Order 1294302: Political Science

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Introduction to Political Science (POL120)

Roskin, et al (2012)

Chapter One

Politics and Political Science

Dr. Kula A. Francis

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What is Politics?

  • Power

  • Government

  • Behavior

  • Political Animals (Biological) – Aristotle (Not just politicians – all of us)
  • Similar to elephants or deer (p.8) – lived in herds
  • Need guidance… leadership from each other

  • The Study of Who Gets What – Harold Lasswell

  • “Studying Politics mean studying nearly everything” - - Examples on next slide

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Politics \ Political Science

  • Negatively viewed by most (even those who study it)
  • Compare to a biologist (p. 4)
  • Study to understand
  • Study to improve
  • Determines what is important
  • Hurricane (Who gets help?)
  • AIDS vs. Breast Cancer Research? Who should get the funds?
  • UVI vs. Correction Bureau Funding? Who should get the funds?
  • WHO DECIDES???

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The Social Sciences

  • Inter-related

- (SSC100)

  • History – Closely aligned with Political Science *What’s the difference?
  • Historians need to pinpoint (evidence) on specific items
  • Political scientists generalize without the need to pinpoint or get facts
  • Human Geography – Where you are determine how politics/ government will affect you.
  • Economics - $$$$ (Roskin, et al claims sufficient finances helps to form democracy… without it, there is an absence of democracy (p. 6)
  • Sociology - lets us see political science from social class, region, religion, gender, age, etc. (p. 6)
  • Anthropology – determines why specific groups of people act (perhaps vote) certain ways.
  • Psychology – Helps determine why you act or decide to behave in certain ways.

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Political Power

  • Findings from the social sciences are generally used…
  • Political Power – hated concept
  • Reads coercion, inequality, occasionally brutality (p. 7)
  • No clear explanation of political power
  • Explanations still suggested by the fields of biology, psychology, culture, rational, irrational, etc. (p. 7)

Legitimacy (Respect for the Government)

  • Originally meant that the King or Queen had the right for his or her position based on legitimate birth right…
  • The term later was broadened to mean “legal right to govern”
  • Today, legitimacy means ‘the attitudes in people’s (citizen’s) minds’
  • What does this mean?
  • Do the people “do” what they are supposed to do without one’s enforcements?
  • Do Americans pay taxes before being forced?
  • A great test is the amount of police officers in an area (p. 8)
  • Countries that have lots of police officers have little legitimacy; Countries that have little police officers have high legitimacy – such as Sweden (people follow rules without coercion necessary)

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Sovereignty (Respect for a Country)

  • From old French word meaning “to rule over”
  • Later, the term became broadened to mean national control over the country’s territory… Ruler of one’s turf (p. 9)
  • Is the reason countries have military, homeland security, border patrol, visas, passports (control who, what enters home)
  • Sometimes loss of legitimacy can cause loss of sovereignty.

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Authority (Respect for a Leader)

  • The psychological ability of leaders to get others to obey them (p. 9).
  • Generally, a private has to obey a captain
  • A driver obeys the police (who can give a ticket for seatbelt, cell phone, speeding, etc)
  • A student endures reading assignment passed on by the professor, still some students don’t read their assignments.
  • Still – those with authority will have some control over others…

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Legitimacy, Sovereignty, & Authority

  • Not Guaranteed!
  • Must be earned!
  • With the collapse of one, others follow…

  • WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF THESE ITEMS WHERE YOU ARE FROM?

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Political Culture

  • Religion

  • Child Rearing

  • Land Tenure

  • Economic Development

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Power (revisited)

  • Lord Action – “Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely”
  • Power v. Politics
  • An enabling device

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Key Words

  • Discipline – A field of study, often represented by an academic department or major.

  • Methodology – The Techniques for studying questions objectively.

  • Political Power – Ability of one person to get another to do something.

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Key Words

  • Legitimacy – Mass feeling that the government’s rule is rightful and should be obeyed.

  • Sovereignty – A national government’s being boss on its own turf, the last word in law in that country.

  • Authority – Political leaders’ ability to command respect and exercise power.

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Key Words

  • Culture – human behavior that is learned as opposed to inherited.

  • Rational – Based on the ability to reason

  • Irrational – Based on the power of fears and myth to cloud reason.

  • Quantify – To measure with numbers.

  • Hypothesis – An initial theory a researcher starts with to be proved by evidence.

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Key Words

  • Empirical – Based on observable evidence

  • Scholarship – Intellectual arguments supported by reason and evidence.

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