Political Science: General Introduction and Foundational Concepts Quiz

Axiological neutrality = Doing analysis without any value judgment Ambition of systemization = Identifying trends and patterns/regularities and using theory and concepts Use of scientific method = Qualitative and quantitative analysis using statistics, interview, and research methods Social science = Scientific study of human society and social relationships

Political theory and political institutions (polity) = Study of political structures and governance systems Political sociology (politics) = Examination of social and political interactions within a society Policy analysis (policies) = Evaluation of government policies and their impact on society International relations (= power relations between states) = Analysis of power dynamics and relationships among nations

Political philosophy = Normative study of political ideologies and values Political journalism = Commentary on facts or current events in politics Think tanks = Organizations that produce analysis on specific subjects, guided by ideological values Political actors discourse = Communication aimed at convincing the audience

Political science aims to explain the political functioning of societies on a scientific basis = It seeks to understand the scientific basis of political operations in societies Political science is not normative = It does not prescribe or dictate what should be done politically Social sciences aim to explain the social by the social = They seek to understand social phenomena using social interactions as the basis Political science emerged with Aristotle = Aristotle explained how different forms of government led to different political outcomes

Gendered perspective on political science = Study of how gender influences the field of political science Crossroads discipline = A field with several branches and interdisciplinary connections Scientific method in political science = Utilization of qualitative and quantitative research methods in political analysis National variations in political science = Differences in approaches and theories based on national contexts

Polity = How living together is politically organized; how the state is organized; civil government or constitution Politics = All that has to do with political processes and activities (campaigns, parties, how citizens express themselves) Policy = How government regulates the problems that society faces, and the decisions proposed against those problems, platform, manifesto = political idea based on the political values that are put forward by the candidate Politique = That which relates to the government of a society as a whole

Essentialist understanding = They are specific things that form a specific compartment of society Pragmatic understanding = Most common today and relies on an extensive vision of the political as something that is transversal to society Polysemic term = Has many different features, parts, and aspects and what is considered as political also changes in time Moving object = Reinforces the idea that politics is a moving object and a lot of facts can be seen through politics (a song can become political)

Relationship between those who govern and those who are governed = Politics All about power = Politics How government regulate the problems that society faces = Policy How living together is politically organized; how the state is organized; civil government or constitution = Polity