You should find answers to the question of the nature and content of political science in the course of your studies at the University of Wuppertal and in particular in the basic module "Introduction to Political Science". So here are just a few brief remarks:

Political science describes and analyzes political reality. It deals with the regulation of human coexistence in communities, the distribution of power and competencies, the handling of social problems, institutions and norms.

The subject area of political science - politics - is not clearly outlined or unambiguously defined. On the contrary: there are numerous views on the nature of politics, and so a number of sometimes very different concepts of politics and the political can be found. You will therefore often encounter the three analytical dimensions of politics: polity (formal dimension: institutions and structures), politics (procedural dimension: procedures and processes) and policy (substantive dimension: policy outcomes in the various policy fields). Another approach to political reality is provided by the MINK scheme (power, interest, norms and communication as essential elements of politics).

The difficulty of clearly defining "politics" reveals a commonality with neighboring social sciences: Conditions and processes in the human social environment cannot always be described in unambiguous and uncontroversial terms. For many phenomena such as power, democracy, society, action, violence or war, there are various definitions on which no agreement can be reached. Reality can be viewed from different perspectives and with different interpretations. The formation and use of social and political science terms are therefore by no means trivial. For you, this means that you should describe the subject area as precisely as possible in presentations or written work and indicate which understanding of the term you are working with (and why).

In the course of your political science studies in Wuppertal, you will become familiar with various sub-disciplines and their respective working methods, fields of application and theoretical paradigms. However, it is advisable to read introductory literature on political science and academic journals in addition to the courses in order to gain a comprehensive insight into and feel for the subject. This may also help you to make a concrete career choice - not an easy decision in view of the diverse and qualified employment opportunities for political scientists.