Suchergebnisse

This article reports on the evaluation of political science research internships & considers their costs & benefits for a political science education. Students indicated high levels of appreciation of the inaugural Political Science Research Internship Unit at the U of Western Australia in terms of its contribution to their personal development & work experience. A substantial number of interns gained insights into the policy process through this form of experiential learning. Many came to appreciate the contingency & the normative dimensions of knowledge in the policy process. Whereas about half of the students found the transition from the seminar room to the policy world difficult, the other half were more successful in applying their theoretical knowledge to practical experiences. The article also indicates how this evaluation informs future course design. 10 References. Adapted from the source document.

Intro -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- About This Book -- Conventions Used in This Book -- Icons Used in This Book -- Beyond the Book -- Where to Go from Here -- Part 1: Understanding Political Science -- Chapter 1: Discovering the Discipline of Political Science -- Looking at Politics and Political Science -- Studying Political Power -- Searching for Sources of Legitimacy -- Chapter 2: Shaping Research in Political Science: Looking at Major Approaches -- Starting with Traditionalism -- Switching to Behavioralism -- Moving Leftward with Post-Behavioralism -- Comparing Political Science Theories -- Looking at Historical Sociology -- Seeking Benefits: Rational Choice Theory -- Chapter 3: Dealing with Political Culture -- Analyzing Political Culture -- Sustaining Democracy: The Civic Culture -- Working on Political Socialization -- Moving from Materialist to Postmaterialist -- Part 2: Comparing Governments -- Chapter 4: Discussing Different Forms of Government -- Identifying Types of Governments -- Dividing Powers -- Chapter 5: Setting the Rules: Constitutions -- Looking at Constitution Basics -- Creating a New Country: The U.S. Constitution of 1789 -- Checking on a New Document: The Russian Constitution -- Chapter 6: Comparing Political Institutions: Systems of Government -- Comparing Democratic Political Systems -- Studying the U.S. Congress -- Looking at Great Britain -- Analyzing Executives -- Going Bureaucratic -- Settling Disputes -- Chapter 7: Elections, Political Parties, and Interest Groups -- Studying Elections -- Political Parties - Necessary for Democracy -- Interest Groups: Influencing the Government -- Part 3: Going Global: International Relations -- Chapter 8: Thinking Globally: The Study of International Relations -- Understanding the Origins of International Relations -- Getting into the Theories of International Relations.

Over two decades ago, anthropologist Gayle Rubin began a now-classic article with a deceptively simple declaration: "The time has come to think about sex" (1984). Although Rubin was not the first thinker to place sex at the center of her work, her systematic sketch of Western sexual ideology made it possible to think about the political ramifications of sex in new and productive ways by disentangling the physical acts of sex from gender and sexuality (i.e., how we understand, interpret, and ascribe meaning to those acts). Among her many useful insights was the recognition that sex and sexuality are part of a hierarchical value system that serves as the basis for other forms of social, economic, and political power. Sex is the starting point of all human life and, consequently, sexuality subtends all other institutions from marriage to families, communities, states, and international organizations. What Foucault (1978) called biopower—the regulation of bodies, including sex—has continued to change and expand, giving rise to new forms of biopolitics—the regulation of populations and sexuality. Such regulations include moral policing and criminal sanctions, biomedical intervention, family and immigration laws, and a host of other tools that have tended to establish heterosexuality as the only normal and sanctioned sexual behavior. Regulating sex, and particularly reproduction, is an essential objective of the state because, ultimately, sex and reproduction are key to how the state regulates the fundamental element of its own composition: citizenship.