Political Science Is for Everybody

amy l. atchison is an associate professor of Political Science and International Relations at Valparaiso University.

• Introduction Background to political science is for everybody Why this book? The Structure of the Book Final Note Section I: The Foundations of Politics 1. What are the Foundations of Politics? OverviewThe Basics of Political Theory The Basics of Political Ideologies The Basics of Political Behavior Putting the Pieces Together: Affective Polarization, Voting, and Democratic Backsliding Summary 2. Political Theory and the Intersectional Quest for The Good Life What is the Good Life? Context Matters Section One: The Logic Intersectionality: A Theoretical Primer Section Two: Who Qualifies for the Good Life? Section Three: Does the State Have a Role in Facilitating the Good Life?Summary 3. Political Ideologies What is an ideology? Four Contemporary Ideologies Conclusion Summary 4. Civil Society and Social Movements Characteristics and Functions : What is Civil Society & What Does it Do? Social Movements & Contentious Politics: Distinguishing the Range of Civil Society All about Social Movements: What brings people to movements, and what do movements do? What (Additional) Work do Movement Do? Other Modes of Political Engagement What impact do social movements have? 5. Political Parties Overview What are Political Parties? What do Political Parties Do? Party Membership Party Systems Is the Party Over? 6. Electoral Systems and Representation Overview Building Blocks of Election Systems Mandating Inclusion via Quotas The Symbolic Effects of Representative Diversity Section II: Comparative Politics Section II What is Comparative Politics? 7. IntroductionWhat is comparative politics? Why do we study comparative politics? Main foci in comparative politics Comparative methods of analysis Chapter summary 8. Executives IntroductionExecutive Government: The Basics The Modern Executive: How Did We Get Here? Presidentialism, Parliamentarism, and Semi-Presidentialism Non-Democratic Governments and the Executive Power, Politics, and Executives: Who Gets to be a Chief Executive? Cabinets and Intersectionality Bureaucracies and Intersectionality Why Intersectional Identities Matter for Executive Politics Summary 9. Legislatures IntroductionTypes of Legislatures and Legislative Organization Who Has Power and Influence? Representation and Legislatures Summary 10. Public Policy Through an Intersectional Lens IntroductionDefinitions and concepts: What is public policy? The policy cycle: Understanding how policies are made What does the policy cycle as seen through an intersectionality lens look like? Critiques of intersectionality and intersectional thinking and their relationship to public policy Analyzing public policy change through an intersectional policy regime framework Examples of intersectional policy analysis 1. Mainstreaming intersectionality: Making public policy sensitive to intersectional challenges? 2. The Comparative Politics Turn in Intersectional Public Policy 3. The positionality component within intersectional public policy studies Summary 11. Courts and the Law Overview Constitutions The Courts Legal Systems Conclusion Summary Concluding Questions End Notes Section III: International Relations12. What is International Relations?What is International Relations and Why do We Study It? How Has IR as a Discipline Evolved? What Are the Main Approaches to the Study of IR? Thinking Differently About IR International Politics and International Relations: A Matter of Perspective The Globalization of IR Summary 13. International Political Economy IntroductionThe Everyday Turn in IPE Summary 14. Security and Conflict IntroductionIntersectionality and Security Meanings of Security Distributions of Security Experiences of Security Discourses of Security Summary: Intersectional Security 15. International Law & Human Rights IntroductionWhat is international law? The Concept of Human Rights Summary 16. International Organizations IntroductionBasic Architecture of Global Governance: IGOs in World Politics IGOs and the Problem of Global Governance Designing IGOs: The Influence of Power Countering the Power Imbalance: The Role of NGOs Summary Conclusion Summing Up The Politics of Division Identity Politics are not Bad Politics Final Thoughts End Notes