Senior Project Advisor
Michael Wolff
Document Type
Project
Publication Date
Spring 2022
Keywords
Politics, Science, Political Science, Archipelago, Discipline, Paradigm
Abstract
“‘Political Science’ is greatly in need of definition” (Smith, 1886, quoted in Sigelman, 2006). This statement is as true today as it was a century and a half ago when it was written in Political Science’s first independent journal’s first article. Throughout its history, the discipline’s purpose and objectives have been contested. A conflict between subdisciplines regarding approaches and desired research outcomes hinders the creation of a comprehensive disciplinary framework. Yet, division is inevitable given the objects of Political Science’s study – people and power. The discipline is having an identity crisis. To illustrate this, Political Science is compared to an archipelago, a system of separate and distinct islands. Unity is not possible in Political Science, and, perhaps, not even desirable given the variety of topics that it encompasses. By dissecting the etymology of the term “political science,” as well as studying the discipline’s past and present epistemologies, ontologies, and methodologies, I establish an understanding of Political Science’s relationship vis-à-vis the natural sciences, the social sciences, academia, policymakers, and society as a whole. This project does not aim to assemble Political Science under a universal purpose, but instead it serves as a self-reflection of Political Science’s scholarly contributions and to provide a holistic image of the discipline’s impact.
Department
Political Science
Recommended Citation
Burroughs, Warren, "WHAT IS POLITICAL SCIENCE? What a Disciplinary Archipelago Says about Political Scholarship and Academia as a Whole" (2022). WWU Honors College Senior Projects. 556.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors/556
Subjects - Topical (LCSH)
Political science--History
Genre/Form
essays
Type
Text
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf