INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS STUDENT

UNIVERSITI UTARA MALAYSIA (NORTHERN UNIVERSITY OF MALAYSIA) OFFERS BACHELOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS MANAGEMENT WITH HONOURS (INTAFF)PROGRAMME. IN THE COURSE ,INTAFF THE CORE SUBJECTS ARE MOSTLY BASED ON POLITICS AND LAW.. MY FAVOURITE SUBJECTS ARE POLITICAL SCIENCE AND POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT..

Political science is the systematic study of government and power. Political scientists examine a wide range of topics, from how laws get made to why wars are fought to how political parties develop and win elections. Because power takes many forms, political science often overlaps with economics, psychology, sociology, and the other social sciences. The Development of Political Science For as long as humans have formed communities, people have debated and analyzed politics, or the way groups of people, particularly governments, reach agreements and make decisions that will affect the entire society. The Ancient and Medieval Worlds The word politics comes from the Greek word polis, which means “city-state.” Probably the first person to use the term political science was Aristotle, a Greek philosopher who argued in favor of living a virtuous life. Political science in the ancient and medieval worlds was closely linked to philosophy and theology. It often consisted of advice for rulers on how to govern justly. Numerous thinkers and scholars advanced the study of politics and government. In the fifteenth century, Europe began to change dramatically as the modern world slowly emerged. In art, science, economics, religion, and politics, Europeans started to break away from tradition and forge new ways of understanding the world. Among the key thinkers of this time were political philosophers, who attempted to establish a systematic understanding of politics. These thinkers include: • Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527): Machiavelli’s book The Prince (written c. 1513; published in 1532) portrayed politics as a struggle for power, and in it he urged rulers to lie, cheat, and kill to get ahead. • Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679): Hobbes attempted to use the methods of geometry to arrive at an irrefutable science of politics. Hobbes argued for absolute monarchy. • John Locke (1632–1704): Locke argued for a democratic government that respected individual and property rights. His writings greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson, as reflected in the Declaration of Independence. • Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778): Rousseau’s iconoclastic attack on tradition contributed to the French Revolution. His book The Social Contract (1762) states, “Man is born free, and he is everywhere in chains,” an important sentiment during the American and French revolutions.

Industrialization and Empire As the Industrial Revolution overtook Europe and the United States in the nineteenth century, socials theorists began to change their approach to political science. They began relying on statistical data and empirical observation to understand politics; in this way, these thinkers began to emphasize the science part of political science. Universities also began creating political science departments, which cemented the status of political science as an academic discipline. Some significant philosophers and thinkers from this period include: • Karl Marx (1818–1883): A philosopher and social scientist who saw the economy as the key institution in society. He argued that employers in a capitalist society exploit their workers and that the capitalist classes pass laws to benefit themselves. His books The Communist Manifesto and Capital spurred the Russian Revolution of 1917. • John William Burgess (1844–1931): A professor who created a political science department at Columbia University that sought to train students for a life of public service. This was the first such department in the United States, and it helped institutionalize and legitimize political science as an academic discipline. • Herbert Baxter Adams (1850–1901): A professor who introduced seminar-style learning into colleges in the United States. According to legend, Adams was the first westerner to use the term political science (Aristotle was the first person to use the term itself). • Max Weber (1864–1920): An economist and sociologist who argued that religion, not economics, is the central force in social change. According to Weber, Protestants seeking an outward affirmation of their godliness brought about the birth of capitalism. The Twentieth Century and Beyond In the 1950s, a new approach to political science called behavioralism emerged. Behavioralists argued that political scientists should focus on behavior, not institutions or motives. Although behavioralism has been heavily debated, it remains the predominant paradigm in political science today. Some of the most influential contemporary political scientists include: • Gabriel Almond (1910–2002): A professor who not only developed the concept of political culture but also revolutionized the subfield of comparative politics. The Politics of the Developing Areas (1960), which he co-authored, opened the doors for American political scientists to begin studying the political processes at work in non-Western countries. • David Easton (1917– ): The professor who developed the behavioral model of political science in the 1950s. The Political System: An Inquiry into the State of Political Science (1953) is probably his most famous work. • John Rawls (1921–2002): A professor who was widely considered to be the most important political philosopher of the twentieth century. His book A Theory of Justice (1971) argued that we should strive to develop a society based on equality. • Robert O. Keohane (1941– ): A professor who helped develop the neoliberal theory of international relations. A 2005 poll in the journal Foreign Policy named him the most influential scholar of international relations. Fields of Study The overall field of political science includes several major subfields: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political economy, and political philosophy. Most political science departments at universities encourage students to specialize or concentrate in one of these subfields. American government The biggest subfield of political science in the United States, American government focuses on voting behavior, political parties, lawmaking, the Constitution, public administration, public policy, the role of the courts, and other facets of American government. Some departments refer to this subfield as “civics.” Comparative Politics Comparative politics compares systems of government in other countries. For example, a comparative political scientist might examine the impact of political parties on elections in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, or she might compare the constitutions of Argentina and Barbados. International Relations International relations scholars examine the ways in which nations interact. Whereas comparative politics compare the internal workings of a state, international relations focuses on how states relate to one another, such as why and how states trade, cooperate, and fight. Political Economy Political economy is the study of how economics and politics affect each other. Political scientists in this subfield might look at the impact of economic power on international relations or how different economies develop within similar political systems. Political Philosophy Some political scientists study the tradition of political philosophies from Plato to the present. This subfield tries to answer questions and develop theories about such abstract issues as ethics, authority, the nature of liberty and freedom, the meaning of civil rights and civil liberties, and how governments should function. The Other Social Sciences Social sciences study how people interact with and relate to one another. Political science, with its emphasis on political systems and the distribution of power, falls into this larger academic category. A multidisciplinary field, political science draws from some other social sciences, including sociology, economics, psychology, and anthropology. Sociology Sociology studies social life and human interactions, from how groups form to how large organizations run to how people interact with one another. Political scientists make use of sociological studies and methods when examining, for example, how small group dynamics affect the decision-making process, how people acquire and maintain power, and how political culture shapes our attitudes. Economics Politics and economics often intersect. Studying government without also studying economics, especially in free-market societies such as the United States, is not possible. Political scientists examine such economic issues as the effects government policy has on the economy, the role money plays in campaigns, and how nations arrive at trade agreements. Psychology Psychology studies the way the human mind works, helping us to understand why people behave the way that they do. Political scientists sometimes use the insights of psychology to analyze a president’s or voter’s behavior or to explain why some people are more prone to supporting certain governments and ideologies. Anthropology Anthropology examines cultures within a society and theorizes about how those cultures affect society. Anthropologists explore how people acquire cultural values. Because culture often has a strong effect on behavior, political scientists rely on anthropological studies and methods. What Political Scientists Do Politics and government affect almost every element of our lives, so it makes sense that a political science background is useful in many different fields.

Prepared by: Muhammad Afifi Abdul Razak UUM COLGIS 17/9/2012