Hocbigg - Political Science
Path to a free self-taught education in Political Science!
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Introduction
Political science is the systematic study of power, governance, and collective decision-making. Rather than focusing on daily commentary or partisan rhetoric, the discipline analyzes the underlying structures, ideological traditions, and institutional rules that shape political life. Studying political science provides the frameworks necessary to understand how states acquire and maintain authority, why democratic and authoritarian regimes persist or fail, how citizens form opinions, and what drives conflict and cooperation on the international stage.
This curriculum is designed for self-directed learners approaching the discipline independently. No formal background in political theory, constitutional law, or statistics is required or assumed.
The subjects below represent the foundational core of undergraduate political science — the essential concepts, frameworks, and subfields that ground the entire discipline. It deliberately avoids academic-track research training, such as software-heavy statistical methods or thesis-writing guides, focusing instead on empirical literacy, institutional design, and conceptual clarity.
To build a coherent mental model of the discipline, follow the subjects in their recommended sequence:
- Foundations and Normative Theory: Begin with Introduction to Political Science to establish baseline vocabulary regarding the state, authority, and political behavior. Move directly to Classical and Early Modern Political Theory and Contemporary Political Theory and Ideologies to explore fundamental questions of justice, rights, and legitimacy before examining how actual political systems function.
- Empirical Literacy: Complete Empirical Political Analysis and Research Literacy before moving to the institutional subfields. This section teaches you how political scientists formulate causal claims, distinguish correlation from causation, and interpret empirical evidence without requiring advanced mathematical prerequisites.
- Subfield Applications: Apply your theoretical and empirical tools across the three main empirical subfields: Comparative Politics (cross-national regimes and institutional forms), American Politics and Democratic Institutions (an in-depth case study of constitutional balance, federalism, and voter behavior), and International Relations (interstate bargaining, foreign policy, and global order).
Once you have completed these foundational subjects, you will have the analytical tools necessary to explore the discipline more deeply across the companion pages in this series:
- Branch into specialized subdisciplines like political economy, security studies, or political psychology in Advanced Topics.
- Put theory into practice by drafting policy briefs, comparative case studies, or campaign analyses in Projects.
- Engage with landmark treatises, classic texts, and field-defining monographs in Readings.
- Follow full-length lecture series and university-level audiovisual deep-dives in Courses.
Communities
- Forums:
- The GradCafe Political Science Forum
- APSA Connect (professional networking for APSA members)
- Subreddits:
- Other:
- Political Scientists on Mastodon List (follow academics in the Fediverse)
- politicalscience.social Mastodon Instance (dedicated server for political scientists)
- You can also interact through GitHub issues. If there is a problem with a course, or a change needs to be made to the curriculum, this is the place to start the conversation. Read more here.
Curriculum
Introduction to Political Science
Introduces the fundamental concepts of politics, the origins and role of the state, forms of power and authority, regime types, and political behavior across societies.
Introduction to Political Science (OpenStax - Mark Carl Rom, Masaki Hidaka, and Rachel Bzostek Walker) - The primary comprehensive open-access textbook covering political systems, state institutions, ideologies, and citizen engagement.
POLSC101: Introduction to Political Science (Saylor Academy) - A structured, free self-paced online course that offers a modular alternative to reading the OpenStax textbook on your own.
Key Concepts in Politics and International Relations (Andrew Heywood) - A companion conceptual dictionary that defines core analytical terms and theories across political inquiry to consult throughout your studies.
Classical and Early Modern Political Theory
Examines canonical political philosophy from classical antiquity through the nineteenth century, addressing enduring questions of justice, authority, sovereignty, liberty, and the legitimate role of government.
Introduction to Political Philosophy (Open Yale Courses / Steven B. Smith) - A complete 24-lecture university video course guiding learners through seminal primary texts by Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.
An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Jonathan Wolff) - A thematic introductory textbook that works as a clear, accessible companion reader to Smith's Yale lectures.
Contemporary Political Theory and Ideologies
Explores modern normative debates concerning distributive justice, rights, equality, democratic legitimacy, the multifaceted dimensions of power, and dominant ideological traditions.
The Moral Foundations of Politics (Open Yale Courses / Ian Shapiro) - A comprehensive lecture series exploring modern political legitimacy through utilitarianism, Marxism, the social contract tradition, and democratic theory (also available in a free audit track on Coursera).
Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? (Harvard University / Michael Sandel) - An accessible lecture series and discussion forum that serves as an engaging alternative entry point into contemporary moral dilemmas and theories of justice.
Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction (Will Kymlicka) - The canonical companion text for deep, systematic analysis of liberal egalitarianism, libertarianism, communitarianism, and multiculturalism.
Political Ideologies: An Introduction (Andrew Heywood) - A clear survey examining the history and core tenets of major ideological movements including liberalism, conservatism, socialism, fascism, anarchism, and feminism.
Power: A Radical View (Steven Lukes) - A foundational short monograph analyzing the three faces of power, essential for understanding how agenda setting and ideological socialization constrain political choice.
Empirical Political Analysis and Research Literacy
Builds literacy in empirical social science reasoning, teaching learners how to evaluate political claims, understand causal mechanisms, and critically read quantitative and qualitative findings.
Thinking Like a Political Scientist: A Practical Guide to Research Methods (Christopher Howard) - An intuitive, jargon-free guide that introduces the logic of empirical inquiry, causal questions, case selection, and evaluating evidence.
The Fundamentals of Political Science Research (Paul M. Kellstedt and Guy D. Whitten) - Builds directly on Howard's conceptual foundation by teaching causal hurdles, research design, and how to interpret regression tables without requiring mathematical or coding prerequisites.
Comparative Politics
Analyzes and compares domestic political structures across countries, focusing on democratic and authoritarian regime types, democratization, electoral systems, and institutional variation.
Introduction to Comparative Politics (MIT OpenCourseWare / Chappell Lawson) - The core university-level course providing lecture slides, syllabus readings, and assignments on why democracies emerge and how political institutions shape governance.
Essentials of Comparative Politics (Patrick H. O'Neil) - A concise, accessible textbook introducing state formation, regime dynamics, and political economies across diverse world regions.
Principles of Comparative Politics (William Roberts Clark, Matt Golder, and Sona N. Golder) - A more analytical, game-theoretic alternative to O'Neil that uses institutional logic and empirical data to explain political outcomes.
Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition (Robert A. Dahl) - A seminal monograph to read alongside the textbook to understand the classic distinction between public contestation and inclusiveness in democratic regimes.
Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries (Arend Lijphart) - An empirical study that complements Dahl by contrasting majoritarian and consensus systems of democratic governance across the world.
American Politics and Democratic Institutions
Examines the design, functioning, and behavioral dynamics of constitutional government, using the American political system as a primary case study of federalism, separation of powers, and civic participation.
American Government 3e (OpenStax - Glen Krutz and Sylvie Waskiewicz) - A comprehensive, peer-reviewed open textbook covering constitutional design, federalism, the branches of government, political parties, interest groups, and civil rights.
Introduction to the American Political Process (MIT OpenCourseWare / Charles Stewart III) - A university course offering lecture materials and analytical readings that explore how institutional rules, veto points, and partisan polarization shape public policy.
International Relations
Examines the dynamics of the global state system, the causes of war and peace, major theoretical paradigms (realism, liberalism, constructivism), international political economy, and global governance.
Introduction to International Relations (MIT OpenCourseWare / Rich Nielsen) - A structured open course syllabus and lecture slide series examining interstate conflict, bargaining, international security, and human rights.
The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations (John Baylis, Steve Smith, and Patricia Owens) - The canonical comprehensive global textbook surveying international relations theories, diplomatic history, and contemporary global challenges.
International Relations (Stephen McGlinchey, Ed.) - A free, open-access textbook offering an accessible, beginner-friendly alternative to Baylis for learning core theories and global issues.