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American Government: Roots and Reform, 2018 Elections and Updates Edition, 13th edition

Published by Pearson (December 21, 2018) © 2019

  • Karen O'Connor American University
  • Larry J. Sabato University of Virginia

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For courses in American Government.

Understand American politics from past to present

American Government: Roots and Reform helps students view the issues facing the US today through a historical lens. By presenting coverage of the origins of American government in tandem with material on contemporary political structures and behaviors, authors Karen O'Connor and Larry Sabato help students see how what happened in the past can be used to understand what measures should be taken in the future.

The 2018 Elections and Updates Edition offers new narrative coverage of major events and issues including the 2018 midterm elections and the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

Hallmark features of this title

  • American Politics in Comparative Perspective features compare a particular aspect of US government to 2 or more countries.
  • Roots of and Toward Reform features highlight the importance of the history of American government as well as the dynamic cycle of reassessment and reform by which the US continues to evolve.
  • A focus on qualitative literacy helps students learn to analyze, interpret, synthesize and apply information from charts, graphs and other visual sources.
  • Key terms are defined throughout the text and again in a comprehensive glossary to help students identify new and important concepts.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: American Government: Roots and Reform has been revised and updated to include new material on the following topics:
    • President Trump's first 2 years in office, including his controversial cabinet appointments and the significant White House staff turnover
    • the 2018 midterm election results
    • Neil Gorsuch's replacement of Justice Scalia and Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to replace Justice Kennedy
    • the debate over gun control after the Parkland, FL shooting
    • the Women's March after Trump's inauguration, the #metoo movement, and the many public figures who have resigned due to allegations of sexual harassment and assault

Features of Revel for the 23rd Edition

Embedded videos  that illuminate key topics

  • Pearson Originals for Political Science videos illustrate complex political concepts like federalism, gerrymandering and executive action in a simplified and entertaining way.
  • Politics in Plain Sight videos show students how politics influences their daily activity, and help them see that politics is everywhere.
  • Newsclips and historical videos bring to life chapter content and key moments in American government.

Engaging content that fosters curiosity and learning

  • UPDATED: Current Events Bulletins bring currency into your classroom with author-written articles that connect key concepts with real-life current events. New or revised articles added regularly help students engage with the course.
  • Data-rich interactive maps, figures, and tables with Social Explorer technology let students interact with real data to explore the concepts they've just read about.
  • Enhanced historical images and political cartoons contain contextual “hotspots” highlighting details that students might otherwise miss.
PART I: FOUNDATIONS OF GOVERNMENT
1. American Government: Roots, Context, and Culture
2. The Constitution
3. The Federal System
4. Civil Liberties
5. Civil Rights
 
PART II: INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT
6. Congress
7. The Presidency
8. The Executive Branch and the Federal Bureaucracy
9. The Judiciary
 
PART III: POLITICAL BEHAVIOR
10. Public Opinion and Political Socialization
11. Political Parties
12. Campaigns, Elections and Voting
13. The News Media
14. Interest Groups
 
PART IV: PUBLIC POLICY
15. Domestic and Economic Policy
16. Foreign and Defense Policy

About our authors

Karen O'Connor is the Jonathan N. Helfat Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the Founder and Director Emerita of the Women & Politics Institute at American University. Before coming to American University, Professor O'Connor taught political science for 17 years at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she was the first woman to receive the university's highest teaching award. She has been recognized by several associations as the most outstanding woman in political science and public administration as well as by the Southern Political Science Association (SPSA) for her contributions to the discipline. She has served on the American Political Science Association (APSA) and SPSA councils and as chair of the Law and Courts and Women and Politics Research sections of the APSA.

Larry J. Sabato is the founder and director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. A Rhodes Scholar, Professor Sabato has taught more than tens of thousands of students in his career at Oxford University, Cambridge University and the University of Virginia. At the University of Virginia, he has received every major teaching award, including the university's highest honor, the Thomas Jefferson Award. In 2013, Professor Sabato won an Emmy award for the documentary Out of Order, which he produced to highlight the dysfunctional U.S. Senate. In 2014, he received a second Emmy award for the PBS documentary based on his New York Times bestseller The Kennedy Half-Century. Professor Sabato directs the Crystal Ball Web site, which has an unparalleled record of accuracy in predicting U.S. elections.

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