Synopses & Reviews
The most popular book for this course, TEXAS POLITICS TODAY offers a wide range of viewpoints from multiple authors, each a recognized authority on the Lone Star State. The new edition encourages critical thinking and civic participation with ideas for how to get involved, questions to debate, and current event-based essays throughout. Its rich, nuanced presentations of current issues such as diversity, immigration, redistricting, and the 2010 elections provide a realistic picture of the Texas political system and decision-making processes. Packed with instructional help and up-to-the-minute information, TEXAS POLITICS TODAY, 2011-2012 Edition, provides a thorough, candid analysis of government that not only increases your awareness of state policy and its effect on your life but also motivates you to get politically involved.
Review
"TEXAS POLITICS TODAY is one of the best textbooks available if not the best. . . . I first used the Maxwell and Crain text in my class in 1991 and eighteen years later it is still my favorite Texas Government book on the market and I think offers the most to my students. . . . The greatest strength of TEXAS POLITICS TODAY is in its parsimonious presentations of the material in an organized fashion that allows students to grasp the larger themes, but not get bogged down in the details. The text is also bright and colorful with . . . interesting snippets, all designed to pique reader interest and I think it does a very good job at doing so." - Brian Farmer, Amarillo College
Review
"[TEXAS POLITICS TODAY] is incredibly well organized, readable, and interesting. I think it will be a great resource for students, and make teaching the course easy for instructors. The materials at the end of each chapter are great study aids for students, in my experience."- Mel Laracey, University of Texas at San Antonio
About the Author
William Earl Maxwell is a professor emeritus at San Antonio College, where he has taught courses in U.S. and Texas government since 1971. Throughout his career Maxwell has focused on innovative teaching techniques and improving the teaching and learning environments for students. As part of that effort, in 1975 Maxwell co-authored UNDERSTANDING TEXAS POLITICS, his first text on Texas government. He also co-authored such texts as POLITICS IN TEXAS and THE CHALLENGE OF TEXAS POLITICS: TEXT WITH READINGS. He completed his undergraduate and graduate work at Sam Houston State University. A thirty-five year veteran instructor of political science, Ernest Crain specializes in political party competition, comparative state politics, and Texas public policy. Crain co-authored UNDERSTANDING TEXAS POLITICS, POLITICS IN TEXAS, THE CHALLENGE OF TEXAS POLITICS, and four editions of INTRODUCTION TO TEXAS POLITICS. Crain received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Texas in Austin. Adolfo Santos is the chair of the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Houston-Downtown and Associate Professor of Political Science. Dr. Santos received a Ph.D. from the University of Houston in 1998. He is the author of DO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS REWARD THEIR FUTURE EMPLOYERS?: EVALUATING THE REVOLVING DOOR SYNDROME. He also writes about Hispanic representation in the U.S. Congress and the Texas legislature.
Table of Contents
"I really like this book! I advocate for this book each time we review textbooks because it is very well written. It is clear and concise and overall factually correct. There are many elements of this text that I have incorporated into my lectures because they clearly define the issues and present the material in an intelligent way.""Very simply, I am very impressed with the approach, balance, choice of statistical materials, and after-chapter essays in the Maxwell text. There is much attention to detail that is impressive, indeed. The greatest strengths are as follows: focus and organization (the chapter on 'law and due process' is a refreshing addition); overall design (excellent choices of photographs, tables, figures, cartoons, boxes); style of writing; choice of after-chapter essays. . . . [The organization of the text] is the best that I have seen. . . . There is a nicer 'temporal' balance in the Maxwell text that shows Texas in historical perspective, especially with respect to political development, and there is a richer discussion of current issues like immigration and redistricting. . . . I am very impressed indeed with the Maxwell text and on balance think that it is the best text on Texas government and politics that I have seen. No other text comes as close to the way I have focused and organized my course over the last thirty years. For the reasons stated above I think that the authors, editors, contributors are all to be commended. I intend, in fact, to recommend this text to those who make the text decision next spring.""The feedback I get from my students is that TEXAS POLITICS TODAY is informative, readable, current, and easy to follow.""[TEXAS POLITICS TODAY'S] approach is more 'fair and balanced.' Well-written--[the] text is at a level that most students can understand and it moves along well. Lots of good graphics, photos, and occasional political cartoons. The essays that are regularly updated help to emphasize that the book is up-to-date and current. . . . [They include] excellent choices of topics that touch on key aspects of Texas politics. . . . The book reads exceptionally well and it has great graphics and other reader aids. Anyone seeking an easy-to-read mainstream text, with lots of bells and whistles in terms of instructional aids for both students and instructors, that is packed with up-to-the-minute information (included as boxed inserts or as multicolor charts, graphs, and tables) along with the added bonus of end-of-chapter essays that will stir thought and discussion, should be happy with the new edition of this time-proven text.""This text is very complete, clearly written, includes all relevant information and very up-to-date. . . . This is a very good text on a subject that can often be boring and lethargic to students. Highly recommended!"