American Government and Politics Today, 2017-2018 Edition,
18th Edition

Lynne E. Ford, Barbara A. Bardes, Steffen W. Schmidt, Mack C. Shelley

ISBN-13: 9781337093224
Copyright 2018 | Published
720 pages | List Price: USD $164.95

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS TODAY is known nationwide for its balanced, unbiased, and modern coverage of constitutional, governmental, political, social, and economic structures and their processes. The book provides the knowledge that allows you to make informed choices, encourages you to play an active role in the decision-making process, and promotes your participation in the world around you by giving you the tools you need to get involved. MindTap for American Government, Cengage Learning's fully online learning solution, is available and fully integrated with this text.

Purchase Enquiry INSTRUCTOR’S eREVIEW COPY

Part I: THE AMERICAN SYSTEM.
1. One Republic -- Two Americas?
2. The Constitution.
3. Federalism.
Part II: CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES.
4. Civil Liberties.
5. Civil Rights.
Part III: PEOPLE AND POLITICS.
6. Public Opinion and Political Socialization.
7. Interest Groups.
8. Political Parties.
9. Campaigns, Voting, and Elections.
10. The Media and Politics.
Part IV: POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS.
11. The Congress.
12. The President.
13. The Bureaucracy.
14. The Courts.
Part V: PUBLIC POLICY.
15. Domestic Policy.
16. Economic Policy.
17. Foreign Policy and National Security.
Part VI: STATE AND LOCAL POLITICS.
18. State and Local Government.

  • Lynne E. Ford

    Lynne E. Ford is associate vice president for the academic experience and professor of political science at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. She served as associate provost for curriculum and academic administration for five years, was department chair for eight years and led a number of campuswide initiatives, including general education reform, faculty compensation and civic engagement. With teaching and research interests in women and politics, elections and voting behavior, political psychology and civic engagement, Dr. Ford has written articles on women in state legislatures, the underrepresentation of women in political office in the American South and work-family policy in the United States. She also authored WOMEN AND POLITICS: THE PURSUIT OF EQUALITY and THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WOMEN AND AMERICAN POLITICS. She received her B.A. from The Pennsylvania State University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in government and political behavior from the University of Maryland-College Park.

  • Barbara A. Bardes

    Barbara A. Bardes is professor emerita of political science at 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 the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash, serving until 2003. She returned to the Political Science Department, where she held the position of graduate director before retiring. In addition to writing articles on public and foreign policy and women and politics, Dr. Bardes 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. She received her B.A. and M.A. from Kent State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati.

  • Steffen W. Schmidt

    Steffen W. Schmidt is the Lucken Professor Emeritus of political science at Iowa State University. He has published 14 books and over 130 articles in scholarly journals and major newspapers. His numerous teaching honors include the Amoco Award for Lifetime Career Achievement in Teaching and Teacher of the Year. He is a pioneer in the use of web-based and real-time video courses, a founding member of the American Political Science Association's section on Computers and Multimedia, and a founding member of the USSTRATCOM academic alliance. Known as "Dr. Politics" for his extensive commentary on U.S. politics in both U.S. and international media, he comments on CNN en Español and Univision as well as CTV Canada Cable TV. Dr. Schmidt grew up in Colombia, South America, and studied in Colombia, Switzerland, the United States and France. He received a B.A. from Rollins College and a Ph.D. in public law and government from Columbia University, New York. Dr. Schmidt is on Facebook (SteffenWSchmidt) and Twitter (DrPolitics).

  • Mack C. Shelley

    Mack C. Shelley II is a professor of political science and statistics at Iowa State University, where he arrived in 1979. Currently chair of the Department of Political Science, he conducts policy research in a number of areas funded by grants and contracts. From 1993 to 2002 he served as elected co-editor of the POLICY STUDIES JOURNAL. In addition, Dr. Shelley has 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). He received his bachelor’s degree from American University in Washington, D.C., and both his master’s degree in economics and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

  • This edition has been substantially revised and updated to include the 2016 national elections and recent data, issues, and engaging examples of politics, politicians, and policies.

  • In response to reviewers, Chapter 10: The Media and Politics has been significantly revised. This chapter puts a strong emphasis on the way social media connects individuals to one another and with ideas and political leaders.

  • "Politics in Practice" features appear in each chapter and focus on making politics and people taking political action visible to students by highlighting examples from popular culture and current events. In Chapter 2, the feature highlights the impact of the Broadway musical Hamilton. In Chapter 5, it shows the power of students to change the racial climate on their campus through protest. The feature is designed to enhance student interest by identifying a person or group of people who took on an issue and made a difference.

  • An "Election 2016" feature has been added to every chapter. Within the context of each chapter's focus, this feature guides students to think about the ways an election can change American politics or reinforce the status quo.

  • Greater attention has been paid to gender issues throughout the text, as suggested by reviewers. New material is included on the historic candidacy of Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Equal Pay Act, and the Lilly Ledbetter Act, as well as updated coverage of women's rights and gender equality, gender and racial discrimination, and the pay gap.

  • Tables and figures have been updated and the results of the 2016 election are included.

  • Recent court decisions on marriage equality and immigration, as well as foreign policy issues like the violence in Syria and the refugee crisis, are integrated into the appropriate chapters to ensure that the book addresses the most timely political events and topics.

  • Within the context of each chapter's focus, an "Election 2016" feature guides students to think about the ways an election can change American politics or reinforce the status quo.

  • "What if... ?" questions prompt lively classroom discussion and encourage students to apply critical-thinking skills to current, real-life issues.

  • "Beyond Our Borders" features give students both global and comparative context, covering topics related to key issues such as economic globalization, foreign elections, citizenship, immigration, and foreign lobbying.

  • Learning objectives begin each chapter and highlight the most important content, concepts and skills.

  • Most chapters include a social media screen capture that poses a critical-thinking question. This feature challenges students to apply chapter content to the real world.

  • End-of-chapter summaries link back to a Learning Objective to test student understanding of the topics at hand.

Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

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