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Selected Reference Books

Great for statistics, definitions, a general overview of the topic...

  • Political Science (General)
  • U.S. Politics
  • World Politics
  • South Carolina Politics
  • Law
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    Political Science (General)
  • The Blackwell Dictionary of Political Science
    		•  Ref JA 61 B43 1999
  • The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Political Thought
    		•  Ref JA 61 .B57 1987
  • Encyclopedia of Heads of States and Governments, 1900 through 1945
    		•  Ref D 412 L45 1999
  • Graduate Faculty & Programs in Political Science: A Directory to the Faculty and Graduate Degree Programs of U.S. and Canadian Institutions.
    		• Ref JA 88 .U6 G8 1995-97
  • Measures of Political Attitudes
    		•  Ref JA 74.5 M43 1999
  • Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics
    		•  Ref JA 61 C665 1996
  • Political and Historical Encyclopedia of Women
    		•  Ref HQ 1236.5 E85 E52 2003
  • Robert's Rules of Order
    		•  Ref JF 515 .R692 1990
  • Safire's New Political Dictionary
    		•  Ref JK 9 .S2 1993
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    U.S. Politics
  • The Almanac of American Politics
    		•  Ref JK 271 .B343 2002
  • Atlas of American Politics, 1960-2000
    		•  Ref G 1201 F1 A8 2002
  • Book of the States
    		• Ref JK 2408 .B6
  • Congressional Staff Directory
    		• Ref JK 1012 .C65
  • Demographics of the U.S.: Trends and Projections
    		•  Ref HB 849.49 R875 2000
  • Distinguished African American Political and Governmental Leaders
    		• Ref E 185.61 H359 1999
  • Encyclopedia of American Political History
    		• Ref E 183 E5 1984 (v.1-3)
  • Encyclopedia of Minorities in American Politics
    		• Ref E184 A1 E574 2000 (v.1-2)
  • Encyclopedia of the American Constitution
    		•  Ref KF 4548 .E53 1986 (v.1-4)
  • A Historical Guide to the U.S. Government
    		•  Ref JK 9 H57 1998
  • Native Americans (American Political History Series)
    		•  Ref E 93 N32 2002
  • The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court
    		• Ref KF 8742 .A35 O93 1992
  • The Presidents
    		• Ref E 176.1 P918 1997
  • The Supreme Court A to Z
    		• Ref KF 8742 A35 S8 1998
  • United States Government Manual
    		• Ref JK 421 .A3
  • Who's Who in American Politics
    		•  Ref E 176 W6424
  • Women's Rights (Major Issues in American History series)
    		•  Ref HQ 1236.5 U6 S77 2003
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    World Politics
  • The Almanac of Women and Minorities in World Politics
    		•  Ref HQ 1236 M347 2000
  • Atlas of the Middle East
    		•  Ref G 2205 N34 2003
  • The Chinua Achebe Encyclopedia
    		•  Ref PR 9387.9 A3 Z459 2003
  • Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy
    		• Ref JX 1407 .E53 (v.1-3)
  • Encyclopedia of Foreign Relations
    		• Ref E 183.7 E53 1997 (v.1-4)
  • Encyclopedia of Terrorism
    		•  Ref HV 6431 K883 2003
  • Europa World Book
    		•  Ref JN 1 .E85
  • The International Almanac of Electoral History
    		• Ref JF 1001 .M17 1982
  • Nations of the World: A Political, Economic, & Business Handbook
    		•  Ref HF 1010 N37 2000/01
  • The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World
    		•  Ref DS 35.53 O95 2001 (v.1-4)
  • Political Encyclopedia of the Middle East
    		•  Ref DS 62.8 P64 1999
  • The Statesman's Yearbook: The Politics, Cultures, and Economies of the World
    		•  Ref JA 51 .S7
  • Treaties and Alliances of the World
    		•  Ref JX 4005 .T72 1986
  • World Encyclopedia of Political Systems & Parties
    		•  Ref JF 2011 .W67 1987 (v.1-2)
  • World Government
    		•  Ref JF 51 .W65 1990
  • Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations
    		•  Ref G 63 W67 2001 (v.1-6)
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    South Carolina Politics
  • Biographical Directory of the South Carolina House of Representatives
    		• Ref JK 4278 .B56 (v.1-5)
  • Biographical Directory of the South Carolina Senate
    		• Ref JK 4276 .B35 1986 (v.1-3)
  • South Carolina Legislative Manual
    		• Ref JK 4271 1998
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    Law
  • 1001 Legal Words You Need To Know
    		•  Ref KF 156 A113
  • ABA·LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools
    		•  Ready Ref KF 273 A86
  • Barron's How To Prepare for the LSAT
    		•  Ready Ref KF 285 .Z9 B6 1991
  • Black's Law Dictionary
    		•  Ref KF 156 .B53 (1979 & 1991)
  • The Constitutional Law Dictionary
    		• Ref KF 4548.5 C47 1985 (v.1-2; suppl. v.1 n.1-2)
  • Deskbook Encyclopedia of American School Law
    		•  Ref KF 4114 D46
  • Dictionary of International & Comparative Law
    		• Ref JX 1226 .F69 1992
  • Encyclopedia of Crime & Justice
    		• Ref HV 6017 E52 2002 (v.1-4)
  • Family Legal Guide
    		•  Ref KF 387 .Y655 1994
  • The Guide to American Law
    		•  Ref KF 156 .G77 (v.1-2; suppl.1987, 1990-95)
  • International Arbitration & Dispute Resolution Directory
    		•  Ref KF 190 M29 1998
  • Women's Legal Guide
    		• Ref KF 478 .W674 1996
  • You and the Law
    		• Ref KF 387 Y65 1984

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    Suggested Subject Headings and Location of Books in Our Library

    Search the Library Catalog by keyword, subject, title, or author. Edens Library offers books and other materials on a variety of Political Science and Law subjects, including:
    Civics
    Comparative government
    Constitutions
    Democracy
    Elections
    Federal government
    Law
    Liberty    		 Nationalism
    Political parties
    Political science
    Public administration
    Public law Republicanism
    State governments
    World politics

    ...Or, you can browse the following sections in the library's General Collection and Reference areas:

    J -- General Legislative and Executive Papers
    JA -- Political Science - General
    JC -- Political Science - The state
    JF -- Constitutional History - General
    JK -- Constitutional History - United States
    JL -- Constitutional History - Canada, Latin America
    JN -- Constitutional History - Europe
    JQ -- Constitutional History - Asia, Africa, Australia, Oceania
    JS -- Local Government
    JV -- Colonies and Colonization
    JX -- International Law, International Relations
    K -- Law - General
    KD -- Law - United Kingdom and Ireland
    KDZ -- Law - America, North America, OAS
    KE -- Law - Canada
    KF -- Law - United States
    KG-KH -- Law - Latin America
    KJ-KK - Law - Europe

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    Databases for Research

    For Social Sciences, try our Social Sciences Databases page.
    For Current Events or Timely Topics, try our Current Events & Timely Topics Databases page.


    *For additional databases, see the Databases for Research page.

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    Periodicals (Journals, Magazines, Newspapers)

    The following periodicals, held by Edens Library, are excellent resources for exploring current topics in Political Science and Law. Check the Library Catalog for holdings.

    American Quarterly
    Annals of the American Academy of
    Political and Social Science
    (Microfilm only)
    Congressional Digest
    CQ Researcher
    Harvard Negotiation Law Review
    International Affairs (Microfilm only)
    Journal of Politics
    Mother Jones
    The Nation
    		 National Review
    The New American
    The New Crisis
    The New Republic
    Newsweek
    Political Research Quarterly
    Russian Life
    Southern Cultures
    Time
    U.S. News and World Report


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    Recommended Internet Sites for Political Science and Law

  • Political Science (General)
  • U.S. Government
  • U.S Government Offices
  • Directories of Government Resources
  • World Politics
  • General
  • Region-Specific
    		•
  • U.S. Politics
  • South Carolina Politics
  • S.C. Government
  • Law
  • News and Current Events
  • Individual Publications
  • Broadcast Networks
  • Public Opinion
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    Top of Page | Return to the Sites by Subject index
    Political Science (General)
    The Avalon Project at Yale Law School: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
    "The Avalon Project will mount digital documents relevant to the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government. We do not intend to mount only static text but rather to add value to the text by linking to supporting documents expressly referred to in the body of the text."
    Background Notes (U.S. State Dept.)
    "Background Notes are factual publications that contain information on all the countries of the world with which the United States has relations. They include facts on the country's land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and its relations with other countries and the United States."
    Documents in the News: Current Events Research (Univ. of Michigan Documents Center)
    Political Science Resources on the Web (Univ. of Michigan Documents Center)
    Television News Archive (Vanderbilt Univ.)
    "The Television News Archive collection at Vanderbilt University is the world's most extensive and complete archive of television news. The collection holds more than 30,000 individual network evening news broadcasts from the major U.S. national broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN, and more than 9,000 hours of special news-related programming including ABC's Nightline since 1989."
    Women in Politics (Inter-Parliamentary Union)
    "Democracy Through Partnership Between Men and Women in Politics"
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    U.S. Government — U.S. Government Offices
    (Also see the Federal Government links on the Internet Reference Sites - Federal Government page)
    The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
    Congressional Budget Office
    Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
    Library of Congress
    U.S. Census Bureau (U.S. Dept. of Commerce)
    U.S. Department of Commerce
    U.S. Department of Justice
    U.S. Department of State
    U.S. House of Representatives
    U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
    United States Postal Service (USPS)
    U.S. Senate
    The White House
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    U.S. Government — Directories of Government Resources
    (Also see the Federal Government links on the Internet Reference Sites - Federal Government page)
    Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present
    Fedstats: One Stop Shopping for Federal Statistics
    "The gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies"
    FedWorld (A program of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce)
    A comprehensive central access point for searching, locating, ordering and acquiring government and business information.
    GPO Access: A Service of the U.S. Government Printing Office
    "GPO Access is a service of the U.S. Government Printing Office that provides free electronic access to a wealth of important information products produced by the Federal Government. The information provided on this site is the official, published version and the information retrieved from GPO Access can be used without restriction, unless specifically noted."
    State and Local Government on the Net: A Directory of Official State, County, and City Government Websites
    "The State and Local Government on the Net Directory provides convenient one-stop access to the websites of thousands of state agencies and city and county governments. Only pages that are controlled and managed by state and local government agencies are included. Use the drop-down menus on the left to view directory pages for: [a] States: View all the websites in a given state -- from a state's home page or governor's site all the way down to the sites of the smallest counties or townships with a presence on the Web; [b] Topics: Access quick lists of the websites of state government constitutional officers, state legislatures, state judiciaries and departments across ALL states."
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    World Politics — General
    Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments (Central Intelligence Agency - CIA)
    Country Studies (Library of Congress Federal Research Division)
    "The Country Studies Series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world and examines the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors."
    International Documents Collection (Northwestern Univ. Library)
    Includes links to International Governmental Organizations and Foreign Governments
    Web Genocide Documentation Centre: Resources on Genocide, War Crimes, and Mass Killing (Univ. of the West of England)
    The World Factbook (CIA - Central Intelligence Agency)
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    World Politics — Region-Specific
    Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library (The Australian National Univ.)
    LADB: Latin America Data Base
    "A News and Educational Service on Latin America" ... "LADB is the first Internet-based news service in English about Latin America, publishing in-depth coverage of Latin American affairs since 1986. LADB's professional journalists produce three weekly electronic news bulletins about Mexico (SourceMex), Central America and the Caribbean including Cuba (NotiCen) and South America (NotiSur)."
    The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela (PBS)
    "An intimate portrait of one of the century's greatest leaders"
    Political Database of the Americas (Georgetown Univ. School of Foreign Service, Center for Latin American Studies / Organization of American States - OAS)
    "The Political Database of the Americas is a non-governmental Internet-based project that provides reference materials, primary documents, comparative studies and statistical data for countries in the Western Hemisphere. The Political Database of the Americas is one of the best resources of political data on the Internet."
    Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Online
    "Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a private, international communications service to Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East, funded by the United States Congress. In the broadcast region, RFE/RL radio programs reach 35 million listeners who rely on RFE/RL's daily news, analysis, and current affairs programming to provide a coherent, objective account of happenings in their region and around the world."
    Russia on the Net: The Original Russian Web Directory
    Russian and East European Network Information Center (REENIC) (Univ. of Texas, Austin)
    Women'sNet (South Africa)
    "A vibrant and innovative networking support programme designed to enable South African women to use the Internet to find the people, issues, resources and tools needed for women's social action"
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    United States Politics
    American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
    "The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States."
    The Color of Money: Campaign Contributions and Race
    Research findings of the nonpartisan, non-profit organization Public Campaign (Washington, D.C.) whose purpose is to reform campaign funding
    FactCheck.org
    FactCheck.org is "...a nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding."
    NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
    The National Security Archive (George Washington Univ.)
    An independent non-governmental research institute and library that collects and publishes declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
    The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
    "The Center is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. We are best known for regular national surveys that measure public attentiveness to major news stories, and for our polling that charts trends in values and fundamental political and social attitudes...The Center's purpose is to serve as a forum for ideas on the media and public policy through public opinion research. In this role it serves as an important information resource for political leaders, journalists, scholars, and public interest organizations. All of our current survey results are made available free of charge."
    Political Database of the Americas (Georgetown Univ. School of Foreign Service, Center for Latin American Studies / Organization of American States - OAS)
    "The Political Database of the Americas is a non-governmental Internet-based project that provides reference materials, primary documents, comparative studies and statistical data for countries in the Western Hemisphere. The Political Database of the Americas is one of the best resources of political data on the Internet."
    POTUS: Presidents of the United States (Internet Public Library)
    "In this resource you will find background information, election results, cabinet members, notable events, and some points of interest on each of the presidents. Links to biographies, historical documents, audio and video files, and other presidential sites are also included to enrich this site."
    Project Vote Smart
    "Thousands of candidates and officials, five basic categories: backgrounds, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances and performance evaluations ... Project Vote Smart (PVS) is a citizen's organization dedicated to serving all Americans with accurate and unbiased information for electoral decision-making. Its policies, procedures and structure are designed to guarantee absolute impartiality and standards of excellence in fulfillment of its mission."
    Race and Ethnicity Online (American Political Science Association)
    "Founded in April 1995, the Organized Section on Race, Ethnicity and Politics has quickly become one of the largest subfields in the American Political Science Association (APSA). Our section now represents more than 500 political science professors, graduate students, authors, and editors. Most of us specialize in the politics of Native, African, Latino, and/or Asian Pacific Americans; some study racial and ethnic politics internationally; some study issues of race/ethnicity in social theory, public policy, education, law, and political history."
    SelectSmart.com
    "This selector features over two dozen names of announced candidates and politicians considered by pundits to be possible White House contenders."
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    South Carolina Politics
    SCVotes.org
    "SCVotes.org was created as a part of the South Carolina State HAVA plan. The South Carolina State Plan for implementing the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), developed with the valuable help of the HAVA State Plan Task Force, establishes a framework for achieving compliance with HAVA. This plan further emphasizes the importance of implementing a uniform statewide electronic voting system, and of achieving additional strategic objectives including: a) support for disabled voters in every precinct in the State; and b) training for voters, poll workers, and election officials."
    South Carolina State Election Commission
    "The State Election Commission is charged with the responsibility for operation of the State's system of voter registration. Prior to each election held in the State, the Commission must furnish a list of voters to be used therein. All ballots for State offices, Constitutional Amendment ballots and election materials used in the General Election are furnished by the Commission. Also, the Commission is ex officio the State Board of Canvassers and the State Board of Voting Machine Commissioners. The Commission conducts a comprehensive statewide training program for poll managers and provides voting information to all citizens of the State."
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    South Carolina Government
    (Also see the S.C. Government Links on the Internet Reference Sites - South Carolina and Local Resources page)
    The City of Columbia, South Carolina
    City of Columbia Planning & Development Services
    Provides information on city codes, ordinances, regulations and zoning; maps; Census Data; City of Columbia news and events; and contact information.
    Lexington County, SC
    MySCGov.com: South Carolina State Government
    Richland County Online: Official Web Site of Richland County
    State and Local Government on the Net: South Carolina
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    Law
    American Bar Association (ABA): Your most powerful source for legal information
    "Welcome to the American Bar Association, the largest voluntary professional association in the world. With more than 400,000 members, the ABA provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public."
    The Avalon Project at Yale Law School: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
    "The Avalon Project will mount digital documents relevant to the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government. We do not intend to mount only static text but rather to add value to the text by linking to supporting documents expressly referred to in the body of the text."
    Bureau of Justice Statistics (U.S. Dept. of Justice)
    "The United States' primary source for criminal justice statistics"
    Famous Trials (UMKC School of Law, Kansas City, MO)
    Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): Investigative Programs
    Such as: Crimes Against Children Program, Civil Rights Section, Office for Victim Assistance, Environmental Crime, Criminal Justice Information Services Division, and Health Care Fraud.
    FindLaw
    "FindLaw is the highest-trafficked legal Web site, providing the most comprehensive set of legal resources on the Internet for legal professionals, businesses, students and individuals. These resources include Web search utilities, cases and codes, legal news, an online career center, and community-oriented tools, such as a secure document management utility, mailing lists, message boards and free e-mail."
    Hate Crime Statistics 2005
    "This site chronicles thousands of "criminal incidents that law enforcement agencies reported -- as motivated by a bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnicity, or sexual orientation."
    Nolo: Law for All
    "Nolo's mission is to make the legal system work for everyone -- not just lawyers. ... To help people handle their own everyday legal matters -- or learn enough about them to make working with a lawyer a more satisfying experience -- we publish reliable, plain-English books, software, forms and this website."
    Southern Poverty Law Center
    "A nonprofit organization that combats hate, intolerance, and discrimination through education and litigation" ... "The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded in 1971 as a small civil rights law firm. Today, the Center is internationally known for its tolerance education programs, its legal victories against white supremacists and its tracking of hate groups."
    Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) (Federal Bureau of Investigation - FBI)
    "UCR is a city, county, and state law enforcement program which provides a nationwide view of crime based on the submission of statistics by law enforcement agencies throughout the country. ... Today, several annual statistical publications, such as the comprehensive Crime in the United States, are produced from data provided by nearly 17,000 law enforcement agencies across the United States."
    U.S. Copyright Office (The Library of Congress)
    "We in the Copyright Office are proud to be part of a long tradition of promoting progress of the arts and protection for the works of authors...Here you will find all our key publications, including informational circulars; application forms for copyright registration; links to the copyright law and to the homepages of other copyright-related organizations; news of what the Office is doing, including business-process reengineering plans, Congressional testimony and press releases; our latest regulations; a link to our online copyright records cataloged since 1978; and much more."
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    News and Current Events — Individual Publications
    (Also see the Internet Reference Sites - News and Current Events page)
    The State - NOTE: Archives of The State can be found on NewsBank (12/16/03)
    The New York Times
    The Christian Science Monitor
    International Herald Tribune
    The Times (London)
    The Wall Street Journal
    The Washington Post
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    News and Current Events — Broadcast Networks
    (Also see the Internet Reference Sites - News and Current Events page)
    ABC News
    BBC News (British Broadcasting Corporation)
    CBS News
    CNN
    MSNBC News
    PBS: News & Views
    S.C. Educational Radio Network (SCERN): Public NewsRoom
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites

    Public Opinion
    The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
    "The Center is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. We are best known for regular national surveys that measure public attentiveness to major news stories, and for our polling that charts trends in values and fundamental political and social attitudes...The Center's purpose is to serve as a forum for ideas on the media and public policy through public opinion research. In this role it serves as an important information resource for political leaders, journalists, scholars, and public interest organizations. All of our current survey results are made available free of charge."
    Top of Page | Top of Internet Sites
    *NOTE: The date at the end of each "Recommended Internet Sites" entry indicates when the entry was added or modified.

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    Page last modified by Sarah Hood
    Date: 12/4/07
    [Columbia College]
    [Edens Library, Columbia South Carolina]