1 - Political science and scientific methods in studying politics The range of political science: historical developments Thinking scientifically: some foundations of scientific inquiry Thinking scientifically about politics Science: limitations 2 - Key concepts in political science Power States Nations 3 - Political theory: examining the ethical foundations of politics Analyzing political theory: plato's allegory of the cave Some fundamental ethical questions in politics 4 - Political ideologies I: liberalism, conservatism, and socialism Liberalism Conservatism Socialism 5 - Political ideologies II: fascism The fascism of mussolini and hitler Neofascism 6 - Political ideologies III: feminism, environmentalism, and postmodernism Feminism Environmentalism A note on postmodernism 7 - Comparative politics I: governmental systems; democracy and nondemocracy Democracy as a fluid and varied governing process Democracies compared Nondemocracy: a fluid and varied governing process 8 - Comparative politics II: interest groups, political parties, elections, and media Interest groups Political parties Elections Media 9 - Comparative politics III: governing democracies; executives, legislatures, and judiciaries Executive-legislative relations: presidential and parliamentary systems Judicial review versus parliamentary sovereignty 10 - International relations: analyzing recent and contemporary events in international politics Models of analysis International relations: out of bipolarism and into the twenty-first century