Keeping the Republic

Keeping the Republic gives students the power to

• examine the narrative of what′s going on in American politics, 
• distinguish fact from fiction and balance from bias, and 
• influence the message through informed citizenship. 

Keeping the Republic draws students into the study of American politics, showing them how to think critically about "who gets what, and how" while exploring the twin themes of power and citizenship. Students are pushed to consider how and why institutions and rules determine who wins and who loses in American politics, and to be savvy consumers of political information. 

The thoroughly updated Eighth Edition considers how a major component of power is who controls the information, how it is assembled into narratives, and whether we come to recognize fact from fiction. Citizens now have unprecedented access to power – the ability to create and share their own narratives – while simultaneously being even more vulnerable to those trying to shape their views. The political landscape of today gives us new ways to keep the republic, and some high-tech ways to lose it. 

Throughout the text and its features, authors Christine Barbour and Gerald Wright show students how to effectively apply the critical thinking skills they develop to the political information they encounter every day. Students are challenged to deconstruct prevailing narratives and effectively harness the political power of the information age for themselves. 

Up-to-date with 2018 election results and analysis, as well as the impact of recent Supreme Court rulings, shifting demographics, and emerging and continuing social movements, Keeping the Republic, Eighth Edition is a much-needed resource to help students make sense of politics in America today.

Carefully condensed from the full version by authors Christine Barbour and Gerald Wright, Keeping the Republic, Brief Edition gives your students all the continuity and crucial content, in a more concise, value-oriented package.

Also available as a digital option (courseware). Contact your rep to learn more about Keeping the Republic, Eighth Brief Edition - Vantage Digital Option.

Keeping the Republic gives students the power to

• examine the narrative of what′s going on in American politics, 
• distinguish fact from fiction and balance from bias, and 
• influence the message through informed citizenship. 

Keeping the Republic draws students into the study of American politics, showing them how to think critically about "who gets what, and how" while exploring the twin themes of power and citizenship. Students are pushed to consider how and why institutions and rules determine who wins and who loses in American politics, and to be savvy consumers of political information. 

The thoroughly updated Eighth Edition considers how a major component of power is who controls the information, how it is assembled into narratives, and whether we come to recognize fact from fiction. Citizens now have unprecedented access to power – the ability to create and share their own narratives – while simultaneously being even more vulnerable to those trying to shape their views. The political landscape of today gives us new ways to keep the republic, and some high-tech ways to lose it. 

Throughout the text and its features, authors Christine Barbour and Gerald Wright show students how to effectively apply the critical thinking skills they develop to the political information they encounter every day. Students are challenged to deconstruct prevailing narratives and effectively harness the political power of the information age for themselves. 
Up-to-date with 2018 election results and analysis, as well as the impact of recent Supreme Court rulings, shifting demographics, and emerging and continuing social movements, Keeping the Republic, Eighth Edition is a much-needed resource to help students make sense of politics in America today.

Carefully condensed from the full version by authors Christine Barbour and Gerald Wright, Keeping the Republic, Brief Edition gives your students all the continuity and crucial content, in a more concise, value-oriented package.

A Complete Teaching & Learning Package

SAGE Vantage Digital Option
Engage, Learn, Soar with SAGE Vantage, an intuitive digital platform that delivers Keeping the Republic, Eighth Brief Edition textbook content in a learning experience carefully designed to ignite student engagement and drive critical thinking. Built with you and your students in mind, it offers easy course set-up and enables students to better prepare for class. Learn more.

Assignable Video
Assignable Video (available on the SAGE Vantage platform) is tied to learning objectives and curated exclusively for this text to bring concepts to life and appeal to different learning styles. Watch a sample video now.


SAGE Coursepacks
FREE! Easily import our quality instructor and student resource content into your school’s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Learn more.

SAGE Edge
FREE online resources for students that make learning easier. See how your students benefit. 

SAGE course outcomes: Measure Results, Track Success
Outlined in your text and mapped to chapter learning objectives, SAGE course outcomes are crafted with specific course outcomes in mind and vetted by advisors in the field. See how SAGE course outcomes tie in with this book’s chapter-level objectives at edge.sagepub.com/barbourbrief8e

CQ Press Lecture Spark: 
Designed to save you time and ignite student engagement, these free weekly lecture launchers focus on current event topics tied to key concepts in American government. Access this week’s topic.