Synopses & Reviews
Brief, accessible, and sophisticated, ANALYZING POLITICS, Sixth Edition, presents a clear outline of the discipline of political science and helps students understand the practical and immediate uses of applying analytical approaches to the study of politics. This text is notable for its early coverage of methods and theory and the use of a case study approach--introduced and used to acquire in-depth information about a particular subject while also pointing to its limitations. While the text covers fundamental concepts with contemporary, political examples, discussions of feminism and environmentalism offer a distinct departure from other texts and a unique opportunity to professors and students of political science. The Sixth Edition incorporates a new theme: It introduces the reader to some ways in which political science evaluates and seeks to unravel some of the complexities of 21st century politics. Because politics is rarely straightforward, students of political science need to be prepared for surprises, surprises so multilayered that they can be conceptualized as puzzles or riddles. The new edition confronts these complexities directly and brings them into every chapter of the book.
Review
"[The three most important factors that led me to select this text were] "1) accessibility/readability 2) coverage of topics 3) engaging in style - I like the examples used to 'hook' students' interest."-Jody Neathery-Castro, University of Nebraska-Omaha
Review
"I love the text . . . I love the approach of this text . . . [regarding the CO] I . . . like the fact that the author poses really good questions. Then, the author answers those questions in the text. AWESOME! The Concept Summary and Concept in Depth Boxes are very useful and are well done. The end-of-chapter summaries are great. [regarding Chapter 4] I absolutely LOVE this Chapter and I hope you don't change it! It's perfect as currently presented and is what sparked me to select this text six years ago. [regarding Chapter 5] In my humble opinion, this Chapter [5], along with Chapter 4 and Chapter 6 anchors the entire book. I simply love Chapters 4, 5 and 6 completely.
About the Author
Ellen Grigsby (Ph. D., University of North Carolina, 1987) has been a faculty member in the Department of Political Science at the University of New Mexico since 1991. She teaches a broad range of political science classes, including classes in political theory and applied internships.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction. 2. Political Science and Scientific Methods in Studying Politics. 3. Key Concepts in Political Science. 4. Political Theory: Examining the Ethical Foundations of Politics. 5. Political Ideologies I: Liberalism, Conservatism, and Socialism. 6. Political Ideologies II: Fascism. 7. Political Ideologies III: Feminism, Environmentalism, and Postmodernism. 8. Comparative Politics I: Democracy and Non-democracy. 9. Comparative Politics II: Interest Groups, Political Parties, Elections, and Media. 10. Comparative Politics III: Governing Democracies: Executives, Legislatures, and Judiciaries. 11. International Relations I: Analyzing Recent and Contemporary Events in International Politics. 12. International Relations II: Contemporary Issues.