What is politics according to its basic definition?
The process of making collective choices with lasting community impact.
Who defined politics as who gets what, when, and how in 1935?
Harold Lasswell.
What does "who gets what" refer to in Lasswell's definition?
Recipients and losers of distribution.
In Lasswell's definition, what does "when" refer to?
The timing of decisions.
What does "how" mean in Lasswell's definition of politics?
The processes, institutions, rules, or mechanisms of distribution.
What do political collective choices include beyond the State?
Broader political communities, institutions, laws and regulations, international agreements and treaties, and redistributive matters.
Why do political choices generate outcomes and conflicts?
Because policies redistribute power and resources, creating winners and losers.
What is the essential object of political science?
The creation of knowledge about politics.
How is knowledge defined in political science according to Almond 1996?
Inferences or generalizations about politics drawn from evidence.
Which author defined political science as the study of politics focused on knowledge creation?
Almond, 1996.
Which disciplines besides political science study politics?
Sociology, economics, history, anthropology, and psychology.
What formal methods are used in political research?
Decision theory and game theory.
Name qualitative methods used in political research.
Ethnography, interviews, archival research, and process-tracing.
Which quantitative methods are applied in political research?
Text-as-data, experiments, econometrics, regression, and network analysis.
What are concepts in research?
Inventions created by humans to understand the world.
What types of values can concepts take?
Values like high or low, present or absent, none, few, or many.
What is a theory according to Moore & Siegel, 2013?
A set of statements involving concepts, assumptions, propositions, corollaries, and hypotheses.
What is the empirical status of hypotheses in a theory?
They are empirically challenged.
What are variables in research?
Indicators developed to measure concepts.
Which symbol commonly represents the concept to be explained?
Y or y.
Which symbol represents a concept causing variation in Y?
X or x.
Who defined theory and variables in 2013?
Moore & Siegel.
How many modules is the course organized into?
Three modules.
Which topics does Module 1 cover in the course?
Powers, ideas, institutions, and competition.
What topics are included in Module 2 of the course?
Political regimes, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, and democracy.
What topics does Module 3 cover in the course?
Political participation and collective action, parties and party systems, government, delegation, and decision-making.
What components make up the continuous assessment and their weightings?
10-minute oral presentation 30%, reaction memos 25%, seminar participation 15%, mid-term exams 30%.
What fraction of the final grade does continuous assessment represent?
One-third of the final grade.
How can changing pension eligibility criteria affect politics?
It can alter benefits, strengthen category identification, and generate political conflict.
Which historical figures are involved in the tradition of political thought?
Plato, Aquinas, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Islamic thinkers, and African political thought.
Why does methodological diversity not imply relativism in political science?
Because political theories must be developed and evaluated through generally accepted norms and procedures.
What does the final exam require students to do?
Answer one of two lecture and seminar questions in up to four pages plus one short text commentary from two texts.
Answer 15 questions on Introduction to Political Science.
1. Which situation best fits politics as the process of making collective choices?
2. What did Harold Lasswell’s 1935 definition identify as the central question of politics?
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