Political science scholar James M. Curry explores the inner workings of Congress's House of Representatives in this thought-provoking analysis.The 2009 financial stimulus bill ran to more than 1,100 pages, yet it wasn't even given to Congress in its final form until thirteen hours before debate was set to begin, and it was passed twenty-eight hours later. How are representatives expected to digest so much information in such a short time? The answer? They aren't.

In this passionately argued book, James M. Curry introduces legislative scholars to the value and importance of interpretive research. His field guide for getting started on using an interpretive approach is designed so that the reader can understand a new methodological approach, not just new methods or “tools” within a singular approach.Weaving in his own story from student to scholar, Curry begins by demystifying the importance and value of interpretive research. He later provid...

"The Man Who Sued the Governor" is the featured introduction to a collection of short stories told by Jim Curry, a 70-year native from the high country in northern New Mexico. Some of his stories are true personal experiences, some are nearly true, and he says the rest ought to be true. It is hard to tell where the truth ends and fiction begins. There is both humor and tragedy, sometimes side by side. There is an immigrant you wish could stay, and one who behaved badly. Prospectors, govern...

To many observers, Congress has become a deeply partisan institution where ideologically-distinct political parties do little more than engage in legislative trench warfare. A zero-sum, winner-take-all approach to congressional politics has replaced the bipartisan comity of past eras. If the parties cannot get everything they want in national policymaking, then they prefer gridlock and stalemate to compromise. Or, at least, that is the conventional wisdom.In The Limits of Party

Congress and Its Members has been the gold standard for Congress courses for thirty years. Now in its 20th edition, the book offers comprehensive and current coverage of the U.S. Congress and the legislative process by examining the tension between Congress as a lawmaking institution and as a collection of politicians constantly seeking re-election.The 20th Edition covers the outcomes of the 2024 election and subsequent changes in congress...

Philosophizing the Americas establishes the field of inter-American philosophy. Bringing together contributors who work in Africana Philosophy, Afro-Caribbean philosophy, Latin American philosophy, Afro-Latin philosophy, decolonial theory, and African American philosophy, the volume examines the full range of traditions that have, separately and in conversation with each other, worked through how philosophy in both establishes itself in the Americas and engages with the world from...

Do you wish you could shoot a basketball like a future Hall of Fame superstar? Discover the insider secrets, training techniques, and daily workouts of one of the NBA's sharpest shooters.Are you embarrassed to show off your shot on the basketball court? Are you fed up with time-consuming drills that haven't improved your game? Author Steve James spent his youth analyzing professional athletes and documenting the practices of successful players. In this comprehensive biography, Jame...

An interfaith collection of prayers, blessings, and poems offering comfort and hope to the healthcare workers that give so much.The COVID-19 pandemic has left few of us unaffected, but our healthcare workers have borne the brunt of its impact. Chaplains and clergy across all lines of faith have ministered to those caregivers through prayers and blessings.This curated collection of interfaith prayers, blessings, and poems was written by those who minister to...

Doing Nothing is a book about doing nothing in a system where there is always something pressing that ought to be done. Not the productive unstructured time of self-help books, but the aimless and ineffective doing nothing of procrastination, resignation, and melancholia. James Currie pursues these themes across a wide terrain of experiences, materials, and examples from the personal, local, and anecdotal, through to the existential, cosmological, and apocalyptic—reflecting, among...

The second edition of Archaeological Ethics is an invitation to an ongoing and lively discussion on ethics. In addition to topics such as looting, reburial and repatriation, relations with native peoples, and professional conduct, Vitelli and Colwell-Chanthaphonh have responded to current events and news stories. Twenty-one new articles expand this ongoing discussion into the realm of intellectual property, public outreach, archaeotourism, academic freedom, archaeological concerns in times...

City founder James Prendergast and other industrious pioneers were drawn to the outlet of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State because of its abundant waterpower and virgin forests. The skills of these settlers, coupled with the area's natural resources, led to the emergence of industrial Jamestown, known worldwide for its diverse manufacture of quality products, including furniture, metal, and textiles. The authors have chosen more than two hundred vintage images based on histor...

Inspired by the University of Illinois's celebration of the Brown v. Board of Education decision's fiftieth anniversary, this collection addresses the significance of Brown in the contributors' lives or work in education and civil rights. Several authors describe their personal roles in the Brown case or similar cases, while others examine and illustrate events, performances, and exhibitions that were part of the anniversary commemoration. The book not only explo...