Please summarize the debate over whether political science is really a science. In your answer please give arguments from both sides of the debate and indicate which side of the argument is correct.
What will be an ideal response?
Students should explain that those who think political science is a science point to the adherence to the scientific method. This position claims that the method is the most important part of defining a science. On the other side of the debate, there are both practical and philosophical objections to classifying political science a science. Practical objections include measurement problems, people may act in misleading ways on purpose to foil examination, data is hard to obtain, and that human behavior is too complex to predict. One philosophical objection is that humans do not simply discover knowledge of the real world through a neutral process like the scientific method but rather create it. Instead of knowing reality directly in its unvarnished or pure form, our perceptions, understandings, and beliefs about many “facts” stem largely, if not entirely, from human cultural and historical experiences and practices.
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In 2006 and again in 2008, voters seemed to punish __________ by voting against candidates from his party.
A. Bill Clinton B. George H. W. Bush C. Barack Obama D. George W. Bush
Validity is best achieved by
A) not interfering with variables. B) simply reporting all observations. C) choosing a well-studied area of research. D) controlling for extraneous variables.
When there is a conflict between individuals seeking to express themselves and government seeking to constrain them, what is the typical outcome in the American political system?
What will be an ideal response?
Consider the "Unresolved Debate" . According to political scientists, why do PACs have minimal influence on legislative decisions?
a. because most elected officials carefully weigh the interests of PACs against those of their other constituents b. because PACs often give money to legislators who already support their agendas c. because most members of Congress have pledged to no longer accept PAC contributions d. because of strict limitations on the amount of money that PACs can contribute to political candidates e. because PACs are prohibited from lobbying