WHY POLITICS MATTERS: AN INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE is a full-color, accessible introduction to Political Science. Organized evenly around the major divisions within Political Science: Theory, American Government, Comparative Politics, and International Relations, WHY POLITICS MATTERS follows a foundational approach to learning and gives students a "big picture" of the field. The authors approach the subject through a theme of theory and practice and emphasize why politics matters to the reader through current, global examples, encouraging critical thinking, discussion, and participation throughout the text. WHY POLITICS MATTERS is the first and only Introduction to Political Science book offering a fully integrated and customizable online reader, COURSEREADER, with a full slate of recommended primary source readings compiled by the authors. Each COURSEREADER selection is called-out in the text alongside the relevant discussion and is accompanied by critical thinking questions to help students apply the reading to their chapter lesson. You can further customize COURSEREADER for your class by choosing from the thousands of documents and videos within our Introduction to Political Science set and even adding your own notes and highlights before publishing your unique online reader for students to access.