The Political

Political Science as a Program of learning produces three important things, among other possibilities: Statesmen, Political Scientists, and Political Theorists/Philosophers.

The first enter what career people would call, 'the industry.'  Government, the world of politics itself, local or international, NGOs involved in advocacies.  Some would apply their skills in interfaces of the disciplines, some become journalists, some become economists, etc.

The latter two, Political Scientists and Political Theorists are two sides of the same coin.  Scholars of political knowledge.  They are either in Universities (Universities being institutions that produce knowledge through discoveries by their scholars) or in Think Tanks (research institutes who lend their findings to practical use in the industry, some universities also do this, some).

I'd like to clarify though that Political Scientists and Political Theorists are one.  They are two sides of the same coin, but none can reject the other.  Anyone who has read the History of Our Discipline will understand this.  They are both political science scholars.

Writing papers train those who are in the discipline in the scholarly act of production of knowledge.

Hence if one is a scientist or a theorist, what makes one's object of study political?

The object of study is the thing being studied.  A lot of things in this world touch on the political.  It is best to ensure that the object of study is the political one, not the other discipline.

Take, for example, my researches.  I study a lot of solid waste management topics.  The environment is an advocacy of mine.  Solid waste management is a topic of application.  But as a political science scholar, my object of study is usually institutions.

That should give a clue.  Political things fall under the topics of every branch of the discipline.  These are the groupings or sub-disciplines.

Political Institutions
Political Behavior

These two, especially local, are easiest to do because of ease of access.

Unlike if one decides to study political institutions or political behavior of states other than one's own.

If one extends them to the international environment. international political systems are institutions, and international relations are behaviors of states.  International relations theorizing is, of course, political theory or political philosophy.  One can also do political theorizing locally (just make sure you know the process).

Another pair that so many tend to choose is Public Administration and Public Policy.  Both are also good objects of study.

Note that depending on the general object of the study, the framework and method will have to be aligned to it.

Those are very broad topics though.  it is best to zero in on a specific topic within.  It can either be:

• a phenomenon (a political event that is happening, or has happened which is worth looking into).
• a person
• a process
• a concept (these usually become the names of phenomena, sometimes, names of ideas)  e.g.  corruption is a phenomenon.  Spoliatory politics is both the name of a phenomenon and an idea.  Climate justice is a concept as the name of an idea.)
• a principle or theory or law, these are all similar.  They vary in terms of strength.  Gender equality is a principle.  Having a less corrupt government requires more women in congress is a theory.  Perpetual Peace by Kant is a Law

Take for example political behavior.  What concepts are there?  

E.g.  Political Articulation, Political Aggregation, Social Capital as used in Politics, Political Engagement...

Hence, one can study gender rights.  But note, gender rights can either be social or political.  If the focus is on political mobilization to uphold gender rights.  Then it's political.  But if it's simply gender rights as portrayed in Sitio Bamban, in Province X.  Then that's sociology. 

Best place to look is the sub topics of the syllabus of the course which you excel or the course that you actually like in the discipline.