Handbook

The systematic study of politics has a long history, stretching back some two and a half thousand years to the ancient Greeks. Over the last century, it has become institutionalised and professionalised and, as the disciplinary name Political Science suggests, has sought to put the study of politics on a footing comparable to the aims, methods, and conventions presumed integral to the natural sciences. Yet the possibility, desirability, and even meaning of a “science of politics” are controversial issues. In this seminar you will critically engage with fundamental theories and debates in political science about what political knowledge is and how it is acquired. In the first weeks, you will explore in a general way what it might mean to be a “student of politics.” You will learn the different fields of political science, explore the different perspectives regarding the appropriate aims and methods of political inquiry, and examine how landmark works in political science have sought to shed light on real-world political phenomena, issues, and questions.