American Government and Politics Today 2009-2010 Edition

Steffen W. Schmidt is a professor of political science at Iowa State University. He grew up in Colombia, South America, and has studied in Colombia, Switzerland and France. He earned a B.A. from Rollins College and a Ph.D. in public law and government from Columbia University, New York. The author of 14 books and over 130 articles in scholarly journals, Dr. Schmidt is the recipient of numerous prestigious honors, including the Amoco Award for Lifetime Career Achievement in Teaching and Teacher of the Year. A member of the American Political Science Association's section on Computers and Multimedia, he is a pioneer in the use of web-based and real-time video courses. His extensive commentary on U.S. politics in national and international media earned him the nickname "Dr. Politics." A weekly blogger for Gannett, Dr. Schmidt comments on CNN en Español and Univision, as well as WNYC, New York. He is on Facebook (Steffen W Schmidt) and Twitter (DrPolitics).

Mack C. Shelley II is a professor of political science and statistics at Iowa State University. After receiving his bachelor's degree from American University in Washington, D.C., he earned a master's degree in economics and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He arrived at Iowa State in 1979. From 1993 to 2002, he served as elected co-editor of the Policy Studies Journal. Dr. Shelley has published numerous articles, books and monographs on public policy, including The Permanent Majority: The Conservative Coalition in the United States Congress; Biotechnology and the Research Enterprise: A Guide to the Literature (with William F. Woodman and Brian J. Reichel); American Public Policy: The Contemporary Agenda (with Steven G. Koven and Bert E. Swanson); and Quality Research in Literacy and Science Education: International Perspectives and Gold Standards (with Larry Yore and Brian Hand).

Barbara A. Bardes is professor emerita of political science at the University of Cincinnati. After serving as a faculty member in political science and dean of Mundelein College at Loyola University of Chicago, she was appointed dean of Raymond Walters College of the University of Cincinnati in 1993, serving until 2003. She returned to the political science department where she held the position of graduate director before retiring. In addition to writing articles on public and foreign policy as well as women and politics, Dr. Bardes has co-authored Declarations of Independence: Women and Political Power in 19th Century American Novels; Thinking About Public Policy; and Public Opinion: Measuring the American Mind. She received her B.A. and M.A. from Kent State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati.