POLS 110

Question 1

What are different ways to understand politics?

Answer 1

1. How it is in practice (what governments do)
2. How it is as a method (the study of government and power)

Question 2

What are the theoretical approaches to politics?

Answer 2

1. Normative
2. Positivist
3. Inductive
4. Deductive

Question 3

What does normative mean?

Answer 3

How things should be in society. What is the “good life”?

Question 4

What does liberalism mean? (in terms of studying politics)

Answer 4

The “good life” can be whatever you want it to be without judgement.

Question 5

We study politics through _____, _____, _____, and _____.

Answer 5

Ideas, concepts, values, and facts.

Question 6

What are political ideologies?

Answer 6

Ethical ideals, principles etc. that explain and define how a society should work, as well as how to maintain social order. (Very similar to social formations in HIST 104).

Question 7

What is epistemology?

Answer 7

The study of knowledge

Question 8

What is entology?

Answer 8

The study of being

Question 9

Where did the state originate?

Answer 9

Europe/the Church

Question 10

What are some key features of the state?

Answer 10

States are…
- Sovereign
- Public
- Legitimate
- Instruments for domination
- Territorial

Question 11

What are the four different types of states?

Answer 11

Socio-democratic states, collectivized states, totalitarian states, religious states.

Question 12

What is anomie? Which thinker is associated with it?

Answer 12

Lack of social standards for a person; Durkheim