Choosing the One for 101: A Review of Primary Textbooks for Introductory Political Science Survey Courses

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Notes

Lawson has a more recent “brief” abridged edition (2005), despite not being noted as such. We believe the earlier version (2003) to be superior.

A second, important question concerns whether introductory survey courses are a useful addition to a department's course offerings—a question of some controversy within some departments and our own department (and even between these two authors). In many ways, this decision should be addressed within the specific context of a given department's unique curriculum. Discussion of this issue is a topic for a future article.

For other aspects of teaching a large lecture course, see Elisa Carbone, Teaching Large Classes: Tools and Strategies (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998); Christine A. Stanley and M. Erin Porter, ed., Engaging Large Classes: Strategies and Techniques for College Faculty (Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company, 2002).

Like the entirety of their book, we understand that Van Belle and Mash are joking here. Speaking (what the authors perceive to be) college vernacular is the approach employed throughout the book. While clever at times, this technique will be ultimately off-putting to most instructors. While pandering to a college audience is necessary, and even enjoyable at times, the dedication to The Daily Show's Jon Stewart, faux author autobiographies, pretentious chapter and section subtitles (e.g., “The Top 7 Dead White Male Political Theorists”), and curious case studies (e.g., CBS' Survivor is used to illustrate coalition politics and group identity) are, in total, difficult to endure. There is, however, much to admire about A Novel Approach of Politics. Learning about the world through a serious exploration of mass media would be intriguing for use in an upper level seminar on the intersection of popular culture and politics, but the approach is overdone to such a degree that it loses its value.

Both authors are Americanists by training.