Introduction to Politics: essay and readings

This highly readable introductory volume takes an analytical
approach to the major concepts of political science. Instead of
attempting to confront the student with a mass of detail, the editors
concorate on five central problems in contemporary American
political science: 2) What is politics? 2) What are the main charac-
eri tics of political systems? 3) How du individuals relate to
litics? 4) What are the necessary conditions for the maintenance
political systems? 5) How should we siudy politics?
Readings that represent both classical and current scholarship
have been organized into five sections-each concerned with one of
these fundamental questions. The editors have been careful to
preserve each author's line of thought so that the student car.
appreciate differences in viewpoint and opinion. An original essay
troduces each section of articles, serving both to interpret indivi-
(ual readings and to explain the relevance of specialized empirical
search to basic problems raised in the book.
Unique for their lucid, direct, and jargon-free style, the essays
have been designed to help the student think independently about
aportant political questions. Introduction to Politics can be used
as a basic text or in combination with other texts.