CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY

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Assignment #1
Student Name: Medina, Julianna Nicole G.

Course: BA Political Science (BAPS 1-2) - Professor: Ms. Renalyn Canding

Submitted on: Sep 8, 2021

Question 1

What is Political Science?

Answer.
(a) First, what does the word Political Science mean?
- 'Political' is derived from the Greek word 'POLIS', meaning 'city-state' and the
'Science' came from the Latin word 'SCIRE' meaning 'science' or 'to know'.
- Etymologically speaking, political science means the study of the city-state.
- Though political scientists have various definitions of political science, political
science is generally defined as a social science dealing with the systematic study
of the state in its essential nature, form, manifestation, organization, and
development.
- It is also important to note that Aristotle, a Greek Philosopher, began the formal
study of the city-state which made him the "Father of Political Science". However,
Jean Bodin, a political thinker, coined the term, 'political science'.

- Aristotle | The Father of Political Science.

- Jean Bodin | Coined the term Political Science.

(b) Then, what is Political Science?

- Political Science is a social science that deals with the activities and affairs of the
state or government and politics at the local, national, and international levels.
- Though Political Science has various definitions due to its wide scope, Political
Science, in a simpler term, is the study of governments and political institutions.

(c) Considering some of the different definitions, here are some:

1.) Paul Janet - “Political Science is concerned with the foundations of the state
and principles of government.”
2.) H.J | Harold Joseph Laski - “The study of politics concerns itself with the life
of man in relation to organised states.”
 3.) Harold Laswell | Laswell - “Political science is the study of shaping and
sharing of power.”
4.) David Easton - “Political science is the study of the authoritative allocation of
values for a society.”
5.) Garner - “Political science begins and ends with the state.”
6.) Leacock - “Political science deals with government only.”
7.) Aristotle -” Science of Polis.”
8.) Gettle - “Science of State.”
9.) Lecock - “Politics deals with government.”
10.) Glichrist - “General problem of state and government.”
11.) Dhal - Politics is shaping and sharing of powers.
12.) Easton - “Authoritative allocation of values.”
13.) Morgenthau - “Politics is the struggle for and use of power.”

- This comes to show that the study of political science includes not only state and
government but also an inquiry into the struggles for power that takes place at all
levels beginning from the household to the world at large.

(d) What are the values and uses of Political Science?

1.) Awareness of the importance and impact of Government on people’s lives;
2.) Education for Citizenship;
3.) Development of Civic Values; and
4.) Preparation for various Careers and Professions.

| sources from The Art Institute of Chicago, uploaded to Course Hero. Retrieved 7 September
2021, from https://www.coursehero.com/file/7010799/POLITICAL-SCIENCE/

Question 2

What are the fields related to Political Science?

Answer. The fields that are related to Political Science are as follows:

1.) Political Theory or Philosophy - the study of theories and doctrines on the origin,
form, behavior and purposes of the state and government. It is also called political
philosophy.
2.) Public Law - the field of political science focused on the study of legal rules and
principles governing states, governments and individuals as they are related with one
another.
3.) International Relations, International Law, and International Organizations
- study of foreign policies of countries, international organizations and international law.
4.) Government (National and Local Government) - this field studies the structure
and functions of both national and local governments within the context of one state or
country.
 5.) Comparative Government - this field focuses on analyzing the similarities and
differences among states relative to their executive, legislative, and judicial branches of
government, as well as their fundamental laws, functions, political cultures and
traditions.
6.) Public Administration - deals with the actual management of the government in the
realms of administrative organization, personnel and human resource management,
fiscal management, and management of public relations.
7.) Political Dynamics (Political Parties, Public Opinion and Propaganda,
Pressure and Interest Groups) - this field is a critical inquiry into the various
societal forces that exert influence on political decision and action.
8.) Legislation and Legislatures - focuses on the essential role played by the law making
body in rulemaking, as well as the politics behind legislation.
9.) Government and Business - looks into the government’s exercise of corporate or
business function, as well as its regulatory function that affects the economy of the state.
It is also called Political Economy.
10.) The Executive Process - we may define executive processes as processes that
modulate the operation of other processes and that are responsible for the coordination
of mental activity so that a particular goal is achieved. Processes that, like executive
processes, operate on other processes are known as meta processes.

| sources from The University of Baguio and The Art Institute of Chicago, uploaded to Course
Hero. Retrieved 7 September 2021, from
https://www.coursehero.com/file/7010799/POLITICAL-SCIENCE/

Question 3

What are the scopes of Political Science?

Answer. The scopes of Political science includes the study of the state, along with the study of
the political system; it is vast and is also divided into three. Those being:
| source from (Rivas & Nael, 2010)

1.) Political Theory - This area deals with the analysis of the many theories,
principles, and concepts with reference to the development and growth of human
behavior in relation to the purpose of the State.

2.) Public Law - This law concentrates on the governance of a country with
emphasis on the structure, organization, powers and duties, obligations and
limitations among communities in a state and among other nations or states.

Subdivisions: Public Law is subdivided into:

(a) Constitutional Law - This law focuses on the organic or

fundamental law from which all other laws shall conform.
 (b) Administrative Law -This law fixes the structure, organization,
and the mechanisms in determining authorities that implement
and regulate the administration of governmental functions.
(c) International Law - This law embraces treaties, rules, and
organizations that regulate the administration of governmental
functions.

3.) Public Administration - This area treats the theories and principles on the
….. methodology in the management of people.

Question 4

What is a state? (ADVANCE READING)

Answer.
A State is defined as a territory with its own government and its own borders within a larger
country, it is also known as a nation or territory that is considered as an organized political
community under one government.
| sources from Oxford Dictionary

To summarize, the definition of a state is; a group or groups of people, permanently occupying a
definite territory, independent of foreign rule, and having an organized government.

(a) Is the Philippines a state?

- The Republic of the Philippines is a sovereign state in archipelagic
Southeast Asia, with 7,107 islands spanning more than 300,000 square
kilometers of territory. It is divided into three island groups: Luzon,
Visayas, and Mindanao. (1987 Ph. Consti. | Article 1: National Territory)

(b) What kind of state is the Philippines?

- A Democratic and Republican State. The Philippines is a democratic and
republican State. Sovereignty resides in the people and all government
authority emanates from them. (1987 Ph. Consti. | Article 2, Sec 1)

(c) Why is the Philippines a state?

| In accordance with the Declarative Theory of Statehood
- The Philippines is considered as a state because it meets the theories’
criteria, those being the four elements of the state which the Philippines
consist of; namely 1) a permanent population; 2) a defined territory; 3)
a government; 4) and sovereignty.

1.) The population of the people of the Philippines is enough to

occupy the proclaimed Philippine territory.
2.) The Philippine territory has a reasonable size that has sufficient
resources to accommodate the people.
3.) The Philippines is a republic that has a Presidential form of
government wherein power is equally divided among its three
branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Which then establish
laws, maintain order and provide security, protect citizens from
external threats, and promote the general welfare by providing
public services.
4.) Sovereignty refers to the supreme power and authority of the
state to govern itself or another country. To be a sovereign state, a
country must exercise its full powers and authority over its people,
territory, and government. Also, it must be free from external
control or foreign authority. In this case, the Philippines is a
sovereign state, wherein its sovereignty resides in the people and
all government authority emanates from them.