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| 001 | 000001102132 | |
| 005 | 20040803144149 | |
| 008 | 030903s2003 enk b 000 eng d | |
| 020 | ▼a 0761940960(pbk) | |
| 020 | ▼a 0761940952 | |
| 040 | ▼a 244002 ▼c 244002 ▼d 244002 | |
| 042 | ▼a lccopycat | |
| 082 | 0 4 | ▼a 320.973 ▼2 21 |
| 090 | ▼a 320.973 ▼b S617c | |
| 100 | 1 | ▼a Singh, Robert. |
| 245 | 1 0 | ▼a Contemporary American politics and society: ▼b issues and controversies / ▼c Robert Singh. |
| 260 | ▼a London ; ▼a Thousand Oaks, Calif. : ▼b SAGE Publications , ▼c 2003. | |
| 300 | ▼a xvii, 278 p. ; ▼c 25 cm. | |
| 504 | ▼a Includes bibliographical references (p. [267]-270) and index. | |
| 651 | 0 | ▼a United States ▼x Politics and government ▼y 20th century. |
| 651 | 0 | ▼a United States ▼x Social conditions ▼y 1980- |
| 651 | 0 | ▼a United States ▼x Civilization ▼y 1970- |
| 651 | 4 | ▼a United States ▼x Politics and government. |
Holdings Information
| No. | Location | Call Number | Accession No. | Availability | Due Date | Make a Reservation | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | Location Sejong Academic Information Center/Social Science/ | Call Number 320.973 S617c | Accession No. 151159129 | Availability Loan can not(reference room) | Due Date | Make a Reservation | Service |
Contents information
Book Introduction
Contemporary American Politics provides a comprehensive introduction to the most salient topics of debate in contemporary American politics and society today.
The text introduces and explains the history, nature and underlying issues to the key areas of political division and conflict in America′s on-going culture war′, including, abortion, gun control, capital punishment, pornography, gay rights and drugs.
All students will gain a deeper and critical understanding of how this powerful set of concerns continue to underpin and shape the fundamental divisions informing American domestic politics at local, state and federal levels.
Completely up-to-date and featuring chapter summaries, exhibit boxes, discussion questions, weblinks and further reading guides, Contemporary American Politics offers a lively and accessible text that will be essential reading for all students of American politics and society.
Robert Singh is a lecturer in politics at Birkbeck College, London. Contemporary American Politics: Issues and Controversies is a companion text to the foundation textbook American Government and Politics: A Concise Introduction also published by SAGE.
In this volume the political scientist Robert Singh has selected and analyzed closely a set of topical issues and controversies in American politics - including gun control, capital punishment and cultural wars - as a way better to understand the United States. The result is an excellent text which conveys both the diversity of contemporary America and the complexity of issues often treated superficially in media accounts. I recommend the book highly′ - Desmond King, Mellon Professor of American Government, University of Oxford
Rob Singh is a master of style, and his book is the perfect companion for those who are interested in America′s "culture wars" but hitherto have been put off by the execrable jargon they have spawned′ - Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones, Professor of American History, University of Edinburgh
For those who still believe that politics is normally, naturally, about economics, Rob Singh has gathered the evidence and dialed the wake-up call: seven major instances of an ongoing culture war meet a common analytic framework here in a lively and informative fashion′ - Byron E Shafer, University of Wisconsin
For the student this is the perfect complement to a textbook. American politics is not just about institutions and processes, but also about current political issues and debates. Robert Singh′s interesting book illuminates a range of social and cultural issues that divide Americans in the 21st century. All undergraduate courses on American politics should include it on reading lists for seminars, tutorials and classes′ - Alan Ware, Worcester College, Oxford
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Table of Contents
CONTENTS List of Exhibits and Tables = ix Preface = xiv Acknowledgements = xvi 1 The Culture War and Contemporary American Politics = 1 American Politics and Culture in the Twenty-first Century = 3 What is the Culture War? = 6 The Significance of Cultural Value Conflict = 7 Traditionalists and Progressives = 10 Conservatives and Liberals by Another Name? = 13 Morals v. Lifestyles = 14 'Exceptional' American Dilemmas? = 16 Choosing the Issues = 17 2 The Rise of the Culture War = 19 The Origins of the Culture War = 20 The Social Base = 21 Governing Institutions = 26 Intermediary Organizations = 28 Conclusion = 31 3 Abortion = 32 The Historical Context = 35 Public Opinion : Abortions as 'Safe, Legal and Rare' = 39 Explaining the Politics of Abortion = 43 The US Constitution = 43 Governing Institutions = 46 The Traditionalist Counter-revolution : Has Roe Been Eroded? = 54 Abortion and American politics : The Wider Significance = 60 Conclusion = 61 Further Reading = 61 Web Links = 62 Questions = 64 4 Gun Control = 65 The Historical Context = 67 A Public Policy Problem? = 71 Public Opinion = 75 Explaining America's Gun Politics = 78 Governing Institutions = 82 New Challenges to the Gun Lobby? = 87 Exceptional America? = 89 Conclusion = 91 Further Reading = 92 Web Links = 93 Questions = 95 5 Capital Punishment = 96 An American Way of Death = 98 The Historical Context = 100 The Death Penalty Today = 103 Explaining the Politics of the Death Penalty = 107 The US Constitution = 107 Public Opinion = 111 The Supreme Court Strikes Down the Death Penalty : Furman v. Georgia = 113 The Supreme Court Changes Its Mind : Gregg v. Georgia and after = 114 Traditionalists v. Progressives = 115 Politicizing the Death Penalty : The Traditionalist Triumph = 123 Conclusion = 128 Further Reading = 130 Web Links = 130 Questions = 131 6 Pornography = 132 The Historical Context = 134 Porn in the USA = 136 Public Opinion = 140 Traditionalists v. Progressives = 140 Explaining the Politics of Pornography = 146 The US Constitution = 146 Governing Institutions = 151 Conclusion = 157 Further Reading = 158 Web Links = 159 Questions = 160 7 Gay Rights = 161 The Historical Context = 163 Public Opinion = 170 Explaining the Politics of Gay Rights = 172 The US Constitution = 172 Governing Institutions = 179 Presidential Politics = 179 Conclusion = 186 Further Reading = 188 Web Links = 189 Questions = 191 8 Religion in Public Life = 192 The Historical Context = 194 Public Opinion = 197 Explaining the Politics of Religion = 202 School Prayer and Public Education = 205 Governing Institutions = 206 The Christian Right = 216 Conclusion = 218 Further Reading = 218 Web Links = 219 Questions = 221 9 Drugs = 222 The Historical Context = 225 Drugs Control : The Punitive Paradigm = 231 The Failure of Punitive Policies = 232 Public Opinion = 234 Explaining the Politics of Drugs = 237 Governing Institutions = 237 Conclusion = 252 Further Reading = 253 Web Links = 253 Questions = 254 10 Conclusion = 255 Structural Features = 256 Is America (Still) Different? = 260 Bibliography = 267 Index = 271