The existence of governments and countries with different systems of organization raises questions about how nations coexist. Moreover, other inquiries about economic and social stability inside the countries exist. These issues are addressed in the field of political science – a scientific approach to studying politics (Department of Political Science, 2022). The following critique presents an introduction to political science, its scope and methods, and the discipline’s role in science and people’s view of the world.
As noted above, political science is concerned with every aspect of governance. For example, a political scientist may investigate various political theories, the concept of power on a national and international scale, or study the interaction between several states (Gooding and Hoekstra, 2020). Political science is a part of social sciences that views human relationships from various angles (Keping, 2018). It differs from history because it applies the scientific method to the existing information instead of simply restating facts (Maddocks, 2020). Similarly, it presents a view separate from political philosophy, focusing on theoretical discussions removed from the current political sphere (Bunte, 2019). Nevertheless, the fields draw upon each other, making them related. Moreover, as a social science, the study of politics applies various methods from related disciplines, including law, sociology, economics, anthropology, and more.
According to research, one can distinguish three major subfields of political science. The first segment of the discipline is political theory, a subfield focused on the foundations of political establishments (Keping, 2018). Due to the theoretical nature of research, the subfield’s main research topics are related to human nature and its impact on the creation and development of political institutions (Longo and Zacka, 2019). The approaches in political theory range from feminist theory to country-focused thought schools (Ackerly and True, 2019). Through different views enriched by other disciplines, political theory presents an analysis of politics through the lens of different communities.
Second, comparative politics is another major field of political science. In this subfield, the existence of various political systems is the foundation for research. Scientists select and compare different political structures to assess their progress and understand the values of each community in relation to one another. For instance, such topics as the countries’ approach to equality, economic security, and freedom may be a part of a comparative political study (Maddocks, 2020). Another aim of comparative politics is to analyze the creation of political institutions in different societies, comparing factors that may influence the development of systems.
Finally, the third major subfield in political science is international relations. While comparative politics investigates the systems separately, this subfield focuses on the relationships between different political and non-political institutions (Department of Political Science, 2022). In this case, the most significant theme in research is war – the antecedents, strategies, and prevention of major international conflicts (Pollock and Edwards, 2019). However, other topics, such as economic relations, international law, and the interaction between governments and multinational businesses, are also a part of this subfield. Other subfields can also be distinguished in political theory, including national politics, methodology, and more.
The goal of political science is to develop an understanding of political systems, actions taken by governments, and the nature of people’s interaction with politics. Political science has the potential to raise awareness about the creation of policies and the decision-making process (Bunte, 2019). It also aims to uncover how power affects societies and how human behavior interacts with power in institutions (Shively and Schultz, 2022). In the case of international relations, the discipline can provide people and governments with a scientific view of conflicts and strategies for their resolution (Flinders and Pal, 2020). To sum up, political science is a vital social science field that brings an analytical approach to examining political establishments and human relationships.
Reference List
Ackerly, B.A. and True, J. (2019) Doing feminist research in political and social science. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Bunte, J.B. (2019) ‘Why do students enroll in political science courses?’, PS: Political Science & Politics, 52(2), pp. 353–360.
Department of Political Science (2022) What is political science?. Web.
Flinders, M. and Pal, L.A. (2020) ‘The moral foundations of public engagement: does political science, as a discipline, have an ethics?’, Political Studies Review, 18(2), pp. 263–276.
Gooding, N. and Hoekstra, K. (2020) ‘Hobbes and Aristotle on the foundation of political science’, in Douglass, R and Olsthoorn, J. (eds.) Hobbes’s on the citizen: a critical guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 31–50.
Keping, Y. (2018) ‘Governance and good governance: a new framework for political analysis’, Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences, 11(1), pp. 1–8.
Longo, M. and Zacka, B. (2019) ‘Political theory in an ethnographic key’, American Political Science Review, 113(4), pp. 1066–1070.
Maddocks, K. G. (2020) What is political science all about?. Web.
Pollock III, P.H. and Edwards, B.C. (2019) The essentials of political analysis. Thousand Oaks: CQ Press.
Shively, W.P. and Schultz, D. (2022) Power and choice: An introduction to political science. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.