POLITICAL SCIENCE AND

THE STUDY OF POLITICS

LESSON 5
POLITICAL SCIENCE AS A DISCIPLINE

Political Science
Comes from a Greek words: polis and
scire. Polis refers to the city state in ancient
Greece. Scire means “to know.”
 SUBDISCIPLINES OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE:

1. POLITICAL
THEORY
 Examines the
contemporary
application of
political concepts
such as human rights,
equality, peace, and
justice.
 SUBDISCIPLINES OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE:

2. COMPARATIVE
POLITICS
 A branch of political
science that aims to
provide context to the
differences in
government and
political systems.
 SUBDISCIPLINES OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE:

3. INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
 The study of state-to-
state relations and the
wider margin of the
impacts of
globalization and
climate change.
 SUBDISCIPLINES OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE:

4. POLITICAL
BEHAVIOR
 This field covers the
attitude, knowledge,
and actions of an
individual in response
to political variables.
 SUBDISCIPLINES OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE:

5. PUBLIC POLICY
 This field inquires on
the types of
governmental
policies and the
underlying
motivations for their
enactment and
implementation.
 SUBDISCIPLINES OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE:

6. PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
 This branch examines
the various
administrative schemes
implemented by
government officials.
 DEFINITIONS OF POLITICS:

THEORIST DEFINITION OF POLITICS

Alfred Boyer Politics is the interaction
between the civil society and
the government in the activity
of governance.
David Easton Politics is the authoritative
allocation of scarce values.
Max Weber Politics is the exercise of power
within a state.
Federation of Free Workers(FFW), Kilusang Mayo
Uno (KMU), Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at
Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), and the
Trade Union Congress of the Philippines(TUCP).
 2 ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS IN
POLITICAL SCIENCE:

POWER
 Defined by Robert Dahl, is “the ability of
person A to make person B do what person B
would not otherwise do.”
STATE
 Is a political entity that consists of four
elements: territory, government, people and
sovereignty.
 ELEMENTS OF STATE

TERRITORY
 The geographic space in which the sovereignty
of a state is exercised.
GOVERNMENT
 The set of personnel who manages the affairs of
the state.
 ARISTOTLE CLASSIFICATION OF
GOVERNMENT:

NUMBER OF RULER/S NORMAL FORM PERVERTED FORM

ONE MONARCHY TYRANNY

FEW ARISTOCRACY OLIGARCHY

MANY DEMOCRACY MOBOCRACY

 ELEMENTS OF STATE

PEOPLE
 Is synonymous to a nation. A nation is a concept
that is related to ethnicity, as people within it
are bound by cultural and historical ties.
SOVEREIGNTY
 The capacity of a political system to make
independent decisions within its territory.