What makes political science scientific

Put most simply, political science is the study of politics, government, and public policy, both in the U. Political scientists seek to both describe and explain political phenomena. This includes study of the processes of government the classic example is "how a bill becomes a law" , study of the institutions of government e. Political scientists seek to understand the underlying ways in which power, authority, rules, constitutions, and laws affect our lives.

This often involves borrowing the trappings of the natural sciences in attempts to establish generalisable theories of causation through the testing of hypotheses. To the extent that this activity has a purpose beyond the establishment of knowledge for its own sake, it is to place that knowledge at the hands of policymakers who, in the light of the political scientist's advice, may then make political and moral judgements as they see fit.

Learning from the disciplines of "hard science", where appropriate, can certainly yield benefits. But I have yet to be convinced by the idea that the study of politics can be apolitical and value-neutral.

Our choice of research topics will inevitably reflect our own political and moral priorities, and the way in which that research is framed and conducted is bound to reflect assumptions which — whether held consciously, semi-consciously or unconsciously — remain of a moral and political nature.

Additionally, striving for "policy relevance" can result in the production of research that conforms to the priorities of power. Examples are not hard to come by. The field of terrorism studies focuses almost exclusively on the terrorism of non-state actors, as opposed to the greater problem of state terrorism. Those academic studies of the developing world that are produced in the UK and the US tend to present the global south purely as a problem for, or a threat to, the global north.

Some topics are simply passed over altogether. In the s, the UK helped maintain a sanctions regime on Iraq that, as documented by Unicef, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians , around half of them children under the age of five. How can wars be prevented? What is the role of international law and organizations?

As the world has become more interdependent, scholars have become more aware of the importance of international economic activity. As a result, scholars are analyzing world trade, communications, development, foreign investment, and international finance. How states make foreign policy decisions is another important area of study. National security policy, nuclear deterrence, arms control and defense spending decisions are typical examples of foreign policy decisions.

This is the foundation for a wide variety of offerings at the and levels, such as American foreign policy, global environmental politics, international political economy, and international conflict. Students of American government and politics seek an understanding of politics as practiced in the United States.

In addition to courses on the American presidency, the U. Congress, and the courts, the department offers specialized courses on such topics as the political role of mass media, the politics of race and ethnicity, constitutional law, policy formation, state politics, and American political thought. Some of the broad questions that concern students in this field are: How and why did American political institutions, ideas, and practices develop as they have? How does one go about evaluating them?

Not surprisingly, alumni of political science majors can be found succeeding in many different professions and organizations including law and business; the CEOs of several Fortune companies are political science majors. Some find government so fascinating that they make government service their career. While many professions such as Law require you to go to a professional school for postgraduate training, the intellectual skills acquired in a political science major are a great foundation for future success.