Term
| What is the definition of politics as described by David Easton? |
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Definition
| "The authoritative allocation of values in society." |
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Term
| What is the definition of politics as described by Harold Lasswell? |
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Definition
| "Who gets what, when, and how." |
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Term
| What are the two methodological approaches used by political scientists? What does each approach deal with? |
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Definition
1.Empirical Methodology (deals with 'what is' and is descriptive in nature)
2.Normative Methodology (deals with 'what ought to be' and is prescriptive in nature) |
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Term
Draw a basic diagram of the "Political System". Include these parts: Inputs, Outputs, Black Box, and feedback loop, and describe what each part consists of. |
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Definition
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Term
| What is political legitimacy? (as defined by text, ch.1 pg.8) |
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Definition
| Mass feeling that the government's rule is rightful and should be obeyed. |
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Term
| What is political authority? (as defined by text, ch.1 pg.9) |
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Definition
| Political leaders' ability to command respect and exercise power. |
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Term
A)What makes politics 'the master science'?
B)Who first referred to politics as such? |
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Definition
A)Politics is all-pervasive: any time there is a power differential (an authority-subordinate relationship), it involves politics.
B)Aristotle |
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Term
| Who were the main theorists behind the Social Contract Theory? |
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Definition
| Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean Rousseau. |
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Term
| Describe the "state of nature" hypothesized by the Social Contract Theory. What was it characterized by? How did Hobbes describe life in the "state of nature?" |
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Definition
| The "state of nature" is the condition of humans prior to civil society. It is characterized by an absence of political authority. Hobbes described life in the state of nature as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." |
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Term
| What are the terms of the 'contract' in the Social Contract Theory? |
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Definition
| People grant a political authority the right to rule over them, and in return the authority is to provide the people the protections of life, liberty, and property. If the authority fails to provide these things, the people have the right to rebel. |
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Term
| What is the contribution of the Social Contract Theory? |
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Definition
| It offers 'the seeds of democracy', where the people are the ultimate authority. |
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Term
A)For what type of system does Marxism offer a critique?
B)What does Marxism claim is the most important force in a society? |
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Definition
A)the capitalist system
B)economics |
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Term
| What are the two opposing classes that Marxism names? What is the main interest of each class? |
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Definition
1. The bourgeoisie/capitalist class- main interest is in maximizing profits
2. The proletariat/working class- main interest is maximizing wages |
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Term
| What triggers the cycle of depression in an economy, according to Marxism? |
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Definition
| Inadequate demand that results from the underpayment of workers. (lower demand=> lower profits=> closing of plants=> less employment=> lower wages=> lower demand, and the cycle repeats) |
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Term
| What method does Behavioralism use to study society? |
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Definition
| It uses empirical methodology, specifically the scientific method. |
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Term
| What is Behavioralism's contribution to political science? |
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Definition
| It has allowed political scientists to create vast databases related to elections, voting in legislatures, electoral behavior, public opinion surveys, etc. |
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Term
| What are some shortcomings of Behavioralism? |
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Definition
-focuses on trivial issues and neglects those that are more important
-has a conservative bias (cannot study change and ignores the possibility of change)
-ignores normative issues |
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Term
| What does the Modernization Theory propose of industrialization? |
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Definition
| It proposes that industrialization grows a strong middle class, which in turn forms the backbone of a democracy (modernization/industrialism leads to democratization). |
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Term
| What was the realistic outcome of the application of Modernization to 3rd world countries? |
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Definition
| Modernization did not produce democratic governments as expected. Instead it created a "revolution of rising expectations." |
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Term
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Definition
| To consider one's culture or system superior to others and to offer that as a model for others to follow. |
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Term
| What does Postmodernism claim about reality? What does it claim shapes people's identities and perceptions of reality? |
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Definition
| It claims that there is no objective social reality- reality itself is a social construction. People's identities and perceptions of reality are shaped by those in power through their influence over discourse (language). |
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Term
| What method of study does Postmodernism use? |
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Definition
| Deconstructionism (discourse analysis) |
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Term
| What does Feminism focus on in politics? |
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Definition
| The gender bias; politics are dominated by males. |
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Term
| What dominant features does Feminism associate with politics? |
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Definition
| Struggle for power, competition, aggressiveness, wars and conflicts. |
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Term
| Define 'political ideology'. |
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Definition
| A coherent set of interrelated ideas about politics and society that includes a program of action. |
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Term
| Name the 5 groups on the spectrum of political attitudes, beginning at the far left side and ending at the far right. |
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Definition
| Radical, Liberal, Moderate, Conservative, Reactionary. |
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Term
| What is the difference between the Radical and Reactionary attitudes? |
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Definition
| The radical attitude seeks progressive change, while the reactionary attitude seeks retrogressive change. |
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Term
| What issues does one's political attitude address? |
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Definition
| The position towards the status quo (the existing system), the type of change one seeks, and the speed and direction of change. |
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Term
| Who was Edmund Burke, and which political ideology is he associated with? |
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Definition
| He was a member of the British Parliamentary in the 18th century, and he is associated with Classical Conservativism because of his support of monarchy. |
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Term
| What is Classical Conservativism's view of human reason? |
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Definition
| It is skeptical of human reason- human beings are both rational and irrational, therefore faith should not be placed in human reason. It should instead be placed in time-tested institutions, practices, and moral standards. |
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Term
| Which political ideology opposed monarchy in Britain? |
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Definition
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Term
| Who is famous for writing "The Wealth of Nations?" What did this book advocate? |
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Definition
| Adam Smith; it advocated the 'laissez-faire' system, meaning that it opposed gov't intervention in the economy. It formed the basis of Classical Liberalism. |
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Term
| Which political ideology believes in markets that self-regulate and remain stable through supply and demand? |
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Definition
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Term
| Which political ideology is the most similar to Classical Liberalism? Why? |
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Definition
| Modern Conservativism; both favor small government and a reduced role for the government in the economy. |
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Term
| Which political ideology emerged as a modification to Modern Conservativism? What did it seek to improve/change? |
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Definition
| Modern Liberalism; it sought more government intervention in the economy in order to redress the social and economic ills present in society (i.e. concentration of wealth in few hands, hardships and working conditions for workers, etc.). |
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Term
| Which political ideology believed in implementing socialism through gradual and peaceful reform rather than violent revolution? Who was associated with this ideology? |
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Definition
| Social Democracy; Eduard Bernstein. |
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Term
| Which ideology attempts to explain why capitalist countries do not destroy themselves as Marxism predicts? Who is the main author of this ideology? |
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Definition
| Communism (or Marxism-Leninism); Lenin |
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Term
| In his book, "Imperialism- the Highest Stage of Capitalism", what does Lenin cite as the reason for the survival of capitalist countries? |
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Definition
| Lenin argues that capitalist countries are able to survive by adopting imperialism/colonialism (the acquisition of control of other countries). |
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Term
| Name the two right-wing totalitarian ideologies. |
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Definition
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Term
| Which political ideology glorifies the Party and the State (intense nationalism), elevates the roles of emotions and irrational elements, denies individual freedoms, and draws upon Social Darwinism? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is a Nation, and what is it comprised of? |
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Definition
| A Nation is a cultural unit. It is made up of a large group of people who consider themselves to be a community based on some cultural bonds that they share. |
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Term
| What is a State, and what are the elements of Statehood? |
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Definition
| A State is a political unit. The elements of Statehood are territories, people, sovereignty, and effective government. |
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Term
| What is a government, in relation to the State? |
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Definition
| Officials who are authorized to make decisions on behalf of the state at a given point in time (i.e. the U.S.'s current government is the Obama Administration). |
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Term
| What is the primary unit of politics used today? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is a Nation-State, technically speaking? |
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Definition
| A unit where the boundaries of the Nation and the State coincide. |
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Term
| When, where, and how did the Nation-State originate? |
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Definition
| It originated in 1648 in Europe along with the Treaty of Westphalia, which ended the 30 Years War. |
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Term
| Who is the architect of the principle of State sovereignty? |
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Definition
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Term
| Where did Ibn Kaldun come from? What important theory did he propose? |
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Definition
| Ibn Kaldun came from 14th century North Africa. He proposed that civilizations pass through cycles of growth and decline, based on his observations of the economy in North Africa. |
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Term
| What is the definition of democracy? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the difference between a direct and indirect democracy? |
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Definition
| In a direct democracy, the people have total rule over themselves. In an indirect democracy, the people elect representatives to make laws on their behalf. |
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Term
| What are the features of a representative democracy? (from the text, pg. 100) |
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Definition
| Popular accountability of gov't, political competition, alternation in power, uncertain electoral outcomes, popular representation, majority decision, right of dissent and disobedience, political equality, popular consultation, and free press. |
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Term
| Differentiate between the delegate role and the trustee role of a representative. |
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Definition
Delegate- elections as mandates (representatives must take on the voice of the people they are representing)
Trustee- representatives are authorized to make decisions on behalf of the people. |
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Term
| What are some key elements that define authoritarianism? Where is this political system usually found? |
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Definition
| Rule of the few, restriction of political rights and freedoms (but usually provisions for other freedoms, such as religious, social, etc.), politically repressive. It is usually found in third world countries. |
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Term
| What are some key elements that define totalitarianism? (from text, pg. 107) What level of control does the gov't seek to exercise? |
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Definition
| An all encompassing-ideology, a single party, organized terror, monopoly of communications, monopoly of weapons, and a controlled economy. The gov't seeks to exercise total control over all aspects of society. |
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