Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics - Brief Edition

Keeping the Republic, Brief Eleventh Edition draws students into the study of American politics, showing them how to think critically about "who gets what, and how" while exploring the twin themes of power and citizenship. With students living through one of the most challenging periods in American life, this text is a much-needed resource to help them make sense of politics in America today and become savvy consumers of political information. Carefully condensed from the Full Edition by authors Christine Barbour and Gerald C. Wright, Keeping the Republic, Brief Eleventh Edition gives your students the same continuity and crucial content in a more concise, value-oriented package.

Table of Contents:
About the Authors Preface Acknowledgments To the Student Chapter 1: Power and Citizenship in American Politics Not Your Usual Textbook Introduction What Is Politics? Political Systems and the Concept of Citizenship Democracy in America Who Is a Citizen and Who Is Not? What Do American Citizens Believe? How to Use the Themes and Features in This Book Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 2: The Politics of the American Founding What’s at Stake . . . in Challenging the Legitimacy of the Government? Introduction The Split From England The Articles of Confederation The Constitutional Convention The Constitution Ratification Citizenship and the Founding Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 3: Federalism What’s at Stake . . . When a State Takes Marijuana Laws Into Its Own Hands? Introduction What Is Federalism? American Federalism Over Time Federalism Today Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 4: Fundamental American Liberties What’s at Stake . . . in a Constitutionally Guaranteed Right to Privacy? Introduction Rights in a Democracy The Bill of Rights and the States Freedom of Religion Freedom of Expression The Right to Bear Arms The Rights of Criminal Defendants The Right to Privacy Citizenship and Civil Liberties Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 5: The Struggle for Equal Rights What’s at Stake . . . When a Racial Majority Becomes a Minority? Introduction The Meaning of Political Inequality Rights Denied on the Basis of Race—Black Americans Rights Denied on the Basis of Other Racial and Ethnic Identities Rights Denied on the Basis of Gender Rights Denied on Other Bases Citizenship and Civil Rights Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 6: Congress What’s at Stake . . . in the Senate’s Obligation to Give Advice and Consent to the President? Introduction Understanding Congress Congressional Powers and Responsibilities Congressional Elections Congressional Organization How Congress Works Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 7: The Presidency What’s at Stake . . . in a Second Donald Trump Presidency? Introduction The Presidential Job Description The Evolution of the American Presidency Presidential Politics Managing the Presidential Establishment The Presidential Personality Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 8: The Bureaucracy What’s at Stake . . . in Rolling Back Regulations? Introduction What Is Bureaucracy? The American Federal Bureaucracy Politics Inside the Bureaucracy External Bureaucratic Politics Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 9: The American Legal System and the Courts What’s at Stake . . . When the Supreme Court Gets Involved in Partisan Politics? Introduction Law and the American Legal System The Development of Judicial Review Federalism and the American Courts The Supreme Court The Citizens and the Courts Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 10: Public Opinion What’s at Stake . . . When We Move to More Direct Democracy? Introduction The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy Citizen Values What Influences Our Opinions About Politics? Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion Citizenship and Public Opinion Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 11: Parties and Interest Groups What’s at Stake . . . When “Outsiders” Challenge Establishment Party Candidates? Introduction The Role of Political Parties in a Democracy The American Party System The Roles, Formation, and Types of Interest Groups Interest Group Politics Interest Group Resources Citizenship and Political Groups Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 12: Voting, Campaigns, and Elections What’s at Stake . . . in the Peaceful Transfer of Power? Introduction Exercising the Right to Vote in America How America Decides Presidential Campaigns Citizenship and Elections Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 13: Media, Power, and Political Communication What’s at Stake . . . in Living in an Information Bubble? Introduction The Mass Media Today How Does Media Ownership Affect Control of the Narrative? Spinning Political Narratives Politics as Public Relations Citizenship and the Media Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Chapter 14: Domestic and Foreign Policy What’s at Stake . . . in a Shrinking Middle Class? Introduction Making Public Policy Social Policy Economic Policy Foreign Policy Citizenship and Policy Wrapping It Up Review Key Terms Appendix 1: Articles of Confederation Appendix 2: Declaration of Independence Appendix 3: Constitution of the United States Notes Glossary Index

About the Author :
Christine Barbour teaches in the Political Science Department at Indiana University, and directs the department’s IU POLS DC internship program. She is a faculty liaison for the University’s dual-credit program, which delivers an online version of her Intro to American Politics class to high school students across the state. At Indiana, Professor Barbour has been a Lilly Fellow, working on a project to increase student retention in large introductory courses, and a member of the Freshman Learning Project, a university-wide effort to improve the first-year undergraduate experience. She has served on the New York Times College Advisory Board, working with other educators to develop ways to integrate newspaper reading into the undergraduate curriculum. She has won multiple teaching honors, but the two awarded by her students mean the most to her: the Indiana University Student Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Faculty and the Indiana University Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists Brown Derby Award. When not teaching or writing textbooks, Professor Barbour enjoys traveling with her coauthor, blogging about food and travel, and playing with her dogs and cat. She contributes to Bloom Magazine of Bloomington and is a coauthor several cookbooks. She also makes jewelry from precious metals and rough gemstones. If she ever retires, she will open a jewelry shop in a renovated Airstream on the beach in Apalachicola, Florida, where she plans to write another cookbook and a book about the local politics, development, and fishing industry. Gerald C. Wright taught political science at Indiana University from 1981 until his recent retirement. An accomplished scholar of American politics, and the 2010 winner of the State Politics and Policy Association’s Career Achievement Award, his work includes Statehouse Democracy: Public Opinion and Policy in the American States (1993), coauthored with Robert S. Erikson and John P. McIver, and more than fifty articles on elections, public opinion, and state politics. Professor Wright’s research interests focus on representation – the fundamental relationship among citizens, their preferences, and public policy. He writes primarily about state politics, representation, political parties, and inequality. He is currently working on a book about parties and representation in U.S. legislatures. He has been a consultant for Project Vote Smart for a number of years and was a founding member of Indiana University’s Freshman Learning Project. In retirement, Professor Wright grows vegetables, golfs, fishes, travels, and plays with his dogs and cat. He is an awesome cook.

Review :
Barbour and Wright′s Keeping the Republic, Brief Edition, thoroughly explains key concepts and developments in American Politics in a clear and concise way. The themes and features of the text are well designed to boost student engagement. Two features, in particular, stick out to me; the What′s at Stake vignettes help bring the material alive through the use of real-world examples that demonstrate the significance of what is covered in the chapter. Additionally, the Big Picture graphics heighten students′ interest by boiling things down to easy-to-understand infographics. I have assigned this book to my Honors American Government classes, and these features are a great springboard for stimulating class discussion. I have used the brief edition of Keeping the Republic for several years because it provides a good balance of coverage while working to always highlight its key theme. Students appreciate the significance of the book′s title, and the approach used helps them grasp the nuances of our democratic system, and how they must actively work to ensure we keep it healthy and vibrant for future generations. Keeping the Republic, Brief Edition sets the benchmark for an accessible, student-centered text on American government with its focus on the role of citizens, technological influence, and an easy-to-understand yet effective framework for understanding power. The text successfully engages and motivates students by showing them numerous ways of how stepping into the public sphere can make a meaningful, positive difference for the people around them. The infographics are best-in-class—they effectively capture complex political processes and are an excellent teaching tool. Students appreciate the critical thinking questions along the text that also offer plenty of material for lively class discussions.