Week 2

Question 1

Political Science

Answer 1

seeks to understand governance of social units

Question 2

Skepticism

Answer 2

doubt of the truth of something

Healthy skepticism is good, as it keeps us informed and focused on improving our system

Question 3

Cynical

Answer 3

the belief that people are motivated by purely self interest, distrustful of human sincerity

Question 4

Empirical vs Normative

Answer 4

Empirical = what is

Normative = what ought to be

Question 5

Why study Politics?

Answer 5

• What do people want out of life?
• How do some individuals benefit from social and political institutions, while others do not?
• Politics allows for our collective survival

Question 6

5 Subthemes of Politics

Answer 6

• Political Philosophy
• Canadian Politics
• Comparative Politics
• International Relations
• Public Policy and Administration

Question 7

Political Philosophy

Answer 7

Seeks to describe politics and to make normative claims about how politics should be conducted

Question 8

Who does Political Philosophy stem from?

Answer 8

Aristotle and Plato

Aristotle thought politics was inherently human; That only humans possess “language” and “reason”

Question 9

Two political Institutions of Canadian Politics

Answer 9

1. Parliament

legislature

2. Federalism

division of powers between Canadian and provincial governments

Question 10

Comparative Politics

Answer 10

compares phenomena in different countries

can be designed using most similar systems or most different systems

Question 11

International Relations major theories + issues

Answer 11

Theories:

Realism
Liberalism
Marxism

Issues:
Security (war/violence)
Terrorism
Food Security

Question 12

Public Policy and adminstration

Answer 12

Study of certain policies / how they are made or theories of the policy-making process

Question 13

State of Nature
(meaning + person)

Answer 13

Thomas Hobbes

humans in a “state of nature” (without political organization) would be motivated only by self interest, leading to a life that is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”

Question 14

How to escape “state of nature” ?

Answer 14

By organizing into political units, humans can escape this “state of nature” through a process of socialization and work to share the benefits of creating a social unit

Question 15

Who gets What, When, How
(meaning + person)

Answer 15

Harold Lasswell

politics is interested in how essential public goods are distributed among members in society

politics as competing scare resources often leads to unequal distribution of resources from money to representation

Question 16

The State

Answer 16

recognized political unit, considered to be sovereign, with a defined territory and people and a central government responsible for administration

Question 17

Sovereignty

Answer 17

sovereignty is the absolute governmental authority of a political community over a territory that is recognized as legitimate and rightful by other political authorities

Question 18

Nation

Answer 18

group of persons who share an identity based on, but not limited to, shared ethnic, religious, civil, cultural, or linguistic qualities

Question 19

Power vs Influence

Answer 19

Power:

ability to achieve goals in a political system and to have others do as you wish them to

Influence:

ability to change behaviour in others without exerting direct power over them

Question 20

Hard Power vs Soft Power

Answer 20

Hard power:

incentives and punishments used to exercise control

• coercion and force
• use of military power, money

Soft power:

persuasion to exercise control

• uses media, culture, ideologies to persuade

Question 21

Three forms of authority
(meaning + person)

Answer 21

Max Weber

Traditional (monarchy)
Rational-legal (laws, norms)
Charismatic

Question 22

Liberal Democracy

Answer 22

Liberal:
political system emphasizing freedom

Democracy:
government requires the support of its citizens through voting / elections

Both focus on individual liberty and political rights

Question 23

Rights

Answer 23

socially acceptable, morally correct, and just privileges granted to members of a political community

ex. right to vote, elect, expression, protest

Question 24

Liberty

Answer 24

freedom from despotic control (using power unfairly)

Question 25

Positive vs Negative liberty

Answer 25

Positive:
freedom to achieve one’s full potential

Negative:
freedom from government interference (ex. Freedom of expression)

Question 26

Legislation

Answer 26

laws enacted by a governing authority

Question 27

Purpose of laws

Answer 27

Meant to encourage or discourage activities

(through threat of punishment)

Question 28

Policy

Answer 28

anything a government chooses to do or not to do

Question 29

Authoritarianism

Answer 29

political system requiring obedience to a constituted authority

authority can be individual dictator or small elite

Question 30

Monarchy

Answer 30

form of government by a single ruler who holds absolute power

ex. kings or queens

Question 31

Absolute Monarchy (ex.)

Answer 31

Saudi Arabia
(king is both head of state and government)

Question 32

Constitutional Monarchy (ex.)

Answer 32

Canada
(Prime minister as head of government with elected parliament)

Question 33

Tyranny

Answer 33

government by single ruler and regime that exercises arbitrary power for their own benefit rather than that of the community