Political Science term papers

What is Political Science?

Political science is a social science discipline that studies the states, governments, public policies, political behavior, political processes, and political systems.  There are many offshoots of political science such as comparative politics, political economy, political ideology, political philosophy, and political theory.  In addition, there are many areas of specialization in the study of political science, such as state and local politics, international relations, American political science, etc.

Why Study Political Science?

Political science is a very old discipline going back at least to Aristotle who called it the “queen of the sciences”.  As a field of study, political science has undergone many changes and today it employs highly scientific methods for understanding human behavior, political systems, and world events.  Someone who has earned a political science degree has developed and honed her reasoning and analytical skills, her independent thinking skills, her problem-solving skills, her research and evaluation skills, and her written and oral communication skills.  The person with a political science degree is also a more informed citizen, is better able to absorb and synthesize information on current events, and is better prepared to participate in the political arena and the community in general. 

Majoring Political Science

The typical person drawn towards the study of political science is someone that likes to strategize and organize, has strong leadership skills, is outgoing, and enjoys public speaking.  People drawn towards the study of political science also tend to take an active interest in how local, national, and international governments, function and interact, as well as enjoy becoming involved in political movements and community programs.

While the Political Science Department in every institution will have different requirements, a political science major can expect to take classes on political research and analysis, world politics, contemporary political ideologies, gender politics, and politics and elections, just to name a few. 

Careers in Political Science

Political science jobs run the gamut from attorney, criminologist, economist, editor, and financial consultant, to investigator, journalist, librarian, politician, publisher, researcher and more.  With a political science degree there are opportunities for employment in state and local government, educations, business, public service, law, etc.    Specifically in the political arena, many political science majors choose to pursue employment at international organizations, working on political campaigns, or working for special interest groups or lobbying organizations.

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