Struggle for Democracy, The, 2020 Presidential Elections Edition + California Government and Politics Today, 15th edition

Updated content gives students a contemporary view of American democracy

• NEW - The Struggle for Democracy has been revised to include new and updated material on important recent developments including the following:
  • The contentious 2020 national elections, with special attention to the partisan aspects of the election, the consequences for Congress, and the impact on the presidency
  • The causes, and economic and political consequences, of the coronavirus epidemic within the United States, including coverage of the failures of political and bureaucratic leaders and the institutional responses to both the global pandemic and the subsequent recession
  • The unique presidency of Donald Trump and consideration of whether he permanently changed the nature of the office or whether his time in the White House was a temporary aberration from the norm
  • A new section in Chapter 3, Federalism, covering how Native American Nations fit into the federal system
  • A substantially revised Chapter 6, The News Media, addressing emerging concerns about the role social media plays in the spread of information and misinformation
  • The importance of descriptive representation to women and people of color within American political institutions, especially in Chapter 11, Congress
  • A freshly revised Chapter 17, Domestic Policies, discussing the latest economic, social, and environmental policy
• UPDATED - Fresh photos, with accompanying critical thinking questions, depict major events from the last few years and illustrate the relevance of politics in daily life.
• UPDATED - Up-to-date data in all of the figures and tables helps students think critically about political decisions in retrospect and pending government action.
• UPDATED - Current Events Bulletins bring currency into your classroom with author-written articles that connect key concepts with real-life current events. Our authors regularly add new or revised articles to ensure that your students have relevant examples to help them engage with the course.
• NEW - Final Thoughts on Recent Developments features provide brief descriptions and analysis of emerging consequential political stories that are tied to the topics discussed in each chapter, adding to the currency of the material in the textbook.

Engaging features help students better understand, interpret, and evaluate American politics

• The Applying the Framework model is a unique visual tool that maps out the many influences that shape decisions and policies in the American political process. Building on the deep structures that underlie American politics and government (the economy, society, political culture, and constitutional rules), this model fosters a holistic understanding of American politics.
• A Using the Democracy Standard section in each chapter helps students consolidate their thinking about the American political system as a whole. Presenting a normative democracy "yardstick," this feature prompts students to assess the degree to which the United States has become more or less democratic.
• Chapter-opening stories provide useful frames of reference for defining why the principal topic of each chapter matters to the citizens of our American democracy.
• Timelines throughout the text clarify the chronology of a particular period and help students develop a sense of historical context.

Dynamic content brings concepts to life

• Videos embedded within the narrative help students develop their understanding of key topics.
  • Pearson Originals for Political Science videos illustrate complex political concepts like media and democracy, affirmative action, and discrimination in a simplified and entertaining way.
  • Politics in Plain Sight videos show students how politics influences their daily activity and help them see that politics is everywhere, from the cell phone to the convenience store.
  • So What? videos help students understand how key documents and institutions affect their own lives.
  • Current Events videos explore recent occurrences that have impacted American politics, such as sweeping healthcare legislation.
  • The Big Picture videos offer broad looks at key topics such as Federalism and Congress.
  • Current news footage and short documentary videos cover both recent and historical events. Topics include how public opinion polls are conducted, perspectives on the appropriate role of the Supreme Court in addressing attitudes on social issues, and social media companies' efforts to fight the spread of misinformation.
  • Author-narrated Why It Matters videos at the end of each chapter help students view chapter content in a real-world context.
  • Common Ground videos explore both sides of key issues that pervade today's headlines. Topics include "Are Congressional Term Limits a Good Idea?" and "Should Cannabis Be Legal at the Federal Level?"
• Interactives integrated directly into the narrative get students learning actively, making it more likely that they'll understand what they've read.
  • Data-rich interactive maps, figures, and tables with Social Explorer technology let students interact with real data to explore the concepts they've just read about.
  • Custom-built interactive maps and diagrams, with chronological layers, panning and zooming, and hotspots, provide students with multiple ways of engaging with visual content.
  • Keyed to the text's learning objectives, interactive conclusion and review summaries allow students to review chapter content using video, image galleries, and key-terms flashcards.
• NEW - Podcasts offer audio explorations of contemporary topics of interest such as "Religion in Science Class" and "Teacher Strikes Share Common Cause."
• Embedded assessments afford students regular opportunities to check their understanding. The results enable instructors to gauge student comprehension and provide timely feedback to address learning gaps along the way.
• Writing assignments, such as journaling prompts, shared writing activities, and essays, enable educators to foster and assess critical thinking without significantly impacting their grading burden. 
• Video quizzes offer students opportunities to further their knowledge by applying concepts and testing their understanding. Instructors can share videos accompanied by time-stamped multiple-choice questions.
• Shared multimedia assignments make it easy for instructors and students to post and respond to videos and other media. Students can also record and upload their own presentations for grading, comments, or peer review.
• The Revel^® mobile app lets students read and practice anywhere, anytime, on any device, online and off. It syncs work across all registered devices automatically, allowing learners to toggle between phone, tablet, and laptop as they move through their day.
• The audio playlist lets students listen and learn as they go.

Actionable insights help improve results

• The educator dashboard offers an at-a-glance look at overall class performance. It helps instructors identify and contact struggling and low-activity students, ensuring that the class stays on pace.
• The enhanced grades view provides detailed insights on student performance, from specific assignments to individual student scores.
• LMS integration provides institutions, instructors, and students easy access to their Revel courses via Blackboard Learn^™, Canvas^™, Brightspace by D2L^™, and Moodle^™. Single sign-on lets students access Revel on their first day.

Updated content gives students a contemporary view of American democracy

• The Struggle for Democracy has been revised to include new and updated material on important recent developments including the following:
  • The contentious 2020 national elections, with special attention to the partisan aspects of the election, the consequences for Congress, and the impact on the presidency
  • The causes, and economic and political consequences, of the coronavirus epidemic within the United States, including coverage of the failures of political and bureaucratic leaders and the institutional responses to both the global pandemic and the subsequent recession
  • The unique presidency of Donald Trump and consideration of whether he permanently changed the nature of the office or whether his time in the White House was a temporary aberration from the norm
  • A new section in Chapter 3, Federalism, covering how Native American Nations fit into the federal system
  • A substantially revised Chapter 6, The News Media, addressing emerging concerns about the role social media plays in the spread of information and misinformation
  • The importance of descriptive representation to women and people of color within American political institutions, especially in Chapter 11, Congress
  • A freshly revised Chapter 17, Domestic Policies, discussing the latest economic, social, and environmental policy
• UPDATED - Fresh photos, with accompanying critical thinking questions, depict major events from the last few years and illustrate the relevance of politics in daily life.
• UPDATED - Up-to-date data in all of the figures and tables helps students think critically about political decisions in retrospect and pending government action.
• UPDATED - Current Events Bulletins bring currency into your classroom with author-written articles that connect key concepts with real-life current events. Our authors regularly add new or revised articles to ensure that your students have relevant examples to help them engage with the course.
• Final Thoughts on Recent Developments features provide brief descriptions and analysis of emerging consequential political stories that are tied to the topics discussed in each chapter, adding to the currency of the material in the textbook.
• Podcasts offer audio explorations of contemporary topics of interest such as "Religion in Science Class" and "Teacher Strikes Share Common Cause."