Political science is the major for the person who wants to make a real difference in his or her world. This discipline is where tomorrow’s governmental leaders are made. It doesn’t matter if you are a conservative or a liberal. What matters is your will to understand the real needs of the people who you will serve while in office, as well as, the real issues that you be called to vote upon. Look for schools where civic involvement is held in high esteem.
Political science is a social science concerned with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. It is often described as the study of politics defined as "who gets what, when and how". Political science has several subfields, including: political theory, public policy, national politics, international relations, and comparative politics.
"As a discipline" political science "lives on the fault line between the 'two cultures' in the academy, the sciences and the humanities Thus, in some American colleges where there is no separate School or College of Arts and Sciences per se, political science may be a separate department housed as part of a division or school of Humanities or Liberal Art
Political scientists study the allocation and transfer of power in decision-making, the roles and systems of governance including governments and international organizations, political behavior and public policies. They measure the success of governance and specific policies by examining many factors, including stability, justice, material wealth, and peace. Some political scientists seek to advance positive (attempt to describe how things are, as opposed to how they should be) theses by analyzing politics. Others advance normative theses, by making specific policy recommendations.
Most American colleges and universities offer B.A. programs in political science. M.A. or M.A.T. and Ph.D or Ed.D. programs are common at larger universities.
The national honour society for college and university students of government and politics in the United States is Pi Sigma Alpha.
International Relations
nternational relations represents the study of foreign affairs and global issues among states within the international system, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multinational corporations (MNCs). It is both an academic and public policy field, and can be either positive or normative as it both seeks to analyze as well as formulate the foreign policy of particular states. It is often considered a branch of political science.
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