Overall, the textbook is written in a traditional format. The information is up-to-date through the 2016 presidential election and makes reference to the race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. read more. Separation of powers refers to the process of dividing government into different branches and giving . The Links to Learning and Insider Perspective features in the text help to enrich the material without breaking the overall flow of discussion. The book's content is accurate. Very well done. I believe that modularity is one of the strengths of this text. It is difficult to be so comprehensive and not lose the forest for the trees at times. In summary, this is a high-quality book that has most everything anybody would want. US Government Textbook . There are even two chapters on public policy, which many basic textbooks omit. This is not a pervasive problem, however but an occasional one. Of course since a key feature of this book is to present a considerable amount of material that combines theory and application and stimulate critical thinking, covering the volume of materials given the way it is divided may present a challenge over one semester. I see no reason why that would be different with this text. democracy: [noun] a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections. He was our longest-serving president and also our best. I mentioned this earlier, but I think it is important to have the chapters presented in a different order. Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy. The internal structure of individuals chapters is clear and logical. As for "flow," here again I suggest that there are too many "Note" interruptions to the readings. The text covers the full range of standard American Government textbooks, from government and civic engagement, to civil liberties and rights to branches of government and foreign policy. I like the "exercises" section for assessment of learning and the "glossaries." Democratic Values Liberty, Equality, Justice. Faculty involved in the project have endeavored to make government workings, issues, debates, and impacts meaningful and memorable to students while maintaining the conceptual coverage and rigor inherent in the subject. The prose is accessible, and the authors' have done an outstanding job avoiding the jargon that can unnecessarily complicate a text. I also would like to see a separate chapter on social movements. read more. The text covers exactly what an introduction to political science/government textbook should cover. I sometimes worry that textbooks I use are hard for students to understand. The textbook follows the usual model of an American Government textbook. Aristotelian "rule of the many" (direct or participatory democracy) a) Fourth-century B.C. In addition, some of the information on the map can be confusing for students: the UK is a monarchy and a democracy; and some countries that appear as democracies are transitioning to democracy or are really autocracies. The canonical terms of introductory American Government are present and defined adequately. Do away with elections and democracy itself might be saved, argues Alexander Guerrero. However, on the library listing page, there is a typo in the index for chapter 17. While it clearly has a logical structure and is thoughtfully organized, chapters could be selected based on the theme and objectives of the course. UPC: 9780076681136 The content delivers plenty of perspective for students to learn about American government. presentation. From the origins of the US political system, the constitutional framework, participatory inputs, formal institutions, and public policy, the major points are By the standards of Introduction to American Politics textbooks, this is a comprehensive offering. Right from the start is an engaging "What is Government" and "Who governs" introductory sections, followed by excellent descriptions of our constitutional backgrounds and developments, There could be more treatment of the concept of power in the beginning of the book. Following .nav-contain-highered p{ These officials represent the citizens' ideas and concerns in government. read more. THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES in 10 minutes The 1619 Project Exposed: A Special Edition of the American Mind . There are a number of instances where, as was previously noted, there are significant blocks of text in long paragraphs without subheadings or some other type of break. Foundations of American Government. Right from the get go I enjoyed the section on Civic Engagement as many textbooks do not cover civic engagement to the level it was covered in this text. Reviewing the text, I did not experience any significant interface issues. It focuses on the importance of community engagement and social responsibility among middle and high school studentscore themes in the Massachusetts 8th Grade History & Social Science Curriculum Framework. The text was easily navigable and the Index, search function, and drop-down menus in the Table of Contents functioned seamlessly. Pricing for school accounts will display in the cart once you are logged in. The online navigation is exceptionally good. Particularly well written is the "Approach to Foreign Policy, p. 650, especially, the "Classic Approach" and the more recent history of U.S. foreign policy. However, the concepts are so strong here (thorough, well laid out) that an I think that the textbook goes too far in this direction. The text does not contain any grammatical errors. The index and glossary are well formulated. Chapter sections are easily divisible and do not overwhelm the reader with too much information in any single subheading. Concerns: Textbook lacks yearly/semester pacing guide, limited ability to edit teacher resources . Whenever the next update does occur, I would strongly suggest change the order of the paragraphs so Part 4 comes after Part 1. The chapters are well organized and user friendly. The book's layout is consistent. After review, I was impressed with this text on a number of fronts namely its clear writing style and comprehensive nature. I found the insertion of bold links in the middle of the text rather distracting. This is probably a sensitive issue. The Colonial Experience. Reviewed by Amanda Sink , Senior Lecturer , UNCG on 12/5/16, It covers all the areas that may be taught in an American Government intro class. Content is very much up to date. Great examples, engaging stories, and clever interactive readings; the textbook would be relevant to most community college students today. Chapter 2: The Origins of American Government The book leans more towards describing American government than explaining it, which may be fine for many instructors, especially for an introductory course. Toward Collective Action: Mediating Institutions, Delivering Collective Action: Formal Institutions. More textbook info. There are long stretches of well written but long winded paragraphs. Key words repeated throughout so students would be exposed them at various points in the text. Although in the last decade I have opted for brief editions of American government, in an electronic format a longer text is useful for students who want to know more about topics that are difficult to cover in a fifteen week semester, including state and local government, public policy and foreign policy. I have found that with any textbook, it is always necessary to supplement by lecture with current information that is not in the textbook. These hyperlinks will distract the reader. All about United States Government Our Democracy Textbook is exactly what you need. font-weight: 400; Digital Student Learning Center:Includes the full student edition and inquiry journal, plus engaging resources that provide context and bring the narrative to life such as maps, timelines, infographics, primary sources, images, and videos. Excellent. } B. The president signs bills into law or vetoes them. I didn't notice any serious grammar problems. The content is very up-to-date and includes/examines relevant current issues. pdf: Download File. It seems to be equal to any 'standard' Am Gov text. According to Yale professor Juan Jos Linz there are three main types of political systems today: democracies, totalitarian regimes and, sitting between these two, authoritarian regimes . The 2020 census will alter the reapportionment section on Congress and the Electoral College. I was actually surprised at the 'updatedness" of the book. The book does a nice job of bringing in gender concerns throughout the text, as well. I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster and everyone else has a seat belt. I found the text to be eminently user friendly with no issues what so ever navigating within the chapters. American Government by Krutz and Waskiewicz is an exceptionally good textbook. However, the chapter lengths seem fairly typical for this type of text. The framework of the chapters is internal consistent. I particularly liked the "Get Connected," "Links to Learning," and "Insider Perspectives." I suspect some will like this placement and others not, it is likely a matter or preference, but is worth noting. I also think the book does an exceptional job bringing in minorities not traditionally covered in American politics texts (Asian Americans, Native Americans, etc.) In terms of content, the textbook has all the chapters one normally expects from an introductory American Government textbook. The authors also included new terms such as the use of Astroturf movement on page 379 and PIRGS on page 382. For example, p. 44. and in most of the chapters. read more. Please read our Terms of Use and Privacy Notice before you explore our Web site. The chapters, at more than thirty pages are relatively long for some students so all of the material within a chapter may not be read. Facilitate mastery of complex principles with dynamic digital tools. Overall the textbook is highly consistent. Although I found having a chapter on Bureaucracy toward the end of the textbook unconventional, overall organization of the topics covered in the text are presented in a logical fashion. This was an early indication of the accuracy of the textbook. Others may view this as a downside, because students will have less guidance in identifying the major themes or "thesis" of the course. The text follows a chapter layout that is common among American politics texts, beginning with the Constitution and ending with policy. The book does a nice job of acknowledging racial injustice at the time of the American founding, including the Three-Fifths Compromise, as well as the importance of the Civil War Amendments in beginning to correct those wrongs (p. 63). The text is written in lucid prose with technical terminology highlighted, defined in the text, and listed again in a glossary. In addition the appendix with major judicial cases will withstand the passing of time and it isn't difficult to add a couple of relevant cases per judicial year and then review the choices every four or five years. Updating some of the pictures will be easy ( how many of our freshmen will remember that much about Mitt Romney?) The text is very culturally sensitive and I see no cultural offensiveness. On diversity: Notwithstanding the fact that the book has text and images that represent different groups based on sex, race, religion and sexual orientation, among other characteristics; there is general reference to Hispanics being the largest minority group in the first chapter which is supposed to set up the main characteristics of our country. Diverse student populations will appreciate this aspect of the text. Students will develop an appreciation for the value of citizenship and civic . Feb. 23, 2017. This is an excellent and comprehensive American Government textbook. There are some chapters I would probably not use (the policy chapters) and I would prefer the chapters in a different order (institutions before The textbook has clear images and charts. Each chapter is clearly divided into main sections with learning objectives, and there the text is further divided under clearly delineated sub-section heads. Greek city-state or polis b) New England town meeting c) Abandoned as size of towns increased and issues became more complex 2. I really like that a section on state and local government is included. I reviewed several chapters for discussion areas that students often time find difficult to understand due to the terminology used, such as federalism, civil liberties, civil rights and bureaucracies. read more. It follows the standard layout of American Government textbooks and offers an effective and easily searchable index. I love the inclusion of recent current events. Overall, all expected topics, and then some, are covered, hence the text is certainly comprehensive enough by any measure of expectation in an introduction to American government text. I did not find any grammatical errors in the text. Thought/theory/philosophy explained while discussing history of government. 1997. read more. The text contains a variety of ideas and concepts. Student Edition: Focus on the big ideas with an accessible print student text built around Essential Questions and Inquiry. Maximize comprehension with the Reading Help Desk in each lesson to assist students with building vocabulary, cultivating reading strategies, and strengthening note-taking skills. Analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources including text excerpts, political cartoons, photographs, graphs, maps, and more. Develop strong critical thinking, analytical, and compromise skills with Debate and Deliberation features. Challenge students to "be the judge" in Supreme Court Case Studies; students will classify arguments, assign unmarked opinions and decide cases, apply precedents to recent cases, and conduct in-class moot courts. Customize the learning experience for differentiated instruction using leveled reading, customizable assessments and worksheets, and flexible online learning tools. Facilitate mastery of complex principles with dynamic digital tools. The highlighting of key terms and the examples that are provided are helpful. Founding Father James Madison may have best described the difference between a democracy and a republic: "It [the difference] is that in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person: in a republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents. From the origins of the US political system, the constitutional framework, participatory inputs, formal institutions, and public policy, the major points are addressed. The chapters contain accurate information. The writers do have material distributed into sections of the text that are not always the best choice in my view (this could be said of any textbook). The new survey of the public's views of democracy and the political system by Pew Research Center was conducted online Jan. 29-Feb. 13 among 4,656 adults. It was updated in 2020. Words seem arbitrarily capitalized (why capitalize Scalia and McConnell)? This follows from previous comments. This is an excellent question. References are balanced--not exclusively conservative or liberal--and include non-partisan resources.This text appears to be carefully edited and reviewed. My kudos to the author. This looks like an excellent resource--well researched and in depth. Yes, the book is internally consistent in terms of its discussion and its presentation of information. Title: Faculty involved in the project have endeavored to make government workings, issues, debates, and impacts meaningful and memorable to students while maintaining the conceptual coverage and rigor inherent in the subject. The accuracy of this text is equivalent or higher than any introductory text I am familiar with. It provides an effective index as well as a glossary of key terms at the end of each chapter. Finally, there is no sufficient definition of due process anywhere in the book. I did not see any clear grammatical errors in my review. The material could easily be reorganized or covered in a different sequence at the discretion of the instructor without much disruption. The text acknowledges multiple perspectives of race, ethnicity, gender, ability and other backgrounds. It is both well researched and written. The topics seem to be organized in a clear, logical fashion, with no jarring transitions. There are chapters on media literacy, public opinion and polls, civic engagement, that might be taken separately from the actual discussion of government structure. The index is clear and useful and the chapter glossaries are Might be using this text in the spring of 2020, Reviewed by Amedee George, Professor, SUNO on 4/23/19, The chapters in the Kurtz et al e-book covers all relevant chapters of American Government and even offers chapters on Foreign policy, Domestic policy and State and Local government. Reviewed by Wayne Jones, Assistant Professor, Virginia State University on 6/20/17, American Government is a very comprehensive textbook. I also wish that some videos were integrated into the text as students love videos and this might help to draw them into the content even more. I would have preferred more of this, but the book was adequate in this regard. This New Deal-era publication was published initially as a loose-leaf notebook, its pages held in place by three metal rings. While some textbooks do delve deeper into certain subjects (seemingly at random), it is good to see a textbook that offers nuts and bolts that will make it usable to nearly any instructor, allowing them ample room to discuss areas of their expertise without conflicting with the textbook. I also don't perceive any bias. And the conclusion of each chapter follows a common format including key terms definitions, summaries of each subchapter, about twenty multiple choice and essay questions, and a list of suggested readings for further study. Instead the chapters information jumps around and the data needs organizing. The text follows the standard format for American Government texts. It also includes a chapter on Democratic backsliding in the United States is no longer a matter of speculative concern. Some may view this as a benefit, as there is more room for each instructor to add their own "big story" to their courses. I have also discovered no instances in which the presentation seems unduly slanted or biased. For example, in talking about Courts, jumping from the concept of jurisdiction (complex) to Hamilton and the Federalist, and then to the historical evolution of the Court is a bit jarring. The chapters in the Kurtz et al e-book covers all relevant chapters of American Government and even offers chapters on Foreign policy, Domestic policy and State and Local government. American Government by Glenn Krutz covers a lot of ground. It includes the entire student text along with a variety of planning and instructional support for the print and digital resources. The text is highly relevant for students studying American government and politics today and will serve students well in subsequent years without seeming obsolete. Although in the last decade I have opted for brief editions of American government, in an electronic format a longer text is useful for $47.96. Was: $150.00 Now: $120.00. While things may change quickly in American government, a lot stays the same. The presentation of the material lends itself to be easily modified to accommodate changes in the political sphere. Students first learn what constitutes a government. Overall the book is extremely well edited. There are a couple other places in the text where this is noticeable. The textbook is relevant and up to date, relative to the time it was published. Have questions? Each chapter starts with basic concepts and moves discussion toward topics which need more critical thinking. The book is very comprehensive. The book covers all of the basic components of American government. I believe the language used in the text is entirely appropriate for an introductory college course on the subject. Reviewed by Nicholas Goedert, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech on 6/20/17, The text is impressively comprehensive, both with respect to its range of coverage and depth of discussion of each topic. To learn more about how the presi-dent makes important decisions and leads our nation, view the Democracy in Sentence structure and grammar are excellent. This textbook is very comprehensive. This usefully guides the reader and provides the shared language and conceptual understanding necessary for more nuanced, thoughtful analysis. There is very little jargon, and technical terms are adequately summarized. The textbook was first published in 2019. For instance, the many examples of LGBTQ issues like marriage was well documented and current through recent case law like Masterpiece Cakeshop. Modularity in this textbook is handled well. Building Democracy for All is an interactive, multimodal, multicultural, open access e-book for teaching and learning key topics in United States Government and Civic Life. However, it does do a nice job of considering the broader themes that characterize United States politics today. The text covers everything that an introduction to American government should. Technical terms are clearly explained allowing the typical college to understand unfamiliar terms/concepts. The text is impressively comprehensive, both with respect to its range of coverage and depth of discussion of each topic. Overall there are no major things to complain about here. American Government and Civic Engagement, entire unmodified textbook can be accessed here on OpenStax, SLED (Statewide Library Electronic Doorway), "Slave Streets, Free Streets" - Virtual Tour of Baltimore, c. 1815, World War I: Why Young Men Wanted to Go To War. One example to consider is presented in chapter 10, section 5 discussing the free speech rights of interest groups versus calls to regulate their activity. I would have included in most, if not all chapters after the constitution, sections where students would be guided on how to engage with politics effectively in the context of each chapter. This course must give freshman students the conceptual baseline tools to advance to the next grade. The book's seventeen chapters are well-divided into five parts. At times, the chapters are heavy with history and not as much with theory. American Government 2e is broken up with numerous sections with targeted learning goals and clear intention to allow students to read each section in whole or in small parts. Overall, the textbook provides accurate information, but there are some places where it comes up short in this regard, and a few statements made in the book are not as clear as they could be. Language is neutral and seems to avoid leading or biased undertones. There is an additional chapter on State & Local government aside from the chapter on federalism - which offers instructors an option to discuss state & local government as well. . Use it to preview online test questions or print for paper and pencil tests. The foundational building blocks of the republic that are provided are similar to the last Naturally, in a subject like government and politics there are a host of judgment calls relating to the meaning of certain terms and events and in this regard, I respect the judgment of the authors and believe they presented the material in an unbiased manner. The terminology is consistent and the textbook has a glossary at the end of each chapter; which is useful for students to identify terms and concepts. I like how you included the FCC. Independence and the Articles of Confederation. The goal of each section is to enable students not just to recognize concepts, but to work with them in ways that will be useful in later courses, future careers, and as engaged citizens. For example, Plato and Aristotle are not included in the further readings of the introductory chapter on government. Reviewed by Donald Travis, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Gettysburg College on 4/17/20, I like the additional chapter on State and Local Government (Chap 14). text-decoration: underline; The book's organization/structure/flow is very good. Maybe not from top to bottom, but often enough that it is a concern. But after that there is some latitude as to which major theme comes next. Within each unit, the chapters are structured to provide connections between topics that build upon the prior chapter's learning objectives . Reviewed by Shawn Osborne, Instructor, Portland Community College on 8/21/16, As an introduction to American Government, the text covers the areas and ideas of the subject at a very comprehensive level. There are minor mistakes in some of the tables and figures, too. The book is up to date and has most of the usual citations one would expect of an Introduction to American Government text. It would also be helpful if the text came with bookmarks to the main chapters and subsections. The textbook provides a clear, concise, and easily navigable resource of comprehensive information on the topic of U.S. government. The 5 sections of the book could also be broken apart, for instance I would assign Chapter 15, but not 16 or 17, given the constraints of time. I repeat that the textbook content is well written. That might help to draw students into the material earlier in the semester, that is if you teach the chapters in order. One note of concern is that the captions thereon in many instances are not fully compatible for a text reader. Present the electoral information in tables and use the 2016 election as a case study. It was quite easy to use.
