The Democratic Debate: American Politics in an Age of Change
"This theme [Elite vs. Popular Democracy] fits well with explaining many of the historical changes in our democracy, and certainly fits with the original democratic debate of the founders. The theme also sets up a nice tension and interplay that makes teaching the subject easier and more easily grasped by students. It reflects well our political reality and provides a nice conceptual platform from which to teach.""I especially like the fact that a chapter on political economy is the first chapter after the historical background. I think that's excellent and helps set up the whole course.""I believe that the "elite vs. popular democracy" framework of this text is good for several reasons. First, it gives students a way to think about political information. This helps their retention of the information and promotes critical thinking. Second, they can apply this framework to their thinking about current events after the class is over. This makes the information they learned more relevant. Finally, it gives students a new perspective on politics that they have never had before, which makes the material more interesting and exciting. It fits well with the way I teach, as I tend to emphasize questions of 'who gets what and why,' and this framework addresses that."