THE STUDY OF

POLITICAL SCIENCE

OVERVIEW

As a classical discipline in social science, political science generally deals with the study of
political phenomena. It seeks to explain theories and practices in government and the dynamics of
policymaking and politics. Hence, it is with paramount importance that studying the concepts of
politics, governance, and government must begin with a review of the basic principles of political
science.

This lesson provides a comprehensive overview of the field of political science, its scope, its
cross-disciplinary connections, and the function and importance of studying the discipline.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

· Articulate the definition of political science;

· Describe the scope of political science and examine its relationship with other branches of
learning; and
· Recognize the value and importance of political science.

MAIN CONTENT

A. Meaning of Political Science

Coined by the French philosopher Jean Bodin in the 16th century, Political Science is generally
accord as the systematic study of the state and government. The word “political” comes from the
Greek word polis, which means “a city or a sovereign state”; while “science” comes from the Latin
word scire, which means “to know”.

As an academic discipline, political science is much newer-- only a century or so-- than other
fields in social science, although its origin can be traced to ancient Greek political thinkers such as
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. From its humble beginnings in the United States, political science
expanded around the globe and later on developed into a different subfield and research method.

SS 302 | POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE WITH PHILIPPINE CONSTITUTION

 A bulk of literature and various institutional sites define political science in different ways.
Among which are the following:

a) National Institute of Open Schooling:

“Political Science deals with those aspects of individuals in society which relate to their
activities and organizations devoted to seeking power, resolution of conflicts, and all these,
within an overall framework of the rule and law as laid down by the state”.

b) American Political Science Association :

“Political Science is the study of governments, public policies and political processes, systems,
and political behavior”.

c) The Political Science Department of the University of Victoria:

“Political Science is the study of power, authority, and governance in human affairs”.

d) Text Book on the Philippine Constitution (2005 edition)

by Hector S. De Leon:

“Political Science deals with those relations among men and groups which are subject to
control by the state, with the relations of men and groups to the state itself, and with the
relations of the state to other states”.

B. Scope of Political Science

Political science is a comprehensive field. With its vast scope, experts have divided it into
distinct sub-disciplines which together constitute the field. Among which are the following:

a) Political theory. It deals with the entire body of doctrines relating to the origin, form,
behavior, and purposes of the state.

b) Public law. It focuses on the study of government powers, duties, its organization, and the
limits of its authority with individual rights. Public law is so particular that separate courses are
offered in each of its subdivisions:

SS 302 | POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE WITH PHILIPPINE CONSTITUTION

 1) Constitutional law. Laws resulting from the interpretation of written constitutions
2) Administrative law. Laws regarding the conduct of government officials and agencies
3) International law. Laws regarding the conduct of sovereign states to one another

c) Public administration. The methods and techniques in the management of state affairs by
executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government are dealt with in this field. The
administrative law also falls within the scope of any broad study of public administration.

C. Interrelationship with Other Branches of Learning

What highlights political science as an academic discipline is its emphasis on the government
and power. But the study of government and power is not limited to political science; it permeates
into other social sciences. In fact, political science borrowed many theories and concepts, methods,
and techniques from other social sciences. Hence, one could say that political science is interrelated
with other branches of learning. The following are some of the social sciences:

a) History. “History is past politics and politics present history”. Political scientists frequently
consider historic political patterns when analyzing and understanding specific political
phenomena.

b) Economics. Politics, and economics are interrelated. Political scientists always look at the
effects of government policy and political processes on the economy as it can either expand or
constrain economic activity. Moreover, the political scientist regularly adopts an “economic
approach” when seeking to interpret such matters as “public financial policies” and government
regulation of business.

c) Sociology. As sociology deals with the study of social life and human interactions, political
scientists adopt sociological studies and methods when examining, for example, what are the
political activities of various social classes, how small group dynamics affect the decision-
making process, how people gain and uphold power, and how can social forces affect political
policies on issues such as criminal justice, social welfare, and foreign policy among others.

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 d) Anthropology. As anthropology studies cultures and how it affects society, political
scientists rely on anthropological studies and methods on matters regarding political behavior.
Without a grasp of sufficient knowledge on early societies, their laws, customs, manners, and
modes of government, we cannot understand the political behavior of the people.

e) Psychology. The fact that the state and its political institutions are products of the human
mind and can best be understood in terms of the mind, political science, and psychology are so
much related to each other. The merging of the two has given rise to a new discipline called
“political psychology” which adopts theories and facts to explain and understand political
problems. Also, for a government to be stable, it must reflect on the moral and mental
sentiments of its constituents.

f) Philosophy. The ideas of Plato, Aristotle, and Locke and other universal thinkers about the
state are significant in academic philosophy and also to the political scientist. In fact, these
concepts are the framework of formulated constitutions and laws.

D. The function of and Importance of Political Science

The significance of political science generally lies in the fact that all of us live within political
systems. Its utmost goal is to deepen our understanding of the forms and nature of politics and
develop theoretical tools for interpreting politically meaningful phenomena. As the quote from
Digestible Politics (2013) states, “To ignore politics, and not get involved in politics would seem
rather silly considering that your life is dictated by it.”

The Textbook on the Philippine Constitution by Leon (2005) summarizes the function and
importance of political science into three:

1. The function of political science is to ascertain the principles that should be observed in
public affairs and to study the processes and actions of the government to discern and
demonstrate what is good and criticize what is inefficient for improvements.

2. Its findings may be of huge help to constitution-markers, legislators, executives, and judges
who need models or norms that can be applied to immediate situations. Also, conclusions may
be of immense practical use to individuals in understanding the state in which they live.

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 REFERENCE/FURTHER READING

American Political Science Association (2020). For Students: Political Science Opportunities.
Retrieved July 19, 2020 from https://www.apsanet.org/ RESOURCES/ For-Students

Ballano, V.O. (2016). History, Politics, Government, and the Constitution in the Philippines: A
Sociological-Juridical Approach. Retrieved July 15, 2020 from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317050091_History_ Politics_
Government_and_the_Constitution_in_the_Philippines_A_ Sociological-
Juridical_Approach

International Association for Political Science Students (2018). What Is Political Science? Retrieved
July 19, 2020 from https://wwwa.iapss.org/about/ political-science/

de Leon, H. S. (2005). Textbook on the Philippine Constitution. Quezon City: Rex Book Store,Inc.
Retrieved July 11, 2020 from https://www.scribd.com/ doc/231514148/ 81011330-
Textbook-on-the-Philippine-Constitution-1-pdf

Magadh Maila College (2017). Relation of Political Science with the other Social Sciences.
Retrieved July 18, 2020 from http://magadhmahilacollege.org/ wp-content/ uploads/
2018/09/Relation-of-Political-Science-with-other-Social-Sciences.pdf

National Institute of Open Schooling. 2008. Module 1—Individual and the state. Retrieved July 15,
2020 from http://www.nios.ac.in/srsec317newE/ 317EL1.pdf

University of Victoria (2020). Politcal Science. Retrieved July 19, 2020 from
https://www.apsanet.org/ RESOURCES/For-Student
3. Political science also deals with social welfare, governmental economic programs,
international cooperation, and a wide range of other matters that are an urgent concern to public
officials and private citizens.

SS 302 | POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE WITH PHILIPPINE CONSTITUTION