Political Science: The Importance Of Political Education

Politics have always been present in human history. Put simply, politics are the actions associated with the governance of a group of humans. In the United States, when people hear ‘politics’ they probably just think of the two political parties, Democrats and Republicans, but it is much more complex and interesting than that. There are numerous types of governments, such as monarchies, dictatorships, and democracies. Suffice it to say though, politics has always been present in the human experience. From small tribes of hunter-gatherers in our earliest human history, to the kingdoms of old like the Egyptians or Babylonians, to the republic and, later, dictatorship of the Roman Empire, to the modern democratic republic present in the United States; politics is simply how humans choose to organize themselves and act as a collective.

Political Science was not academically recognized until the 1800s. Before that, Political Science was synonymous with Political Philosophy, which would guide rulers on how to govern their subjects (“Role of Politics”). Politics, as I understand, is the knowledge of the systems of government, the political activities and behavior of our society. I believe politics should be taught in school because many young adults have little understanding of our daily news and how our government operates. If students were taught how to be more principled, informed, and independent in their political thinking, perhaps our political system would be more