Debating Democracy

Designed to accompany any American Government text, this engaging reader features a debate-style format that includes two readings per chapter--each representing opposing viewpoints. The unique format and current content give this book a distinct advantage over other readers. The seventh edition incorporates up-to-date chapter introductions and new debates on issues such as corporate spending in elections, same-sex marriage, and negative campaigning for a fresh look at the hot-button issues in modern American government.

Bruce Miroff earned his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. He teaches and writes in the areas of the presidency, American political theory, and American political development. He is the author of PRAGMATIC ILLUSIONS: THE PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS OF JOHN F. KENNEDY; ICONS OF DEMOCRACY: AMERICAN LEADERS AS HEROES, ARISTOCRATS, DISSENTERS, AND DEMOCRATS; and THE LIBERALS� MOMENT: THE MCGOVERN INSURGENCY AND THE IDENTITY CRISIS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. He regularly teaches an introductory lecture course on American Government and has received a teaching excellence award from SUNY Albany, where he is currently a professor.

Raymond Seidelman earned his Ph.D. at Cornell University in 1979; he was a professor of political science at Sarah Lawrence College and wrote DISENCHANTED REALISTS: POLITICAL SCIENCE AND THE AMERICAN CRISIS (1985), a much-discussed history of the discipline. His areas of specialization included elections, voting, and political theory.

Todd Swanstrom earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1981. Specializing in housing and urban policy, political economy, and metropolitan planning, he is co-author of PLACE MATTERS: METROPOLITICS FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY.