American Politics Classic and Contemporary Readings

by Cigler, Allan; Loomis, Burdett A.

• ISBN13: 9780618453238
• ISBN10: 0618453237
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-03
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

This comprehensive reader offers a broad selection of classic and current documents, as well as analytical essays on current political issues. Topics include the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the war in Iraq, affirmative action, the Supreme Court's 2003 ruling on sodomy, the 2004 presidential race, and the Columbia shuttle disaster. In addition, policy-oriented readings appear throughout the text. Introductions to the selections help make even the most difficult topics, such as court cases, more accessible to students. Accompanying discussion questions follow a conceptual format, allowing students to focus on main themes and annotations explain unfamiliar terms. Expanded discussion of 9/11 includes the impact it had on Federalism and civil liberties and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as its contribution to the popularity of cable news and changes in foreign policy. Each chapter opens with an essay that provides a brief preface to topics and advises students on critical-reading and -thinking skills. A topic correlation chart offers a convenient way to locate relevant readings for all subjects covered in the text.

Table of Contents

Constitutional Foundations

The Constitution and Founding

A Tradition Born of Strife

The Founding Fathers: An Age of Realism

The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action

The Federalist, No. 51

Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations

The Federalist, No. 39

The Devil in Devolution

Health and Welfare: Contagious Confusion

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Near

From the Saturday Press to the New York Times

Liberties, and Security: Recalibrating the Balance after September 11

Affirmative Action: Don't Mend It or End It--Bend It Joint Statement of Constitutional Law Scholars

Reaffirming Diversity: A Legal Analysis of the University of Michigan Affirmative Action Cases

People and Politics

Public Opinion

Polling and the Transformation of Public Opinion

Is "Popular Rule" Possible?

Can We Trust the Polls?

Participation and Civic Engagement

Finding the Lost Voters

Voting Rites: Why We Need a New Concept of Citizenship

Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital

Bowling Together: The United State of America

Political Parties

The Case for the Importance of Political Parties

The Great Election Grab

A Tale of Two Electorates: The Changing American Party Coalitions 1952-2000

Campaigns and Elections

The Long Campaign: The Politics of Tedium McConnell v. The Federal Election Commission (2003)

The Stagnation of Congressional Elections

Weaving the Tangled Web into Political Action

The Mass Media

Lowering the Political Hero to Our Level

American News Consumption During Times of National Crisis

The Pentagon Is Fighting--and Winning--the Public Relations War

Interest Groups

The Federalist, No. 10

Lobbyists--Why the Bad Rap?

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