Our study of politics will begin with a review of the basic principles of politics and various perspectives on how we define politics and its domain. We will discuss the changing notion of politics over time and across cultures as we work towards a definition.
This unit will lay the framework for the remaining five units in this course. A confident and solid grasp of the principles presented in this unit is therefore crucial to your progression through the remainder of the course. You will find, for example, that each of the five subsequent units will conclude with a discussion of how the principles you have learned and the issues you have identified apply to a contemporary, real-life situation. You will need to draw from the foundational material you have learned in this unit in order to respond to these applied situations.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 11 hours.
- Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- situate the academic discipline of political science within the broader field of social science;
- define politics, power, authority, and legitimacy;
- analyze the debate over political science as a “scientific” discipline;
- explain the concepts of constitutionalism and political representation;
- illustrate the rational-legal, charismatic, and traditional forms of legitimacy; and
- compare and contrast smart power, soft power, and hard power.
Leave a Reply