POS 203: Introduction to Political Science 09102008

1
POS 203 Introduction to Political Science
09/10/2008

• Course Agenda
• Distribution of presentation assignment and paper
  assignment 1.
• Discussion of written assignment
• What is an empire? What is a nation-state? What
  to compare? How to compare? Why compare?
• Discussion of concepts introduced by readings.
• Hauss.
• Howe.
• Landman.

2
POS 203 Introduction to Political Science.

• Hauss opening.
• Hagel politics is difficult.
• Obama and Clinton change in American politics.
• Sarkozy/Royal outcome signaled change.
• Nigeria militarys role in politics.
• Putin 2.5 Putin now prime minister in Russia
  rapidity of change.
• Replaced by Medvedev.
• What is comparative politics?
• Bewildering array of issues.
• Beyond just news reporting.
• Comparison of political data.
• Science - theory or paradigm development.
• Inductive, deductive, falsification.

3
POS 203 Introduction to Political Science.

• What is the State?
• Government.
• State.
• Nation.
• Regime.
• Types of states.
• Industrialized democracies.
• Communist and Post-Communist states.
• Transitional states.
• Third world.
• Political systems.
• Borrowed from David Easton. Example of Eastons
  work A Systems Analysis of Political Life (1965).
• Systems tend toward equilibrium unless stressors
  reach a critical point, then punctuated
  equilibrium, and new system or set of
  institutions gradually develops.

4
POS 203 Introduction to Political Science.
Decision Making
Input
Output
Environment
5

• Discussion Questions for next week 9/17
• What are the chief differences between land and
  sea empires?
• What concepts from Landman are useful in
  analyzing the difference between land and sea
  empires?