Introduction to Political Science

00:06:08
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQK0Xbfel-M

Summary

TLDRPolitical science is the systematic study of government and politics, focusing on political behavior. It impacts daily life through civil liberties and government actions. It includes subdisciplines such as national, state, and local government, international relations, political theory, and comparative politics. This field helps understand power dynamics, analyze current events, and develop critical thinking skills. Career paths for political science majors are diverse, including government, education, and international organizations. Overall, political science is essential for understanding the complexities of human interactions within political systems.

Takeaways

  • 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Political science studies human behavior in political contexts.
  • 📈 It impacts daily life through laws and government actions.
  • 📚 Subfields include international relations, political theory, and comparative politics.
  • 🌍 Understanding global interactions is key in international relations.
  • 🧐 Critical thinking skills are enhanced through studying political science.
  • 👥 Career opportunities vary from government to education and journalism.
  • ⚖️ Knowledge of legal rights is essential and rooted in political science.
  • 📊 Research methodology applies quantitative analysis to political behavior.
  • 🌐 Comparative politics evaluates different political systems worldwide.
  • 🤔 Political theory engages with philosophical questions about power and ideologies.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:06:08

    Political science systematically studies governance and politics, focusing on human political behavior and power relationships. This field is crucial as it influences daily life, from legal rights during police interactions to decisions made by elected officials. Students explore sub-disciplines like American government, international relations, political theory, and comparative politics. Each sub-discipline covers diverse topics including foreign policy, political ideologies, and global political systems. Career options for political science graduates are vast, encompassing roles in government, international organizations, education, diplomacy, and media. Overall, studying political science enhances critical thinking, analytical skills, and an understanding of complex societal issues.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What is political science?

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

  • Why study political science?

    Studying political science helps understand how politics affects our lives, enhances critical thinking, and provides analytical skills.

  • What are the subdisciplines of political science?

    Subdisciplines include national government, international relations, political theory, comparative politics, and research methodology.

  • What career options are available with a political science degree?

    Career options include government positions, work for international organizations, teaching, journalism, and roles in the nonprofit sector.

  • How does political science impact daily life?

    Political science influences our civil liberties, rights, government functions, and decision-making in various public policies.

  • What skills does studying political science develop?

    It enhances critical thinking, argument formulation, and the ability to analyze current events.

  • What is international relations in political science?

    International relations studies how global actors interact, covering topics like human rights and foreign policy.

  • What is comparative politics?

    Comparative politics analyzes different political systems, focusing on themes or specific countries.

  • How does political science relate to social sciences?

    It shares an interest in human behavior, specifically in the context of power and political relationships.

  • What is the role of political theory?

    Political theory examines philosophical questions about power and the ideologies that shape political beliefs.

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  • 00:00:03
    Political science is the systematic study of government and politics.
  • 00:00:07
    It is a social science just like
  • 00:00:11
    sociology or psychology or anthropology in that
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    we are fascinated by human behavior, but
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    in the case of political science we look at political behavior
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    in particular. Political science has often been defined as who gets what,
  • 00:00:27
    when, where, and how. Political science is about power relationships.
  • 00:00:31
    Why should one study political science? Political science
  • 00:00:35
    is fascinating! It's about people. Politics impacts our lives directly
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    and indirectly whether we're aware of it or not.
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    If there's a crime that takes place one calls the police. That's
  • 00:00:47
    government. If there's a fire that takes place one calls the fire department.
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    That's also government.
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    The military is government as well. Our civil liberties,
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    our rights, that impacts us on a daily basis, so if one happens to get pulled over
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    by a police officer, for example, what are their legal rights in that kind of situation?
  • 00:01:03
    The question of textbook costs and so on
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    and so forth,
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    these are actually fundamentally political decisions that are made by
  • 00:01:12
    politicians, by elected officials.
  • 00:01:14
    Political science is a very broad discipline, but some of the subdisciplines
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    include national, state, and local government, so if one is taking
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    political science courses in the United States then they might take courses in
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    American government,
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    on the American presidency, the court system.
  • 00:01:30
    There's international relations. That is a discipline where
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    we look at how all of the various actors within the global system or the
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    international system
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    interact with one another. In an international relations course
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    one might learn about topics such as human rights,
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    such as globalization, such as international relations theories that
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    help us
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    understand the world around us or at least attempt to explain
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    various international phenomena. Power, military power,
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    hard power, soft power. Another area that one might
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    study within international relations would be foreign policy decision-making.
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    And, in fact, one can take courses at most American colleges and universities and
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    colleges and universities, indeed, throughout the world in studying the foreign policy of
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    particular countries.
  • 00:02:15
    Another subdiscipline within political science is political theory
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    and/or political philosophy. And, in those courses
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    one would study some of the great thinkers throughout human history
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    who have grappled with tough political, philosophical questions
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    about the nature of power, about the nature of human beings,
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    and also really get into discussing various
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    ideas and many of the "isms": socialism,
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    communism, Islamism, feminism
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    and so on. Another subdiscipline of political science is comparative government and
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    politics.
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    In comparative politics courses, we discuss and analyze the various
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    political systems
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    around the world. And, there are two major approaches to
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    the study of comparative politics. The first is the thematic approach
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    where one would study the various broad themes
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    that would help us understand the various political systems around the
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    world, such as
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    revolutions or nationalism, things of that nature.
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    Another approach is a country-by-country approach where one
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    studies the various countries around the world and their political systems, and
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    domestic politics,
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    and domestic political issues within a particular country. So, within
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    comparative politics one can focus on the various regions
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    of the world. So, for example, Middle East North African politics,
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    or Latin American politics, or Asian
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    and/or African politics, or European politics.
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    Another subdiscipline in the area of political science would be research
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    methodology
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    or quantitative analyses courses, and that's actually sort of the science part
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    of political science
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    where one would utilize numbers to understand, explain, and predict political
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    behavior.
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    There are many things that one can do with a political science major
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    in terms of career options. One could work for government
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    at the federal, state, or local levels. One could
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    work for the United Nations or other international governmental organizations.
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    One could work in the nonprofit sector for non-governmental or nonprofit
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    organizations,
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    or one might actually become a Senator or president or an elected official.
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    In addition, one could teach with a political science background.
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    One could be a diplomat and work as a foreign service officer or work for the
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    State Department.
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    One can also work in business and/or even in journalism,
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    in the news media. A political science background really prepares
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    one for a wide range of possible career options.
  • 00:04:44
    I would say that one would want to study political science because it's fascinating.
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    It's about people, it's about the story of people.
  • 00:04:51
    Political science will help you better analyze current events.
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    Anyone whose literate can read newspapers or articles online,
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    but political science will give you that ability to analyze
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    the current events that are going on. It'll help you better formulate
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    arguments, and strengthen your arguments, and develop your critical thinking
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    skills.
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    It's perhaps human nature to sort of
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    look for easy answers and easy solutions and kind of get into
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    black-and-white thinking,
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    but what political science will do for someone is actually get you to understand
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    that there are shades of grey,
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    and that there's nuance, and that the world around us
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    is not just black and white. And, again, political science is a social science, so
  • 00:05:31
    it's about people, and any social scientist finds the study of people
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    fascinating.
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    If you'd like to learn more about your legal rights, if you would like to learn more
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    about the constitution,
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    United States Constitution that impacts you every day, then
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    political science might be for you.
Tags
  • Political Science
  • Government
  • Politics
  • International Relations
  • Political Theory
  • Comparative Politics
  • Critical Thinking
  • Career Options
  • Social Science
  • Public Policy