The Challenge of Politics: An Introduction to Political Science

by Douglas W. Simon, Joseph Romance

Overview

“[This is] a textbook that offers students a good introduction to the science of politics while emphasizing the moral, empirical, and prudential dimensions of politics.”
—Prosper Bernard, Jr., College of Staten Island

The Challenge of Politics balances classic political theory with contemporary politics to help students understand the fundamental questions of political science. The authors relate insights of classic political thinkers both to their modern counterparts and to the political dynamics of American, comparative, and international affairs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071835395
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	02/08/2022
Edition description:	Seventh Edition
Pages:	520
Product dimensions:	7.38(w) x 9.12(h) x (d)

About the Author

Douglas W. Simon is emeritus professor of political science at Drew University, where he specialized in international affairs, U.S. foreign policy, international organization, and national security. After receiving a BA from Willamette University, he served as an officer in U.S. air force intelligence, including a tour in Vietnam. Following his military service he earned a Ph D at the University of Oregon. After arriving at Drew, he directed the university’s Semester on the United Nations for fifteen years, served as convener of Drew’s Masters in International Affairs Program, and later was department chair. In addition to The Challenge of Politics, he is coauthor of New Thinking and Developments in International Politics: Opportunities and Dangers and has contributed to such publications as the Harvard Journal of World Affairs, East Asian Survey, Comparative Political Studies, International Studies Notes, Teaching Political Science, and Society.

Joseph Romance is associate professor of political science at Fort Hays State University, teaching in the fields of American politics and political theory. He received a BA from the College of William and Mary and a Ph D from Rutgers University. He is coauthor, with Theodore Lowi and Gerald Pomper, of A Republic of Parties: Debating the Two Party System; coauthor of and contributor to Democracy and Excellence: Conflict or Concord?; and coeditor of Democracy’s Literature. His articles and reviews have appeared in a number of journals, including American Review of Politics, The Responsive Community, Perspectives on Political Science, and Newsday. He has also contributed pieces to a number of edited volumes, including Progressive Politics in the Global Age and Friends and Citizens. He currently is working on a book about political foundings.

Table of Contents

PART I • RULES OF THE GAME
CHAPTER 1 • Games Politicians Play
CHAPTER 2 • Politics and Choice
CHAPTER 3 • Political Science: Components, Tasks, and Controversies
CHAPTER 4 • The Physical, Social, and Cultural Environment of Politics
PART II • POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AND IDEOLOGY
CHAPTER 5 • The Quest for the Good Political Life
CHAPTER 6 • Liberal Democracy
CHAPTER 7 • Democratic Socialism and Communism: Ideologies of the Left
PART III • AMERICAN, COMPARATIVE, AND WORLD POLITICS
CHAPTER 8 • Key Dilemmas: Political Form, Culture, and Values
CHAPTER 9 • American Politics and Government
CHAPTER 10 • Comparative Politics
CHAPTER 11 • International Politics and the Global Community
PART IV • POLITICAL JUDGMENT AND PUBLIC POLICY
CHAPTER 12 • War and Peace in the Modern Age
CHAPTER 13 • The Battle on Behalf of Human Rights
CHAPTER 14 • The Struggle for Economic Well-Being
CHAPTER 15 • The Imperative of Ecological Health

Editorial Reviews

[The Challenge of Politics] is one of the few texts out there that strikes a good balance between the empirical and normative approaches in the study of politics.

Kostas Kourtikakis

[This is] a textbook that offers students a good introduction to the science of politics while emphasizing the moral, empirical, and prudential dimensions of politics.

Prosper Bernard

The Challenge of Politics is precisely the sort of text that will help students bridge from their introductory American Government courses to more demanding curricula.

Ken Hicks