Synopses & Reviews
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS TODAY helps students experience the excitement that comes from active, informed citizenship. Schmidt, Shelley, and Bardes' landmark text is renowned nationwide for its balanced, unbiased, comprehensive, and up-to-date coverage of constitutional, governmental, political, social, and economic structures and processes. The overriding theme of the book is the importance of informed active citizenship, and the pedagogy underscores this theme by soliciting critical thinking about political issues and encouraging students to become involved the political process. With keen awareness of its audience, American Government and Politics Today incorporates current examples, the Internet, and other media to stimulate learning and excitement about American government. This truly interactive text gives students more than reading material; it gives them tools to become good citizens.
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"The chapter of congress is great, along with the chapters on the presidency and the courts."
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"The American Government and Politics Today text is laid out logically, its content and pedagogy are clear and comprehensive, and its ancillary package is impressively expansive."
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"I was introduced to American Government and Politics Today when it was adopted by the Department for use during a two year cycle. I simply fell in love with the depth, substance and logic of how the material was presented. ? I like the way that the chapters are organized and topics are addressed. Information is presented in a logical and easily understood manner. The photographs and illustrations help bring to life the topics that is being addressed and helps students understand better why the material is relevant to them and their families."
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"The book is one of the most thorough and comprehensive books I have seen in American Government. It is an excellent text."
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"(Schmidt is) an evolved textbook that covers the core content in an approachable and easily digestible format -- a good place to introduce students to both the dynamics and challenges of American style democracy and governance."
Synopsis
Go beyond the television newsrooms and the canned political speeches with AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS TODAY, 2007-2008. With up-to-date information and the inside track on public policy makers, this edition presents what you need to know about American politics in an easy-to-understand format. And, special sections on the impact of economics and foreign policy make this textbook particularly relevant in today's political climate.
Synopsis
Students are often hesitant to become involved in the political process, but American Government and Politics Today 2009-2010 Edition, 14e inspires readers to take action. The book uses intriguing examples and hands-on exercises to engage readers in the fascinating intricacies of American government -- including details from the recent presidential election. As it introduces concepts, it illustrates that active participation can be as simple as calling a local politician to share an opinion, registering to vote, or viewing a town council meeting on local access cable -- demonstrating how small steps can make a big difference.
About the Author
Steffen W. Schmidt is a professor of political science at Iowa State University. He grew up in Colombia, South America, and has studied in Colombia, Switzerland, and France. He has a B.A. from Rollins College and obtained his Ph.D. from Columbia University, New York, in public law and government. Schmidt has published fourteen books and over one hundred and thirty articles in scholarly journals and is the recipient of numerous prestigious teaching prizes, including the Amoco Award for Lifetime Career Achievement in Teaching and the Teacher of the Year award. He is a pioneer in the use of web-based and real-time video courses and is a member of the American Political Science Association's section on Computers and Multimedia. He is known as "Dr. Politics" for his extensive commentary on US politics in US and international media. He is a weekly blogger for Gannett, comments on CNN en Espanol and Univision as well as WNYC, New York. He's on Facebook (SteffenWSchmidt) and Twitter (DrPolitics). Mack C. Shelley, II is a professor of political science and statistics at Iowa State University. After receiving his bachelor's degree from American University in Washington, DC, he went on to graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he received a master's degree in Economics and a Ph.D. in Political Science. He arrived at Iowa State in 1979. From 1993 to 2002 he served as elected co-editor of the POLICY STUDIES JOURNAL. Shelley has also published numerous articles, books, and monographs on public policy, including THE PERMANENT MAJORITY: THE CONSERVATIVE COALITION IN THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS; BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE RESEARCH ENTERPRISE: A GUIDE TO THE LITERATURE (with William F. Woodman and Brian J. Reichel); AMERICAN PUBLIC POLICY: THE CONTEMPORARY AGENDA (with Steven G. Koven and Bert E. Swanson); and QUALITY RESEARCH IN LITERACY AND SCIENCE EDUCATION: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES AND GOLD STANDARDS (with Larry Yore and Brian Hand). Barbara A. Bardes is professor emerita of political science at the University of Cincinnati. She received her B.A. and M.A. from Kent State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati. She served as a faculty member in political science and dean of Mundelein College at Loyola University of Chicago. In 1993, she was appointed dean of Raymond Walters College of the University of Cincinnati, where she served until 2003. She returned to the political science department where she held the position of graduate director before retiring. Bardes has written articles on public and foreign policy, and women and politics. She also has co-authored DECLARATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE: WOMEN AND POLITICAL POWER IN 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN NOVELS, THINKING ABOUT PUBLIC POLICY, PUBLIC OPINION: MEASURING THE AMERICAN MIND, and AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS TODAY.
Table of Contents
?The text flows very well and I like the way the authors lead the students with a questioning style that uses the words ?why and how? frequently.??This is an outstanding book in so many ways I cannot begin to rank the strengths. The photos are outstanding and bring life to the material, layout is easy to read and pleasing to a generation of students who are accustomed to having information jump out at them with ease.??It is obvious right from the table of contents, that this book is a winner; it is comprehensive, up- to-date, well written and quite readable. It covers a broad array of topics, concepts, institutions, issues, eras, personalities and crusty facts and tidbits on American political life.?
?This is an excellent text for undergraduate survey courses in American government and politics ? one of the best on the market!??The book presented a fair depiction of events and themes, frequently pointed out areas of dispute, and both sides of the argument.?
?It is a good, balanced text with comprehensive coverage, good graphics, better than average accompanying materials/aids, and is written at an appropriate level.??The authors write fluidly and clearly. The text is engaging, informative and scholarly.?