political science is for everybody: an introduction to political science

by amy l. atchison (Editor)

Overview

political science is for everybody is the first intersectionality-mainstreamed textbook written for introductory political science courses. While political science and politics are for everybody, political institutions are neither neutral nor unbiased. When we write political science textbooks that obscure the differences in how groups experience and interact with political institutions, we do students a disservice. This book exposes students to these differences while also bringing marginalized voices to the fore, allowing more students to see their lived experiences reflected in the pages of their textbook. Bringing together a diverse group of contributors, political science is for everybody teaches all the basics of political science while showing that representation matters – both in politics and in the classroom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781487523909
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	02/16/2021
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

amy l. atchison is an associate professor of Political Science and International Relations at Valparaiso University.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Background to political science is for everybody
Why this book?
The Structure of the Book
Final Note

Section I: The Foundations of Politics

1. What are the Foundations of Politics?
Overview
The Basics of Political Theory
The Basics of Political Ideologies
The Basics of Political Behavior
Putting the Pieces Together: Affective Polarization, Voting, and Democratic Backsliding
Summary

2. Political Theory and the Intersectional Quest for The Good Life
What is the Good Life?
Context Matters
Section One: The Logic Intersectionality: A Theoretical Primer
Section Two: Who Qualifies for the Good Life?
Section Three: Does the State Have a Role in Facilitating the Good Life?
Summary

3. Political Ideologies
What is an ideology?
Four Contemporary Ideologies
Conclusion
Summary

4. Civil Society and Social Movements
Characteristics and Functions : What is Civil Society & What Does it Do?
Social Movements & Contentious Politics: Distinguishing the Range of Civil Society
All about Social Movements: What brings people to movements, and what do movements do?
What (Additional) Work do Movement Do? Other Modes of Political Engagement
What impact do social movements have?

5. Political Parties
Overview
What are Political Parties?
What do Political Parties Do?
Party Membership
Party Systems
Is the Party Over?

6. Electoral Systems and Representation
Overview
Building Blocks of Election Systems
Mandating Inclusion via Quotas
The Symbolic Effects of Representative Diversity
Section II: Comparative Politics

Section II What is Comparative Politics?

7. Introduction
What is comparative politics?
Why do we study comparative politics?
Main foci in comparative politics
Comparative methods of analysis
Chapter summary

8. Executives
Introduction
Executive Government: The Basics
The Modern Executive: How Did We Get Here?
Presidentialism, Parliamentarism, and Semi-Presidentialism
Non-Democratic Governments and the Executive
Power, Politics, and Executives: Who Gets to be a Chief Executive?
Cabinets and Intersectionality
Bureaucracies and Intersectionality
Why Intersectional Identities Matter for Executive Politics
Summary

9. Legislatures
Introduction
Types of Legislatures and Legislative Organization
Who Has Power and Influence?
Representation and Legislatures
Summary

10. Public Policy Through an Intersectional Lens
Introduction
Definitions and concepts: What is public policy?
The policy cycle: Understanding how policies are made
What does the policy cycle as seen through an intersectionality lens look like?
Critiques of intersectionality and intersectional thinking and their relationship to public policy
Analyzing public policy change through an intersectional policy regime framework
Examples of intersectional policy analysis
1. Mainstreaming intersectionality: Making public policy sensitive to intersectional challenges?
2. The Comparative Politics Turn in Intersectional Public Policy
3. The positionality component within intersectional public policy studies
Summary

11. Courts and the Law
Overview
Constitutions
The Courts
Legal Systems
Conclusion
Summary
Concluding Questions
End Notes

Section III: International Relations

12. What is International Relations?
What is International Relations and Why do We Study It?
How Has IR as a Discipline Evolved? What Are the Main Approaches to the Study of IR?
Thinking Differently About IR
International Politics and International Relations: A Matter of Perspective
The Globalization of IR
Summary

13. International Political Economy
Introduction
The Everyday Turn in IPE
Summary

14. Security and Conflict
Introduction
Intersectionality and Security
Meanings of Security
Distributions of Security
Experiences of Security
Discourses of Security
Summary: Intersectional Security

15. International Law & Human Rights
Introduction
What is international law?
The Concept of Human Rights
Summary

16. International Organizations
Introduction
Basic Architecture of Global Governance: IGOs in World Politics
IGOs and the Problem of Global Governance
Designing IGOs: The Influence of Power
Countering the Power Imbalance: The Role of NGOs
Summary
Conclusion
Summing Up
The Politics of Division
Identity Politics are not Bad Politics
Final Thoughts
End Notes

What People are Saying About This

Erin Tolley

"Feminist political scientists have long lamented the homogeneity of introductory course textbooks. No more! political science is for everybody rights the imbalance by tackling the core issues of the discipline from a variety of perspectives. Rather than shying away from so-called identity politics, the authors address contentious issues head-on, reminding students that political choices, institutions, and outcomes are never neutral, but are instead shaped by histories of domination and marginalization."

Isabelle Engeli

"This volume is a far-reaching call for a better political science, to move away from disciplinary bias to embrace the full diversity of the real world and make a meaningful contribution toward a better society and a better discipline. Political science should be for everybody; this volume shows us the way. It is a must-read for students and scholars interested in challenging disciplinary shortcomings and making political science more in tune with the opportunities and challenges of the twenty-first century."

Editorial Reviews

"This volume is a far-reaching call for a better political science, to move away from disciplinary bias to embrace the full diversity of the real world and make a meaningful contribution toward a better society and a better discipline. Political science should be for everybody; this volume shows us the way. It is a must-read for students and scholars interested in challenging disciplinary shortcomings and making political science more in tune with the opportunities and challenges of the twenty-first century."

—Isabelle Engeli, Professor of Public Policy, University of Exeter, and Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Political Research

"Feminist political scientists have long lamented the homogeneity of introductory course textbooks. No more! political science is for everybody rights the imbalance by tackling the core issues of the discipline from a variety of perspectives. Rather than shying away from so-called identity politics, the authors address contentious issues head-on, reminding students that political choices, institutions, and outcomes are never neutral, but are instead shaped by histories of domination and marginalization."

—Erin Tolley, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto Mississauga

From the Publisher