Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Wiktionary
n. 1 The systematic study of government and politics. 2 The analytical study of public policy and policies, past, present, and prospective.
WordNet
n. the study of government of states and other political units [syn: politics, government]
Wikipedia
Political science is a social science discipline that deals with systems of government, and the analysis of political activity and political behaviour. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics which is commonly thought of as determining of the distribution of power and resources. Political scientists "see themselves engaged in revealing the relationships underlying political events and conditions, and from these revelations they attempt to construct general principles about the way the world of politics works." Political science is related to and draws upon the fields of economics, law, sociology, history, philosophy, geography, psychology, and anthropology.
Although it was codified in the 19th century, when the contemporary form of the academic social sciences was established, the study of political science has ancient roots that can be traced back to the works of Aristotle, Plato, and Chanakya which were written nearly 2,500 years ago. Political science usually comprises the sub-disciplines of comparative politics, international political economy, international relations, political theory, public administration, public law and political methodology
Comparative politics is the science of comparison and teaching of different types of constitutions, political actors, legislature and associated fields, all of them from an intrastate perspective. International relations deals with the interaction between nation-states as well as intergovernmental and transnational organizations. Political theory is more concerned with contributions of various classical and contemporary thinkers and philosophers.
Political science is methodologically diverse and appropriates many methods originating in social research. Approaches include positivism, interpretivism, rational choice theory, behaviouralism, structuralism, post-structuralism, realism, institutionalism, and pluralism. Political science, as one of the social sciences, uses methods and techniques that relate to the kinds of inquiries sought: primary sources such as historical documents and official records, secondary sources such as scholarly journal articles, survey research, statistical analysis, case studies, experimental research and model building.
"Political Science" is a song written and performed by singer-songwriter Randy Newman on his 1972 album, Sail Away. In going along with the theme of the rest of the album, the song is a satire of a particular part of American culture and history, namely its foreign policies at the time. The unnamed narrator describes the state of the world, and suggests, "Let’s drop the big one and see what happens."
Newman performed the song on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1972. "Political Science" is prominently performed by Newman on the final credits of the 1999 film Blast from the Past. Newman also rerecorded the song for his 2003 release The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1. In October 2006, Newman performed the song on The Colbert Report after being interviewed by Stephen Colbert.
In recent years, artists including Don Henley, Pedro the Lion, Glen Phillips and Wilco have performed live covers of this song. The song is also performed in an episode of Ally McBeal by Jennifer Holliday.
Political Science is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal covering political science. It was established at Victoria University of Wellington in 1948 and remains New Zealand's sole professional journal of political science. It is published by Sage Publications and focuses on, but is not limited to scholarship on the Asia-Pacific region.
Political Science is a social science dealing with politics and systems of government.
Political Science may also refer to:
- Political Science (journal), an academic journal
- "Political Science" (song), a 1972 song by Randy Newman
Usage examples of "political science".
In colleges, for instance, it often is taught for its content to help teach political science or psychology, anthropology, religion, future studies, or even the hard sciences.
He attended the college in Beijing and read history and political science, and accepted diplomatic posts for the new government, first in Japan, then Yingzhou, then Nsara, then Burma.
A Professor of Regional Analysis and Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, he has finally published his weight.
Went to Penn State for two years, political science major, again active in student government.
Virtually every intellectual discipline from political science to family psychology has been hit by a wave of imaginative hypotheses triggered by the invention and diffusion of the computer--and its full impact has not yet struck.