Reference no: EM132206826

Essay 1:

In one or two pages (MLA format double spaced) please answer this question.

If legitimacy stems from "the mass feeling of a government's rightful place to rule" and in a democracy that stems from a fair election process, is a democratic system that validates the institution of slavery legitimate or illegitimate? Please explain your reasoning.

Essay 2:

Please summarize, in a page or two, the concepts of legitimacy, sovereignty, and authority as provided in your text.

Text : Political Science: An Introduction, 14th Edition

Roskin, Cord, Medeiros, Jones
Pearson (2016)
ISBN- 13: 978-0134402857

Discussion

Please provide a two paragraph argument as to what field(s) i.e. History, Sociology, Economics, Human Geography, Psychology, or Anthropology, do you believe, have the most significant influence on the study of political science? Please substantiate your claims based upon what you've read, and as always, it is required that you respond to at least two other students' posts.

Student 1 post:

There is no one element that has significant influence on the study of political science. Since the term political science is the analysis and behavior of political activity of a government. Since political science is so broad due to that government deals with every aspect of life. To say that only one or two elements have significant influence on the study of political science over another element, is an inaccurate statement and an opinion.

Stating two elements which one person may feel and important may not be the same elements as others. That is why the term "Politically Correct "exists. An equal number of elements is needed to have precise understanding political science. The combination of all elements together equally is what makes up political science.

Examples, of influences listed are History, Sociology, Economics, Human Geography, Psychology, and Anthropology. History influences political science by the prior actions of government, it is important to understand the past so prior mistake will not be repeated in the future. Sociology influences political science because the development of the people within a country determines the actions of its government.

If government does not understand its people their development, they would not be able to help its people. Economics influences political science because money influences every aspect of life. Money is the number one resource of the world, without it the world would stop. Without the influences of economics in political science, there would be no actions by government. Human Geography influences political science because the government who controls laws and actions of its people must understand the affects made to the earth.

The global warming debate is a perfect example how it influences political science. Psychology influences political science by its need to understand the human mind and thoughts to determine behavior of cause and effects. The understanding of human minds and thoughts paints great pictures why certain things occur within the political field. Finally, Anthropology influence on political science by the understanding the culture and human societies. Since this country is made up of a great amount of different societies and cultures, no one can deny the influence that culture and society has on government.

Student 2 post:

When speaking of Political Science and it's influences, you have to consider how large of a scale that it encompasses. Political Science includes, not only government, but schools, charities, companies, stock market, and even day-to-day groups like after-school programs, home, or even church. All of these things have some sort of political pull in them; no matter how great or menial. If it had to be narrowed down to, let's say, two different fields that have some of the largest influences, I would have to go with Economics and Human Geography.

Although these may seem like like totally different fields, they tie in very deeply to Poli-Sci. Economics can unfortunately solve (and cause) a lot of issues that can arise in a political setting. While Human Geography can have a deep-rooted influence on people and their beliefs.
Economics has the power to influence an individual to behave a certain way, vote for a specific person/law, look the other way, and even keep quiet about something.

Because money is often equivalent to power, individuals who are wealthy are often those who are in powerful positions; CEO's of companies, Presidents of an industry, Politicians, etc. There are far too many scandals and news stories that happen because large sums of money are exchanged; some misunderstood, and some just plain wrong. This greatly influences Political Science because a politician may not follow a normal trend, because of a payoff. A specific demographic may not vote for someone specifically because of their class.

Although this may seem a bit far-fetched, it is something that happens. Being able to buy your way to power, is something that happens far too often; especially in countries overseas or even below us. Those who have money are exceedingly powerful, and those with power like to stick together, making it difficult for their reign to end.

As for the mention of Human Geography, this has a fairly large influence as well. Where someone was born and how they were raised has a huge influence on the person they become. Their parents, friends, family, and media all help to mold and shape their beliefs, morals, and even thought-processes.

Depending on how strong their morals are, an individual would need a life-threatening alternative, or a large sum of money (and even in some cases people still won't), in order for them to go against what they believe in.

Where someone grows up is one of the largest psychological influences of a child growing up, and greatly influences how they think about everything. This would only make sense that since this affects peopleand people are the main focus of politics, that human geography would also greatly influence and shape political science.