American Government and Politics Today, 2013-2014 Edition (American and Texas Government) - Softcover

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

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1133602134 ISBN 13: 9781133602132

Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing, 2013

Synopsis

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS TODAY is known nationwide for its balanced, unbiased, and up-to-date coverage of constitutional, governmental, political, social, and economic structures and their processes. It encourages readers to experience the excitement that comes with being an active, engaged, and informed citizen and provides them with the tools they need to get involved. This latest edition includes a variety of updates including in-depth coverage of the 2012 elections. This text is also available without policy chapters.

About this title

About the Author

Steffen W. Schmidt is a professor of political science at Iowa State University. He grew up in Colombia, South America, and has studied in Colombia, Switzerland, and France. He has a B.A. from Rollins College and obtained his Ph.D. from Columbia University, New York, in public law and government. Dr. Schmidt has published 14 books and over 130 articles in scholarly journals and is the recipient of numerous prestigious teaching prizes, including the Amoco Award for Lifetime Career Achievement in Teaching and the Teacher of the Year award. He is a pioneer in the use of web-based and real-time video courses and is a member of the American Political Science Association's section on Computers and Multimedia. He is known as "Dr. Politics" for his extensive commentary on U.S. politics in U.S. and international media. He is a weekly blogger for Gannett, and comments on CNN en Espanol and Univision as well as WNYC, New York. Dr. Schmidt is on Facebook (SteffenWSchmidt) and Twitter (DrPolitics).

Mack C. Shelley, II is a professor of political science and statistics at Iowa State University. After receiving his bachelor's degree from American University in Washington, DC, he went on to graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he received a master's degree in economics and a Ph.D. in political science. He arrived at Iowa State in 1979. From 1993 to 2002 he served as elected co-editor of the Policy Studies Journal. Shelley has also 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).

Barbara A. Bardes is professor emerita of political science at the University of Cincinnati. She received her B.A. and M.A. from Kent State University and her Ph.D. from 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 Raymond Walters College of the University of Cincinnati, where she served until 2003. She returned to the political science department where she held the position of graduate director before retiring. Bardes has written articles on public and foreign policy, and women and politics. She also has 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.

Lynne E. Ford is Associate Provost for Curriculum and Academic Administration and professor of political science at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. 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. Ford's teaching and research interests include women and politics, elections and voting behavior, political psychology, and civic engagement. She has written articles on women in state legislatures, the under-representation of women in political office in the American South, and work-family policy in the United States. She has also authored WOMEN AND POLITICS: THE PURSUIT OF EQUALITY and THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WOMEN AND AMERICAN POLITICS. Ford served as department chair for eight years and she has led a number of campus-wide initiatives including general education reform, faculty compensation, and civic engagement.

Review

"The Schmidt textbook is engaging. It offers a careful study of American government while educative and well organized."

"A well written, comprehensive look at the foundations of government and the current challenges that we face as our country evolves. . . . The authors do a good job of explaining concepts and theories."

"Good coverage of the issues regarding gender, race, disability issues. Sparks great conversations in my classes. . . . The reason I use this text is the examples/context provided for abstract theories and the topical critical essays."

Edition details

• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1133602134
• ISBN 13: 9781133602132
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 704