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Political Science

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Welcome to the Political Science Research Guide! This guide is designed to assist you in your research.

The Inauguration of President Barack H. Obama, 44th president of the United States, on the West Front of the Capitol. January 20, 2009. Photo credit: Architect of the Capitol.

New Books!

A World of Enemies

A sobering account of how the United States trapped itself in endless wars--abroad and at home--and what it might do to break free. Over the past half-century, Americans have watched their country extend its military power to what seemed the very ends of the earth. America's might is felt on nearly every continent--and even on its own streets. Decades ago, the Wars on Drugs and Terror broke down the walls separating law enforcement from military operations. A World of Enemies tells the story of how an America plagued by fears of waning power and influence embraced foreign and domestic forever wars. Osamah Khalil argues that the militarization of US domestic and foreign affairs was the product of America's failure in Vietnam. Unsettled by their inability to prevail in Southeast Asia, US leaders increasingly came to see a host of problems as immune to political solutions. Rather, crime, drugs, and terrorism were enemies spawned in "badlands"--whether the Middle East or stateside inner cities. Characterized as sites of endemic violence, badlands lay beyond the pale of civilization, their ostensibly racially and culturally alien inhabitants best handled by force. Yet militarized policy has brought few victories. Its failures--in Iraq, Afghanistan, US cities, and increasingly rural and borderland America--have only served to reinforce fears of weakness. It is time, Khalil argues, for a new approach. Instead of managing never-ending conflicts, we need to reinvest in the tools of traditional politics and diplomacy.

Parties and Elections in America

The 10th edition of this classic text introduces students to political parties and their critical role in representative democracy at the local, state, and national levels. Students will engage in fully up-to-date discussion of changes to presidential campaigns and elections, the ever-evolving world of campaign finance, rapidly changing media environment and much more. In addition, Parties and Elections in America reflects the authors' continuing emphasis on the foundations of our modern political system by providing historical context throughout the text. The new edition fully incorporates the 2020 and 2022 election cycles as well as the initial run-up to the 2024 election.

U. S. Immigration Policy, Ethnicity, and Religion in American History

This invaluable resource investigates U.S. immigration policy, making connections between the ethnic and religious affiliations of immigrants and trends in immigration, both legal and unauthorized. U.S. Immigration Policy, Ethnicity, and Religion in American History is rich with data and document excerpts that illuminate the complex relationships among ethnicity, religion, and immigration to the United States over a 200-year period. The book uniquely organizes the flow of immigration to the United States into seven chapters covering U.S. immigration policymaking: · the Open Door Era, 1820-1880 · the Door Ajar Era, 1880-1920 · the Pet Door Era, 1920-1950 · the Dutch Door Era, 1950-1985 · the Revolving Door Era, 1985-2001 · the Storm Door Era, 2001-2018 Each chapter analyzes trends in ethnicity or national origin and the religious affiliations of immigrant groups in relation to immigration policy during the time period covered.

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