Philippine Politics and Governance

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Name:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

S.Y. 2020-2021 First Trimester Grade Level/Section:

MODULE 1 – UCSP Subject Teacher: KIMBERSON P. ALACYANG

MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO
POLITICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Through the module, the students are able to:
A. define politics and political science;
B. distinguish the different insights and theories about politics; and
C. identify real life situation by which politics is observe.

II. DISCUSSION
Welcome students! We will begin our journey to understanding Philippine politics and
governance through Module 1, which will provide an overview and introductory concepts about
politics itself and ways to study it. This module will also include discussions about the typologies of
government as well as practical exercises that you can use to assess your learning.

Philippine Politics and Governance: Introduction

I. Meaning of Political Science
- Political science is the systematic study of state and government
- The word political is based from the Greek word “polis”, meaning a city-state, or what today
would be the equivalent of a sovereign state.
- The word “science” comes from the Latin word scire, “to know”

1. The science of politics, therefore, has its formal object, a basic knowledge and
understanding of the state and of the principles and ideals which underlie its organization
and activities.
2. It is primarily concerned with association of human beings into a “body politic”, or a political
community (one organized under government of law).
3. As such, it deals with those relations among men and groups which are subject to control by
the state, with the relations of men and groups to the state itself, and with the relations of
the state to other states.
II. Origin and Development: - Political science originated with the ancient Greeks in the 1st century
BCE. During this time, the philosopher Plato wrote numerous dialogues about politics, asking about
the nature of justice, what constitutes good government, and what is truly best for humanity.
- His student Aristotle worked in a more scientific way, observing and describing types of
governments systematically.
- At the start of the 17th century, people began to apply the methods of the scientific
revolution to politics. Thomas Hobbes, for example, employed the methods of geometry
to break government down into its most basic parts in order to understand it.
- In the nineteenth century, thinkers such as Karl Marx and Max Weber used sociological
methods to analyze politics.

III. Proponents: Plato – used the term “polis” (427–347 BC)

 Philippine Politics and Governance
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Name:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

S.Y. 2020-2021 First Trimester Grade Level/Section:

MODULE 1 – UCSP Subject Teacher: KIMBERSON P. ALACYANG

Aristotle – Father of Political Science (384–322 BC)

“Man is by nature a political animal”

Niccolo Machiavelli – Father of modern Political Science (16th century)

“It is safer to be feared than loved, but it is best to be feared as to be loved”

Jean Bodin (1530 – 1596) a French political philosopher coined the term “Political
Science”

IV. Scope of Political Science:

1. Political theory – The entire body of doctrines relating to the origin, form, behavior, and purposes
of the state are dealt with in the study of this subject.
2. Public Law – the organizations of government, the limitations upon government authority, the
powers and duties of governmental offices and officers, and the obligations of one state to
another are handled in the study of public law.
• In contradistinction to the rules of the private law, which govern the relations among
individuals, public law is so specialized that separate courses are offered in each of its
subdivisions – constitutional law, administrative law and international law.
3. Public Administration – In the study of public administration, attention is focused upon the
methods and techniques used in the actual management of state affairs by executive,
legislative and judicial branches of government.
4. Comparative Politics – aims to provide context to the differences in government and political
systems.
5. International Relations – the study of state-to-state relations and the wider margin of the impacts
of globalization and climate change such as terrorism, piracy, and democratization of non-
Western territories.
6. Political Behavior – covers the attitudes, knowledge, and actions of an individual in response to
political variables such as policies created by the government, behavior of politicians, and
general political environment.

V. Interrelationship with other branches of learning

• No precise and definitive boundaries can be placed around a subject as comprehensive as
political science. It shares many points of common interest with other social science
disciplines.
1. History – the bond between the political scientist and the historian is obvious in the observation
that “history is past politics and politics present history”. The political scientist frequently adopts
a “historical approach” and employs knowledge of the past when he seeks to interpret
present and probable developments in political phenomena.
2. Economics – Until late in the 19th century, political science and economics (the study of
production, distribution and conservation, and consumption of wealth) were coupled under
the name of “political economy”. Today, these fields are jointly concerned with the fact that
economic conditions affect the organization, development and activities of states which in
turn modify or even prescribe economic conditions. The political scientist regularly adopts an
“economic approach” when seeking to interpret such matters as “public financial policies”
and government regulation of business.
 Philippine Politics and Governance
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Name:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

S.Y. 2020-2021 First Trimester Grade Level/Section:

MODULE 1 – UCSP Subject Teacher: KIMBERSON P. ALACYANG

3. Geography – Geopolitics (a science concerned with the study of the influences of physical
factors such as population pressures, sources of raw materials, geography, .etc. upon
domestic and foreign politics) indicates one approach which a political scientist frequently
must adopt to help explain such phenomena as the early growth of democracy in Great
Britain and United States and its retarded growth in certain Continental Europe, and the rise of
authoritarian government.
4. Sociology and Anthropology – The political scientist, the sociologist (who specializes in the
study of “society as a whole”), and the anthropologist (who studies “mankind” in relation to
physical, social, and cultural development) are all deeply concerned with the origins and
nature of government control and governmental authority.
5. Psychology – The political scientist as well as the psychologist promotes studies of the mental
and emotional processes motivating the political behavior of individuals and groups. E.g.
Public opinion, pressure groups, and propaganda.
6. Philosophy – The concepts and doctrines of Plato, Aristotle, and Locke (and other universal
thinkers about the state) are important to the specialist in academic philosophy and also to
the political scientist. The political scientist considers the branch of philosophy called “ethics”,
too, when he contemplates the moral background of proposed changes in social legislation.
7. Statistic and Logic – The political theorist must possess a broad scientific background and
knowledge of current political problems, and he must employ scientific methods in gathering
and evaluating data and in drawing conclusions.
8. Jurisprudence – This branch of public law is concerned with the analysis of existing legal
systems and also with the ethical, historical, sociological and psychological foundations of law.

VI. Goal in the Study of Political Science

1. Education for citizenship
2. Essential parts of Liberal Education
3. Knowledge and Understanding of government

VII. Function and Importance of Political Science

1. To discover the principles that should be adhered to in public affairs and to study the
operations of government in order to demonstrate what is good, to criticize what is bad
or inefficient, and to suggest improvements.
2. Its findings and conclusions may be of immense practical use to constitutional-makers,
legislators, executives, and judges who need models or norms that can be applied to
immediate situations.
3. It also deals with problems of social welfare, governmental economic programs,
international cooperation, and a wide range of other matters that are urgent concern
to public officials and to private citizens.

III. ASSESSMENT
*Note: To be placed in the Assignment portion of your module and it will be published based on your
you class schedule.
 Philippine Politics and Governance
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Name:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

S.Y. 2020-2021 First Trimester Grade Level/Section:

MODULE 1 – UCSP Subject Teacher: KIMBERSON P. ALACYANG

IV. REFERENCES:
• Campanilla, M. & Dannug, R. (2003). Politics, Governance and Government with Philippine Constitution:
C & E Publishing, Inc.
• Heywood, A. (2002). Politics Second Edition: Palgrave Macmillan
• Mendoza, D. et al (2014). Politics and Governance Theory and Practice in the Philippine Context. Office
of Research and Publications: Ateneo de Manila University.
• Ramos, R. (2016). Philippine Politics and Governance: Vibal Group, Inc.