American Government: Stories of a Nation, Essentials Edition - Softcover

Abernathy, Scott F.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1452287309 ISBN 13: 9781452287300

Publisher: CQ Press, 2017

Synopsis

Real People. Real Stories. Real Politics.

Politics involves people, from many backgrounds, struggling to make their voices heard. Real people, telling their stories, reflect our ideals, choices, and collective experiences as a nation. In American Government: Stories of a Nation, author Scott Abernathy tunes in to these voices, showing how our diverse ideas shape the way we participate and behave, the laws we live by, and the challenges we face. Each chapter features real stories illustrating how the American political system is the product of strategies, calculations, and miscalculations of countless individuals.

Students learn the nuts and bolts of political science through these compelling stories. Learning concepts in context is a tested learning technique that works to help ideas stick. The key concepts are memorable because they are tied to real politics, where students see political action and political choices shaping how institutions advance or impede the fulfillment of fundamental ideas. Not only will all students see themselves reflected in the pages, but they will come to understand that they, too, are strategic players in American politics, with voices that matter.

Just like the Full version, The Essentials edition is perfect for instructors who don’t wish to cover the last three chapters on policy.

About this title

About the Author:

Scott Abernathy was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. While an undergraduate at Dartmouth College, he volunteered for three months with Mother Theresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India.

After graduation, hoping to do service work closer to home, Scott worked as an on-street counselor with homeless adolescents in Boston, MA, with The Bridge, a non-profit multi-service youth agency.

Scott then received a Master of Curriculum and Instruction and taught fourth and seventh grades in Wisconsin public schools. Hoping to learn more about the underlying systems that drove the educational outcomes he was trying to change, Scott completed an M.P.A in domestic policy and then a Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton University.

Scott is now an associate professor of Political Science and a University Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Minnesota. He is also the author of School Choice and the Future of American Democracy and No Child Left Behind and the Public Schools, both from University of Michigan Press. 

While Scott says that being a “streetworker” was the most transforming job he has ever had, this textbook, and the chance to teach students--not in a subway stop, a squat, or a classroom, but through writing--is pretty cool as well. 

Review:

"Abernathy′s American Government: Stories of a Nation is a text which effectively uses a narrative approach to present both the nuts and bolts of how government works in America, as well as weaving that content into the fabric of students′ lives. Students are drawn into the stories, would find them compelling and interesting, and would want to learn more. It would excite students about government in America, which is a virtue in and of itself, as often students find the subject boring or politics as unrelated to their lives. This narrative structure better demonstrates to students that politics are vital and important to them, embeds the content into their minds, and engages them in critical thinking and questioning. A welcome addition to the field." Author: Jeneen Hobby

"I think this approach is amazing." Author: Karen McCurdy

"The book has ‘energy’. It engages the student while providing the fundamentals of American Government." Author: Patricia Bodelson

"A refreshing change of pace." Author: Kevin Davis, North Central Texas College

"Well-written, detailed, comprehensive." Author: Richardson Dilworth

"A very comprehensive American government text that seeks, identifies and accomplishes the task of understanding American government and its associated principles in a clear and cogent manner." Author: Frederick Gordon

"The student is treated as a serious reader without pretentious jargon." Author: Greg Granger

"This narrative-style textbook functions as a powerful medium of learning, development, and transformation. It will help our students improve their critical thinking skills." Author: Homer Guevara

"Very timely, readable, and thorough." Author: Therese M. Hammond

"This book not only conveys important information about how the U.S. political system works, but is actually enjoyable to read." Author: Melissa Merry

About this edition

• Publisher: CQ Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1452287309
• ISBN 13: 9781452287300
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 696