Week 1: Intro Flashcards
What is political science?
Basically the study of politics; way of settling differences between individuals or groups
What are all the subfields of political science?
5 in total: political theory, comparative politics, American politics, international relations, methodology
What is political theory?
subfield of political science. study of politics through philosophy
Which political science subfield CAN ask normative questions?
political theory
What is comparative politics?
a subfield of political science; study of domestic politics through comparison
What are the types of comparativists?
Area specialists and phenomenon specialists
What is American politics?
a subfield of political science; the study of America’s politics
American politics subfield can also be considered
a subfield of comparative politics- area specialist: America
What are the subfields of American politics and what do they study?
(1) institutions: studies presidency, congress, supreme court, state and local institutions
(2) behavior: studies opinions, voting behavior, partisanship (bias)
(3) American political development: use of history to study American politics
What is international relations?
a subfield of political science; studies how countries relate to eachother
What is methodology?
a subfield of political science; studies HOW political scientists investigate political science questions
What are the subfields of methodology?
Formal theory, data analysis
