Dipartment Of Humanities and Social Science

Political Science

In its broadest sense, politics is 'the constrained use of social power' (E. Goodin & H. D. Klingerman eds., A New Handbook of Political Science, Oxford University Press, 1996). How is power enforced, sustained and legitimized? How do people contest, and sometimes successfully challenge, power-holders? These are the fundamental questions that Political Science addresses. Political scientists are therefore, primarily concerned with explaining those events and interactions in which power or authority is at stake. Politics is thus linked to the concepts of conflict and cooperation and more importantly to the distribution of resources - ‘who gets what, when and how’ (H. Lasswell, 1936).

The curriculum for Political Science at LUMS is designed to help students to better comprehend the political processes that inform the complex and rapidly changing world they live in. It equips them with the analytical tools and practical knowledge required so as to understand the interplay between political ideologies, institutions and actors that shape politics, at the domestic as well as international level. Courses in Political Science adopt a variety of approaches to the study of politics: empirical and theoretical; historical, sociological, and philosophical; comparative and international. Introducing these approaches allow students to examine political life in a variety of contexts from the local, grassroots level to the international state system and the increasingly important globalized space. Typically, a student will confront issues such as states' formation and functions, political regimes, policy-making process, agents of political socialization, political theories and ideologies, political representation, civil society and social movements.

Political Science Major at LUMS

Political Science is traditionally divided into 4 or 5 major sub-fields (depending on universities): Political Theory, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Public Policy (Policy Analysis or Government), and Political Sociology (which is sometimes part of the Sociology department as well). The curriculum in Political Science offers an opportunity to specialize in each of these sub-fields.

Courses are presently offered in the following areas:

1. Political Theory

2. Comparative Politics (Comparative Politics, Political Economy, Area Studies)

3. International Relations

4. Political Economy & Public Policy

5. Political Sociology

However, at LUMS, we acknowledge that there are several areas of research that cut across the purview of the traditional sub-fields. This is why our Political Science curriculum also offers to the students the possibility to engage with the rest of the social science curriculum so that they can meaningfully benefit from a broad-based, inter-disciplinary education. They are afforded the opportunity to infuse a healthy dose of Economics, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, or History into their political studies. In particular we pay special attention to Area studies and Political Economy.

Political Science as a discipline developed out of the need to understand the trajectory of social and political development in Western Europe. Hence, it tends to weigh heavily on analysis that emerges out of this particular historical context. While socio-political realities have undoubtedly some universal features, the configurations of power, authority, justice and natural rights have their own trajectories in other parts of the world. One of the strengths of Political Science at LUMS is the recognition that an understanding of politics in post-colonial societies requires a distinct perspective. We, therefore pay special importance to offering students a complementary analysis to Western political science. For example, we have developed specialized courses on the theories of post-colonial politics and nationalism and on the interaction of Islam and politics. This also reflects the interests of the faculty and their areas of research including the nature of relations between the state and society in developing countries; the nexus between religion and the state on both philosophical and empirical grounds; the politics of transition to and the consolidation of democracy; and issues of domestic and foreign policy in South Asia and the Middle East.


FAQs

What Skills will Studying Political Science Provide a Student?

The concentration in Political Science gives students a substantive grounding in the subject both at the theoretical and methodological level.

Those students studying Political Science at LUMS should graduate with the ability to appreciate and respect the political underpinnings of different societies in the world. They should be able to carefully analyze and observe how people address issues such as the political organization of society, the management of conflicts, the distribution of power and authority and the ways to solve collective action problems.

The concentration in Political Science aims at developing the thinking, reading, writing and oral expression skills needed for a critical understanding of politics. Students are strongly encouraged to re-evaluate commonly accepted ideas and consider alternative explanations. Our pedagogical approach lays special emphasis on helping them to develop rigorous oral and written argumentation, and to support their own conclusions with carefully deployed evidence.

The fundamental components of our methodological training are: (i) reading articles and books, and being able to critically comment them, (ii) constructing reasoned arguments and being able to express them forcefully both orally and in writing. Therefore serious attention is paid to the development of effective writing in assignments such as response papers, review essays, reading summaries and research papers. Oral presentations are also an important part of the students’ methodological training.

At a more general level, we hope that students taking the Political Science major will develop the confidence to participate in their communities as responsible, civic-minded and politically active individuals.

What Career Can I Pursue?

There are several career options open to students who graduate with a concentration in Political Science. The analytical and critical thinking skills, multicultural sensitivity and international outlook gained from an education in Political Science are all traits that are widely sought after by employers in many fields.

Careers that build directly on Political Science include employment in academia (research and teaching), the Civil or Foreign Service sector and international organizations (such as the World Bank and United Nations) as well as NGOs. Other fields open to political scientists include consultancy work and jobs in think tanks and public policy institutes. Finally, the specific skills developed in the Political Science program can be adapted gainfully to other career paths, such as law, publishing, journalism and electronic media.

Where Are Our Graduates Now?

Students that concentrated in Political Science at LUMS have gone on to pursue careers in academia, law, media, in international organizations such the World bank and the Asian Development Bank, and in NGOs. Some have also chosen to pursue careers in the banking sector and multinational companies.

In addition, a substantial number have chosen to pursue higher degrees at some of the best foreign universities including Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States and SOAS, University of Warwick and University of Sussex in England.
Courses

A student doing a Major in Political Science will be required to complete 13 courses in the discipline. Students can achieve this objective by taking a combination of compulsory and elective courses. They must take one prerequisite (4 credits), two compulsory courses (8 credits), and ten elective courses (40 credits), for a total of 52 credits.

The 52 Credits will be spread out as follows:

Prerequisite Course (4 credits)

*
POL 100: Introduction to Political Science

(Students wanting to major in Political Science must take this course in the beginning of an academic year).

Compulsory Courses (8 credits – two courses)

All students opting for a major in Political Science will take the following two courses, which will not be double-counted:

* POL 111: Introduction to Western Political Thought
* POL 320: Comparative Politics

Elective Courses (40 credits – 10 courses)

In addition to the compulsory courses, students wanting to major in Political Science will need to take 10 courses from the list of electives from any of the following sub-fields of the discipline. They are required to take at least 3 courses at 300 or 400 levels.

* Political Theory
* Comparative Politics
* International Relations
* Political Economy & Public Policy
* Political Sociology & Political Anthropology

All courses will be four-credits except POL 222 Community Based Learning (2 credits). Please note that this is not an exhaustive list. We will keep on adding courses as new faculty members join or existing faculty wishes to develop new courses. Students may wish to opt for Senior Project, which will be for one course or 4 credits.

1. Political Theory

*
POL 111 Introduction to Western Political Thought
* POL 112 Introduction to Political Philosophy
* POL 310 Democratic Theory
* POL 311 Contemporary Debates in Political Philosophy
* POL 312 Introduction to Islamic Political Philosophy
* POL 313 Contemporary Sociological Theories

2. Comparative Politics

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POL 420 Media & Politics
*
POL 320 Comparative Politics
*
POL 321 Comparative Constitutional Law & Politics
*
POL 421 Theories of Democratic Transition
*
POL 422 Domestic Politics & Foreign Policy
*
POL 423 Civil Society & Social Movements
*
POL 322 Comparative Contentious Politics
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POL 220 American Government & Politics
*
POL 221 Politics of South Asia
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POL 323 Politics of India
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POL 324 Politics of the Middle East
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POL 325 Politics of Pakistan
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POL 425 Civil Military Relations
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POL 222 Community Based Learning
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POL 223 Colonial States in Theory & History
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POL 327 History of Decolonization
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POL 224 The Modern Middle East
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POL 427 War & Peace: Studies in Sectarian, Communal & Ethnic Conflicts

3. International Relations

* POL 130 Introduction to International Politics
* POL 131 Introduction to International Relations
* POL 230 Theories of International Relations
* POL 231 The Politics of International Terrorism
* POL 330 International Politics of South Asia
* POL 331 Pakistan’s Foreign Relations
* POL 430 Religion & World Politics
* POL 431 Global Politics of the Environment
* POL 432 Foreign Policy of Pakistan
* POL 232 Africa in the World System
* POL 332 Islam & the West
* POL 233 Understanding 9/11: How Some Events Structure Global Histories

4. Political Economy & Public Policy

* POL 340 IPE: States & Markets
* POL 240 Political Economy of Development & Underdevelopment
* POL 241 Foreign Aid, Governance & Development in Pakistan

5. Political Sociology & Political Anthropology

* POL 350 Political Sociology
* POL 450 Anthropology of the State
* POL 451 Peasant Societies & Their Movements



Political Science Faculty

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Ejaz Akram
*
Magid Shihade
*
Marie Lall
*
Mohammed Waseem
*
Mohammed Zahid
*
Parveen Akhtar
*
Rasul Bakhsh Rais
*
Taimur Rahman