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ALERT: Before you purchase, check with your instructor or review your course syllabus to ensure that you select the correct ISBN. Several versions of Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable. In addition, you may need a CourseID, provided by your instructor, to register for and use Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products.PackagesAccess codes for Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products may not be included when purchasing or renting from companies other than Pearson; check with the seller before completing your purchase.Used or rental booksIf you rent or purchase a used book with an access code, the access code may have been redeemed previously and you may have to purchase a new access code.Access codesAccess codes that are purchased from sellers other than Pearson carry a higher risk of being either the wrong ISBN or a previously redeemed code. Check with the seller prior to purchase.--This access code card gives you access to all of MyPoliSciLab's tools and resources, including a complete eText of your book. You can also buy immediate access to MyPoliSciLab with Pearson eText online with a credit card at www.mypoliscilab.com.Solve real-world puzzles like a political scientist.Understanding American Politics and Government introduces the basic tools used by political scientists to help students go beyond the headlines and see why things really happen in politics. Showing the difference between causation and correlation, this text presents American government as a field of interesting questions and puzzles that all citizens must consider. Understanding American Politics and Government draws heavily on politics in the real world to help students think critically about their political beliefs and actions.MyPoliSciLab is an integral part of the Coleman program. Key learning applications include MyPoliSciLab Video Series, Explorer and Simulations.A better teaching and learning experienceThis program provides a better teaching and learning experience–for you and your students. Here’s how:Personalize Learning—Reach every student at each stage of learning, engage them in active rather than passive learning, and measure that learning. Refined after a decade of real-world use and compatible with learning management systems like Blackboard, the new MyPoliSciLab is a customizable digital learning experience that supports each individual student’s and educator’s success.Emphasize Outcomes—Keep students focused on what they need to learn. A new design facilitates print and digital reading experiences and turns this book’s learning objectives into a clear learning path. On MyPoliSciLab, practice tests help students achieve these objectives by creating personalized study plans.Engage Students—Each student is different.Reach all of them with the new MyPoliSciLab Video Series, which features this book’s authors and top political scientists discussing the big ideas in each chapter and applying them to enduring political issues.Improve Critical Thinking—Students get a lot of information about politics; your challenge as an instructor is to turn them into critical consumers of that information. Using interactive data to answer political questions introduced in this book’s infographics, Explorer is a hands-on way to develop quantitative literacy and to move students beyond punditry and opinion.Analyze Current Events—Prepare students for a lifetime of following political news. Both in this book and on MyPoliSciLab, coverage of the 2012 elections and more keeps politics relevant and models how to analyze development in the American political system. Get up-to-the-minute analysis on MyPoliSciLab’s blogs or reflect on a theoretical case with a simulation.Support Instructors—Make more time for your students with instructor resources—Test Bank, MyTest Computerized Test Bank, Instructor’s Manual, and PowerPoint Presentation wit