American Government

Stories of a Nation, The Essentials

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

• Available as a digital option through SAGE vantage, an intuitive digital platform that offers auto-graded assignments and interactive multimedia tools, all carefully designed to ignite student engagement and drive critical thinking. Contact your rep to learn more.
• Assignable SAGE Premium Video (available on the SAGE vantage platform, linked through SAGE coursepacks) is curated and produced exclusively for this text to bring concepts to life and appeal to diverse learners, featuring animated concept videos, as well as licensed AP news clips.
• Two new “Practicing Political Science” boxes in every chapter help students become more capable and critical readers of arguments made through data, images, and text.
• New case studies keep students engaged by connecting key concepts to recent events, such as the Standing Rock pipeline protests in a chapter on civil liberties, discussions of “fake news” in the media chapter, and an in-depth exploration of one week in the administration of President Trump as a tool with which to examine the role of personality and institutions in presidential power.
• Up-to-date 2018 midterm election coverage and analysis, particularly in the chapters on Congress, the presidency, and political parties, provide students with a current snapshot of the results and an overview of the bipartisan battle for Senate.
• SAGE course outcomes help you track and measure student success. Crafted with specific course outcomes in mind and vetted by advisors in the field, SAGE course outcomes clearly define and benchmark the knowledge and skills students are expected to achieve upon completion of your course. See how outcomes tie in with this book’s chapter-level objectives. 
• Updated throughout to account for recent developments including:
  • Coverage of the first two years of the Trump administration;
  • Analysis of the outcome of the 2018 midterm elections and the battle for control of Congress;
  • Examination of the current debates on immigration reform, campus sexual violence, gun ownership (with coverage of the 2018 Parkland, Florida school shooting and its aftermath), and the legalization of marijuana;
  • Discussion around the continued politics of polarization;
  • Coverage of contemporary civil rights and liberties issues, including the LGBTQ rights movement, the rights of indigenous peoples and Americans with disabilities, police violence and NFL protests, and an examination of the ways various groups’ struggles for civil rights are interconnected;
  • Assessment of modern media’s influence in politics, including the spread of fake news and accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election;
  • The impact of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria and the federal government’s response;
  • Coverage of the school choice movement under Education Secretary Betsy DeVos;
  • Exploration of today’s American economy, including the impact of student loan debt, the debate over the minimum wage, and a rising federal deficit; and
  • Foreign policy coverage of the shifting U.S.-Russian relationship, including the Syrian civil war and growing concern over cybersecurity.

KEY FEATURES:

• Each chapter begins with a compelling narrative about real people that illuminates a central issue or problem the chapter will deal with, bringing those concepts to life. Abernathy picks up threads of those narratives throughout the chapter, seamlessly integrating the narrative into the core content.
• Learning objectives at the start of each chapter guide students through their studies and are tied to features throughout the chapter to ensure those objectives are met.
• Chapter overviews in the opener of each chapter help students focus on core content and make connections to the chapter narratives.
• Bulleted reminders are placed at the start of each section, helping students easily identify which learning objectives are being addressed.  
• Every section ends with a “What Have I Learned?” quiz that allows students to self-test on the content as they go.
• Chapter Reviews at the end of each chapter are tied to the learning objectives and keyed to each of the major chapter sections, distilling key points students need to remember and glossary terms to understand.
• Appendices include the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Federalist Nos. 10 and 51, Political Party Affiliations in Congress and the Presidency, and a Summary of Presidential Elections.
• SAGE coursepacks allows instructors to import high-quality content into their school’s learning management system (LMS) with no access codes.
• SAGE edge provides students helpful tools, including eFlashcards, practice quizzes, and more, in one easy-to-use online environment.