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See Most Recent Edition

American Government and Politics Today, Brief, 11th Edition

Steffen W. Schmidt, Mack C. Shelley II, Barbara A. Bardes

  • Copyright 2022
  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Published', '2021-01-07T00:00:00+0000')}}
Starting At $77.95 See pricing and ISBN options
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American Government and Politics Today, Brief 11th Edition by Steffen W. Schmidt/Mack C. Shelley II/Barbara A. Bardes
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Overview

For many, U.S. politics and government have never been more intriguing -- or more important. With its new four-color design and up-to-date political news and analysis, Schmidt/Shelley/Bardes' AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS TODAY, BRIEF, 11th edition, engages students while equipping them to be informed citizens and active participants in the political process. Including coverage of COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, police brutality, massive unemployment, trade wars, cyberattacks and more, the text helps students make sense of America's complex and fascinating political system. Praised for its succinct, balanced coverage and readability, the text combines thorough coverage with interesting features focusing on active citizenship. The MindTap digital solution allows you to simplify your workload, immediately grade students' assignments and customize your course to meet your unique needs.

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Meet the Authors

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Steffen W. Schmidt

Steffen W. Schmidt is the Lucken Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Iowa State University. He has published 14 books and over 130 articles in scholarly journals and major newspapers. His numerous teaching honors include the Amoco Award for Lifetime Career Achievement in Teaching and Teacher of the Year. He is a pioneer in the use of web-based and real-time video courses, a founding member of the American Political Science Association's computers and multimedia section and a founding member of the USSTRATCOM academic alliance. Known as "Dr. Politics" for his extensive commentary on U.S. politics in both American and international media, he comments on CNN en Español and Univision as well as CTV Canada Cable TV. Dr. Schmidt grew up in Colombia, South America, and studied in Colombia, Switzerland, the United States and France. He received a B.A. from Rollins College and a Ph.D. in public law and government from Columbia University, New York. Dr. Schmidt is on Facebook (SteffenWSchmidt) and Twitter (DrPolitics).

Mack C. Shelley II

Mack C. Shelley II is a professor of political science and statistics at Iowa State University, where he arrived in 1979. Currently chair of the department of political science, he conducts policy research in a number of areas funded by grants and contracts. From 1993 to 2002, he served as elected co-editor of POLICY STUDIES JOURNAL. In addition, Dr. Shelley has published numerous articles, books and monographs on public policy, including THE PERMANENT MAJORITY: THE CONSERVATIVE COALITION IN THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS; BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE RESEARCH ENTERPRISE: A GUIDE TO THE LITERATURE (with William F. Woodman and Brian J. Reichel); AMERICAN PUBLIC POLICY: THE CONTEMPORARY AGENDA (with Steven G. Koven and Bert E. Swanson); and QUALITY RESEARCH IN LITERACY AND SCIENCE EDUCATION: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES AND GOLD STANDARDS (with Larry Yore and Brian Hand). He received his bachelor’s degree from American University in Washington, D.C., and both his master’s degree in economics and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Barbara A. Bardes

Barbara A. Bardes is professor emerita of political science at the University of Cincinnati. She served as a faculty member in political science and dean of Mundelein College at Loyola University of Chicago. In 1993, she was appointed dean of the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash, serving until 2003. She returned to the political science department, where she held the position of graduate director before retiring. In addition to writing articles on public and foreign policy and women and politics, Dr. Bardes co-authored DECLARATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE: WOMEN AND POLITICAL POWER IN 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN NOVELS; THINKING ABOUT PUBLIC POLICY: A PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH; PUBLIC OPINION: MEASURING THE AMERICAN MIND; and AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS TODAY. She received her B.A. and M.A. from Kent State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati.

What's New

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  • Thoroughly updated, Part IV, "Policymaking" covers the Republicans' struggle to replace the Affordable Care Act and also highlights Trump's transactional foreign policy and trade issues with China and Europe.
  • More reader-friendly than ever, the 11th edition features a captivating new four-color design that appeals to today's learners, helping them engage more deeply with chapter material. It also makes the book's charts and graphs more impactful.

Features

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  • Learning outcomes open every chapter and correlate with each major section, giving students a road map to the book's key concepts. Full-page quizzes at the end of each chapter -- also correlated to the learning outcomes -- reinforce concepts, helping students maximize their study time and course success.
  • "At Issue" boxes turn the spotlight on current events and controversies and then conclude with "For Critical Analysis" questions that spark lively discussion and deeper reflection on the material.
  • "Making a Difference" boxes at the end of each chapter promote student participation by exploring the questions "Why Should You Care?" and "What Can You Do?" while providing additional online resources that help students further explore important issues.
  • InterAct features direct students to web activities that encourage informed, active citizenship where they are now.

Table of Contents

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Part I: THE AMERICAN SYSTEM.
1. The Democratic Republic.
2. Forging a New Government: The Constitution.
3. Federalism.
4. Civil Liberties.
5. Civil Rights.
Part II: THE POLITICS OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.
6. Public Opinion, Political Socialization, and the Media.
7. Interest Groups and Political Parties.
8. Campaigns and Elections.
Part III: INSTITUTIONS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.
9. Congress.
10. The President.
11. The Executive Branch.
12. The Courts.
Part IV: POLICYMAKING.
13. Domestic and Economic Policy.
14. Foreign Policy.
Appendix A: The Declaration of Independence.
Appendix B: The Constitution of the United States.
Appendix C: Federalist Papers No. 10 and No. 51.

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This Cengage solution can be seamlessly integrated into most Learning Management Systems (Blackboard, Brightspace by D2L, Canvas, Moodle, and more) but does require a different ISBN for access codes. Please work with your Cengage Learning Consultant to ensure the proper course set up and ordering information. For additional information, please visit the LMS Integration site.

Standalone Digital Access — Ultimate Value

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  • ISBN-10: 0357459083
  • ISBN-13: 9780357459089
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  • ISBN-10: 0357709837
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Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

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MindTap for Schmidt/Shelley/Bardes's American Government and Politics Today, Brief, 1 term Instant Access

ISBN: 9780357459089
MindTap for Schmidt/Shelley/Bardes' American Government and Politics Today, Brief, 11th edition, is a personalized, online learning platform that provides students with an immersive learning experience to build and foster critical thinking skills. It gives you complete control of your course -- to provide engaging content, to challenge every individual and to build their confidence. Empower students to accelerate their progress with MindTap. MindTap: Powered by You. MindTap combines student learning tools -- readings, multimedia, activities and assessments -- into a singular Learning Path that guides students through their course. Through a wealth of activities written to learning outcomes, it provides students with ample opportunities to check themselves for understanding, while also providing faculty and students alike with a clear way to measure and assess student progress. The coherent, self-contained and consistent learning path maximizes how the brain learns new information and minimizes distraction for students. Each MindTap learning activity is anchored to a single concept, and pairs content and assessment in a visually captivating side-by-side presentation. These activities engage students with a variety of content types -- that extend learning experience beyond the textbook -- including graphs, infographics and explanation videos. A groundbreaking mobile app experience enables greater flexibility for students to fit learning into their day, wherever they are. As an instructor, MindTap is here to simplify your workload, organize and immediately grade your students' assignments, and allow you to customize your course as you see fit. Through deep-seated integration with your Learning Management System, grades are easily exported, and analytics are pulled with the click of a button. MindTap is available on its own or for use in conjunction with the printed text.

Cengage Infuse for Schmidt/Shelley/Bardes' American Government and Politics Today Brief Edition, 1 term Instant Access

ISBN: 9780357530276
Cengage Infuse for Political Science is the first-of-its-kind digital learning platform that leverages your Learning Management System (LMS) functionality so that you can enjoy simple course set up and intuitive management tools. Offering just the right amount of auto graded content, you’ll be ready to go online at the drop of a hat.