Living Democracy: National Edition

For undergraduate courses in American Government.

This is the book that gets students to participate. 

Living Democracy gets students to participate in learning, in the classroom, and in change. The book’s young and energetic author team cares deeply about student learning and student engagement.  Lead author Dan Shea founded the Center for Political Participation and his experiences working with students in the classroom and in the center inspired him to team up with co-authors Joanne Connor Green (Texas Christian University) and Christopher E. Smith (Michigan State) to write an American Government text that truly inspires students and helps them experience the impact of government in their daily lives.  Everything about the book―the writing, design, examples, photos, activities, and every page of the text―is designed to get students to participate in their own learning, in the classroom, and in American politics.

In a recent survey of American Government instructors, 80% named student apathy as the number one problem in their course. Students are simply not engaged in the course material or in local politics. They do not believe the government can affect change and enrich their lives. Written with the belief that introductory courses in American Government are critically important for our students―as well as for the long-term stability of the democratic process―Living Democracy is designed to help students draw connections between topics and to find a role for themselves in politics and government. The text’s innovative approach to American government presents the dynamic nature of our country's democratic process more accurately than any other book currently on the market, while offering all of the material found in a comprehensive, traditionally organized government text within an active framework.

Daniel M. Shea is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Political Participation at Allegheny College. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and American Studies from the State University of New York at Oswego, his Master of Arts degree in Campaign Management from the University of West Florida, and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the State University of New York at Albany. Shea has received numerous awards for his teaching and scholarship and has authored or co-authored several books on the American political process. In the fall of 2002, he founded the Center for Political Participation (CPP) to foster a greater appreciation for political engagement and to develop hands-on programs that bring young people into the civic realm. The CPP develops programs for Allegheny students, for community partners, and for scholars nationwide, and several of their recent initiatives have garnered national media attention.

Joanne Connor Green is an Associate Professor of Political Science and the Director of Women’s Studies at Texas Christian University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Buffalo in 1990 and her Ph.D. in American Politics from the University of Florida in 1994. Green’s research and teaching interests include the role of gender in congressional elections and interest group politics. She has published a number of articles in scholarly journals, including Women & Politics, as well as other academic outlets.

Christopher E. Smith is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. He previously taught at the University of Akron and the University of Connecticut at Hartford. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Connecticut at Storrs and also holds degrees from Harvard University, the University of Bristol (U.K.), and the University of Tennessee College of Law. As a specialist on courts and constitutional law, he has written more than 20 books as well as 90 scholarly articles that have appeared in a variety of journals.