POSC101: Exploring Politics (A Concise Introduction) Reading Question Flashcards

Flashcards I have created from this book by Gaspare M. Genna & Takeo Hiroi.

Define analytical thinking as described by Genna & Hiroi.

Analytical thinking is described as a way to solve issues by simplifying or summarizing multiple pieces of information to come up with the said resolution(s) for the issue(s). You could do this by thinking outside of the box & asking questions that help you grow your curiosity.

Describe politics according to Laswell (1938).

According to Laswell, politics is sort of what makes the world go round! Higher up you are on the political ladder = more money = more power!

What does the Cuban Missile Crisis reveal about politics?

This crisis reveals that politics is all about making yourself (as a politician) seem highly confident in your ability to run your jurisdiction. It is also about taking apart the mind(s) of other opposing politicians, and using it against them to (possibly) protect your people.

Differentiate between zero-sum games, non-zero-sum games, and positive-sum games.

• Zero-sum games = someone gains what the other person has lost

• Non-sero-sum games = has an outcome that either greater or less than zero (e.g.: both/all players can win/lose)

• Positive-sum games = many people a winning compared to losing (wins>losses)

Difference = amount of people that win/gain in the long run

WEEK 2 READING QUESTIONS

POSC101

Define the scientific method as described in the textbook.

Scientific Method = A systemic way of testing hypotheses & answer questions using data you can observe.

What are the steps of the scientific method?

1. Be curious about why things happen & develop a research question

2. Find evidence (supporting AND opposing) to test your hypothesis

3. Test your hypothesis (x = independent variable; y = dependent varaiable) (x = cause; y = effect)

4. Compare your results with your expectations (results vs. expectations)

5. Create your FINAL write-up (defend your conclusion(s) using the evidence)

What are theories and where do they originate from?

• Theory = a possible answer to a question which can be explained/an estimation of how the world works.

• They are derived from exisiting explanations/built on assumptions.

What are hypotheses?

Hypotheses = A simple statement that describes a relationship bewteen multiple variables that can be tested.

What is a parasimonious theory?

Parasimonious theory = a theory tthat can explain a phenomenon with only a few factors

From the video, an introduction to political science methods, highlight key takeaways about the research process in political science.

• Research what’s already out there (What have other people said about the problem being studied?)

• Hypotheses (What do you think is going to happen?)

• Gather data to test hypotheses

  • Be transparent (where did you get the data) (cite)

  • Make it easily available to others

  • Quantitative (numbers) vs. Qualitative (words)