This complete introduction to American government offers a comprehensive program that integrates the core text with supporting materials to benefit both students and instructors. The Eighth Edition maintains the highly acclaimed, non-ideological framework, exploring three themes: freedom, order, and equality as political values; the majoritarianism v. pluralism debate; and the effect of globalization on U.S. politics. Discussions and examples include thorough coverage of the 2004 Presidential and Congressional elections, as well as chapter-by-chapter revisions. These include a greater emphasis on the role of the civil rights movement; the increasing political power of Hispanic Americans; the effort to mobilize women voters; deeper exploration of presidential powers, leadership, and executive orders; and a reorganization of topics. Brief callouts in the text inform students of Talking Politics audio clips on the accompanying web site and the instructor and student CD-ROMs. Follow-up questions encourage students to think about what they hear and can be answered online and submitted to instructors via email. The Looking to the Future feature invites students to consider trends in American government and then consider the implications of their answers. Politics in a Changing World focuses on the effect of globalization on American government by comparing how U.S. politics affect the world and vice versa. Can You Explain Why? features ask students to use critical-thinking skills to try and explain a political paradox, such as why Americans engage in more forms of political participation than people of other nationalities, yet don't vote as much. Compared with What? boxes in every chapter ask students to evaluate facets of the U.S. political system as compared to those of other countries.