Cover: Comparative Government: Stories of the World for the AP® Course, 2nd Edition by Karen Waples; Stephen Orvis; Carol Ann Drogus

Comparative Government: Stories of the World for the AP® Course

Second Edition ©2027 Karen Waples; Stephen Orvis; Carol Ann Drogus

Comparative Government: Stories of the World for the AP® Course, 2nd Edition brings comparative government to life through the stories of the people, events, and institutions that shape political systems around the world. Designed specifically for AP® Comparati...

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ISBN:9781319619916

ISBN:9781319624484

Cover: Comparative Government: Stories of the World for the AP® Course, 2nd Edition by Karen Waples; Stephen Orvis; Carol Ann Drogus

Read the stories that shape understanding. Practice the skills that lead to AP® success.

Comparative Government: Stories of the World for the AP® Course, 2nd Edition brings comparative government to life through the stories of the people, events, and institutions that shape political systems around the world. Designed specifically for AP® Comparative Government and Politics, this book closely follows the scope and sequence of the AP® CED, giving instructors focused coverage of the six required course countries.

New for the 2nd Edition, a Digital Teacher’s Edition with Teacher Resource Materials simplifies class planning and instruction with convenient access to resources, support, and AP® Exam Tips. Also new to this edition, the Cognero Test Bank provides instructors with hundreds of additional AP®-style and content-based questions for further student practice and skills assessment.

Achieve courseware extends the classroom experience with digital resources for both instructors and students. New LearningCurve adaptive quizzing provides personalized practice that helps students check their understanding, reinforce key concepts, and focus additional practice where they need it most.

Together, the text and digital resources provide a comprehensive, AP®-focused program that helps teachers engage students in comparative government and how political structures affect the stories of everyday people around the world.

Features

  • Clear AP® Course Alignment organizes the course into five thematic units that mirror the AP® Course Framework and provide an easy-to-use structure that integrates concepts with countries.
    • The first chapter(s) in each unit introduce the comparative concepts central to the course.
    • Then, a case study highlights one of the six countries featured in the AP® Course Framework.
  • Comprehensive Teacher Resource Program adds a new Teacher’s Edition and Test Bank developed in response to feedback from teachers across the country, giving you more support for planning, instruction, assessment, and preparation.
  • Comparing Countries breaks down the six course countries by characteristics related to the unit theme. These tables provide a clear snapshot for spotting differences and similarities across countries and are followed by a Comparative Analysis FRQ that allows students to apply what they’ve learned.
  • Stories that Bring the Content to Life open each chapter with engaging examples that connect political concepts and course content to real people, events, and contexts, drawing students in with engaging stories that reflect the concepts and content in each chapter.
  • AP® Political Science Skills features develop the reasoning and analytical processes related to the core disciplinary practices.
  • AP® Exam Practice features break down the question types on the exam, providing key strategies and giving students ample opportunities for targeted practice.
  • AP® Tip boxes provide helpful pointers for understanding difficult content, avoiding common pitfalls, and applying strategies to earn a good score on the AP® Exam.
  • Practice! Practice Practice! These reviews build as students progress through the course, asking them to draw from knowledge in previous units as they learn more about the core course concepts and countries. This approach allows students to assess their knowledge and skills in a manner that isn’t overwhelming.
    • Section Reviews conclude with a free-response question modeled after one of the FRQ types on the AP® Exam: Conceptual Analysis, Quantitative Analysis, Comparative Analysis, or Argument Essay.
    • Chapter Reviews cap each chapter with a series of 10 multiple-choice questions, including visual- and passage-based questions. At the end of each Chapter Review, an Argument Essay prompt offers ample practice with thought-provoking questions drawn from the unit concepts.
    • Unit Reviews provide 20 multiple-choice questions and a full set of four FRQs covering all four FRQ types.
    • A Full-Length AP® Practice Exam brings course-level practice together with 55 multiple-choice questions and four free-response questions representing all four FRQ types.

New to This Edition

  • A Digital Teacher’s Edition with Teacher Resource Material gives you convenient access to teaching support and course materials in one place, helping streamline lesson planning and support instruction throughout the AP® course.
  • Comparing Countries Tables organize the six course countries by characteristics related to each unit theme, giving students a clear way to identify similarities and differences. Found in the seven conceptual chapters, each table is followed by a sample Comparative Analysis FRQ that gives students an opportunity to apply what they’ve learned.
  • Tips for Success! How to Excel on the AP® Comparative Government and Politics Exam appendix breaks down the five types of multiple-choice questions and the four free-response question types, including the Argument Essay. This exam prep crash course contains tips for each question type and strategies students can immediately use with the text’s Practice Exam.
  • Chapter Opener Stories connect course concepts and content to engaging people, events, and issues, giving students a relevant entry point into each chapter. Stories include:
    • The Rosling family, founders of the Gapminder Foundation
    • The Right Honorable Reed of Allmuir
    • Recent changes in UK prime ministers, including an introduction to PM Andy Burnham
    • Bola Tinubu, president of Nigeria
    • Social media influencers in China
    • The legacy of China’s one-child policy and the impact of the three-child policy
    • Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi
  • LearningCurve Adaptive Quizzing personalizes practice based on each student’s level of understanding, helping students reinforce course concepts and identify areas where they need additional practice. Individual- and class-level results give you insight into student understanding that can help inform review and instruction.

Yes! [The Comparing Countries feature] represents what this entire course is about. Learning the political systems and applying the concepts. This is a conceptual chapter, but this new feature forces them to think about the concepts using the course countries, which should constantly be reinforced…This text is built for high school students, and it flows that way. Especially with the specific detail to AP exam practice.

I really appreciate not just the practice FRQs and MCQs but providing the exam tips and reminders for students. This is something I really would have valued as a new teacher to this course…I would recommend and assign these boxes for classwork/homework and also would compile all throughout the text for a review packet. These are very valuable to help students understand exam expectations and prepare for the exam…I really appreciate the practice questions. This text is like getting a textbook and review book as one which is so helpful for all teachers but especially new teachers of the course.

These [Review Questions] are invaluable, as this frees up teachers to use the test bank and AP Classroom questions for their formative quizzes and summative assessments. Students can use these as practice on their own or teachers could incorporate these into their lessons. The best way for students to improve their test scores is to see more practice questions.

This is an unbiased and accurate description of Nigeria. The Nollywood introduction connects students to the text. The description of systems, principles, institutions etc. give students a proper understanding of Nigeria. The recent events are properly explained and contextualized…The exam skills/practice boxes are AMAZING! The AP tips sections are also very helpful…The review questions are great. The variety of question types are solid…The updated examples are great!

Digital Options

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Table of Contents

UNIT 1 Introduction to Comparative Government: Political Systems, Regimes, and Governments

Chapter 1 Introduction to Comparative Politics

Chapter 2 Political Systems

Chapter 3 Course Country: Mexico

UNIT 2 Political Institutions

Chapter 4 Political Institutions

Chapter 5 Case Study: United Kingdom

UNIT 3 Political Culture and Participation

Chapter 6 Political Culture and Participation

Chapter 7 Case Study: Russia

UNIT 4 Party and Electoral Systems and Citizen Organizations

Chapter 8 Party and Electoral Systems and Citizen Organizations

Chapter 9 Course Country: Nigeria

UNIT 5 Political and Economic Changes and Development

Chapter 10 Globalization

Chapter 11 Course Country: China

Chapter 12 Economic and Social Policies

Chapter 13 Course Country: Iran


Exam Prep Tips for Success! How to Excel on the AP®Comparative Government and Politics Exam

Practice Exam AP® Comparative Government and Politics

Course Countries at a Glance Appendix

Headshot of Karen Waples

Karen Waples

Karen Waples has taught for over 35 years and currently teaches AP ® Comparative Government and Politics, AP ® U.S. Government and Politics, and Law at Holy Family High School in Broomfield, Colorado. Karen has served as a reader, table leader, question leader, and exam leader for the AP ® Comparative Government and Politics Exam and as a reader for the AP ® U.S. Government and Politics and AP ® U.S. History Exams. She has led workshops and institutes throughout the country for both the AP ® Comparative Government and Politics and the AP ® U.S. Government and Politics courses. Karen was the chair of the College Board ® Social Science Academic Advisory Committee and was a member of the Curriculum Re-design Committee for AP ® U.S. Government and Politics. She received the Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education in 1997 and was recognized as a Cherry Creek High School Teacher of the Year in 2002. Prior to teaching, Karen practiced law.

Headshot of Stephen Orvis

Stephen Orvis

Stephen Orvis is Professor of Government at Hamilton College. He is a specialist on sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya in particular), identity politics, democratic transitions, and the political economy of development. He has been teaching introduction to comparative politics for more than twenty-five years, as well as courses on African politics, nationalism and the politics of identity, political economy of development, and weak states. He has written a book and articles on agricultural development in Kenya, as well as several articles on civil society in Africa and Kenya, and is currently doing research on political institutions in Africa.

Headshot of Carol Ann Drogus

Carol Ann Drogus

Carol Ann Drogus is a retired Professor of Government at Hamilton College. She is a specialist on Brazil, religion, and women’s political participation. She taught introduction to comparative politics for more than twenty years, as well as courses on Latin American politics, gender and politics, and women in Latin America. She has written two books and numerous articles on the political participation of women in religious movements in Brazil.