05:03

🧠 Developing Critical Thinking Through Political Science

This paragraph emphasizes the value of studying political science for developing critical thinking skills. It suggests that political science helps individuals analyze current events more effectively, moving beyond simplistic black-and-white thinking to understand the complexities and nuances of political issues. The study of political science encourages a deeper appreciation for the 'shades of grey' in political discourse, fostering a more nuanced understanding of the world. It also touches on the relevance of political science in understanding legal rights and the constitution, which are integral to daily life. The paragraph concludes by inviting those interested in these areas to consider political science as a field of study.

Keywords

💡Political Science

Political Science is defined as the systematic study of government and politics. It is a social science that focuses on understanding political behavior. The video emphasizes that political science is about power relationships and how they manifest in various aspects of life, from local governance to international relations. It is highlighted as a discipline that helps to analyze current events and understand the nuances of political decisions and their impact on society.

💡Government

Government refers to the system or group of people governing an organized community, typically a state. In the context of the video, government is illustrated through examples such as the police, fire department, and military, which are all part of the governmental structure providing services and maintaining order. The video underscores the omnipresence of government in daily life and its role in shaping civil liberties and rights.

💡Power Relationships

Power relationships are central to political science as they describe the dynamics between individuals or groups exerting influence or authority over others. The video mentions that political science is about understanding these relationships, which can be seen in the distribution of resources, decision-making processes, and the exercise of authority within political systems.

💡International Relations

International Relations is a subdiscipline of political science that examines the interactions between various actors within the global or international system. The video discusses how this field explores topics such as human rights, globalization, and theories that attempt to explain international phenomena. It also touches on concepts like hard power and soft power, which are ways nations exert influence.

💡Political Theory/Philosophy

Political Theory and Political Philosophy are subdisciplines that delve into the works of great thinkers who have pondered over fundamental questions about power, human nature, and the ideal forms of governance. The video suggests that studying these theories allows for a deeper understanding of various ideologies and 'isms' such as socialism, communism, and feminism.

💡Comparative Politics

Comparative Politics is a subfield that involves the analysis of different political systems across the world. The video explains two approaches within this subfield: the thematic approach, which looks at broad themes like revolutions or nationalism, and the country-by-country approach, which focuses on specific countries' political systems and domestic issues.

💡Research Methodology

Research Methodology in political science refers to the systematic procedures and techniques used to collect, analyze, and interpret data in political research. The video mentions that this aspect of the discipline is the 'science' part, where numbers and quantitative analyses are used to understand and predict political behavior.

💡Career Options

The video outlines various career options available to those with a political science background, including working for government at different levels, international organizations, non-profits, or becoming an elected official. It also mentions possibilities in teaching, diplomacy, business, and journalism, highlighting the versatility of a political science education.

💡Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking is the ability to analyze and evaluate information objectively. The video emphasizes that political science helps develop this skill by teaching students to look beyond easy answers and to understand the complexities and nuances of political issues, thereby fostering a more sophisticated understanding of the world.

💡Human Behavior

Human Behavior in political science is the study of how individuals and groups act within political contexts. The video points out that, like other social sciences, political science is fascinated by human behavior, but with a specific focus on political actions and decisions that shape society and governance.

💡Legal Rights

Legal Rights refer to the rights and freedoms granted to individuals by law. The video uses the example of a person being pulled over by a police officer to illustrate how understanding one's legal rights is a fundamental aspect of political science, as it relates to civil liberties and the interaction with governmental authorities.

Highlights

Political science is the systematic study of government and politics.

It is a social science focusing on human behavior within a political context.

Political science examines power relationships and the distribution of resources.

Studying political science is essential as politics impacts our lives directly and indirectly.

Government institutions like police, fire departments, and military are part of political science.

Civil liberties and rights are influenced by political decisions made by politicians.

Political science is a broad discipline with various subdisciplines, including national, state, and local government.

American government courses may cover the American presidency and court system.

International relations studies how global actors interact within the international system.

Topics in international relations include human rights, globalization, and international theories.

Political theory and philosophy explore the thoughts of great thinkers on power and human nature.

Comparative government and politics analyze different political systems worldwide.

Comparative politics uses thematic or country-by-country approaches to study political systems.

Research methodology in political science applies quantitative analyses to understand political behavior.

A political science major offers diverse career options, including government, NGOs, and academia.

Political science helps analyze current events, formulate arguments, and develop critical thinking skills.

It teaches the understanding of nuances and the complexity of the world beyond black-and-white thinking.

For those interested in legal rights and the constitution, political science can be particularly relevant.

Transcripts

Political science is the systematic study of government and politics.

It is a social science just like

sociology or psychology or anthropology in that

we are fascinated by human behavior, but

in the case of political science we look at political behavior

in particular. Political science has often been defined as who gets what,

when, where, and how. Political science is about power relationships.

Why should one study political science? Political science

is fascinating! It's about people. Politics impacts our lives directly

and indirectly whether we're aware of it or not.

If there's a crime that takes place one calls the police. That's

government. If there's a fire that takes place one calls the fire department.

That's also government.

The military is government as well. Our civil liberties,

our rights, that impacts us on a daily basis, so if one happens to get pulled over

by a police officer, for example, what are their legal rights in that kind of situation?

The question of textbook costs and so on

and so forth,

these are actually fundamentally political decisions that are made by

politicians, by elected officials.

Political science is a very broad discipline, but some of the subdisciplines

include national, state, and local government, so if one is taking

political science courses in the United States then they might take courses in

American government,

on the American presidency, the court system.

There's international relations. That is a discipline where

we look at how all of the various actors within the global system or the

international system

interact with one another. In an international relations course

one might learn about topics such as human rights,

such as globalization, such as international relations theories that

help us

understand the world around us or at least attempt to explain

various international phenomena. Power, military power,

hard power, soft power. Another area that one might

study within international relations would be foreign policy decision-making.

And, in fact, one can take courses at most American colleges and universities and

colleges and universities, indeed, throughout the world in studying the foreign policy of

particular countries.

Another subdiscipline within political science is political theory

and/or political philosophy. And, in those courses

one would study some of the great thinkers throughout human history

who have grappled with tough political, philosophical questions

about the nature of power, about the nature of human beings,

and also really get into discussing various

ideas and many of the "isms": socialism,

communism, Islamism, feminism

and so on. Another subdiscipline of political science is comparative government and

politics.

In comparative politics courses, we discuss and analyze the various

political systems

around the world. And, there are two major approaches to

the study of comparative politics. The first is the thematic approach

where one would study the various broad themes

that would help us understand the various political systems around the

world, such as

revolutions or nationalism, things of that nature.

Another approach is a country-by-country approach where one

studies the various countries around the world and their political systems, and

domestic politics,

and domestic political issues within a particular country. So, within

comparative politics one can focus on the various regions

of the world. So, for example, Middle East North African politics,

or Latin American politics, or Asian

and/or African politics, or European politics.

Another subdiscipline in the area of political science would be research

methodology

or quantitative analyses courses, and that's actually sort of the science part

of political science

where one would utilize numbers to understand, explain, and predict political

behavior.

There are many things that one can do with a political science major

in terms of career options. One could work for government

at the federal, state, or local levels. One could

work for the United Nations or other international governmental organizations.

One could work in the nonprofit sector for non-governmental or nonprofit

organizations,

or one might actually become a Senator or president or an elected official.

In addition, one could teach with a political science background.

One could be a diplomat and work as a foreign service officer or work for the

State Department.

One can also work in business and/or even in journalism,

in the news media. A political science background really prepares

one for a wide range of possible career options.

I would say that one would want to study political science because it's fascinating.

It's about people, it's about the story of people.

Political science will help you better analyze current events.

Anyone whose literate can read newspapers or articles online,

but political science will give you that ability to analyze

the current events that are going on. It'll help you better formulate

arguments, and strengthen your arguments, and develop your critical thinking

skills.

It's perhaps human nature to sort of

look for easy answers and easy solutions and kind of get into

black-and-white thinking,

but what political science will do for someone is actually get you to understand

that there are shades of grey,

and that there's nuance, and that the world around us

is not just black and white. And, again, political science is a social science, so

it's about people, and any social scientist finds the study of people

fascinating.

If you'd like to learn more about your legal rights, if you would like to learn more

about the constitution,

United States Constitution that impacts you every day, then

political science might be for you.