Principles and Practice of American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings

Book Overview

Combining timeless readings with cutting-edge articles and essays, Principles and Practice of American Politics, Seventh Edition, enriches your understanding of the American political system by examining the strategic behavior of key players in U.S. politics. This collection of classic and contemporary readings brings concepts to life by providing you with real examples of how political actors are influenced by the strategies of others and are governed by the Constitution, the law, and institutional rules. Carefully edited by award-winning authors Samuel Kernell and Steven S. Smith, each reading is put into context to help you understand how political actions fall within a major national political forum.

New to the Seventh Edition

Nine new and updated essays encourage you to reflect on the continuing debates over the polarization of the American electorate and Congress, the role of social media and "fake news" in influencing public views of politicians and issues, the fragile Trump coalition, the efficacy of polling in tracking public opinion, and other issues more relevant than ever in the wake of the 2016 elections. Additional essays challenge you to think more carefully about alternative institutions and political arrangements. The new essays present institutions of majority rule, the nature of racial discrimination, and the proper role of the court as less settled issues that provide students an opportunity to think through (and discuss) their views on the future direction of American civic life. Each selection is artfully framed by Kernell and Smith's contextual headnotes to make them appropriate for classroom use. Original readings written specifically for the volume give the book a coherent treatment of the performance of U.S. political institutions.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1506390471
• ISBN13: 9781506390475
• Release Date: April 2018
• Publisher: CQ Press
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.5" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Book With Lots of Useful Info

This book has a lot of information regarding political trends. I highly reccomend it to beginners that want a strong background in American Politics, and want to be informed about innerworkings of the public policy process. As a Political Science major, I do quite a bit of reading myself and know the difference between a book that is utterly dense or not. From my experience, this book is an easy read for those that are analytical thinkers and apply logic and reasoning to their lives in relation to political science.

diverse readings

The editors give the reader a timely historical perspective on how American politics is played. Some papers are classics. Notably James Madison's Federalist #10 and #51 Papers. Now some two hundred years old. These discuss how the checks and balances in the Constitution act to restrain legislators from exploiting the nation, and on how the very diversity of a large republic can reduce the chances of factionalism prevailing. Though the latter argument is perhaps somewhat questionable. The book also has lectures from two current Supreme Court judges, Scalia and Breyer. Plus pivotal court decisions like Roe vs. Wade from the 1970s. The sweep of the readings is a good indicator of the multivaried nature of politics.