Play the field

As we approach the start of our president’s second term in office, our thoughts are filled with news and opinions on the nature of governance and the workings of our political system. You might want to focus your term paper on a topic related to the election. Even so, this is still a wide area to research. You might want to make your first stop Questia, the world’s largest online library with thousands of full-text books and magazines.

Once at Questia, you can begin your search within the category of politics and government where you will find such sub-categories as:

• Political movements
• Political parties
• Public policy
• U.S. government
• Elections
• Political figures — U.S.

Let’s say that you decide to do research on the career of Barack Obama. Follow the Barack Obama topic page to a list of full textbooks and articles that you can read to your heart’s content.

One of the journal articles about the president is “The Obama Presidential Transition: An Early Assessment” by John P. Burke published in Presidential Studies Quarterly, 2009. In the article, Burke described the various strategies employed by Barack Obama and his team, both before and after the election to ensure a smooth transition into office. Through his descriptions of the campaign, you get a fly-on-the-wall look at how a presidential candidate moves from the campaign trail into the White House.

“President Obama signaled his intention to make a clean break from the unpopular Bush presidency with his executive orders and early policy and budget proposals. At the same time, he also sought to tamp down public expectations for quick results on the economy,” Burke said.

Ideas matter

There are all kinds of blogs related to politics, each expressing the views of its creators. You will want to review several blogs to ensure that you get a well-rounded background on the issues. A good place to start is the Ideas Matter blog where you can find posts and video content on the major issues of the day. The blog is part of the Free To Choose Network, which describes itself as “neither conservative nor liberal.”

An example of the kind of commentary you will find here is this excerpt from a February 15, 2011 post by Max Borders titled, “Ayn Rand: A Grudging Respect.” Regarding his thoughts about Rand, Borders said, “I’d venture to guess that 90 percent of classical liberals got into these ideas because of Milton Friedman, Ayn Rand or Friedrich Hayek. Their effect is just that profound. While I no longer consider Rand’s Objectivist philosophy to be philosophically rigorous or well-grounded, I owe her for everything I am.”

What’s so great about this blog post is that it, like all of the posts at Ideas Matter, contains video clips. In this case, you can see the 1959 interview of Ayn Rand by Mike Wallace and learn about her philosophy in her own words.

Other political science resources

The Library of Congress: Government, Politics and Law — You can browse on topics such as: civil rights, the courts and the judicial branch, elections, and voting.

The American Political Science Association (APSANet): the site contains a section dedicated to students where you can find links to information about: networking with others in the political science community, trends, data, and careers in political science.

MIT Open Courseware: this site contains lecture notes from several political science courses that have been held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Gallup: You may have heard of the Gallup poll research studies. The Gallup site contains information derived from its studies.

Academic Earth: at the political science page you will find free video courses on such topics as: game theory, international politics, and capitalism.

Enjoy!

Cannon, L. (2000). President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime. New York: Public Affairs. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Cogliano, F. D. (2006). Thomas Jefferson: Reputation and Legacy. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Ellis, J. J. (2001). Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Gardner, M. R. (2002). Harry Truman and Civil Rights: Moral Courage and Political Risks. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Gienapp, W. E. (2002). Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America: A Biography. New York: Oxford University Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Kloppenberg, J. T. (2011). Reading Obama: Dreams, Hope, and the American Political Tradition. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Krieg, J. P. (Ed.). (1987). Dwight D. Eisenhower: Soldier, President, Statesman. New York: Greenwood Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Liebovich, L. W. (2003). Richard Nixon, Watergate, and the Press: A Historical Retrospective. Westport, CT: Praeger. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Link, A. S. (Ed.). (1982). Woodrow Wilson and a Revolutionary World, 1913-1921. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Posner, R. A. (2000). An Affair of State: The Investigation, Impeachment, and Trial of President Clinton. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Ratner, L. A. (1997). Andrew Jackson and His Tennessee Lieutenants: A Study in Political Culture. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Roosevelt, T. (1913). Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography. New York: Macmillan. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Rozell, M. J., & Pederson, W. D. (Eds.). (1997). FDR and the Modern Presidency: Leadership and Legacy. Westport, CT: Praeger. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Rozell, M. J., Pederson, W. D., & Williams, F. J. (Eds.). (2000). George Washington and the Origins of the American Presidency. Westport, CT: Praeger. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Silvestri, V. N. (2000). Becoming JFK: A Profile in Communication. Westport, CT: Praeger. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www.questia.com

Enjoy access to this content free for a whole month, and congratulations to all those first-time voters!

Election Day is November 6th! To help you gain some fascinating background on voting through the ages, we’re sharing 15 of our most popular books on elections and politics. We were even able to quickly create a perfect MLA bibliography using Quesita’s handy bibliography tool! Did you know Questia will automatically generate your bibliography in MLA, APA or Chicago format? Be sure to try it out as you work on your next research paper or project. (And, hey, why not choose a political topic with all this free, librarian-selected research?)

Alvarez, R. Michael, and Thad E. Hall. Electronic Elections: The Perils and Promises of Digital Democracy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2008. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Anderson, Christopher J., Andre Blais, Shaun Bowler, Todd Donovan, and Ola Listhaug. Losers’ Consent: Elections and Democratic Legitimacy. Oxford, England: Oxford UP, 2005. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Caplan, Bryan. The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2008. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Chhibber, Pradeep, and Ken Kollman. The Formation of National Party Systems: Federalism and Party Competition in Canada, Great Britain, India, and the United States. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2004. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Farrell, David M., and Rudiger Schmitt-Beck, eds. Do Political Campaigns Matter? : Campaign Effects in Elections and Referendums. London: Routledge, 2002. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Franz, Michael M. Choices and Changes: Interest Groups in the Electoral Process. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2008. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Gerken, Heather K. The Democracy Index: Why Our Election System Is Failing and How to Fix It. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2009. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Gunther, Richard, Jose Ramon Montero, and Juan J. Linz, eds. Political Parties: Old Concepts and New Challenges. Oxford, England: Oxford UP, 2002. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Han, Hahrie. Moved to Action: Motivation, Participation, and Inequality in American Politics. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 2009. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Hillygus, D. Sunshine, and Todd G. Shields. The Persuadable Voter: Wedge Issues in Presidential Campaigns. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2008. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

King, Anthony, ed. Leaders’ Personalities and the Outcomes of Democratic Elections. Oxford, England: Oxford UP, 2002. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Neuman, W. Russell, George E. Marcus, Ann N. Crigler, and Michael Mackuen, eds. The Affect Effect: Dynamics of Emotion in Political Thinking and Behavior. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2007. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Sartori, Giovanni. Parties and Party Systems: A Framework for Analysis. Colchester, England: ECPR, 2005. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Simon, Adam F. The Winning Message: Candidate Behavior, Campaign Discourse, and Democracy. Cambridge, England: Cambridge UP, 2002. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Webb, Paul, David Farrell, and Ian Holliday, eds. Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies. Oxford, England: Oxford UP, 2002. Questia. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Enjoy access to this content free for a whole month, and be sure to cast your vote in November to make your voice heard this election season!