Political science is the study of politics and government, including the different political systems, theories, ideologies, and practices that have evolved throughout history. Like any other field of study or discipline, it has its own set of rules regarding grammar and capitalization.
The question whether “political science” should be capitalized is not a simple one to answer. The general rule for capitalization in English states that proper nouns are capitalized while common nouns aren’t. However, this rule isn’t always applicable in special cases where certain terms can either be classified as proper or common depending on how they’re used in the context.
In some contexts, “political science” can be considered a proper noun because it refers specifically to a degree program offered at universities around the world. For instance:
– She graduated with honors from Harvard with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
– Clark chose to major in Political Science because he wants to work for international organizations such as the UN.
In these examples, you’ll note that “Political Science” appears with an uppercase P and S because it’s referring to a specific academic discipline rather than just politics in general.
However, if you’re discussing politics more broadly or using “political science” as an adjective modifying another noun (e.g., political science professor), it would typically not be capitalized since it does not refer to anything specific or unique:
– Jake reads about political science news every morning before going to work.
– We had a lively conversation with our neighbor who teaches political science at UT Austin.
While there isn’t an absolute definitive answer on whether ‘political’ followed by ‘science’ should generally appear together with uppercase letters (with variations among US standard usage vs British standards), American Grammar experts consistently agree that when “the” precedes “political science,” both initial words get lowercased unless again used otherwise.
For example:
He majored in history and political science at Penn University.
She was passionate about the history, politics and political science of the Middle East.
Additionally, some style guides are more specific about capitalizing compound terms that include “political science.” For instance, The Chicago Manual of Style recommends capitalizing it if it appears in a title or heading:
– Democratic Theory and Political Science
– Comparing Politics Across Borders: An Introduction to Comparative Political Science
However, you might not capitalize it if used less formally.
In conclusion, whether to capitalize “political science” isn’t as straightforward as many other technical areas. It depends on how it’s being written (as an academic degree or field program vs general discipline) stylistic guidelines from sources such as The Associated Press or MLA also offer guidance too. Nonetheless, lower case for an adjective-styled ‘political science’ is generally accepted for English language writing in all its forms.
Political science is a complex field of study that explores the workings and structures of governments and political systems. Its research areas can range from international relations, public policy, political theory to comparative politics.
Capitalization rules for “political science” are not always clear-cut because they depend on how it’s being used in context. In some circumstances, such as when referring to an academic program or degree offered by schools worldwide, “Political Science” would generally be capitalized. However, when referring to the general broader concept of politics or using ‘political science’ as an adjective modifying another noun (e.g., political science professor), it should be lowercase.
Regarding academic writing styles such as MLA or APA guidelines, writers are advised to check with their respective institutions for specific campus exceptions about capitalizing compound terms; this might include ‘political science.’
In cases where there is no clear convention provided by style guides or publications policies determine whether “political” followed by “science” should appear in full uppercase letters at all times while discussing something unique and standardized across academic lines (such as The Political Science Quarterly journal).
Overall best practices indicate consistency within whichever format one chooses – either title case (“Political Science”) vs standard convention(lowercased).
Regardless of usage writer’s personal preference may still influence capitalization choice- ultimately keep clarity in mind when deciding whether “political(a)ly” capitalize !