Dr. L.T. Farley

JOURNALS EXERCISE

This assignment will introduce you to some of the research that has been conducted by political scientists. You will be exposed to the variety of topics and methods used in the discipline.

I'm not asking you to read these professional journals. I do want you to look at them carefully--to page through them slowly. I want you to get a good look at what is being done by professional political scientists in the field of political science.

The Journals
American Political Science Review

American Journal of Political Science

Foreign Affairs

Journal of Politics

International Affairs

International Organization

Public Opinion Quarterly

Political Science Quarterly

PS

Western Political Quarterly

The Assignment:

• Select at random one issue of each journal. You will need to go downstairs at the LHU Stevenson Library to find these back issues on the shelves. (Do not use the current issue.)
• Write down the name of each journal, the date, the volume, and the number of each.
• Write one paragraph about each journal in which you (a) attempt to categorize or summarize the articles by their content, e.g., voting analysis, international relations, etc. For instance, you might write: "There were two articles on elections, three articles on foreign policy, two on the courts, and one on political theory."
• Write one paragraph about each journal in which you (b) attempt to categorize or summarize the methodology used in the articles, e.g., statistical, verbal, data-based, computer assisted, etc. For instance, you might write: "There were three articles that used tables, one that used mathematical equations, four used graphs, and three articles were entirely verbal."
• Look at the advertisements--if any--in the journals. There is a commercial element in any academic pursuit. So just have a look at the advertisements. What do the advertisements tell about the commercial side of the field of political science?
• Finally, write one paragraph - based upon what you have seen in the ten journals - in which you speculate upon the skills that are needed to be a political scientist.