Political science is the study of government and politics and it is usually divided into four broad fields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory. American Politics is the study of the U.S. government and its effect on domestic and international affairs. Comparative Politics is the study of how different countries form governments and their different political systems.
International Relations is the study of world affairs that deals with matters such as war, diplomacy, foreign policy, military alliances, trade agreements, human rights issues, globalization, global finance markets, environmental protection policies or other national or regional security concerns. And finally Political Theory studies philosophical approaches to politics that have wide application in political debate.
American Politics
The United States of America is a representative democracy that holds free and fair elections to determine the country’s leadership. The President of the United States serves as both the head of government and head of state, while Congress serves as the legislative branch of the federal government.
The official residence and principal workplace of the president is called the White House. The president is not a king or a dictator, but rather a public servant who works for their fellow citizens. The president cannot make any laws, but they can veto bills from becoming law.
In order to be elected president, one has to be at least 35 years old, have been a citizen for at least 14 years, and live in the U.S. for at least 7 years.
Comparative Politics
Comparative Politics is a study of how different countries form governments and their different political systems. The country you are interested in researching would determine what kind of politics you want to explore. For example, Canada’s government is formed by the Parliament which consists of two parts: the Senate and the House of Commons. The House of Commons has 338 members who are elected to represent different constituencies or regions across Canada.
The heads of state or government in many countries are elected by the people. This is called democracy and it is what Canada practices too. A democracy is also defined as a society that respects human rights and civil liberties, guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and has an independent judiciary system that limits executive power, ensures fair trials for all citizens (including those accused of crimes), provides equal protection under law regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.
Canada has some significant differences from other countries around the world like China or Russia who practice authoritarian government where one person has complete power over the country without having to answer to anyone else (the Chinese president Xi Jinping for example).
International Relations
International Relations is the study of world affairs that deals with matters such as war, diplomacy, foreign policy, military alliances, trade agreements, human rights issues, globalization, global finance markets, environmental protection policies or other national or regional security concerns.
International politics takes place on a global stage and can be played out in different ways in different parts of the world. The United Nations is a major player in international politics with its own set of goals and expectations for how it would like to see peace and harmony around the globe.
The UN Charter stresses the importance of peace in international relations and encourages co-operation between all member states. In order to achieve this goal they have created three main departments:
- The General Assembly is made up of 191 countries who meet annually to discuss world issues
- The Security Council consists of 15 members who are responsible for maintaining peace and security
- The Economic and Social Council has 54 members working together to promote human welfare
Political Theory.
Political theory is a branch of political science that is concerned with the questions of what is politics, what are the objectives of different forms of government, and how society should be organized.
In the 18th century, Montesquieu theorized about the natural tendencies or “spirit” of a country. He argued that a republic needs a virtuous people to work as a successful system. Rousseau also theorized about this idea and came up with his own theory on political knowledge. He felt that there were three stages for this:
The first stage being theoretical or abstract ideas about what it means to govern well. The second stage being practical understanding which comes from experience in governing and finally the third stage being critical thinking which is obtained from criticism made by others.
In conclusion, Political Theory focuses on philosophical approaches to politics that have wide application in political debate. As you can see, it has been an important aspect from the beginning of our study of government and politics.
Conclusion
Political science is a broad field of studies that covers the analysis of governments, policies, and political behavior. It is an area of social science that can be studied both in depth or in a more general sense. The four main fields of study are American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory.