Disagreeing Agreeably

Disagreeing Agreeably will get students to think about political disagreement in new ways, get them interested in talking with others about politics, and encourage them to get better educated about the issues they care about. - Philip Neisser, Dean of Business and Liberal Arts, SUNY Canton, USA Glen Smith has written a highly readable text for students to better understand why polarization happens in the context of framing and civility. I highly recommend this engaging text that will help students make sense of major policy debates in American politics. This is an important book at an important time in our country. - Paul E. Lenze, Jr., Northern Arizona University, USA

Glen Smith is a professor of political science at the University of North Georgia. Although he teaches a variety of courses in American politics, Glen has spent most of his career teaching Introduction to American Government to students from all backgrounds and educational interests. Glens research focuses on the causes and consequences of political hostility, and he has written articles on this topic for political science journals including: American Politics Research, Political Research Quarterly, and Public Opinion Quarterly. Summaries of his work have also been featured on political news websites such as Psypost.org and Newsweek.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Political Hostility Part 1: A Primer on Political Disagreement Chapter 2: Where Opinions Come From Chapter 3: Motivated Reasoning: How we Think and Reason About Politics Chapter 4: Consider the Source: News Media and Political Hostility Chapter 5: Can We Talk? How to Engage in Civil Discussions about Politics Part 2: Taxing and Spending Chapter 6: Should Medicare be Expanded to Cover All Americans? Chapter 7: Should College Tuition be Free for All Americans? Chapter 8: Should Congress Increase Funding for the Military? Part 3: Social Policy Chapter 9: Should the Federal Government Legalize Marijuana? Chapter 10: Should Universities Encourage Affirmative Action Policies? Chapter 11: Should Illegal Immigrants be Granted Work Visas? Chapter 12: Should Students be Allowed to Carry Guns on College Campuses? Part 4: Government Reforms Chapter 13: Should Congress Have Term Limits? Chapter 14: Should U.S. Supreme Court Justices be Elected? Chapter 15: Should Voting be Mandatory in National Elections? Chapter 16: Should a National Popular Vote Replace the Electoral College?