Writing the eighth brief edition also gave us an opportunity to revitalize the book’s theme to reflect the influences of modern technology on power and citizenship, in particular the ways that citizenship is mediated by third parties. To do that, we looked at the ways that controlling the political narrative has translated into political power and how that power has shifted with the advent of new and social media. This coverage is integrated throughout each chapter and is especially notable in the Citizens and . . . sections and the Don’t Be Fooled by . . . boxes’ focus on digital media.
Reviews for this edition helped guide some key changes that we hope will make the text even more useful to you and your students. We have sought to streamline both the main narrative and its features to provide a more focused reading experience. New What’s at Stake . . . ? vignettes examine such topics as the activism of the students of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, the rise of the alt right and the Make America Great Again movement, the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court amidst discord in Congress, what happens when outsiders challenge party establishment, the consequences of overturning executive action on climate change, and Donald Trump’s presidency. One new Profiles in Citizenship interview appears in this edition — we had the opportunity to interview Senator Tammy Duckworth before the 2018 midterms.
Digital Resources
We know how important good resources can be in the teaching of American government. Our goal has been to create resources that not only support but also enhance the text’s themes and features. SAGE edge offers a robust online environment featuring an impressive array of tools and resources for review, study, and further exploration, keeping both instructors and students on the cutting edge of teaching and learning. SAGE edge content is open access and available on demand. Learning and teaching has never been easier! We gratefully acknowledge Graphic World and Alicia Fisher of California State University, Fullerton for developing the digital resources for this site.
Sage Course Outcomes: Measure Results, Track Success
The journey to retaining and applying course content differs for every student. To successfully navigate this journey, course goals should remain clear, consistent, and constructive. For instructors, the ability to track and measure individual progress is vital to ensuring student success.
SAGE | CQ Press is invested in mapping measurable course outcomes to chapter-level learning objectives for all introductory textbook offerings through SAGE course outcomes. Each title is crafted with specific course outcomes in mind, vetted by leading advisors in the field, and adapted from renowned syllabi from across the country.
Students Benefit
A clear path for learners: Understanding the objectives for each chapter and how those objectives are tied to the goals of the course is essential for getting the grade students want.
Meaningful context for skills: Course outcomes emphasize the skills learned in the course and highlight how they can be applied in the real world after graduation.
More targeted instruction: Students receive better, more targeted feedback when instructors can track and measure individual progress based on course-specific expectations.
Instructors Benefit
Effective measuring mechanism: Being able to track student progress allows you to more easily pinpoint specific areas of improvement, increases course efficacy, allows you to report out on success, and aligns student learning with course and institutional goals.
Personalized instruction and feedback: Promoting student success through targeted and individualized instruction improves retention and increases the likelihood of achieving course mastery.
Standardized benchmarking: Formative and summative assessment is more effective and actionable when assessing student progress against standard course outcome benchmarks.
Course Outcomes for American Government:
✔ ARTICULATE the foundations of American government, including its history, critical concepts, and important documents and achievements.
✔ EXPLAIN the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.
✔ DESCRIBE the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.
✔ ANALYZE the development and impact of important governmental policies.
Instructor Resources
SAGE Coursepacks and SAGE edge online resources are included FREE with this text. For a brief demo, contact your sales representative today.
SAGE COURSEPACKS FOR INSTRUCTORS make it easy to import our quality content into your school’s learning management system (LMS)*. Intuitive and simple to use, it allows you to
Say NO to . . .
required access codes
learning a new system
Say YES to . . .
using only the content you want and need
high-quality assessment and multimedia exercises
For use in: Blackboard, Canvas, Brightspace by Desire2Learn (D2L), and Moodle
Don’t use an LMS platform? No problem, you can still access many of the online resources for your text via SAGE edge.
With SAGE coursepacks, you get:
Quality textbook content delivered directly into your LMS;
An intuitive, simple format that makes it easy to integrate the material into your course with minimal effort;
Assessment tools that foster review, practice, and critical thinking, including:Diagnostic chapter pretests and posttests that identify opportunities for improvement, track student progress, and ensure mastery of key learning objectivesTest banks built on Bloom’s Taxonomy and SAGE Course Outcomes that provide a diverse range of test items with ExamView test generationActivity and quiz options that allow you to choose only the assignments and tests you wantInstructions on how to use and integrate the comprehensive assessments and resources provided
Assignable SAGE Premium video (available via the interactive eBook version, linked through SAGE Coursepacks) that is tied to learning objectives, created and curated exclusively for this text, featuring:Corresponding multimedia assessment options that automatically feed to your gradebookSAGE original Topics in American Government that recap the fundamentals of American politicsAmerican Government News Clips that bring current events into the book, connecting brief, 2- to 4-minute news clips with core chapter contentA comprehensive, downloadable, easy-to-use Media Guide in the Coursepack for every video resource, listing the chapter to which the video content is tied, matching learning objective(s), a helpful description of the video content, and assessment questions
Assignable data exercises that build