Political Science 

Search for articles across multiple political science databases simultaneously (beta release)

Need some help beginning your research?  Check these suggested titles for guidance on the basics of formulating and developing your topics in the field of political science.

The Curious Researcher : A Guide to Writing Research Papers (5th edition) by Bruce Ballenger - ref LB2369 .B246 2007

Doing Research in Political Science : An Introduction to Comparative Methods and Statistics by Paul Pennings, Hans Keman, and Jan Kleinnijenhuis - JA71 .P395 1999

The Essentials of Political Analysis by Philip H. Pollock III - JA86 .P65 2003 

Political Research : An Introduction by Lisa Harrison - JA86 .H35 2001

Political Science Student Writer's Manual (3rd edition) by Gregory Scott and Stephen Garrison - JA86 .S39 2000

Research Methods for Political Science : Quantitative and Qualitative Methods by David E. McNabb - JA71.5 .M35 2004

Style Manual for Political Science, published by the American Political Science Association - ref desk JA86 .A52 2001

Thomson Nelson Guide to Research and Writing in Political Science by Lucille Charlton and Mark Charlton - JA86 .C42 2006

Writing a Research Paper in Political Science : A Practical Guide to Inquiry, Structure, and Methods by Lisa A. Baglione - JA86 .B34 2007 

Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull (1756-1843) was commissioned by the United States Senate in 1817 and purchased two years later.  Interestingly, Trumbull had been a soldier during the Revolutionary War and served as an aide-de-camp to George Washington,  The painting does not depict the actual signing of the Declaration but the presentation of the initial draft to the Continental Congress by an appointed committee of five members.  This group included Thomas Jefferson (principal author of the draft), Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman.  The painting, measuring 18' by 12', was placed in the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. in 1826.  Declaration of Independence is now the familiar scene depicted on the reverse of the two-dollar bill. 

Interested in further information on this painting and its artist, see--

     AMERICANREVOLUTION.ORG - Website providing the story of the painting with an identifying index of each individual portrayed in the artwork

     John Trumbull, Patriot-Artist of the American Revolution by Irma B. Jaffe - ND237 .T8 J33

     The Works of Colonel John Trumbull, Artist of the American Revolution by Theodore Sizer - ND237 .T8 S5 1967

If you are a student of political science, researcher, or just a political science enthusiast, you may be curious about the letters and numbers attached to the books and other items in our collection.  We, as librarians, refer to these designations as call numbers and use these letters/numbers to arrange items on the shelves.  The letters are known as the Library of Congress classification system.  This system was first developed in the late nineteenth century by the Library of Congress in order to organize book collections at the Library.  Over the years, this classification has been adopted by other libraries, especially academic libraries in the United States, as the standard way to classify their holdings.  The Library of Congress classification plan is the system used at Boise State Library.  If you know the title, author, or subject of a needed book, DVD, etc., we highly recommend that you first search the Albertsons Library's catalog to locate the call number.  If, however, you just wish to browse the shelves for what is available on your particular subject, you may be interested as to what letter represents.  The following is a list of these classification letters and their designations--

J              Official Documents

JA            Political Science (General)

JC            Political Theory

JF            Political Institutions & Public Administration

JJ            Political Institutions & Public Administration (North America)

JK            Political Institutions & Public Administraton (United States)

JL            Political Institutions & Public Administration (Canada, Latin America, etc.)

JN            Political Institutions & Public Administration (Europe)

JQ            Political Institutions & Public Administration (Asia, Africa, Pacific
                Area, Australia, etc.)

JS            Local Government & Municipal Government

JV           Colonies/Colonization, Emigration/Immigration 

K             Law (General)/Comparative & Uniform Law/Jurisprudence

KB          Religious Law (General)/Comparative Religious Law

KBM       Jewish Law

KBP        Islamic Law

KBR        History of Canon Law

KBU        Law of the Roman Catholic Church

KD          Law - United Kingdom & Ireland

KDZ        Law - America/North America

KE           Law - Canada

KF           Law - United States

KFI          Law - Idaho

KG           Law - Latin America/Mexico & Central America/West Indies/
                Caribbean Area

KH           Law - South America

KJ-KKZ   Law - Europe

KL-KWX  Law - Asia & Eurasia/Africa/Pacific Area/Antarctica

KZ            Law of Nations

If you're interested in a more detailed description of the classification system, you can visit Library of Congress Classification Online and select the appropriate class (letter).     

The following titles are suggested readings on the subjects of political science, political philosophy, and political theory.  It is definitely selective but hopefully will serve as a starting point for further inquiry.

Aristotle’s Politics (translated by Benjamin Jowett) - JC71 .A41 J6 1943

The Challenge of Politics : An Introduction to Political Science by Neal Riemer, Douglas W. Simon, and Joseph Romance - JA66 .R498 2003 

Contemporary Political Thought : A Reader and Guide, edited by Alan Finlayson - JA71 .C586 2003

Gender in Political Theory by Judith Squires - HQ1190 .S685 2000

Great Political Thinkers : Plato to the Present (6th edition) by William Ebenstein and Alan Ebenstein - JA81 .E18 2000

Key Concepts in Politics by Andrew Heywood - JA66 .H49 2000

Methods for Political Inquiry : The Discipline, Philosophy, and Analysis of Politics, edited by Stella Z. Theodoulou, Rory O’Brien - JA66 .U54 1999 

A New Handbook of Political Science, edited by Robert Goodin and Hans-dieter Klingemann - JA66 .N49 1996

A Novel Approach to Politics : Introducing Political Science Through Media and Popular Culture by Douglas A. Van Belle and  Kenneth M. Mash - JA66 .V28 2007

The Oxford Handbook of Political Economy, edited by Barry R. Weingast and Donald A. Wittman - HB171 .O915 2006 

The Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions, edited by R.A.W. Rhodes, Sarah A. Binder and Bert A. Rockman - JF51 .O95 2006

Political Science : The Science of Politics, edited by Herbert F. Weisberg - JA35 1983

The Political Thought of Plato and Aristotle by E. Barker - JC73 .B3

The Prince and The Discourses  by Niccolò Machiavelli - JC143 .M38 1940

A Student’s Guide to Political Philosophy by Harvey C. Mansfield - JA71 .M36 2001