PO102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Aiesec, General Idea, Mahatma Gandhi
AIESEC Laurier bit.ly/AEISECWLU
Key Concepts in Political Science
Clicker Q:
Which of the following statements is incorrect?
- Politics is about how we get things done in society
- Political conflict sooner or later turns violent ******
- Government is a conflict manager
- None of the above
Look at map
Concept
● A general idea, usually a big idea
● Tends to be abstract
● Involves interpretation… so can be interpreted in various ways
● Key concepts must be defined
Some Political Science Concepts
● Democracy, Justice, Citizenship, Security, Power
Last lecture, we left off…
● Government is the conflict manager
● In Canada: Democratic Government
○ Regular elections to choose citizen representatives
○ Concern for equality
○ Other mechanisms for citizen participation in decision-making
But, democracies always fall short of completely fair government… why? → POWER
Power
Understanding Power
● Coercion, Inducements, Persuasion, 3 faces/forms of power, Distribution of power,
Authority, Legitimacy
Elements of a Definition
● Achieving of an objective by influencing behaviour of others
○ Getting someone to do something they would not have otherwise done
Power
● Often involves a relationship
● BUT...depends on the circumstances
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Politics is about how we get things done in society. Political conflict sooner or later turns violent ****** A general idea, usually a big idea. Involves interpretation so can be interpreted in various ways. Other mechanisms for citizen participation in decision-making. Coercion, inducements, persuasion, 3 faces/forms of power, distribution of power, Achieving of an objective by influencing behaviour of others. Getting someone to do something they would not have otherwise done. 3 faces of power or ways power is exerted. The first face involves dominating or controlling others through: Will try to make you do something, if you don"t do it there will be harmful consequences. Try to make you do something by promising a beneficial outcome. Examples: reduce greenhouse gases and get discount, tax breaks, bonus grades. Try to change behaviour by convincing (speech for ex) People can be persuaded by a logical argument. Certain people can change people"s minds (ghandi)
