Galloway, N.J. – When you look at a textbook, you see its cover, the words on its pages, and even the space it may take up on your desk, but you may not realize what goes into creating it. Stockton Associate Professors of Political Science Claire Abernathy and Lauren Balasco, along with Jennifer Forestal, former professor at Stockton, co-authored "Engaging Citizenship," an introduction to Political Science textbook, and they became very familiar with the intricacies of this process. 

Notably, "Engaging Citizenship" was one of 19 textbooks recently awarded the “Promising New Textbook Award" by the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA), an award specifically given to first editions — those just entering the academic world. This recognition highlights textbooks that bring fresh ideas, innovative instruction, or new perspectives to their academic field. Winning this award signals that the book has the potential to make a lasting impact on teaching and learning.

Balasco and Abernathy shared the evolution of how the textbook came to be, what inspired them, especially in such a volatile and ever-changing political climate, and why an award like this matters.

What inspired you to write "Engaging Citizenship," and how did the idea for the textbook come about?

We developed this book for introductory courses offered to students with a limited background in politics or political science. Within these courses, faculty encounter a range of academic abilities and levels of interest from students. We focused on writing a textbook that meets students where they are and shows them how they can use the substantive and methodological tools of political science to understand democracy and their own roles in their communities. The stakes of a shared commitment to a deeper and more inclusive democracy are high. Teaching the value of democracy and political engagement during a time of democratic erosion in the U.S. and around the world requires pedagogical strategies that promote empathy, accessibility, and openness, which we integrate throughout this text. This was the inspiration behind "Engaging Citizenship", and we dedicated the book to "our students, who constantly challenge us with important and difficult questions about the potential and promise of democracy."

The book emphasizes citizenship, democracy and civic engagement. Why did you choose this approach, and how do you think it benefits students?

This book presents the concept of citizenship as a gateway to teach students about the subfields of political science: political theory, comparative politics, American politics, and international relations. We know that many students, especially political science majors and minors, may take subfield-specific introductory courses, like Introduction to American Politics (which Abernathy teaches) or Introduction to Comparative Politics (which Balasco teaches), in addition to an Introduction to Politics course. This is why we designed this book with the objective of giving students a rich yet structured introduction to all of the subfields in conversation with each other around citizenship. "Engaging Citizenship" explores how each subfield of political science studies citizenship as a contested concept and wrestles with the empirical and normative questions that emerge when individuals, groups, and states conflict and collaborate in political processes.

How do you hope "Engaging Citizenship" will impact students and educators in the field of political science?

We ground "Engaging Citizenship" in three learning goals for students: (1) to explore the main subfields of political science, (2) to develop a broad understanding of the U.S. political system within a global context, and (3) to engage with the political process as educated and empowered citizens. We aim to foster a commitment to building and participating in an inclusive democracy. But we also recognize that democracy in the U.S. and around the world remains a work in progress; we encourage critical examination of democratic processes and institutions to identify where they fall short and can be strengthened.

How does "Engaging Citizenship" differ from other introductory political science textbooks?

"Engaging Citizenship" consists of four parts — "Explaining Statehood," "Organizing Political Life," "Shaping Participatory Processes," and "Challenging the State"— to introduce students to the fundamental questions of political science, such as the reasons why citizens join states, the arguments supportive and critical of democracy, and the avenues citizens use to influence state actions. By organizing key content through this approach, "Engaging Citizenship" creates a focused and accessible account of political science — one that highlights the relevance of the discipline to students' lives without overwhelming or exposing them to overly specialized information. Throughout the text, we center civic engagement and citizenship and explicitly connect these concepts to assignments and activities for students to complete, integrating practice with the skills needed for effective democratic engagement directly into the course.

Have you received any feedback from students or professors who have used the textbook? If so, what has been the most rewarding response?

We wrote this book over four years, from 2019 to 2023, and Balasco would teach POLS 1100 Introduction to Politics each year with the chapters we had drafted so far. We were able to gauge student responses as we were still writing. She could see how the approach of the textbook – integrating all four subfields together to answer fundamental questions about citizenship and democracy – resonated with students, helping them draw connections about how the discipline wrestles with these concepts and how they can be applied in their own lives. 

Promising and New

What does winning the "Most Promising New Textbook" award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA) mean to you?

Emphasizing citizenship and democracy as central concepts in political science can help students gain perspective and skills as citizens in their own communities. We view that as a promising approach to impactful political science education and civic engagement education that students can carry beyond the classroom and into their daily lives. It is rewarding to have others across the academy agree and recognize this textbook. For us, this award recognizes the value of our student-centered approach to the textbook.

Additionally, Balasco has relied on TAA resources throughout her academic career here at Stockton to learn about best practices in completing big projects, time management, and productive writing habits. The publication of this book and receiving this award are the results of those best practices in action. 

How does it relate to the work you do here at Stockton?

During the academic year of 2017–18, Abernathy and Forestal, then both third-year assistant professors at Stockton, created a Civic Education Teaching Circle, supported by the Stockton Institute for Faculty Development. Balasco, then a first-year assistant professor, joined as a member. While the main goal of the Teaching Circle was to encourage civics education outside of traditional politics classes, the lively discussions led to a deep introspection of how we teach our own courses in the Political Science program. 

Specifically, we focused on POLS 1100 Introduction to Politics, a unique course that we regularly offer in addition to all our introductory subfield and methodology courses. The Political Science program at Stockton, and POLS 1100 more specifically, have historically been grounded in a similar ethos: that the public university has a responsibility to provide an accessible space and resources for people of all backgrounds to cultivate their democratic citizenship through education, civic engagement, and service to the community. The book itself reflects those values, and the entire project of writing this book has its roots in the teacher-scholar model that we embody here at Stockton. 

The award is based on pedagogy, content, writing and design. What aspects of "Engaging Citizenship" do you think contributed most to its recognition?

"Engaging Citizenship" takes a unique pedagogical approach to introduce students to the study of political science by centering the practice of politics in their own lives. It is our goal to increase the students' "buy-in" to an introductory politics course by showing how political science scholarship can directly impact their engagement with the political communities that they are already embedded in. We use examples, case studies, and practical applications to bring these concepts to life. Indeed, one of "Engaging Citizenship" 's distinctive contributions is the novel set of pedagogical tools in instructor resources as well as online civic engagement activities that complement the text. Faculty can use these resources to make politics accessible, not only in their classroom but also in their students' lives. These assignments promote active engagement, allowing students to find personal meaning in studying and engaging in politics, regardless of whether they decide to major in political science or not.

Looking Ahead

How do you think political science education will evolve in the coming years?

This is an impossibly big question, one that one of our primary professional association in the discipline tackled recently in the American Political Science Association Presidential Task Force on Rethinking Political Science Education. In our own curriculum and classrooms here at Stockton, we emphasize the need to meet students where they are and help them understand and navigate the unsettled political landscape we confront today. We are seeing alarming interest in higher education from policymakers who want to police what we are teaching and how we are teaching it. We are sure we are not alone in worrying about incursions on college campuses and attacks on the core principles of academic freedom. 

Reported by Mandee McCullough

Photos submitted