A Novel Approach To Politics Introducing Political Science Through Books Movies And Popular Culture

A Novel Approach to Politics turns conventional textbook wisdom on its head by using pop culture references to illustrate key concepts and cover recent political events. This is a textbook students want to read. Adopters of previous editions from schools all over the country are thanking author Douglas A. Van Belle for some of their best student evaluations to date. With this Fifth Edition, Van Belle brings the book fully up to date with recent events such as Trump’s executive orders on immigration, the 2016 elections in the US, current policy debates including recent court decisions that may affect gerrymandering, international happenings such as Brexit, and other assorted intergalactic matters. Van Belle adds a wealth of new and recent movies and books to the text as he illustrates key concepts in political science through examples that captivate students. Employing a wide range of references from 1984 to Game of Thrones to House of Cards, students are given a solid foundation in institutions, ideology, and economics. To keep things grounded, the textbook nuts and bolts are still there to aid students, including chapter objectives, chapter summaries, bolded key terms, and discussion questions. Give your students the SAGE edge! SAGE edge offers a robust online environment featuring an impressive array of free tools and resources for review, study, and further exploration, keeping both instructors and students on the cutting edge of teaching and learning. Learn more at edge.sagepub.com/vanbelle5e.

A textbook your students will want to read. "If you would like students to understand hard political concepts, this work makes it accessible for them. By using pop culture, we can open ideological ideas and students are not bound by their own preconceived ideas." —Leah Murray, Weber State University A Novel Approach to Politics turns the conventional textbook wisdom on its head by using pop culture references to illustrate key concepts and cover recent political events. Adopters of previous editions are thanking author Douglas A. Van Belle for some of their best student evaluations to date. With this Sixth Edition, Van Belle brings the book fully up-to-date with current events and policy debates, international happenings, and other assorted ‘intergalactic’ matters. Van Belle tackles the most tumultuous political periods in recent history head-on, encouraging students to engage with ideas, arguments, and information that makes them uncomfortable. Employing a wide range of references from Brooklyn Nine-Nine to The Good Place to Ready Player One, students are given a solid grounding in institutions, ideology, and economics. To keep things grounded, the textbook nuts and bolts are still there to aid students, including chapter objectives, chapter summaries, bolded key terms, and discussion questions. Included with this title: The password-protected Instructor Resource Site (formally known as SAGE Edge) offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides.

What if we told you that a textbook could be funny and irreverent utilizing popular books, movies, music, and television shows to introduce political science concepts? This novel approach to explaining our need for government and the intrigue of politics is a reality. Van Belle and Mash do not compromise on the content you want and need, nor do they stint on real-world political examples throughout the book. The basics and the depth are all here. The added innovation?to hook students through the popular culture theyre already plugged into. Simply put, you will never hear complaints that this is a typical or boring textbook. From references to 1984 and Lord of the Flies to mentions of The Matrix and A Clockwork Orange youll be surprised by how the core concepts of political scienceinstitutions, ideology, economics, elections, culture, national politics, and international relationsare interwoven with a highly entertaining discussion of popular culture.

This succinct but comprehensive textbook leads students through the various aspects of their politics and IR degree. It includes a clear overview of the issues, theories, methods and controversies with which scholars across the discipline have engaged alongside guidance on research and study skills such as critical thinking, distinguishing facts from values and academic reading. Furthermore, it helps students to prepare for a career and a lifetime's interest and involvement in politics. From pre-course reading, to core text on introductory politics and IR modules, to handy reference guide across a degree program, this Companion provides a one-stop resource, packed with tips for succeeding at university and beyond. Drawing on a wide range of international examples and written accessibly with no expectation of prior familiarity with the subject it will appeal to students across the world. New to this Edition: - Thoroughly revised and updated with the help of new co-author Simon Lightfoot - Coverage of International Relations and Political Economy has been significantly expanded to reflect the ever-changing nature of degree programmes in Political Science - Sections on study skills have been extended and linked more specifically to the demands of Politics and IR

Poli Sci Fi: An Introduction to Political Science through Science Fiction allows readers, students, and instructors to explore the multiple worlds of science fiction while gaining a firm grasp of core political science concepts. This carefully composed text is comprised of sixteen brief chapters, each of which takes a prominent science fiction film or television episode and uses it to explore fundamental components of political science. The book is designed to serve as a supplemental text for undergraduate political science courses, especially Introduction to Political Science. The structure and content of the volume is shaped around the organization and coverage of several leading texts in this area, and includes major parts devoted to theory and epistemology, political behavior, institutions, identity, states, and inter-state relations. Its emphasis on science fiction—and particularly on popular movies and television programs—speaks to the popularity of the genre as well as the growing understanding that popular culture can be an extraordinarily successful vehicle for communicating difficult yet foundational concepts, especially to introductory level college students.

Every section and every feature in the book has one goal in mind: to get students to think critically and be skeptical of received wisdom. Serving as a true aid to teachers, each chapter is designed to build students' analytical abilities. By introducing them to the seminal work in the field and showing them how to employ the themes of power and citizenship, this proven text builds confidence in students who want to take an active part in their communities and governmentuto play their part in keeping the republic, and to consider the consequences of that engagement.