Dynamic content matched to the way today''s students read, think, and learn * Interactives and Videos Integrated within the narrative, interactives and videos empower students to engage with concepts and take an active role in learning. REVEL''s unique presentation of media as an intrinsic part of course content brings the hallmark features of Pearson''s bestselling titles to life. REVEL''s media interactives have been designed to be completed quickly, and its videos are brief, so students stay focused and on task.* Quizzing Located throughout REVEL, quizzing affords students opportunities to check their understanding at regular intervals before moving on.* A Fully Mobile Learning Experience REVEL enables students to read and interact with course material on the devices they use, anywhere and anytime. Responsive design allows students to access REVEL on their tablet devices and smart phones, with content displayed clearly in both portrait and landscape view.* Familiar Learning and Study Tools Highlighting, note taking, and a glossary personalize the learning experience. Educators can add notes for students, too, including reminders or study tips.

Superior assignability and tracking tools that help educators make sure students are completing their reading and understanding core concepts * Assignment Calendar REVEL allows educators to indicate precisely which readings must be completed on which dates. This clear, detailed schedule helps students stay on task by eliminating any ambiguity as to which material will be covered during each class. And when students know what is expected of them, they''re better motivated to keep up.* Performance Dashboard REVEL lets educators monitor class assignment completion as well as individual student achievement. It offers actionable information that helps educators intersect with their students in meaningful ways, such as points earned on quizzes and tests and time on task. Of particular note, the trending column reveals whether students'' grades are improving or declining -- which helps educators identify students who might need help to stay on track. Several analytical frameworks help students comprehend and synthesize complex concepts * The authors focus on key structural factors - including the American economy, technological innovations and change, and the American political culture - and examine how they affect politics, government, and public policy. These factors are introduced in Chapter 4, and are brought to bear on a wide range of issues in subsequent chapters.

* In order to foster critical thinking and help students understand American history as a struggle for democracy, the authors foreground issues of democratic political theory throughout the text. For instance, the text examines how the evolution of the party system has improved democracy in some respects in the United States, but hurt it in others.* An emphasis on historical perspective helps students best evaluate the progress of democracy in the United States. For example, the authors show how the expansion of civil rights in the United States has been associated with important historical events and trends.* Substantial comparative information has been integrated into the text to help students achieve a full understanding of government and politics and the effect of structural factors on them, which the authors believe is possible only through a comparison of developments, practices, and institutions in the United States with those in other nations. Compelling pedagogical features help students better understand, interpret, and critically evaluate American politics and government * Using the Democracy Standard features help students to think about the American political system as a whole using a normative democracy "yardstick" that measures the degree to which we have become more or less democratic. This yardstick is introduced at the beginning of each chapter and revisited in the final section of each chapter, which asks students to consider how democratic they think our system is.* Using the Framework visual tools show the many influences in the American political process and how they shape political decisions and policies.

This feature helps students see how government, politics, and society are deeply intertwined in recognizable patterns, and that a holistic focus is required to understand American politics.* By the Numbers features help students understand statistical information on government, politics, economy, and society, and learn how to distinguish between good and bad statistical information. In each box, the authors describe a particular statistic, show how it is calculated, examine what critics and supporters say about its usefulness and validity, and ask students what they think about issues addressed by the statistic.* Mapping American Politics features present cartograms - maps that display information organized on a geographical basis with each unit (e.g., a county, state, or country) sized in proportion to the data being reported. By helping students visualize key numeric information, these features illuminate a broad range of issues, including how the geographic bases of the political parties are changing and where American economic and military assistance dollars go.* Can Government Do Anything Well? features examine whether government or the market or some combination of the two is the most appropriate instrument for solving our most important national problems.

With this feature, the authors hope to help bridge the deep divide that separates those who believe that "government is always the solution" and those who believe that "government is always the problem."* Timelines throughout the text help students develop a sense of historical context. Topics include federalism milestones, development of the U.S. census, a history of the Internet, and the rise and fall of labor unions.* Every chapter includes a marginal glossary to support students'' understanding of new and important concepts at first encounter. For easy reference, key terms from the marginal glossary are repeated at the end of each chapter and in the end-of-book glossary. Updated content ensures currency and engages students The 2014 Elections and Updates Edition incorporates coverage of contemporary issues that dominate today''s headlines, ensuring that students see the relevance of course content to their own lives, as well as the most up-to-date data.

* NEW! Substantial coverage of the consequential 2012 national and the 2014 midterm congressional elections , with special attention to these elections in Chapter 10 on voting, campaigns, and elections and in Chapter 11 on Congress.* NEW! Coverage throughout, and in Chapters 3, 10, 14, 15, 16, and 17 particularly, on important rulings by the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage, efforts to limit voting rights, immigration, affirmative action, election financing, the commerce clause, and the Affordable Care Act.* NEW! Consideration, especially in Chapter 12 and Chapter 18, on the n ew challenges posed by the rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, nuclear weapons programs in North Korea, Pakistan, and especially Iran, China''s emergence as a competing world power, and Russia''s attempt to reassert its power in Ukraine and in other countries formerly a part of the Soviet Union.* NEW! Increased attention to the growing partisan bitterness in Washington and across much of the nation that affects how government addresses or fails to address virtually every major problem facing the nation whether it be energy, illegal immigration, climate change, or the shrinking middle class (Chapters 9, 10, 11, and 17).* NEW! A focus in several chapters on the question of the degree to which income and wealth inequality has increased, and an examination of subsequent political and public policy consequences. We also look at globalization and technological change and their impact on Americans. * NEW ! Coverage of the ways economic and technological trends shape government action , including new legislation to regulate the financial industry, executive orders increasing gas mileage requirements for cars, and prosecution of government employees who leak confidential government information to social media sites (Chapters 4, 6, 15, 17, and 18).* NEW! Photos in this edition were selected to capture major events from the last few years, as well as to illustrate politics'' relevancy.

They show political actors and processes as well as people affected by politics, creating a visual narrative that enhances rather than repeats the text. * UPDATED! The data in all of the figures and tables has been updated throughout with the intention of helping users think critically not only about political decisions in retrospect but also about pending government action.