CONCEPT OF

POLITICS AND
GOVERNANCE
I. Identify whether the statement is True or False. Write true if the statement is correct;
otherwise write false.
______1. Politics is the actual process of how humans interact in groups.
______2. Political Science is the process by which people try to influence their
government.
______3. Political science seeks to study the origin, nature and functions of the State,
Government and its all organs.
______4. Politics is universal and is always the same.
______5. Politics involve issues, problems, and activities taking place in the society.
______6. Governance came from the Greek word gubernare which means to act.
______7. In Greek society, the primary purpose of politics was to distribute power and
health.
______8. Political Science is not the only discipline in the social sciences that is
interested in the issues of gender, ethnicity, social classes.
______9. Modern Political science as a science is empirical and descriptive.
______10. Plato is known as the Father of Political Philosophy and not the Father of
Political Science.
II. Identification. Identify what is being asked in each statement.
__________11. Called to the ancient Greek-city state where the
center of government is located?
__________12. One essential element of government that
refers to its supreme power or authority.
__________13. The study of fundamental questions, at most
abstract level, about the state, government, politics, liberty,
justice and law.
__________14. The field that explores the way people respond
to certain political conditions or influences.
__________15. A set of rules that public government make and
enforce.
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
This small state in Greece originated probably from the natural divisions of the country by mountains and the sea
and from the original local tribal (ethnic) and cult divisions called polis or city-state. There were several hundred
poleis but most ancient Greek history is recounted in terms of the histories of Athens, Sparta, and a few others.
A city-state, or polis, often grew up around such a fort. The Greek city-states were small; the largest, Sparta,
covered about 3,200 square miles. The “ideal” size for a polis was a population of about 5,000 male citizens, who
were the only people counted in official records. Many city-states were smaller, and a few were larger.
The polis was the center of Greek community life. People gathered in an open market-place (agora) to conduct
business and discuss politics. Shrines and temples usually built on a hill-top along with the fortress (acropolis). The
polis was small enough for all citizens to become actively involved in the community. Besides its independence,
each polis also cherished its self-sufficiency and its own way of life. Government was centered in the town, but
citizens of the polis lived throughout its territory. Ideally, the polis was a corporation of citizens who all participated
in its government, religious cults, defense, and economic welfare and who obeyed its sacred and customary laws.
The citizens actually governed in varying degrees, depending upon the form of government—e.g., tyranny,
oligarchy, aristocracy, or democracy. Usually the government consisted of an assembly of citizens, a council, and
magistrates. Since many poleis had different ranks of citizenship, there were longstanding struggles for political
equality with first-class citizens. Each polis also contained substantial numbers of noncitizens (women, minors,
resident aliens, and slaves).
The Greeks were the first people in history to establish a government in which free citizens ruled themselves.
Athens was not the only polis where in change occurred. The people of Athens, however, took the lead in the
creation of democracy, which comes from a Greek word meaning “ruled by the people.” Thus the word “politics”
comes from the Greek word “polis” which means “city-state.”
Can you cite similarities in
the physical structures of
the ancient cities to our
present city?
Let’s play 4 Pics 1 Word: Find the connection of the pictures. Give a word that connects the
four pictures. The first letter and the number letters of each word are already given as your
clue.

N D P
A Greek philosopher known
for his dialectical method of
inquiry, which he referred to
as "elenchus” then it become
known as the Socratic Method
or Socratic Debate.
OSSTERAC
____________________
He wrote the book The
Republic, a Socratic dialogue
about justice, the order and
character of the just city-state,
and the just man.
TLAPO
____________________
He is known as the Father He called politics as the as
of Political Science. “Science Politiqere” that made
the study of politics as a formal
matter.

SIRTOELAT
____________________________ BNIDO
________________________
He first proposed the idea of
division of powers in
governing the people. He
developed more forms of
government.
YLSUBIPO
______________________
An Englsh philosopher who
believed that humans could
escape the lawless “state of
nature” only by social contract.
BOHSEB
__________________________
Fields of Political Science
Political Science may be divided into six main
fields:
(1) political theory and philosophy,
(2) Comparative government,
(3) international relations,
(4) national government and politics,
(5) public administration,
(6) political behavior
Importance of
the study of
Political Science
Politics is
the highest
science.
Why is the
state
considered as
the highest
organization?
 Is political
science a
science or an
art?