Political Science
An Introduction: International Edition
12th Edition
Published on 24. March 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
400 pages
978-0-205-00627-4 (ISBN)
Description
Balancing practical and theoretical knowledge, Political Science is a comprehensive and jargon-free introduction to the field's basic concepts and themes. This bestselling brief book uses diverse real-world examples to show readers the value of avoiding simplifications in politics, the relevance of government, and the importance of participation. Written from Mike Roskin's unique and engaging point-of-view, Political Science remains the best at providing the clear explanations, practical applications, and current examples that will welcome readers to a vital field of study.
Reviews / Votes
"Roskin stands out from other texts due to its focus on both content and methodological issues. A comprehensive and well-written introduction to the discipline of political science, Roskin gets students to not only consider what political scientists know but also how they know it."-Anika Leithner, California Polytechnic State University at San Luis ObispoMore details
Edition
12th edition
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Pearson Education (US)
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 190 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
540 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-205-00627-4 (9780205006274)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Michael G. Roskin | Robert L. Cord | James A. Medeiros
Political Science: Pearson New International Edition
An Introduction
Book
07/2013
12th Edition
Pearson Education Limited
€63.13
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Previous edition
Michael G. Roskin | Robert L. Cord | James A. Medeiros
Political Science
An Introduction: International Edition
Book
08/2009
11th Edition
Pearson
€75.70
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Persons
Michael G. Roskin is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Lycoming College.
Content
1) Brief Table of Contents
2) Full Table of Contents
1) Brief Table of Contents
PART I: THE BASES OF POLITICS
Chapter 1: Politics and Political Science
Chapter 2: Theories
Chapter 3: Ideologies
Chapter 4: States
Chapter 5: Constitutions
Chapter 6: Regimes
PART II: POLITICAL ATTITUDES
Chapter 7: Political Culture
Chapter 8: Public Opinion
PART III: POLITICAL INTERACTIONS
Chapter 9: Political Communication
Chapter 10: Interest Groups
Chapter 11: Parties
Chapter 12: Elections
PART IV: POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
Chapter 13: Legislatures
Chapter 14: Executives and Bureaucracies
Chapter 15: Judiciaries
PART VI: WHAT POLITICAL SYSTEMS DO
Chapter 16: Political Economy
Chapter 17: Political Violence
Chapter 18: International Relations
2) Full Table of Contents
Part I: The Bases of Politics
Chapter 1: Politics and Political Science
The Master Science
Key Concepts: "Never Get Angry at a Fact"
Political Power
Key Concepts: Legitimacy, Sovereignty, and Authority
Key Concepts: The Subfields of Political Science
How To... Study a Chapter
Is Politics a Science?
Key Concepts: Concepts and Precepts
Key Concepts: Politics Versus Political Science
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 2: Theories
Classic Theories
Classic Works: Not Just Europeans
Contemporary Theories
How To... Make Thesis Statements
Key Concepts: Models: Simplifying Reality
Key Concepts: Politics as a Game
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 3: Political Ideologies
What Is Ideology?
The Major Ideologies
Classic Works: The Origins of Ideologies
Key Concepts: Classifying Ideologies
How To... Support Your Thesis
Ideology in Our Day
Is Ideology Finished?
Comparing: Islamism: A New Ideology with Old Roots
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 4: States
Institutionalized Power
Key Concepts: Effective, Weak, and Failed States
Classic Works: Aristotle's Six Types of Government
Unitary or Federal Systems
Comparing: The Shaky Lives of Confederations
Electoral Systems
Comparing: French and German Variations
States and the Economy
How To... Use Sources
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 5: Rights
Constitutions in the Modern World
Comparing: The Dangers of Changing Constitutions
Comparing: Canada's New Constitution
The Adaptability of the U.S. Constitution
Key Concepts: What Is a Right?
Freedom of Expression in the United States
How To... List References
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 6: Regimes
Representative Democracy
Key Concepts: The "Two-Turnover Test"
Democracy in Practice: Elitism or Pluralism?
Totalitarianism
How To... Write Tightly
Key Concepts: Image and Reality of Total Control
Authoritarianism
Key Concepts: Dahl's "Influence Terms"
The Democratization of Authoritarian Regimes
Key Concepts: Why Democracies Fail
Comparing: Democracy in Iraq?
Key Terms
Further Reference
Part II: Political Attitudes
Chapter 7: Political Culture
What Is Political Culture?
Key Concepts: Civil Society
Classic Works: The Civic Culture
The Decay of Political Culture
Comparing: America the Religious
Political Subcultures
How To... Use Quotations
Comparing: Quebec: "Maitres Chez Nous"
Key Concepts: Culture and Development
Political Socialization
Classic Works: The Authoritarian Personality
Comparing: China Builds Unity
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 8: Public Opinion
Key Concepts: What Public Opinion Is and Isn't
The Shape of Public Opinion
Key Concepts: Classic Opinion Curves
Public Opinion Polls
Key Concepts: A Short History of Polling
How To... Identify and Use Variables
American Opinion
Classic Works: Almond's Three Publics
Is Polling Fair?
Key Terms
Further Reference
Part III: Political Interactions
Chapter 9: Political Communication
Communication in Politics
Classic Works: The Two-Step Flow of Mass Communications
Key Concepts: The Tendency to Media Monopoly
Key Concepts: The Elite Media
The Giant: Television
Key Concepts: The Web: The Newest Mass Medium?
How To... Define Variables
Are We Poorly Served?
Key Concepts: The Framing of News
The Adversaries: Media and Government
Key Concepts: The Media and Watergate
Key Concepts: The Media and War
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 10: Interest Groups
What Is an Interest Group?
Key Concepts: How Interest Groups Differ from Political Parties
Key Concepts: How Government Creates Interest Groups
Key Concepts: Countervailing Power
Effective Interest Groups
Comparing: French Antipluralism
Comparing: How Powerful Are U.S. Unions?
How To... Create Tables
Interest Groups: An Evaluation
Classic Works: Olson's Theory of Interest Groups
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 11: Parties
Functions of Parties
How To... Create a Cross-Tabulation
Parties in Democracies
Key Concepts: Parties that Ignore Voters
Classifying Political Parties
Classic Works: Duverger's Three Types of Parties
Classic Works: Kirchheimer's "Catchall" Party
Party Systems
Key Concepts: What Is a "Relevant" Party?
Comparing: Multiparty Systems Are More Fun
Classic Works: Sartori's Types of Party Competition
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 12: Elections
Why Do People Vote?
Who Votes?
Classic Works: Downs's Theory of Voting
How To... Handle Tendencies
Who Votes How?
Comparing: Is the U.S. Electoral System Defective?
Electoral Realignment
Key Concepts: Partisan Polarization
What Wins Elections?
Key Concepts: Changing Positions
Key Terms
Further Reference
Part IV: Political Institutions
Chapter 13: Legislatures
Presidential and Parliamentary Systems
Key Concepts: Head of State Versus Chief of Government
Classic Works: Where Did the U.S. System Originate?
Key Concepts: Bicameral or Unicameral?
What Legislatures Do
Key Concepts: Pork-Barrel Politics
How To... Conduct a Longitudinal Study
The Decline of Legislatures
Key Concepts: Congressional Overspending
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 14: Executives and Bureaucracies
Presidents and Prime Ministers
Comparing: Israel's Directly Elected Prime Ministers
Classic Works: Lasswell's Psychology of Power
Comparing: Authoritarianism Returns to Russia
Key Concepts: An Imperial Presidency?
Executive Leadership
Cabinets
Classic Works: American Paranoia
How To...Create Graphs
The Danger of Expecting Too Much
Bureaucracies
Classic Works: Weber's Definition of Bureaucracies
Bureaucracies in Comparison
Key Concepts: Bureaucratic Rulemaking
Comparing: Japan: Bureaucrats in Command
The Trouble with Bureaucracy
Key Concepts: Bureaucratic Politics
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 15: Judiciaries
Types of Law
Classic Works: The Roots of Law
Key Concepts: Common Law Versus Code Law
The Courts, the Bench, and the Bar
Comparing Courts
Comparing: Law in Russia
The Role of the Courts
Classic Works: Marbury v. Madison
How To... Construct a Scattergram
Key Terms
Further Reference
Part V: What Political Systems Do
Chapter 16 Political Economy
Government and the Economy
Comparing: How High Are U.S. Taxes?
How To... Create Maps
Who Is Entitled to What?
Key Concepts: What Is Poverty?
Key Concepts: Poverty and Ideology
How Big Should Government Be?
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 17: Political Violence
System Breakdown
Key Concepts: Terrorism
How To... Construct a Thinkpiece
Key Concepts: Rising Expectations
Revolutions
Key Concepts: Revolutionary Political Warfare in Vietnam
Comparing: The Iranian Revolutionary Cycle
After the Revolution
Comparing: Violent vs. Velvet Revolutions
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 18: International Relations
Power and National Interest
Key Concepts: Types of National Interest
Key Concepts: Why War?
Keeping Peace
Key Concepts: The Democratic Peace
Beyond Sovereignty?
How To... Avoid "They"
U.S. Foreign Policy: Involved or Isolated?
Key Concepts: The Importance of Economics
Classic Works: Klingberg's Alternation Theory
Classic Works: Kennan's Dinosaur Analogy
Classic Works: Thucydides on War
Key Terms
Further Reference
2) Full Table of Contents
1) Brief Table of Contents
PART I: THE BASES OF POLITICS
Chapter 1: Politics and Political Science
Chapter 2: Theories
Chapter 3: Ideologies
Chapter 4: States
Chapter 5: Constitutions
Chapter 6: Regimes
PART II: POLITICAL ATTITUDES
Chapter 7: Political Culture
Chapter 8: Public Opinion
PART III: POLITICAL INTERACTIONS
Chapter 9: Political Communication
Chapter 10: Interest Groups
Chapter 11: Parties
Chapter 12: Elections
PART IV: POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
Chapter 13: Legislatures
Chapter 14: Executives and Bureaucracies
Chapter 15: Judiciaries
PART VI: WHAT POLITICAL SYSTEMS DO
Chapter 16: Political Economy
Chapter 17: Political Violence
Chapter 18: International Relations
2) Full Table of Contents
Part I: The Bases of Politics
Chapter 1: Politics and Political Science
The Master Science
Key Concepts: "Never Get Angry at a Fact"
Political Power
Key Concepts: Legitimacy, Sovereignty, and Authority
Key Concepts: The Subfields of Political Science
How To... Study a Chapter
Is Politics a Science?
Key Concepts: Concepts and Precepts
Key Concepts: Politics Versus Political Science
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 2: Theories
Classic Theories
Classic Works: Not Just Europeans
Contemporary Theories
How To... Make Thesis Statements
Key Concepts: Models: Simplifying Reality
Key Concepts: Politics as a Game
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 3: Political Ideologies
What Is Ideology?
The Major Ideologies
Classic Works: The Origins of Ideologies
Key Concepts: Classifying Ideologies
How To... Support Your Thesis
Ideology in Our Day
Is Ideology Finished?
Comparing: Islamism: A New Ideology with Old Roots
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 4: States
Institutionalized Power
Key Concepts: Effective, Weak, and Failed States
Classic Works: Aristotle's Six Types of Government
Unitary or Federal Systems
Comparing: The Shaky Lives of Confederations
Electoral Systems
Comparing: French and German Variations
States and the Economy
How To... Use Sources
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 5: Rights
Constitutions in the Modern World
Comparing: The Dangers of Changing Constitutions
Comparing: Canada's New Constitution
The Adaptability of the U.S. Constitution
Key Concepts: What Is a Right?
Freedom of Expression in the United States
How To... List References
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 6: Regimes
Representative Democracy
Key Concepts: The "Two-Turnover Test"
Democracy in Practice: Elitism or Pluralism?
Totalitarianism
How To... Write Tightly
Key Concepts: Image and Reality of Total Control
Authoritarianism
Key Concepts: Dahl's "Influence Terms"
The Democratization of Authoritarian Regimes
Key Concepts: Why Democracies Fail
Comparing: Democracy in Iraq?
Key Terms
Further Reference
Part II: Political Attitudes
Chapter 7: Political Culture
What Is Political Culture?
Key Concepts: Civil Society
Classic Works: The Civic Culture
The Decay of Political Culture
Comparing: America the Religious
Political Subcultures
How To... Use Quotations
Comparing: Quebec: "Maitres Chez Nous"
Key Concepts: Culture and Development
Political Socialization
Classic Works: The Authoritarian Personality
Comparing: China Builds Unity
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 8: Public Opinion
Key Concepts: What Public Opinion Is and Isn't
The Shape of Public Opinion
Key Concepts: Classic Opinion Curves
Public Opinion Polls
Key Concepts: A Short History of Polling
How To... Identify and Use Variables
American Opinion
Classic Works: Almond's Three Publics
Is Polling Fair?
Key Terms
Further Reference
Part III: Political Interactions
Chapter 9: Political Communication
Communication in Politics
Classic Works: The Two-Step Flow of Mass Communications
Key Concepts: The Tendency to Media Monopoly
Key Concepts: The Elite Media
The Giant: Television
Key Concepts: The Web: The Newest Mass Medium?
How To... Define Variables
Are We Poorly Served?
Key Concepts: The Framing of News
The Adversaries: Media and Government
Key Concepts: The Media and Watergate
Key Concepts: The Media and War
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 10: Interest Groups
What Is an Interest Group?
Key Concepts: How Interest Groups Differ from Political Parties
Key Concepts: How Government Creates Interest Groups
Key Concepts: Countervailing Power
Effective Interest Groups
Comparing: French Antipluralism
Comparing: How Powerful Are U.S. Unions?
How To... Create Tables
Interest Groups: An Evaluation
Classic Works: Olson's Theory of Interest Groups
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 11: Parties
Functions of Parties
How To... Create a Cross-Tabulation
Parties in Democracies
Key Concepts: Parties that Ignore Voters
Classifying Political Parties
Classic Works: Duverger's Three Types of Parties
Classic Works: Kirchheimer's "Catchall" Party
Party Systems
Key Concepts: What Is a "Relevant" Party?
Comparing: Multiparty Systems Are More Fun
Classic Works: Sartori's Types of Party Competition
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 12: Elections
Why Do People Vote?
Who Votes?
Classic Works: Downs's Theory of Voting
How To... Handle Tendencies
Who Votes How?
Comparing: Is the U.S. Electoral System Defective?
Electoral Realignment
Key Concepts: Partisan Polarization
What Wins Elections?
Key Concepts: Changing Positions
Key Terms
Further Reference
Part IV: Political Institutions
Chapter 13: Legislatures
Presidential and Parliamentary Systems
Key Concepts: Head of State Versus Chief of Government
Classic Works: Where Did the U.S. System Originate?
Key Concepts: Bicameral or Unicameral?
What Legislatures Do
Key Concepts: Pork-Barrel Politics
How To... Conduct a Longitudinal Study
The Decline of Legislatures
Key Concepts: Congressional Overspending
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 14: Executives and Bureaucracies
Presidents and Prime Ministers
Comparing: Israel's Directly Elected Prime Ministers
Classic Works: Lasswell's Psychology of Power
Comparing: Authoritarianism Returns to Russia
Key Concepts: An Imperial Presidency?
Executive Leadership
Cabinets
Classic Works: American Paranoia
How To...Create Graphs
The Danger of Expecting Too Much
Bureaucracies
Classic Works: Weber's Definition of Bureaucracies
Bureaucracies in Comparison
Key Concepts: Bureaucratic Rulemaking
Comparing: Japan: Bureaucrats in Command
The Trouble with Bureaucracy
Key Concepts: Bureaucratic Politics
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 15: Judiciaries
Types of Law
Classic Works: The Roots of Law
Key Concepts: Common Law Versus Code Law
The Courts, the Bench, and the Bar
Comparing Courts
Comparing: Law in Russia
The Role of the Courts
Classic Works: Marbury v. Madison
How To... Construct a Scattergram
Key Terms
Further Reference
Part V: What Political Systems Do
Chapter 16 Political Economy
Government and the Economy
Comparing: How High Are U.S. Taxes?
How To... Create Maps
Who Is Entitled to What?
Key Concepts: What Is Poverty?
Key Concepts: Poverty and Ideology
How Big Should Government Be?
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 17: Political Violence
System Breakdown
Key Concepts: Terrorism
How To... Construct a Thinkpiece
Key Concepts: Rising Expectations
Revolutions
Key Concepts: Revolutionary Political Warfare in Vietnam
Comparing: The Iranian Revolutionary Cycle
After the Revolution
Comparing: Violent vs. Velvet Revolutions
Key Terms
Further Reference
Chapter 18: International Relations
Power and National Interest
Key Concepts: Types of National Interest
Key Concepts: Why War?
Keeping Peace
Key Concepts: The Democratic Peace
Beyond Sovereignty?
How To... Avoid "They"
U.S. Foreign Policy: Involved or Isolated?
Key Concepts: The Importance of Economics
Classic Works: Klingberg's Alternation Theory
Classic Works: Kennan's Dinosaur Analogy
Classic Works: Thucydides on War
Key Terms
Further Reference