PEARSON EDUCATION American Government: Policy and Politics

Known for its extremely student-friendly, jargon-free style, the new edition of American Government: Policy and Politics introduces the essentials of American government in a way that any student can understand.   Public policy is emphasized throughout to show students the impact that government has on their lives. The text also offers an abundance of debate-style boxes and active learning exercises to involve and engage students in the course material and encourage them to become participants in their government. As a Longman Study Edition, this text includes a battery of chapter tests for student study and practice.  This edition features the results of the 2008 elections, and discussion of some of the hottest political issues of the day, such as immigration reform and the challenge posed by nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea. From the Back Cover Features:    “International Perspective” boxes in each chapter compare an aspect of our political system to those of another country. This feature not only helps students to appreciate the distinctiveness of our system, but it also helps them to increase their cross-cultural understanding and knowledge of the world. “Key Terms” in the text margins define important terms as students read them, facilitating student understanding. “What Is Your Opinion?” critical thinking questions placed throughout the running text motivate students to actively examine their own thoughts and opinions on topics in American government. “InPerson Learning” exercises at the end of each of each chapter are designed to get students engaged, involved in government and politics, and make them aware of the relevance of American government and politics in their lives.  Designed to work as projects the instructor assigns or students perform on their own, the activities ask the students to interview elected officials, examine recorded public policies, volunteer at a local nonprofit agency, and much more. The "Let's Debate" feature in every chapter promotes classroom discussion and serves as an excellent starting point for term papers by examining various sides of a provocative, relevant issue under debate in government and politics today.     New to this Edition:  Chapter 5 discusses the historic voter turnout in the 2008 presidential election, focusing on younger adults who provided the margin of victory for Barack Obama, and Chapter 6 looks at the political impact of new communications media such as YouTube and blogs.   Chapter 11 focuses on the challenges facing President Obama in reforming America’s healthcare system, while Chapter 14 describes the current economic crisis facing the nation and the efforts of the Bush and Obama administrations to address that crisis.   A new case study on the controversy over global warming illustrates some of the details of agenda setting.   Chapter 13 looks at the likely opportunity President Obama will have to affect the philosophical balance on the Supreme Court.   Chapter 3 includes a more comprehensive explanation of No Child Left Behind, and the Global Perspectives essay has been updated to focus on education policy.   Updated Global Perspectives essays cover a variety of topics including immigration policy, Civil Unions in Denmark, Islamic law in Nigeria, women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, healthcare in Canada, and church and state relations in Mexico.