Karen O’Connor • Larry J. Sabato

Written with the belief that students must first understand how American government has evolved to fully understand our nation and the issues facing it today, the 2006 Election Update of American Government: Continuity and Change continues to offer students a rich historical perspective complemented by complete coverage of the 2006 midterm elections and the most up-to-date scholarship available in any text for the American government course.

NEW TO THIS EDITION

• In-depth and updated coverage throughout of the 2006 midterm campaigns and elections, the war in Iraq, the latest Supreme Court decisions, an analysis of “Red and Blue” America, the changing role of the media, and topics that have been subject to ongoing, impassioned debates, such as the assault weapons ban, gay rights, the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, and affirmative action.
• New The Living Constitution boxes appear in every chapter. These boxes excerpt and explain a portion of the Constitution relevant to that chapter’s topic and examine why that article, section, or amendment was important to the Framers and continues to be important today.
• An Annotated Constitution of the United States appears between Chapters 2 and 3. The Constitution is integrated with a detailed primer that examines the meaning and context of its most significant language. This feature helps give students a deep understanding of what the Constitution says, why it includes the text it does, and what role this seminal document plays in our lives today.
• On Campus boxes now appear in most chapters and continue to focus on the political issues of greatest interest to college students.

MyPoliSciLab

Welcome to MyPoliSciLab, where participation leads to action!

MyPoliSciLab is a state-of-the-art, interactive and instructive online solution for the introduction to American government course. Designed to be used as a supplement to a traditional lecture course, or completely administer an online course, MyPoliSciLab combines multimedia, tutorials, simulations, tests, and quizzes to make teaching and learning fun!

What Students Are Saying About Online Exams and Quizzes:

“I love it. I keep trying until I get a perfect grade and after a couple of times you know the content like the back of your hand!”

“I liked being able to view the results of the quizzes immediately instead of having to wait for them to be graded by the instructor.”

What Students Are Saying About Online Activities:

“The activities were my favorite part of the course. They took a different approach to an interesting subject and made it more applicable to real-life situations. This made the subject seem even more real than before.”

“I think they are a great tool to get students to interact with the material in a way you couldn’t really do in class.”

Visit us at www.ablongman.com/polisci

Karen O’Connor is the Jonathan N. Helfat Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the founder and Director of the Women and Politics Institute at American University.  Professor O'Connor has written, co-authored, and edited several books, including Gendering American Politics and Women, Politics, and American Society.  She currently serves as president-elect of the Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association.

Larry J. Sabato is a University Professor and the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, and serves as the Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.  His over 20 books include Divided States of America: The Slash and Burn Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election, Get in the Booth: A Citizen’s Guide to the 2006 Midterm Elections, and the upcoming SIxth Year Itch: The Rise and Fall of the George W. Bush Presidency.

I. FOUNDATIONS OF GOVERNMENT.

1. The Political Landscape.

2. The Constitution.

3. Federalism.

4. State and Local Government.

5. Civil Liberties.

6. Civil Rights.

II. INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT.

7. Congress.

8. The Presidency.

9. The Executive Branch and the Federal Bureaucracy.

10. The Judiciary.

III. POLITICAL BEHAVIOR.

11. Political Socialization and Public Opinion.

12. Political Parties.

13. Voting and Elections.

14. The Campaign Process.

15. The Media.

16. Interest Groups.

IV. PUBLIC POLICY.

17. Social Welfare Policy.

18. Economic Policy.

19. Foreign and Defense Policy.

Appendices.

The Declaration of Independence.

Federalist No. 10. 

Federalist No. 51.

Presidents, Congresses, and Chief Justices: 1789-2006.