Political Science Week 1 & 2: Methods and Theories

Week 1: Introduction, Scientific Method

• Empirical observation is central to scientific inquiry, essential for forming and testing hypotheses.
• Systematic approaches enhance knowledge acquisition in political science.
• Weber emphasizes objective, value-free analysis as fundamental for social sciences.
• The concept of verstehen highlights the significance of understanding individual meanings in sociological research.

Week 2: Theory, History of Comparative Political Studies, Comparative Method

• Comparative politics has evolved through methodological debates that shape theoretical frameworks.
• Munck discusses the importance of methodological pluralism, integrating qualitative and quantitative methods for holistic insights.
• Controlled comparisons enable clearer causal inferences; case selection is crucial for isolating variables and discerning relationships.
• Slater and Ziblatt highlight the identification of causal mechanisms that connect independent and dependent variables.

Week 3: The State

• The historical emergence of modern states ties back to key factors like warfare, economic evolution, and political organization.
• Conflict has driven centralization of power, forming the basis for state authority.
• Economic transitions, particularly industrialization, have fundamentally influenced the architecture of state institutions.
• Warner analyzes how institutional frameworks legitimize authority and govern order, affected by historical contexts and legacies.

Week 4: The Nation

• Anderson's "imagined communities" concept illustrates how nations are socially constructed and united through shared narratives.
• Chatterjee focuses on the complexity of nationalism in post-colonial contexts, exploring identity and political engagement.
• Wimmer examines the relationship between nations and states, addressing challenges posed by migration, ethnicity, and national identity in a globalized landscape.