Living Democracy, Brief California Edition

by Shea, Daniel M.; Green, Joanne Connor; Smith, Christopher

• ISBN13: 9780136027515
• ISBN10: 0136027512
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-01
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

Everything about this dynamic bookfrom its engaging writing and examples, to its bold graphics and photos, to its innovative learning pedagogy and interactive assessmentis designed to get students to participate: in their learning, in the classroom, and in all aspects of American politics. American Government instructors overwhelmingly cite student apathy as the single biggest problem in their course; students are simply not engaged in the material and do not believe that the government can affect and enrich their lives. Lead author Dan Shea, founder of the Center for Political Participation, along with co-authors Joanne Connor Green and Christopher E. Smith teamed up to write an American Government text that helps students experience the impact of government in their daily lives and inspires them to work to affect that government in return. Written with the belief that the American Government course is critically important for our studentsas well as for the long-term stability of the democratic processLiving Democracyhelps students draw connections between course topics and current events and find a role for themselves in politics and government. The textrs"s innovative approach to American government presents the dynamic nature of our country's democratic process more accurately than any other book currently on the market, while offering all of the material found in a comprehensive, traditionally organized government text within an active framework. The Basic edition offers the exact same coverage as the comprehensive version but without the chapters on policy. Now in its second edition, this attention-getting text is building on its message of participation: improvements to its innovative pedagogical system with even more assessment opportunities help students participate more fully in their own learning process, while new Student Profiles of politically active young people from around the world continue to promote studentsrs" political participation. New coverage highlights the events surrounding the 2008 Election including the massive growth in voter participation.

Table of Contents

Foundations of American Government

American Governance: Democracy in Action

Early Governance and the Constitutional Framework

Federalism

The Institutions of American Government

The Judiciary

Civil Rights and Liberties

Congress and the Legislative Process

The Presidency and the Federal Bureaucracy

The American Public and the Democratic Process

Political Socialization and Public Opinion

Politics of the Media

Civic Engagement

Interest Groups and Social Movements

Elections and Political Participation

Political Parties

The Policy Process

Domestic and Foreign Policy Development

California

California Approaches Democracy

Democracy California Style: Political Participation

The California State Legislature

The California Executive and Bureaucracy

The California Judiciary

Local Government in California

California Fiscal Policy

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.