American Government and Politics Today (Mindtap Course List)

Ford/Bardes/Schmidt/Shelley's AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS TODAY equips you with the knowledge to make informed choices and the tools to play an active role in the decision-making process in your community. Bringing chapter concepts to life through engaging examples of politics, politicians and policies in action, the 19th edition is completely up to date and covers the 2020 primary and general elections, COVID-19, civil liberties in quarantine, climate change, gun violence, race and gender dynamics, migration and immigration, recent court decisions and social media's prominent role in politics. The text also explores the roots of political polarization, its impact on civil discourse and shared governance, and the consequences when our divisions prevent us from solving public problems. In addition, the MindTap digital learning solution gives you anywhere, anytime learning resources.

Lynne E. Ford is associate vice president for the academic experience and professor of political science at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. She served as associate provost for curriculum and academic administration for five years, was department chair for eight years and led a number of campuswide initiatives, including general education reform, faculty compensation and civic engagement. With teaching and research interests in women and politics, elections and voting behavior, political psychology and civic engagement, Dr. Ford has written articles on women in state legislatures, the underrepresentation of women in political office in the American South and work-family policy in the United States. She also authored WOMEN AND POLITICS: THE PURSUIT OF EQUALITY and THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WOMEN AND AMERICAN POLITICS. She received her B.A. from The Pennsylvania State University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in government and political behavior from the University of Maryland-College Park.

Barbara A. Bardes is professor emerita of political science at the University of Cincinnati. She served as a faculty member in political science and dean of Mundelein College at Loyola University of Chicago. In 1993, she was appointed dean of the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash, serving until 2003. She returned to the political science department, where she held the position of graduate director before retiring. In addition to writing articles on public and foreign policy and women and politics, Dr. Bardes co-authored "Declarations of Independence: Women and Political Power in 19th Century American Novels"; "Thinking About Public Policy: A Problem-Solving Approach"; "Public Opinion: Measuring the American Mind" and "American Government and Politics Today." She received her B.A. and M.A. from Kent State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati.

Steffen W. Schmidt is the Lucken Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Iowa State University. He has published 14 books and over 130 articles in scholarly journals and major newspapers. His numerous teaching honors include the Amoco Award for Lifetime Career Achievement in Teaching and Teacher of the Year. He is a pioneer in the use of web-based and real-time video courses, a founding member of the American Political Science Association's computers and multimedia section and a founding member of the USSTRATCOM academic alliance. Known as "Dr. Politics" for his extensive commentary on U.S. politics in both American and international media, he comments on CNN en Español and Univision as well as CTV Canada Cable TV. Dr. Schmidt grew up in Colombia, South America, and studied in Colombia, Switzerland, the United States and France. He received a B.A. from Rollins College and a Ph.D. in public law and government from Columbia University, New York. Dr. Schmidt is on Facebook (SteffenWSchmidt) and Twitter (DrPolitics).

Mack C. Shelley II is a professor of political science and statistics at Iowa State University, where he arrived in 1979. Currently chair of the department of political science, he conducts policy research in a number of areas funded by grants and contracts. From 1993 to 2002, he served as elected co-editor of Policy Studies Journal. In addition, Dr. Shelley has published numerous articles, books and monographs on public policy, including "The Permanent Majority: The Conservative Coalition in the United States Congress"; "Biotechnology and the Research Enterprise: A Guide to the Literature" (with William F. Woodman and Brian J. Reichel); "American Public Policy: The Contemporary Agenda" (with Steven G. Koven and Bert E. Swanson) and "Quality Research in Literacy and Science Education: International Perspectives and Gold Standards" (with Larry Yore and Brian Hand). He received his bachelor’s degree from American University in Washington, D.C., and both his master’s degree in economics and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.