This comprehensive reader offers a broad selection of classic and current documents, as well as analytical essays on current political issues. Topics include the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the war in Iraq, affirmative action, the Supreme Court's 2003 ruling on sodomy, the 2004 presidential race, and the Columbia shuttle disaster. In addition, policy-oriented readings appear throughout the text. Introductions to the selections help make even the most difficult topics, such as court cases, more accessible to students. Accompanying discussion questions follow a conceptual format, allowing students to focus on main themes and annotations explain unfamiliar terms. Expanded discussion of 9/11 includes the impact it had on Federalism and civil liberties and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as its contribution to the popularity of cable news and changes in foreign policy. Each chapter opens with an essay that provides a brief preface to topics and advises students on critical-reading and -thinking skills. A topic correlation chart offers a convenient way to locate relevant readings for all subjects covered in the text.