Thus, they study constitutions, legislatures, parties, electoral systems, and the formation of public policies, in The United States and elsewhere. They study historically influential doctrines like liberalism, realism, fascism, nationalism, and sovereignty, and emerging commitments to environmentalism, regional integration, international human rights, and local democracy, for example. Some stress detailed knowledge of specific jurisdictions, while others stress the need to compare across societies or to look at the broad global forces that constrain local initiatives. Some draw on theoretical principles that go back to philosophers like Aristotle, Hobbes or Rousseau, while others work with contemporary theories and methods drawn from across the social sciences and humanities. In the contemporary world, forms of power, authority and governance are changing rapidly and require not only understanding but also informed intervention to reduce the levels of violence and injustice that are so prevalent in so many places.
Many students choose it as preparation for law school, government service, or a political career.
Some of its courses, such as budgeting practices and personnel management, are useful preparation for jobs in public and in the private sectors. And because political science includes the sub fields of international relations and comparative government, it is also a pathway to international employment in either the private or public sectors. Employers whose decisions must take account of political and community considerations frequently seek to hire political science majors. In addition, a political science major can lead to a secondary teaching career or to a variety of political and social research careers. The focus is a search for understanding.