POLS 001

Introduction to Political Science

Dr. Ayana Best

Announcements
• New Groups posted on Blackboard
• First Group will Present on Tuesday 8/30
• Brianna Artis
• Mariah Cain
• Pepper Reed
• Shante Reed
• Aniya Woodruff
• First Quiz Will Be Next Thursday 9/1
What is counts as political?
https://www.mentimeter.com/app/presentation/cf23f5d7c7b3d375f948513b8e
bd3360/f84093d4cdd6
What is Politics?

•The authoritative distribution of values

in a society
What is Politics?
• Power and Resources
• Intends to decide who gets what
• Organizes social dynamic
• Core Themes
• Values
• Who decides who gets what and how much?
• Conflict and Resolution
• Competition for resources
• Decision-Making
• Political institutions are put in place to help us resolve the conflict
What is Political Science?

•The scientific study of human society

and social relationships
•Related to philosophy, sociology,
psychology, history and economics
How we study politics

• Politics traced back to Plato.

• Political science has been an academic
discipline for more than a century.
• The American Political Science Association was
founded in 1903.
How we study politics

• What is the nature of the political?

• Two broad approaches
• Arena
• Process
Arena definition
• Politics occurs within certain limited
“arenas.”
• Focused on the formal operation of
politics in the world of government.
• Focused on the people who seek to
influence the world of government.
Process definition
• Power is inscribed in all social
processes.
• The personal is political.
• Found in feminism, constructivism,
poststructuralism, and Marxism.
How we study politics
• How do you view the world?
• Do your world views shape the work that
you produce?
How we study politics
• Ontological questions are about what is
and what exists.
• Is there a real world out there, independent
from our knowledge of the world?
How we study politics
• Epistemology is about what we can
know.
• Another way to describe this is “a theory of
knowledge.”
The State
• A recognized political unit with a defined
territory and people, with a centralized
government responsible for administering public
goods.
The Nation

• A group or groups of people who share an

identity based on common ancestry, ethnic,
religious, culture and/ or linguistic
commonalties.
Nation-State

• A state built on the notion of representing a

nation(s).
State-Sovereignty

• The political unit with a monopoly on the

legitimate use of force over a define
territory.
• Recognized by other political authorities
that the government is legitimate
Authority and Legitimacy
• Authority
• Right to force obedience of rules and laws
• Who gives nation-states this authority? (Social Contract)
• Legitimacy
• Lawful, appropriate, fair and conforming to the standards (norms) of a
political system
• Belief by the people being governed that the government has a right to be in
charge
Sovereignty Explained
• https://youtu.be/0EggqmMixig
Questions
• Do you think sovereignty should be absolute? If not, what other
limitations would you put on sovereignty?
• Do you think military interventions to protect human rights are
justified? Why or why not?
• Do you think state sovereignty protects or restricts individual freedom
of citizens?