Interoductory problems in political research / by Fredereick M. Wirt , Roy D. Morey and Louis F. Brakeman

In this book we offer some of the ways in which behavioral political scientists think and some of the methods by which they gather knowledge. Not all of behavioral political science is presented here-only enough to illustrate the variety within the discipline. Nor is the level of analysis particularly profound, but enough questions are raised to lead the student as far as he wishes. Nor are the measuring tools as complex as they can be, but they are complex enough so that even the student without statis tical skill can learn to develop it with a minimum of pain.

THE SCOPE OF THIS BOOK

Thus this volume is an introduction to knowledge, a lifting of shades that is necessary before you can look out and understand what you see. These pages are designed to introduce a concept of "political" that is little taught in pre-college education, where courses in "Civics" or "Prob lems in Democracy" emphasize current events or training in patriotism. Here, text books promote unquestioning acceptance of reality by doing little more than describe, often unsystematically, what is purported to exist. That the world of "politics" is broader than political parties, that conflict among men is central to the study of politics, that beyond descrip tion lies the possibility of prediction-little of these ideas appears in the typical course before college. Yet such concepts mark sharply the line between traditional civics education and contemporary political science's emphasis upon men's behavior. This book is an introduction to such concepts.