MAJORS IN
POLITICS

Focuses on examining how different political systems
operate

It can include comparisons of systems at a macro or micro level, comparing general political structures or focusing on individual elements of
political systems

Example:

How democratic and authoritarian political structures differ

How specific rules governing campaign contributions differ from one country to the next

Consisting of an analysis of government and politics in the United States

It encompases:

Studies of federal politics

State politics

Local politics

Government

Focuses on relationships between and among
states

Unlike comparative
politics

International relations studies what
transpires between state

It studies:

War

Regional relations

International organizations

Regional integration

International organizations

Military alliances

Economic pacts

It studies the laws, regulations, and other policies and how are formulated, implemented, and evaluated

This subfield answers questions, like:

What makes a new policy necessary

How can policies be designed to meet
specific needs effectively?

What contributes to a policy’s effectiveness?

Why are ineffective policies sometimes continued rather than discontinued?

What should
be the standards for evaluating policies?

It's the study of the many details of empirical
social science.

For example:

Data collection

Measurement

Analysis

Political methods study seeks to understand the empirical research process in all its complexity

A subfield of political science that seeks to answer
Normative questions

Political theory includes the study of:

The history of political philosophy

Philosophies of
explanation or science

Philosophical inquiries into the ethical dimensions
of politics