Political Science - Subfields

Subfields

Most political scientists work broadly in one or more of the following five areas:

• Comparative politics, including area studies
• International relations
• Political philosophy
• Public administration
• Public law

Some political science departments also classify methodology as well as scholarship on the domestic politics of a particular country as distinct sub fields.

In contrast to this traditional classification, some academic departments organize scholarship into thematic categories, including political philosophy, political behavior (including public opinion, collective action, and identity), and political institutions (including legislatures and international organizations). Political science conferences and journals often emphasize scholarship in more specific categories. The American Political Science Association, for example, has 42 organized sections that address various methods and topics of political inquiry.