What is required for a social scientist to be considered a political scientist?
BSc/BA in Political Science w/ PhD in Political Science? Or only the PhD in Political Science is enough?
Can PhDs in International Relations be considered political scientists?
"Can PhDs in International Relations be considered political scientists?"--- Good question indeed. There are two views. First, people who say that IR is part of Political Science. Second, people who claim that IR is an independent discipline. And the debate continues...
"Can PhDs in International Relations be considered political scientists?"--- Good question indeed. There are two views. First, people who say that IR is part of Political Science. Second, people who claim that IR is an independent discipline. And the debate continues...
Dear Dr. Vinícius Mendes ,
Thank you for interesting question. Good question! My personal position is that Political Science and International Relations are complementary and inter-related disciplines. IR and PS explore power and politics in many different contexts. PS and IR do cover much of the same subject matter; government structure, political theory, comparative government, etc. Sometimes it depends on particular university. Depending on the academic institution, it is either a field of political science, an interdisciplinary academic field similar to global studies, or an entirely independent academic discipline.
Best regards,
Dr. Vardan Atoyan
Thank you for the question. Are IR scholars political scientists?
It depends on the specialization. A Bachelor/master/doctorate in International Relations includes classes/studies/debates on Economics, Politics, Government, New Public Management, Society, Public Policy, Business Behaviours, Global Conflicts, Global Security, Environmental Sustainability and so on.
Some IR scholars focus more on economics and economic policies, others on governance, government, new public management, others on international organizations etc. There are also IR scholars addressing several fields at the same time. Whether IR scholars are political scientists or not depends on their specialization.
In my view, international relations is part of political science, since it focuses on politics at international levels. While there may be more interdisciplinary options in current IR degrees than in political science degrees, a political scientist studying municipal politics could be just as interdisciplinary in their approach, but they are still a political scientist.
This question has had serious ramifications in academic associations, with the International Studies Association emerging as a distinct entity from the International Political Science Association. Is such a schism beneficial or does it lead to more divisions within academia and encumber the potential for collaborative research?
IR is very broad. Yes, it is within the domain of Political Science, however, since IR also deal with the law it has a foothold in law in the context of international law. the trade dimension cuts across economics..the current issue on climate change makes IR relevant in the discussion in natural sciences...so IR is not just part of political science it cuts across many disciplines.
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