Introduction Flashcards
What is political science
How to study political science
Différence btwn History and political science, and according to who
Gaddis
History:
.understand things that happened thus far
. Pay attention to context and détail
Political science:
. Explain nowadays things with past éléments
. Forecast/ predict
. Aim to generalise findings
What is political according to xxx
Heywood:
Politics is contested concept: there are some def
A. Politics as an art (Most narrow views):
. Art of négo…
.official institutions, heads of states
.critics: overlook people ( not everyone is visible in ‘official’ politics). + Everyday mechanisms hold more valuable infos abt politics than Big négociations ( power dynamics…)
B. More broad views:
- politics as public Space: institutions are not enough so: institutions+ private actors that do politics in public spaces in certain conditions ( ex: members of NGOs if they are rescuing a boat yes but if they are grocery shopping no)
-politics as a process: any discussion/ disagreement IF it affects wider groups (=/ personal affairs) ex neighbour meeting
C.politics as power (Broadest views): everything is political, including personal experiences (ex watching TV : money and Time to watching, what program and what language are proposed…)
What is philosophy of science
Thé différent perspectives for research
What is a a scientific paradigms + def of xxx
Ideas of what constitues good or Bad research, right or Bad way to do researches
Nickerson: “a set of ideas and beliefs which provide a framework or model which research Can follow
What are thé 2 Big research methods
Positivism and interpretivism
What is positivism
A paradigms
Research methods which tries to bé as close as possible to science methods used in natural science: questions, research, hypothesis, experiments (not in politics bcs not ethnic and cut thé person from société), analyse data, accept/reject result
What is interpretivism
WE should not try to do exp, WE need to take thé all into account, take thé context
Mostly qualitative data ex analyse a discours, single case study…
What is ontology
Our view abt thé World as it existe( what is thé World)
-foundationalist view:
.there is a Real, Independent World: objective
. there are Real social laws that WE Can find
-anti-foundationalist view:
.’ireal’ World,
. exist only bcs WE are part of it and we interpret it : subjective,
.bcs everything dépend on thé context: reality is socially constructed and shaped by historical, cultural, and linguistic contexts.
What is epistemology
How Can WE learn bat the World
-positivism:
.Real World exist,
.WE Can collect datas and observations = scientific method
.WE mesure and test datas collectés
.World is objective, exist without us so WE don’t modify the world with our researches
– scientific approach: (similar to positivism but broader than positivism: scientific approach can include non-positivist methods, such as those in critical realism or certain forms of qualitative research)
- interpretivism :
. giving meaning by researching
.Impossible to detach as a research: WE let marks, WE create/ interpret thé World by doing researches = giving meaning by researching thé World
.think with thé context
Relationship btwn ontology and epistemology
Marsh and Al.: ontology>epistemology: assumptions about the nature of reality (ontology) should guide how we approach the study of that reality (epistemology). This contrasts with the idea that methods or epistemological commitments should dictate what is considered real or significant.
Epistemology>ontology
Poststructuralism: interconnected
Critics to data by whom
Atchinson:
. Data should not bé assumed neutral and unbiased: influenced by values, assomptions…
. Implication for research : necessity for scholars and reaserchers to bé transparent, vigilant abt biases
difference btwn foundtionalists and positivists
Foundationalism deals with ontology and Positivism is a type of epistemology
Explain why ontology and epistemology can be seen as a “skin” and not as a “sweater” and according to who?
Marsh and Furlong
essential foundations rather than interchangeable or superficial layers. They argue that these concepts are better understood as a “skin” rather than a “sweater” because they are integral and inseparable from the researcher’s worldview, rather than something that can be easily put on or taken off.
what does Atchison criticises and how can it be solved?
critiques the traditional structures of the field, highlighting how systemic biases—such as those rooted in race, gender, class, and ability—affect both the production and dissemination of knowledge.
-importance of researchers critically examining their own positionality and privilege: understanding how their identities and experiences shape their perspectives
-Diversifying Perspectives
-Encouraging diverse methodological approaches
-prioritize inclusivity
what does intersectionality stands for?
framework for understanding how multiple social categories, such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability, intersect to create overlapping systems of oppression, privilege, and discrimination.
