About Political Science and
Government
Definition of Political
Science
The study of
politics at all levels of which the
most basic is the study of conflict. Analysis of personal conflict
may be a help to political
scientists. Psychologists study aggressive instincts, or individual
capacities to compromise, and these assist in understanding group
conflict.
Collective conflict and its
resolution is bound to be the main field of interest. Broadly
speaking, study takes place at three levels: locally, nationally and
internationally. Conflict between states is the core of the
discipline international relations,
sometimes taught as part of the syllabus of university departments
of political
science and sometimes taught in
its own department. Conflict between local groups at the community
level is also studied by political
scientists. Groups may clash over the building of a new bypass or
the closing of a footpath. In some countries local ethnic groups may
resort to armed conflict.
A very large proportion of
political
science, however, is concerned
with conflict and its resolution between nationally organized
associations, of which there are two
forms - pressure groups and
political parties. Sometimes a
case study might examine one of these in detail: frequently,
however, comparative treatment yields greater comprehension of the
political scene. This area of the
subject is called comparative politics
or political institutions. It
involves some knowledge of constitutional law,
a good deal of the historical background to institutions and an
understanding of a country's
political culture which
includes its value-system as it relates to politics.
Another wide field of
political
science is concerned with the
implementation of political
decisions. Modern states have large
administrative apparatuses which need supervision and co-ordination.
These themes come under the rubric of public
administration, one of the early foundations on which
academic study of politics was built.
Recently it has taken some stimulus from management studies and
organizational theory. In addition it has extended into the study of
policy-making because of the increasing influence of
technocracy.
A further sector of the
discipline is devoted to studying reasons for the maintenance and
breakdown of political systems.
Rebellions and revolutions are
important watersheds in world history. The dramatic disintegration
of the Soviet Union from 1989 to 1990 is a recent reminder of how an
apparently stable regime may quickly collapse. Examination of
revolutions leads to investigating cleavages
within states, their depth and intensity and how to deal with them.
This in turn has led to the exploration of environments of
political systems, particularly
where the polity overlaps with the
economy and society. The two areas are known, respectively, as
political economy."
Source: The Blackwell
Dictionary of Political Science available through
CREDO Reference.
|
Library
of Congress Call Numbers
J =
Political Science
For A
Detailed Outline of the J Call Number, See:
http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/lcco_j.pdf
-
J General legislative and executive papers
-
JA Political science (General)
-
JC Political theory
-
JF Political institutions and public administration
-
JJ Political institutions and public administration (North
America)
-
JK Political institutions and public administration (United
States)
-
JK 1-9593 United States
-
JK 404-1685 Government. Public administration
-
JK 501-868 Executive branch
-
JK 631-868 Civil Service. Departments and agencies
-
JK1 012-1432 Congress. Legislative branch
-
JK 1154-1276 Senate
-
JK 1308-1432 House of Representatives
-
JK 1606-1683 Capital. Public buildings. Government property.
Government purchasing
-
JK1 717-2217 Political rights. Practical politics
-
JK 1758-1761 Citizenship
-
JK1 846-1929 Suffrage
-
JK1 965-2217 Electoral system
-
JK 2255-2391 Political parties
-
JK 2403-9593 State government
-
JK 9663-9993 Confederate States of America
-
JL Political institutions and public administration
(Canada, Latin America, etc.)
-
JN Political institutions and public administration (Europe)
-
JQ Political institutions and public administration (Asia,
Africa, Australia, Pacific Area, etc.)
-
JS Local government. Municipal government
-
JV Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration.
International migration
-
JX International law, see JZ and KZ (obsolete)
- JZ
International relations
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Selected
Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Administrative Agencies
- Authoritarianism
- Christianity and Politics
- Cities and Towns
- Citizenship
- Civics
- Civil Disobedience
- Civil Service
- Civil Service United States
- Colonies
- Comparative Government
- Conservatism
- Decision Making
- Democratic Party
- Democracy
- Despotism
- Discourse Analysis
Political Aspects
- Economics
- Education Political Aspects
- Elections
- Fascism
- Federal Government
- Feminism Political Aspects
- Feminist Theory Political
Aspects
- Government Resistance to
United States
- Heads of State
- Ideology
- Imperialism
- Indians of North America
Government Relations
- International Relations
- Internet in Public
Administration
- Internet Political Aspects
- Justice Philosophy
- Leadership
- Liberalism
- Liberty
- National Socialism
- Nationalism
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- Plato Republic
- Political Campaigns
- Political Culture
- Political Ethics
- Political Leadership
- Political Science
- Political Science
Methodology
- Political Science
Philosophy
- Populism
- Post Communism
- Power Social Sciences
- Presidents United States
- Press and Politics
- Primaries
- Public Administration
- Public Administration
Decision Making
- Radicalism
- Referendum
- Republican Party
- Revolutions
- Rhetoric Political Aspects
- Right and Left Political
Science
- Right Wing Extremists
- Self Determination National
- Social Choice
- Social Policy
- State Governments
- State The
- Suffrage
- Suffrage African Americans
- Totalitarianism
- Truth
- United States Foreign
Relations
- United States History
Revolution 1775-1783
- United States Politics and
Government
- United States Supreme Court
- Voting
- War on Terrorism 2001
- Welfare State
- World Politics
|
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Last Updated:
2/22/08 |
