The American Democracy, Alternate Edition, with PowerWeb - Softcover

Patterson, Thomas E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0072989300 ISBN 13: 9780072989304

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2004

Synopsis

In the two years that have passed since the first edition of "The American Democracy" was published, the US has witnessed a large amount of conflict, both at home (the Thomas hearings, the Los Angeles riots, and continued economic uncertainty) and abroad (the collapse of communism, the Persian Gulf War, and the rise of economic conflict with Japan). This new edition aims to help students keep pace with the changing world, by challenging them to think about how today's issues affect the institutions and processes of government in the US. Global perspectives are presented in "How the US Compares" boxes, and more than 100 "Analyze the Issues" inserts appear throughout, allowing students to develop critical thinking skills by questioning their own attitudes about current political issues. A series of brief essays in a debate format ("Dialogues"), written by leading political scientists, appear at the end of each of the text's seven parts to stimulate student thought. Focus points, which appear at the beginning of each chapter, act as a road map helping students recognize the important themes and concepts of each chapter. In this new edition, the chapter on US foreign and defence policy now stresses a greater emphasis on the economic dimensions of national security. There is coverage of international trade, the European Community, Japan, global competitiveness, the Middle East, and so on. Retianing the same chapter organization, the second edition features a new appendix on the state and local politics, and two new box programmes ("The Media and the People" and "Critical Thinking").

About this title

About the Author:

Thomas E. Patterson is Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He was previously distinguished professor of political science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship at Syracuse University. Raised in a small Minnesota town near the Iowa and South Dakota borders, he was educated at South Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota, where he received his Ph.D. in 1971. Currently running the "Vanishing Voter" study at the Kennedy School of Government, which has been widely used in the media and on college campuses, Tom is also the author of six books and dozens of articles, which focus primarily on the media and elections. His book, 'Out of Order'(1994), received national attention when President Clinton said every politician and journalist should be required to read it. An earlier book, 'The Mass Media Election'(1980), received a 'Choice' award as Outstanding Academic Book, 1980-81. Another of Patterson's books, 'The Unseeing Eye'(1976), was recently selected by the American Association for Public Opinion Research as one of the fifty most influential books of the past half century in the field of public opinion. His current research includes a study of White House communication and a study of the news media's role in Western democracies. His work has been funded by major grants from the National Science Foundation, the Markle Foundation, the Smith-Richardson Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

About this edition

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0072989300
• ISBN 13: 9780072989304
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 519