In this fourth edition, readers will find discussion of the Obama administration’s early successes and setbacks, of how Congress fared under Democratic majorities, of the 2010 midterm election results, and of the lasting and lingering affects of the Great Recession, health care reform passage, two ongoing wars, the BP oil spill, and a fast-changing mass media climate.
Barbour and Wright have carefully crafted each sidebar, box, and profile to develop students’ critical thinking skills:
- What’s at Stake?-What’s at Stake Revisited vignettesbookend each chapter asking students to think about what people are struggling to get from politics.
- Consider the Sourceunpacks a method for assessing different types of political information: look for bias, lay out the argument, uncover evidence, and sort out political implications. Profiles in Citizenship feature advice about the various ways students can enter public life and make a difference from figures like Sandra Day O’Connor, Bill Richardson, and Bill Maher.