Kevin B. Smith is professor and chair of the political science department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Alan Greenblatt is a reporter at NPR. Together, they wrote a textbook “Governing States and Localities” which was published in 2015. Smith and Greenblatt highlight why it is important to know about government in the readers daily life and use the comparative method to explain the differences between states. In assessing Smith and Greenblatt’s work, they present a factual piece primarily using pathos. As for my response, I enjoyed the way the chapter was presented and the use of modern political issues and policies. To summarize the authors’ work they wrote this textbook wanting to not only educate college students on government, but would like to spark an interest in every reader. To begin, the authors create an interest in the reader by reminding them that no matter what your interest are the government does play a role in your life, whether it’s …show more content…
An example of a contemporary political issue would be the reference to the Great Recession of 2008-2009. The text states, “It is largely because state governments have been financially battered by a slow recovery from the Great Recession…” (Greenblatt and Smith, 5). This modern example of a political issue made the material more accessible for the audience, since college students have an idea of what that time period was like. Similarly, the authors mention the issue of “…convicted of capital crimes in Texas more likely to be executed than those convicted of comparable crimes in Connecticut?” (Greenblatt and Smith 21). This reference to the death sentence is an excellent way to keep the reader engaged and evoke an emotional response from the audience since they already have an opinion on the matter and also gained insight as to why some states have a death penalty while others