Of Introduction to Political Science – Meaning, Nature, Scope
of Political Science-
Methodology-Political Science and Allied Subjects-like History- Economics and Sociology-
Geography, Anthropology, Jurisprudence and Ethics
UNIT II Approaches to Political Analysis-Traditional and Modern Approach- Post -Modern
Approach Behaviouralism- Post Behaviouralism; Systems Approach -Structural- Functional
analysis;
Marxist Approach
UNIT III Origin of the State: Theories of Origin of State-Divine Right Theory; Social
Contract Theory; Patriarchal and Matriarchal Theories; Evolutionary Theory- Modern and
Post-
Modern State
UNIT IV Elements of State: State and Sovereignty- Is Sovereignty a waning concept?
Characteristics of Sovereignty- Classification of Sovereignty-Legal and Political -Austin’s
theory of
Sovereignty- sovereignty and constitutional law and International Law
UNIT V Citizenship- Meaning, Nature and Scope- Methods of Acquiring and Losing
Citizenship- Rights and Duties of Citizens- Classification of Rights; Theories of Rights
-Global
Citizenship
UNIT VI Concepts and Ideologies- Liberty-Equality- Justice- Philosophical Foundations-
Constitutional Protection and Limitations-Liberalism- Idealism-Individualism- Socialism
UNIT VII Classical Political Theory: Political Theory of Greece- Republicanism; Political
Theory and Political Economy- Political Theory and Social Theory- Modernity and Its Critics-
Marxian Theory
UNIT VIII Contemporary Political Theory-Critical Theory beyond Habermas, Liberal
Pragmatist Political Theory- Feminism and Canon Political Thought- Pluralist Construct-
Regionalization and its Challenges.
UNIT IX Evolution of Government- Classification of Government - Aristotle’s Classification;
Modern Classification, Role of Law in Governance-Liberalist and Welfare Governments
UNIT X Forms of Government- Separation of Power; Parliamentary-Presidential- Unitary and
Federal-Legislature-: unicameral and bicameral- Executive-Cabinet form of Government-
Role of
Political Parties- Public Opinion-Judiciary - independent -committed.
,UNIT 1 Introduction
Heywood, Politics (2nd edition), pp 12-21;
● The art of running a state is known as politics
Q. is political science characterized as a science?
● Aristotle had called political science the master or supreme science
●
Methodology
1. Experimental method
2. Historical method
3. Comparative method
4. Observational method
5. Philosophical method
1. Experimental method
➔ There is a small opportunity for conscious experimentation in a
field in which human beings constitute the subject
➔ Governments are ever trying experiments on the community.
➔ History is experimentation on a vast scale
➔ The source of experiments in political science is history
➔ Every change, every new law passed, and every war is an
experiment in political science
➔ Chief method: historical method
2. Historical method
➔ It may be regarded as a form of experimental method
➔ The best modern exponents are - Seeley and Freeman
➔ It gives the most positive results
➔ Sidgwick gives this method a secondary position???
➔ History not only explains the past, it contains the key for
interpreting the future
➔ Mainly inductive
, ➔ Based on observation and study of historical facts
➔ Chief limitation: it cannot and does not, deal in values
➔ Great care must be used in application or it might degenerate
into what Bluntschili calls mere empiricism
➔ Precautions :
● Guard against superficial resemblances and parallels
● Should not let the present and the future be determined
solely by the past
● The saying that history repeats itself is a half-truth also
the vice verse. Historical conditions cannot be
reproduced exactly. One cannot step twice into the
same river
3. Comparative method
➔ Goes back to the time of Aristotle
➔ The study of history is useless if we cannot make valid
comparisons
➔ Helps to establish cause and effects
➔ Comparisons should not be pushed too far and must not be
far-fetched
➔ To find the laws that underlie events across the timeline we
must compare them
➔ Similar events may occur within very different political
conditions or vice versa
➔ We sift out what is common
➔ Example: scientists compared the Russian Revolution of 1917
to the English Great Rebellion and the French Revolution,
trying to explain the happenings as well as lay down rules for
future guidance of the Russians
➔ The ordinary processes of inductive logic must be followed
a. Method of Single Agreement
b. Method of Single difference
c. Double method of agreement or as John Stuart Mill
calls it - Joint method of agreement and difference
d. Method of residues
e. Method of concomitant variations
, 4. Method of observation
➔ Followed by Lord Bryce
➔
5. Philosophical method
➔ Rousseau, mill and Sidgwick are exponents
➔ Drawback: The user allows his imagination to run riot and he
forms theories that have little or no foundation in historical
facts (Plato: Republic; More: Utopia)
➔ The method disintegrates into mere ideology
● First, 4 of these methods are quite similar and can be easily bracketed
together
● 5th method belongs to a category of its own
UNIT 2: Approaches to political analysis
1. Traditional approach
● Before the second world war
● The approach is characterised by the following features
➔ Non-comparative
➔ Descriptive
➔ Parochial
➔ Static
● There is an emphasis on the study of formal institutions to the neglect of political
processes
● It is focused on the Western European political system
● Adopts a country-by-country approach with no serious attempt to identify similarities
and dissimilarities between the countries
● There is a lack of concern for the development of theories through collection and
analysis of data in order to test specific hypothese
● Neglect in the findings of other social sciences which have a bearing on the political
phenomena
of Political Science-
Methodology-Political Science and Allied Subjects-like History- Economics and Sociology-
Geography, Anthropology, Jurisprudence and Ethics
UNIT II Approaches to Political Analysis-Traditional and Modern Approach- Post -Modern
Approach Behaviouralism- Post Behaviouralism; Systems Approach -Structural- Functional
analysis;
Marxist Approach
UNIT III Origin of the State: Theories of Origin of State-Divine Right Theory; Social
Contract Theory; Patriarchal and Matriarchal Theories; Evolutionary Theory- Modern and
Post-
Modern State
UNIT IV Elements of State: State and Sovereignty- Is Sovereignty a waning concept?
Characteristics of Sovereignty- Classification of Sovereignty-Legal and Political -Austin’s
theory of
Sovereignty- sovereignty and constitutional law and International Law
UNIT V Citizenship- Meaning, Nature and Scope- Methods of Acquiring and Losing
Citizenship- Rights and Duties of Citizens- Classification of Rights; Theories of Rights
-Global
Citizenship
UNIT VI Concepts and Ideologies- Liberty-Equality- Justice- Philosophical Foundations-
Constitutional Protection and Limitations-Liberalism- Idealism-Individualism- Socialism
UNIT VII Classical Political Theory: Political Theory of Greece- Republicanism; Political
Theory and Political Economy- Political Theory and Social Theory- Modernity and Its Critics-
Marxian Theory
UNIT VIII Contemporary Political Theory-Critical Theory beyond Habermas, Liberal
Pragmatist Political Theory- Feminism and Canon Political Thought- Pluralist Construct-
Regionalization and its Challenges.
UNIT IX Evolution of Government- Classification of Government - Aristotle’s Classification;
Modern Classification, Role of Law in Governance-Liberalist and Welfare Governments
UNIT X Forms of Government- Separation of Power; Parliamentary-Presidential- Unitary and
Federal-Legislature-: unicameral and bicameral- Executive-Cabinet form of Government-
Role of
Political Parties- Public Opinion-Judiciary - independent -committed.
,UNIT 1 Introduction
Heywood, Politics (2nd edition), pp 12-21;
● The art of running a state is known as politics
Q. is political science characterized as a science?
● Aristotle had called political science the master or supreme science
●
Methodology
1. Experimental method
2. Historical method
3. Comparative method
4. Observational method
5. Philosophical method
1. Experimental method
➔ There is a small opportunity for conscious experimentation in a
field in which human beings constitute the subject
➔ Governments are ever trying experiments on the community.
➔ History is experimentation on a vast scale
➔ The source of experiments in political science is history
➔ Every change, every new law passed, and every war is an
experiment in political science
➔ Chief method: historical method
2. Historical method
➔ It may be regarded as a form of experimental method
➔ The best modern exponents are - Seeley and Freeman
➔ It gives the most positive results
➔ Sidgwick gives this method a secondary position???
➔ History not only explains the past, it contains the key for
interpreting the future
➔ Mainly inductive
, ➔ Based on observation and study of historical facts
➔ Chief limitation: it cannot and does not, deal in values
➔ Great care must be used in application or it might degenerate
into what Bluntschili calls mere empiricism
➔ Precautions :
● Guard against superficial resemblances and parallels
● Should not let the present and the future be determined
solely by the past
● The saying that history repeats itself is a half-truth also
the vice verse. Historical conditions cannot be
reproduced exactly. One cannot step twice into the
same river
3. Comparative method
➔ Goes back to the time of Aristotle
➔ The study of history is useless if we cannot make valid
comparisons
➔ Helps to establish cause and effects
➔ Comparisons should not be pushed too far and must not be
far-fetched
➔ To find the laws that underlie events across the timeline we
must compare them
➔ Similar events may occur within very different political
conditions or vice versa
➔ We sift out what is common
➔ Example: scientists compared the Russian Revolution of 1917
to the English Great Rebellion and the French Revolution,
trying to explain the happenings as well as lay down rules for
future guidance of the Russians
➔ The ordinary processes of inductive logic must be followed
a. Method of Single Agreement
b. Method of Single difference
c. Double method of agreement or as John Stuart Mill
calls it - Joint method of agreement and difference
d. Method of residues
e. Method of concomitant variations
, 4. Method of observation
➔ Followed by Lord Bryce
➔
5. Philosophical method
➔ Rousseau, mill and Sidgwick are exponents
➔ Drawback: The user allows his imagination to run riot and he
forms theories that have little or no foundation in historical
facts (Plato: Republic; More: Utopia)
➔ The method disintegrates into mere ideology
● First, 4 of these methods are quite similar and can be easily bracketed
together
● 5th method belongs to a category of its own
UNIT 2: Approaches to political analysis
1. Traditional approach
● Before the second world war
● The approach is characterised by the following features
➔ Non-comparative
➔ Descriptive
➔ Parochial
➔ Static
● There is an emphasis on the study of formal institutions to the neglect of political
processes
● It is focused on the Western European political system
● Adopts a country-by-country approach with no serious attempt to identify similarities
and dissimilarities between the countries
● There is a lack of concern for the development of theories through collection and
analysis of data in order to test specific hypothese
● Neglect in the findings of other social sciences which have a bearing on the political
phenomena
