A Novel Approach to Politics turns the conventional textbook wisdom on its head. This is a textbook students want to read. Adopters of previous editions from schools all over the country are thanking Novel Approach for some of their best student evaluations to date. With this new edition, Van Belle brings the book fully up-to-date with recent events, elections, current policy debates, international happenings, and other assorted intergalactic matters. Van Belle adds a wealth of new and recent movies and books to the text, as he illustrates key concepts in political science through examples that captivate students. Employing a wide range of references from 1984 to Game of Thrones to House of Cards, students are given a very solid grounding in institutions, ideology, and economics. Just so things don't get too crazy-the textbook bits and pieces are still there to aid students-chapter objectives, chapter summaries, bolded key terms, and discussion questions. Retained for this edition, "The Thinkers in Boxes" feature calls out pivotal political philosophers, theorists, and assorted hipsters.