Reflect on at least one positive way that local, state and national government have impacted your life? Does the ideal match the reality of governmental institutions?

Can you conceive of political institutions that are not governmental, political leaders who do not have a governmental position? Is there a role for political science in your life that does not include structure but philosophy?

The French National Assembly

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Communist International Poster

Political Science- A Definition

Political science is the study of social arrangements to maintain peace and order within a given society; it examines the theory of systems of government and studies actual practices of government. There are primarily three approaches to Political Science:

Philosophical

Institutional

Behavioral

"Political Science - The Role of the Nation State

Visuals Based Discussion Question:
The outcome of the French Revolution was the development of the Nation State. The outcome of Communism, according to the Communist Third International is the withering away of the State. You are a famous orator and will prepare two short speeches, based on the materials in this unit. The first will be given in front of the French National Assembly (above) and argue for the necessity of a nation state. Your second speech, given at a Communist rally called for by the Poster pictured on the right, will argue for the abolition of the nation state. You want to base each argument on the pros and cons of the nation state for the individual and group. You also must critically respond to a classmate's argument on each side of the issue. Each intitial speech should be at least 300 words.
You can reach the Visuals Discussion Question Area by going to the Dialogues Section.