American and Texas Government: Policy and Politics (Longman Study Edition) (9th Edition)
Features:“International Perspective” boxesin each American government chapter compare an aspect of our political system to those of another country. This feature not only helps students to appreciate the distinctiveness of our system, but it also helps them to increase their cross-cultural understanding and knowledge of the world.“National Perspective” boxesin each Texas chapter discuss policy and politics in other states to give students a sense of how Texas compares to other states in the U.S.“InPerson Learning”exercises at the end of each American government chapter  and“Getting Involved!”boxes in every Texas government chapter provide students with projects, encouragement, and specific directions for participating in the policy process and making a difference.   "InPerson Learning" boxes are designed to work as projects the instructor assigns or students perform on their own, and "Getting Involved" boxes tell students how they can get involved in their communities, their colleges, and their government.  The activity topics include  contacting legislators, becoming a deputy voter registration volunteer, joining an interest group, and volunteering to become a court appointed special advocate.The "Let's Debate" feature in every chapter helps develops students' critical thinking skill, promotes classroom discussion, and serves as an excellent starting point for term papers by examining various sides of a provocative, relevant issue under debate in government and politics today.  Each box provides an overview of the issue - highlighting its importance in the context of the chapter material - and ends with questions, suggested readings, and websites for further research. Topics include: implementation of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations, the use of polling in the media, electronic voting, and redistricting in Texas.“What Is Your Opinion?”critical thinking questions placed throughout the running text motivate students to actively examine their own thoughts and opinions on topics in American and Texas government.   “Key Terms”in the text margins define important terms as students read them, facilitating student understanding.Study aidssuch as Outlines, Learning Outcomes, Key Terms, and NEW practice tests help students organize their study and reinforce concepts. New to this EditionChapter 5 discusses the historic voter turnout in the 2008 presidential election, focusing on younger adults who provided the margin of victory for Barack Obama, and Chapter 6 looks at the political impact of new communications media such as YouTube and blogs.Chapter 11 focuses on the challenges facing President Obama in reforming America’s healthcare system, while Chapter 14 describes the current economic crisis facing the nation and the efforts of the Bush and Obama administrations to address that crisis.A new case study on the controversy over global warming illustrates some of the details of agenda setting.Chapter 13 looks at the likely opportunity President Obama will have to affect the philosophical balance on the Supreme Court.Chapter 3 includes a more comprehensive explanation of No Child Left Behind, and the Global Perspectives essay has been updated to focus on education policy. Updated Global Perspectives essays cover a variety of topics including immigration policy, Civil Unions in Denmark, Islamic law in Nigeria, women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, healthcare in Canada, and church and state relations in Mexico. New Chapter on Criminal Justice: This new addition to the text is fully up-to-date with the latest crime statistics, and provides coverage of important topics including the criminal prosecution process, capital punishment, corrections, juvenile justice, criminal justice policymaking, and more.Discussion of illegal immigration and its impact on Texas government and the economy.Update on the gay marriage controversy in Massachusetts.Examination of the Real ID act and its impact on state governments and state residents.Discussion of lobbying fight between liquor wholesalers and package stores and examination of the legislative agenda of the religious right.Examination of how behind-the-scenes primary battles shape legislative policymaking.The 80thlegislature began and ended with a battle over who would be speaker.  This text considers the effort to oust Speaker Tom Craddick as an episode in the transition of the Texas legislature from a nonpartisan to a partisan body.An examination of the controversy surrounding the 2007 order issued by Governor Perry requiring schoolgirls to be vaccinated for HPV, and the Governor's effort to expand the powers of his office.A new section on merit pay, and coverage of the legislature and the governor's attempt to replace the TAKS graduation test with end-of-course exams. Feature on universal healthcare in Massachusetts.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.