What do you think?
Rate this book
Political Science for Dummies
The global political climate is dynamic, at times even volatile. To understand this evolving landscape, it's important to learn more about how countries are governed. Political Science for Dummies explores the questions that political scientists examine, such as how our leaders make decisions, who shapes political policy, and why countries go to war. The book is the perfect course supplement for students taking college-level introductory political-science courses.
Get a better understanding of political ideologies, institutions, policies, processes, and behavior Explore topics such as class, government, diplomacy, law, strategy, and war Learn the specialized vocabulary within the field of political science Help prepare for a range of careers, from policy analyst to legislative assistant Political science crosses into many other areas of study, such as sociology, economics, history, anthropology, international relations, law, statistics, and public policy. Those who want to understand the implications of changing political economies or how governing bodies work can look to Political Science for Dummies.
Get a better understanding of political ideologies, institutions, policies, processes, and behavior Explore topics such as class, government, diplomacy, law, strategy, and war Learn the specialized vocabulary within the field of political science Help prepare for a range of careers, from policy analyst to legislative assistant Political science crosses into many other areas of study, such as sociology, economics, history, anthropology, international relations, law, statistics, and public policy. Those who want to understand the implications of changing political economies or how governing bodies work can look to Political Science for Dummies.
13 pages, Audible Audio
Published September 15, 2020
94 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 19, 2022
One of best book for beginners to understand political science and political concepts in a very simple and lucid language.
Read
May 16, 2022
This book, published in August 2020:
Me, reading in 2022: Ummmmmmmm.....
When Hillary Clinton lost the presidency to Donald Trump in 2016, many American [sic] were shocked and dismayed. However, nobody took up arms and initiated political violence to overthrow the newly elected Trump administration. This signals that Americans are well socialized into accepting losing elections and living with a president they didn't support.
Me, reading in 2022: Ummmmmmmm.....
September 4, 2023
I picked this up at the library because it was sort of recommended for the Master's program I'm about to undertake (they recommended reading any For Dummies book).
At first I really liked the book because it presented a lot of material I was already familiar with, then I liked it even more because it taught me a lot of new things. Unfortunately, I was annoyed throughout by the writing, including typos and grammatical errors, to the point where I just now realized that all the quotes I noted were about bad writing. (So feel free to stop reading here if you want.)
Without further ado, a selection of sentences which in my opinion are badly written (structure, punctuation, etc.):
Not surprisingly, using mathematics to test theories appeal to behavioralists, who believe in objectively testing theories. (p.23 of my edition)
For centuries, the social sciences, of which political science is a part of, felt inferior to the natural sciences because they weren't considered real or hard sciences, in the same boat as physics and chemistry. (p. 25)
In a representative democracy, most democracies today are representative democracies; the public is represented by elected officials who make policies on behalf of the people. (p. 95)
It's most famous adherents are Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes. (p. 119)
The origins of Al Qaeda can be traced back to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 when thousands of Muslims went to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets after the Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan. (p. 192)
To finance all these new programs, they called for a progressive taxation system that taxed the wealthy at higher levels than the poor. This is called progressive taxation. (p. 250)
Also, this is incorrect: In France, the Department of Education sets the high-school curriculum for the whole country. So everybody in France knows that at 11:00 a.m. all students in 10th grade study Algebra in every region of France. (p. 56)
At first I really liked the book because it presented a lot of material I was already familiar with, then I liked it even more because it taught me a lot of new things. Unfortunately, I was annoyed throughout by the writing, including typos and grammatical errors, to the point where I just now realized that all the quotes I noted were about bad writing. (So feel free to stop reading here if you want.)
Without further ado, a selection of sentences which in my opinion are badly written (structure, punctuation, etc.):
Not surprisingly, using mathematics to test theories appeal to behavioralists, who believe in objectively testing theories. (p.23 of my edition)
For centuries, the social sciences, of which political science is a part of, felt inferior to the natural sciences because they weren't considered real or hard sciences, in the same boat as physics and chemistry. (p. 25)
In a representative democracy, most democracies today are representative democracies; the public is represented by elected officials who make policies on behalf of the people. (p. 95)
It's most famous adherents are Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes. (p. 119)
The origins of Al Qaeda can be traced back to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 when thousands of Muslims went to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets after the Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan. (p. 192)
To finance all these new programs, they called for a progressive taxation system that taxed the wealthy at higher levels than the poor. This is called progressive taxation. (p. 250)
Also, this is incorrect: In France, the Department of Education sets the high-school curriculum for the whole country. So everybody in France knows that at 11:00 a.m. all students in 10th grade study Algebra in every region of France. (p. 56)
January 20, 2024
Events in foreign places matter as the isolationism of the 19 century is no longer an option.
25% of the world earns 75% of the income
China, India and Indonesia have 1/2 of the world's population and 10% of the world's income.
Germany, France, Great Britain, Japan and US have 15% population and 50% world's income.
In 1995 33% of the world lived in extreme poverty
In 2020 10% of the world live in extreme poverty
25% of the world earns 75% of the income
China, India and Indonesia have 1/2 of the world's population and 10% of the world's income.
Germany, France, Great Britain, Japan and US have 15% population and 50% world's income.
In 1995 33% of the world lived in extreme poverty
In 2020 10% of the world live in extreme poverty
September 21, 2025
Excellent review but needs update
I like to read this books to review things that have passed into oblivion from my memory. This book does a good job but the period of time since it was punished has been so intense, parts of it read as out of date or incorrect. It is not that old, but an update would be helpful.
I like to read this books to review things that have passed into oblivion from my memory. This book does a good job but the period of time since it was punished has been so intense, parts of it read as out of date or incorrect. It is not that old, but an update would be helpful.
March 18, 2022
Read 60%
March 14, 2024
Very high level introduction to the field.
February 4, 2025
Prep for FSOT. Was an interesting listen and very informative!! Would have been helpful to have a physical book.
May 11, 2025
A lot to think about. Great for wrestling with concepts and recognizing issues with the West.
May 28, 2025
Gaman að lesa.
June 24, 2024
Doctor Marcus A. Stadelmann published the American-Canadian version of Political Studies for Dummies in 2020. Even though the book was published in 2020, the Goodreads reviewer, Caitlin, is correct that certain sections are already older. Stadelmann is a professor at the University of Texas at Tyler. Stadelmann’s research specializes in American presidential elections. Stadelmann also researches contemporary European and Russian politics. Stadelmann's book has nineteen chapters. The book covers a lot of ground. The book has five sections. Section 1 is an introduction to political science. Section 2 is an introduction to comparative politics. Section 3 is an introduction to international relations, which includes a chapter on a political science view of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Section 4 is on mainly European political theories from ancient Greece until the 20th Century. This section includes a short summary of the political theories of Mao Zedong, which are known as Maoism. Section 5 includes ten political science books to read about political science and theory. This section contains ten modern American political scientists. The book consists of illustrations and an index. Marcus A. Stadelmann’s book, Political Studies for Dummies, was a well-done introduction to political studies.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews