Political Science Class Overview
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Questions and Answers

What is the percentage weight of class participation in the overall grading system?

  • 10% (correct)
  • 15%
  • 20%
  • 5%

    • How many students are required to be in a tutorial team presentation?

  • 4 (correct)
  • 2
  • 5
  • 3

    • What is the maximum number of absences allowed before facing a deduction in participation grade?

  • 7
  • 3
  • 5 (correct)
  • 10

    • Which component has the highest weight in the final grade?

    <p>Final examination</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the required length of the term paper?

    <p>7 pages</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What should students do if their total absences exceed five classes?

    <p>No action required</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is the absence penalty calculated after exceeding five classes?

    <p>1/20 of the participation grade deducted for each absence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What degree abbreviation does the professor hold?

    <p>Ph.D.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which classical political theorists are mentioned as advocating for civil society over anarchy?

    <p>Hobbes and Locke</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key difference between politicians and political scientists?

    <p>Politicians think practically while political scientists think abstractly.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Aristotle claim about political science?

    <p>It is the master science.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of an empirical discipline like political science?

    <p>It accumulates both quantified and qualitative data.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do political scientists generally view political power?

    <p>With skepticism.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What statement best reflects the approach of political scientists toward data?

    <p>They use both quantifiable and qualitative data.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Lasswell define politics as?

    <p>The study of 'who gets what'.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT a priority for political scientists compared to politicians?

    <p>Popularity among the public.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens in political contexts according to the definitions provided?

    <p>It is a competition within groups to influence policy.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does stating assumptions in research aim to minimize?

    <p>Subjectivity and bias</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the explanations of political power offered by Niccolò Machiavelli?

    <p>Power is the ability to shape others' behavior.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the biological explanation suggest about political systems?

    <p>Forming a political system and obeying is innate to human behavior.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT considered a subfield of political science?

    <p>Behaviorism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is it important to push political views aside in political science?

    <p>To achieve objectivity in analysis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the psychological explanation emphasize regarding human behavior?

    <p>Obedience to authority can be influenced by group dynamics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which concept suggests that behavior is learned rather than inherent?

    <p>Cultural Explanation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role do theories play in political science according to the content?

    <p>They provide meaning for patterns of facts.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of behavioralism in political science?

    <p>Focus on institutions and behavior.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key assumption of the cultural explanation of political behavior?

    <p>Cultural behavior can be altered over time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of sources support political science research?

    <p>Both primary and secondary sources</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is a criticism of the cultural explanation of political behavior?

    <p>It does not account for differences in political systems based on culture.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In evaluating theoretical approaches to political science, what kind of theories contrast with normative theories?

    <p>Empirical theories.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What warning can political science provide to officials?

    <p>Noting potential issues for good governance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the importance of acknowledging different perspectives in political science?

    <p>It ensures a balanced approach.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who was the first empirical political scientist?

    <p>Aristotle</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did Machiavelli advocate for in terms of power?

    <p>Rationality and toughness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In Hobbes' view, what was preferable to anarchy?

    <p>A bad monarch</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the original state of nature according to John Locke?

    <p>Not bad, but property was insecure</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What concept is associated with Jean-Jacques Rousseau?

    <p>General will</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is 'surplus value' in Marxist theory?

    <p>Profit derived from overworking laborers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a criticism of behavioralism?

    <p>It tends to focus on relatively minor topics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did Marx believe about the relationship between social classes?

    <p>Only the bourgeoisie benefits from capitalism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What recurring question is emphasized in Marxist analysis of political controversies?

    <p>Who profits from this situation?</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What approach combines qualitative and quantitative data?

    <p>Postbehavioralism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to systems theory, what role do citizen 'inputs' play?

    <p>They are processed into outputs by decision makers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a noted weakness of the systems theory model?

    <p>It often biases toward the status quo.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which theory argues that political behavior can be predicted by understanding the interests of actors?

    <p>Rational-Choice Theory</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What contributes significantly, although not as a dominant paradigm, to political science?

    <p>Rational-Choice Theory</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best contrasts political theory with political science?

    <p>Political scientists seek to understand how things do work, while theorists examine how they should work.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which area has recently distanced itself from behavioralism in political science?

    <p>New Institutionalism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Professor Information

    • Professor's Ph.D. in Political Science from Duke University, USA
    • Earned undergraduate degree at University of Warwick, UK
    • Previous positions: Postdoctoral Fellow at East Asia Center, University of Virginia, and Center for the Study of Contemporary China, University of Pennsylvania
    • Research areas: Authoritarian politics, political institutions, political economy, China
    • Contact details: @HongshenZhu (Twitter)

    Syllabus Information

    • Class Participation (10%): Students required to attend all lectures and tutorials; graded on class participation and contributions to discussions
    • Tutorial Team Presentation (20%): Each student joins a team of four to present on a course topic.
    • Term Paper (20%): A 7-page paper based on the team presentation, using Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced, and including references
    • Final Examination (50%): Evaluates understanding of basic concepts, case studies, and debates in the course

    Participation Details

    • University regulations: Students cannot be assessed and awarded credit if their accumulated leave of absence exceeds one-third of the term (https://www.In.edu.hk/f/upload/44090/arup4.pdf)
    • A maximum of 26 documented tutorial and lecture attendances total is specified.
    • Medical leave is included in accumulated leave.
    • No need for email notifications on absences.
    • Penalty of 1/20th of the 10% grade is applicable for each absence exceeding 5.
    • More than 10 absences may result in a lack of credits for the course.

    Learning Objectives

    • 1.1: Evaluate various explanations of political power
    • 1.2: Justify political science as a science
    • 1.3: Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of theoretical approaches to political science
    • 1.4: Contrast normative theories of politics to political science

    What is Politics?

    • Political power is an aspect of government.
    • Politics happens outside of government in workplaces, families, classrooms, etc
    • Ongoing competition between groups to shape policy.

    Political Power

    • Machiavelli: Emphasized power to shape others' behaviour
    • Biological: Forming political system and obedience is innate; the presentation questioned how to explain instances when political groups fall apart and people defy authority.
    • Psychological: Obedience in terms of the Milgram study. Administrators subjected victims to shocks, surrendering actions to authority; this related to "Groupthink."
    • Cultural: Behaviour is learned ("nature vs nurture") thus bad behaviour can be unlearned with societal improvement. Contradictions arise in the presentation from questioning where cultures come from, given the argument if all behavior is cultural, political structures should reflect this diversity.
    • Rational: People have desires; "civil society" as a better alternative than anarchy, as explained in Hobbes and Locke. Presentation questions how change of mind can be explained.
    • Irrational: People are emotional; control people via myths.

    What is Political Science?

    • Political science differs from politics in its approach
    • Political scientists study disease-causing bacteria (as an example). Focuses on understanding how such subjects behave and grow, not on emotional responses

    Comparing Politicians and Political Scientists

    • Politicians love power and popularity Politicians seek short-term payoffs Politicians respond to groups
    • Political scientists are skeptical of power Political scientists seek accuracy Political scientists seek professional prestige

    The Master Science

    • Aristotle, considered the founder of political science, posited political science as the master science; politics involves discerning who gets what (Lasswell).
    • Political science encompasses almost everything, especially economics

    Can Politics Be Studied as a Science?

    • Science implies specific subject matter for study.
    • Political science resembles methods of natural science to quantify data and validate hypotheses, but specific factors of politics cannot be quantified.
    • Political science aggregates both quantitative and qualitative data points to be a valid empirical discipline.

    Studying Politics Clearly

    • Attempting to study politics as they are is more significant than personal desires
    • Need to state assumptions to eliminate bias
    • Avoid structures that support a specific viewpoint
    • Be aware of different perspectives on the subject
    • Be supported with rigorous evidence gathered from various sources (including primary and secondary, qualitative and quantitative)
    • Theoretical connections and Polemics of broader theories need to be considered when evaluating the quality of the study.

    Benefit of Political Science

    • Provides objective and complex analyses, free from personal bias or political simplification
    • Warns those in power about potential problems thus enhancing good leadership, as illustrated by the U.S. in the 1960s and Iran under the Shah's regime

    Subfields of Political Science

    • U.S. Politics
    • Comparative Politics
    • International Relations
    • Political Theory
    • Public Administration
    • Constitutional Law
    • Public Policy

    Theory in Political Science

    • Knowledge involves more than just facts; theories give meaning to patterns.
    • Theories are not facts but suggest how facts should be organized.

    Behavioralism

    • Focused on U.S. institutions (late 19th to mid-20th centuries); examined communist and fascist dictatorships.
    • Emphasized actual behaviour, not thoughts or feelings
    • Became dominant in the 1960s
    • Criticized as too focused on smaller issues, rather than big questions

    Postbehavioralists' criticism of Behavioralism

    • Considered departure from "scientific" and "value-free" ideals
    • Too focused on relatively minor topics, away from larger question

    New Institutionalism

    • 1980s shift away from behavioralism.
    • Institutions aren't just responses to social forces.

    Systems Theory

    • David Easton's model; Political systems are like living organisms
    • Politics is a feedback loop
    • Citizen "inputs" create "outputs" (government decisions/actions)
    • Issues: Model simplifies events such as Hitler's Germany or Stalin's Russia; also struggles to explain events like the Vietnam war because the model is static and focuses on the existing status quo, and does not consider sudden significant change.

    Rational Choice Theory

    • Predicting political behavior based on actor interests
    • Theorists sometimes call themselves neo-institutionalists.
    • Uses game theory to understand policy outcomes
    • Weakness: Accurately estimating expected payoffs.

    Normative Study vs. Theory

    • Departments often incorporate both political scientists and political theorists.
    • Scientists strive to understand how things work, and theorists consider how things should work in terms of norms

    Normative Study of Politics

    • Aristotle viewed as leading political scientist despite his normative studies
    • European medieval and Renaissance thought was heavily influenced by religion, aiming to identify "shoulds"
    • Machiavelli promoted rationality and toughness for exercising power
    • Contractualists (Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau): examined the "state of nature" with Hobbes criticizing its negativity, Locke supporting property rights, and Rousseau introducing the "social contract" and "general will".

    Marxist Theories

    • Events are not accidental. Economics dictates society, and individuals' actions.
    • "Surplus value" benefits capitalists at the expense of workers who are overworked, leading overproduction.
    • Society consists of small class (ownership) and large class(worker).
    • War is a result of capitalist desires for economic gain, to maintain capitalist interests
    • Marx's system was insufficient in explaining the complexities of capitalism's survival mechanisms.

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    Description

    This quiz evaluates your understanding of key components related to class structure, grading, and foundational concepts in political science. It covers topics such as participation grade, class requirements, and prominent theories in the field. Test your knowledge of both practical classroom elements and theoretical foundations!

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