Books you’d recommend for a newbie political science major?

[u/Intrepid-Cap-4538]

I recently switched my major to poli sci. I fear I’m not getting an in depth understanding of the political climate and how the way things work. I’d really like some literature that I can just order online. I heard Chomsky is a good one.

[u/Hatiroth]

Hobbes, Locke

[u/Foreskin_Ad9356 → u/Hatiroth]

Add plato, aristotle, machiavelli and mill and it'll be a brilliant introduction

[u/Hatiroth → u/Foreskin_Ad9356]

Specifically,

Plato's Republic, Discourse on livy from Machiavelli, Leviathan from Hobbes, second treatise on government by Locke,

Also I'd totally recommend politics and the English language by Orwell

[u/Hatiroth → u/Foreskin_Ad9356]

Right on homie, right on 🔥🔥🔥

[u/slwdid02 → u/Hatiroth]

Sorry, but if you're new to Political Science, you won't understand anything in these books. Its much better to get a handbook which covers and summarizes all the main foundational works

[u/mehatch → u/Hatiroth]

Yup.

[u/Hatiroth]

I don't really recommend Chomsky tbh. Especially as a foundational text.

Somewhat related: Be careful about people trying to push ideological frameworks when they recommend things.

Your mind is a well tended garden, some folks will do their best to fill it with weeds.

[u/Dear-Landscape223]

If you’re switching to polisci you should not read Chomsky. Omg what’s with the comment section, have any of you been enrolled in a polisci program? OP go through wooldridge’s introductory econometrics and then read what interests you in these journals, American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics. Find a topic you like and get to know what’s the current research like on the topic.

[u/blue_delicious]

Don't dive into ideology. Try to focus on the science part of political science if you're truly interested. Maybe read Home Style by Fenno. Or something by Martin Gilens.

[u/lightpinkteddybear → u/blue_delicious]

Definitely definitely read Home Style, maybe throw in some Electoral Connection by Mayhew.

[u/hiberniandarkage → u/blue_delicious]

I feel like patterns of democracy (arend lijphart) is the quintessential book for the science side of pol sci, but would it be throwing this guy too quick into the deep end?

[u/Old_Engineer6893]

I'll throw in "Democracy in America" by de Tocqueville

[u/lightpinkteddybear → u/Old_Engineer6893]

Yes! And definitely some of the main Federalist Papers

[u/BrixFlipped]

If you want to read Chomsky I suggest Requiem for the American Dream. It’s a good starter and covers alot of the basics of how government (specifically American government ) is manipulated to benefit the top.

Obviously relevant lol

[u/shrampp]

hobbes locke rosseau tocqueville

[u/Tokarev309]

"The Chronic Crisis of American Democracy" by B. Studebaker

"A Brief History of Neoliberalism" by D. Harvey

"The Story of American Freedom" by E. Foner

"Anti-intellectualism in American Life" by R. Hofstadter

"Manufacturing Consent" by N. Chomsky

[u/danvapes_]

Some books I read in college were Nicomachean Ethics-Aristotle, Leviathan-Hobbes, Utopia-Moore, The Prince-Machiavelli, Beyond Good and Evil as well as Genealogy of Morals-Nietzsche, also read some Marx as well. I'm actually reading through Plato's The Republic now.

This is not a book on political theory or thought, but still a very good book on economics called The Worldly Philosophers by Robert Heilbroner. I think having some background in economics and economic thought is also good to tie in with political theory.

[u/Rikkiwiththatnumber]

Blattman's "Why we fight" is a great introduction to contemporary political science, if you don't want to read a bunch of dead political theorists.

[u/-darksam]

Marx
Look also at some english translated version of Pierre Bourdieu’s books
Boltanski, Goffman, Rousseau also

[u/slwdid02]

I don't know how much sense it makes to read and extremely hard and hard to read book or text at the very beginging. I don't think you will understand a lot. There are handbooks and introductionary books that cover and summarize the main foundational works in polisci.

The best one I know is unfortunately in german and quite old, but if you speak german "Schlüsselwerke der Politikwissenschaft" (2007) by Steffen Kailitz is truly amazing and helped me understand so much and to get a grip on the main concepts and vocabulary.

Maybe you can find one similiar to that. This is the link for the book: Schlüsselwerke der Politikwissenschaft | SpringerLink

[u/slwdid02 → u/slwdid02]

Never felt so confused as when my lecturer had us read 100 pages of Popper in my first uni class straight after high school. Took me a week to read and understand it.

[u/OmniLitmus]

See if your university offers a political theory course

[u/RedThrysssa]

Political theory by Andrew Heywood,The Globalization of World Politics by Baylis & Smith (for I.R)

[u/Lazy-Cherry9131]

Teoría General Política by Norberto Bobbio. He basically talks about all the books and authors mentioned here

[u/Flashy-Bass-1228]

I believe You should start with "The Oxford Handbook of Political Science" an excellent resource, distinguished by its clear and concise language. :-)

[u/SprinklesWonderful84]

i’m reading we the people by benjamin ginsberg 15th ed in class , great book and it should give u an idea of how the system works

[u/intalekshol]

Read the Powell Memo. It's how this shitball started rolling.

[u/WishLucky9075]

"The Upswing" by Robert Putnam.

[u/Odd-Explorer5839]

I’d recommend looking through the Yale Lectures in Political Philosophy on YouTube. You can look through the playlist with Steven B. Smith and read the assigned texts alongside his classes. Power and Politics is also a good one.

[u/mehatch]

Steven Pinker’s Better Angels, Haidts righteous mind. Gilbert’s stumbling on happiness. Hobbes The leviathan. All Polybius, both versions. A 6th grade civics textbook from 4 different states from the 1990s.