Gateways to Democracy: an Introduction to American Government (Book Only) - Softcover

GATEWAYS TO DEMOCRACY introduces the American political system to students, pointing out in each chapter the "gateways" that facilitate, or at times block, participation. In emphasizing how the political system works-and how individuals and groups have opened gates to influence public policy-the text helps students see the relevance of government in their lives. The third edition provides coverage of the 2014 midterm elections as well as enhanced discussion of the politics, policies, and issues affecting Latinos in the United States.

John G. Geer (PhD, Princeton University) is vice provost for academic and strategic Affairs, the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science, and co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll. Geer has published widely, including In Defense of Negativity, which won the Goldsmith Prize from the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University. Geer has been a visiting scholar at Harvard University and Princeton University. Geer teaches Introduction to American Politics, as well as specialty courses on elections and campaigns. His teaching has won numerous teaching awards at both Arizona State University and Vanderbilt University. Geer is a frequent commentator in the press, with appearances on all the major networks (e.g., Fox News, CBS Evening News, CNN), and he has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the LA Times. He also has done interviews for major international outlets, such as BBC and Al Jazeera. Wendy Schiller (PhD, University of Rochester) is a professor of political science, international and public affairs at Brown University (Twitter account @profwschiller). She was legislative assistant for Senator Daniel P. Moynihan, a federal lobbyist for Governor Mario M. Cuomo, a guest scholar and PhD fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University. She has published Electing the Senate: Indirect Democracy before the Seventeenth Amendment (2015) with Charles Stewart III, The Contemporary Congress (2003, 2005, 2015) with Burdett Loomis, and Partners and Rivals: Representation in U.S. Senate Delegations (2000), She teaches courses on a wide range of American politics topics, including Introduction to the American Political Process, The American Presidency, Congress and Public Policy, Parties and Interest Groups, and The Philosophy of the American Founding. Professor Schiller is a political analyst for local and national media outlets, including Bloomberg Radio, NPR, and WJAR10, the local NBC affiliate in Providence. Jeffrey A. Segal (PhD, Michigan State University) is SUNY Distinguished Professor and chair of the political science department at Stony Brook University. He has served as Senior Visiting Research Scholar at Princeton University and held a Guggenheim Fellowship. Segal is best known, with Harold Spaeth, as the leading proponent of the attitudinal model of Supreme Court decision-making. Segal has twice won the Wadsworth Award for a book (with Spaeth) or article 10 years or older with lasting influence on law and courts. He has also won the C. Herman Pritchett Award (again with Spaeth) for best book on law and courts. His work on the influence of strategic factors on Supreme Court decision-making won the Franklin Burdette Award from APSA. With Lee Epstein, Kevin Quinn, and Andrew Martin, he won Green Bag's award for exemplary legal writing. He has also won a national award sponsored by the American Bar Association for innovative teaching and instructional methods and materials in law and courts. Richard Herrera (PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara) is associate professor of political science and associate director for the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University. He directs the ASU Capital Scholars Washington, DC, Summer Internship program for ASU and coordinates the ASU-McCain Institute for International Leadership Internship Program. He has contributed articles to the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and State Politics and Policy Quarterly. His current research interests are focused on U.S. governors, their ideology, policy agendas, and representative functions. He teaches courses in American Politics, American Political Parties, and American Politics and Film.