For example, the section on ideology equates authoritarianism with the right side of the political spectrum, even though authoritarianism as a ruling style can also be commonly found in communist or socialist polities; students might be led to conclude that communists and socialists aren't about control. Personally, I prefer to teach institutions before individual or collective action, and that looks like it would be easy enough to do with this textbook by simply assigning some of the later chapters first and then coming back to the ones in the middle of the book later. Additionally, there are sections within each chapter that can be assigned in other courses. } One important tenet of this system is democracy, in which the ultimate power rests with the people. LBGTQ issues were integrated in many of the chapters and this is refreshing. I am especially impressed by its multi-dimensional approach to topic coverage. All of the topics you would expect to be covered in an American government 101 course are here: origins of our republic, institutions, individual action and collective action. Modularity is important for me as I usually find myself teaching "out of order" with respect to the book's chapter organization. Although the order of the chapters differ from the way I may group chapters together, the book does maintain a consistent pattern based on the logic of the book it presents. Also, when you click, for example, chapter 2, you cannot go directly to chapter 2, but you have to click the Intro first. The text is extremely consistent. Those items in chapter 8 are among my favorites. My preferred text, The Logic of American Politics (Kernell et al. It even has a chapter on Local government and two policy chapters, Domestic and Foreign. In this textbook, I was pleased with both. Examples used are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and gender. The point-by-point "Summary" section is a great way for students to review the main ideas in the chapter. Important terms are underlined throughout the text making it easier for students to see the terms they should know for testing. I believe the language used in the text is entirely appropriate for an introductory college course on the subject. The Colonial Experience. I really appreciate how they were able to consolidate what would easily be a 15 chapter textbook into 5! I did not find any grammatical errors in the text. Overall the organization is quite good. There are chapters on media literacy, public opinion and polls, civic engagement, that might be taken separately from the actual discussion of government structure. Well, longevity is a tough matter for this kind of text. It is easy to navigate, the images/charts are relevant and clear, and all other display features serve to enhance the key point, theory, etc. I am also not sure that the students will click on the hyperlinks unless they are told to specifically read them. The supplementary material within each chapter/section like Finding Middle Ground and Milestone can be an effective tool for the instructor to use for additional student engagement or an activity as such go deeper into a particular concept than mere text can. I love the inclusion of recent current events. There is a good selections of "photographs.". But at the mass level most Tea Party identifiers are Republicans, and in Congress the vast majority of Tea Party sympathizers (perhaps all) are Republicans. This coverage emphasizes and links back to the section of the text on Civic Engagement. The book is clear and accessible. The grammar is fine, and the book seems well-written. There are some lapses here. 1. Overall, I found the text to be clear and readable. read more. The definitions in the glossary are precise. The authors updated the contents reflecting current events and political landscape. I like the additional chapter on State and Local Government (Chap 14). But after that there is some latitude as to which major theme comes next. The textbook's content is accurate, free from errors, and unbiased. Equality in voting 2. The book was very culturally sensitive but more could be added throughout each chapter. I did not see any clear cultural bias on the part of the authors. I liked the incorporation of the graphics, which will enable students to work on their graphic/data interpretation skills. United States Government Democracy in Action Student. The terms is not introduced again in the public opinion chapter. The book is comprehensive, covering the major topics one would expect to find in a U.S. government textbook. I did not identify any issues with the accuracy of the textbook content. The subchapters themselves are internal divided with separate headers, though this third level organization is not numbered. The text was clear and devoid of any unnecessary jargon. A textbook with a framework as solid as this will not go out-of-date quickly. The text and figures were attractive and easy to navigate. Obviously, fundamental concepts such as the origins of the republic and the founding era need to be at the beginning of the book. While no text does a perfect job at inclusiveness, I was impressed at the myriad examples of diverse cultural experiences incorporated throughout the text. 3. United States Government: Our Democracy 2018. al have done so in this text. I would not consider this to be a fatal flaw by any means, but one of the advantages of a digital text is that these types of updates are easier to make. Also, the hyperlinked notes provide a way for students who want to learn more about an issue. Not much to comment on here. And as stated above, the book is very clear and easy to read, which would make this text easy for students to understand. American Government 3ealigns with the topics and objectives of many government courses. The online availability is of course also excellent for today's students. In recent years rather than being an efficient mechanism for collective decision-making and progress, democracy seems to be fueling discord, division, and distrust of the other side. Democracy in the United States. With this objective in mind, the content of this textbook has been developed and arranged to provide a logical progression from the fundamental principles of institutional design at the founding, to avenues of political participation, to thorough coverage of the political structures that constitute American government. The comprehensiveness of Krutz's American Government text is such that it more than adequately addresses the curricular requirements of the American government and politics courses offered by the Virginia Community College System. The textbook is relevant and up to date, relative to the time it was published. But the textbook does well dealing with less amorphous topics, like the simple history of the Constitution or structural questions; for instance, the discussion of the eccentricities of the double-jeopardy concept. The text is highly relevant for students studying American government and politics today and will serve students well in subsequent years without seeming obsolete. I am impressed with the comprehensiveness of the textbook. Reviewed by Alexandre Couture Gagnon, Associate Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 10/26/20, This textbook covers the main topics of a course on American government. I see no reason why that would be different with this text. I find first and second year college students (the levels I teach) have limited attention spans with regard dense text no matter how articulately written. In fact. The chapters relating to State & Local Government plus Domestic & Foreign Policy (14,16 & 17) are an added bonus although I will not assign these whole chapters in the Intro course due to time restrictions. Having learning objectives at the beginning of each subsection (not just in a chapter) could help students stay focus on important takeaways. Reviewed by M. Victoria Perez-Rios, Adjunct Assistant Professor, La Guardia Community College on 5/21/18, The textbook is very comprehensive with more than 650 pages of content plus appendices with relevant documents. The highlighting of key terms and the examples that are provided are helpful. I could go on, but you have some important ones. Information is presented in a logical order. The book seemed reasonable "inclusive", although I suppose this is pretty subjective and I'll admit to not usually judging texts on this ground. In terms of content, the textbook has all the chapters one normally expects from an introductory American Government textbook. The language is accessible for students in higher education; and likely high school juniors and seniors. Instead the textbook chooses to avoid the high stakes conversations. I have no comment or assessment of either the usefulness of "supplementary" stuff like outside websites or discussion questions. Below are the modifiedexcerpts that are assigned to you. Introduction, Consitution, Federalism, Civil Rights and Liberties, Parties and Ideology, Opinion and Media, Congress, President, Courts, state and local, and International Affairs. The book is up to date and has most of the usual citations one would expect of an Introduction to American Government text. The text is particularly impressive with its section on "Equal Protection for Other Groups" as it provides an exceptional overview of the challenges many groups have faced in the United States with thoughtful explanations of landmark Supreme Court cases and legislation impacting the struggle for civil rights. By avoiding the topics and the conversations, the text is not allowing students to civically engage in discussions and learning. I have not noticed any internal tensions or inconsistencies within the text. Although it lacks some of the additional material that other traditional textbooks provide (i.e., more information on judicial decision-making or constitutional interpretation), the text accomplishes its goal--to provide a clear and accessible overview of the American political process. The word "democracy" comes from the Greek word "demos" which means "people." The word "democracy" is not used anywhere in the U.S. Constitution. Would hope a new edition will be forthcoming over the next year or so? Was: $150.00 Now: $120.00. The index is thorough and easily navigable with direct links to the relevant section of the text in which the key term is discussed. The index is useful. If anything, the text may be a bit on the long side. 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. For example, I do a lot with the 9th Amendment, but it only has three paragraphs in the textbook. The book's layout is consistent. Many textbooks cover these two topics together in one chapter and I believe that it may be easier to teach if there is dedicated material to each topic in separate chapters. Otherwise, I find the content accurate, sufficiently in depth, and excellent. These issues are prevalent in American political and social life, and have been accentuated during the first term of President Trump. Each requires students to open up these extended opportunities for more information but in my opinion slides into information "overload" dimensions. If practical, it would be helpful if there were a hyperlink to OYEZ or Cornell LII for each case. I did not notice anything plainly inaccurate. My institution, CUNY, currently has money for instructors to print course packets for students, so it would be possible to print the chapters I want to use and then the students would have a hard copy. I certainly will moving forward. Excellent. The accuracy of the content is reinforced by the textbook's frequent use of references, such as source citations, to articles, books, and studies. I found no appreciable factual errors and appreciate the wealth of source material provided therefor. read more. The various appendixes include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Federalist 10 and 51 and a couple of other items. There are long stretches of well written but long winded paragraphs. There is very little jargon, and technical terms are adequately summarized. As mentioned above, I found the text slightly denser than the average textbook for an Introduction to American Government class. The relevance of content is a real strength of this text. The text does a good job of covering the standard content (governments, federalism, civil rights, separation of powers, media, etc.). I also would like to see a separate chapter on social movements. The hard copy version is sold by Amazon and other online retailers for about $20 (not sure it includes color for that price). The updates to the text with respect to the 2016 election are topical and serve to make the content more easily understand without the risk of seeming outdated in a short period of time. Here again I suggest that there are too many long blocks of text to read made even more so by the frequent "Note" sections expecting students to further read about key court cases. However, all textbooks--standard or OER--face this issue. Yet both Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh are not present in the graphic. I wish the footnotes included links back to main text. It can be said that in capitalism, government accumulates wealth and then redistributes it to citizens. China is not a socialist country; it is an oligarchic authoritarian regime. The text follows the standard format for American Government texts. Also, I believe that the material on Parties should be placed closer to the material on campaigns and elections. For example, I may not get the chance to dedicate a whole class to elections but I can use sections of the chapter on elections in relation to civil rights, to Congress and to the Executive. A second point, is figure 3.17 regarding marriage equality. There is an additional chapter on State & Local government aside from the chapter on federalism - which offers Actually, I think it is. At that meeting the establishment of the International Union of American Republics was approved. Chapter objectives, appealing graphics and photos, glossaries of 'key terms,' recommended reading, summaries, and quizzes are some of the text features that make this inviting. 28 . Sometimes the beginning of the paragraphs are repetitive but this may favor comprehension of the content. This is a good choice as the textbook for beginning level political science courses. The invitation to re-introduce discussion of governors, state legislatures, city councils, and other forms of sub-national government is much appreciated. Most textbooks for undergraduates in this topic area See previous answer immediately above I do not detect any issues here. I am strongly considering adopting this for my students, though I wish that it were weightier and lengthier. Unfortunately, I found the hyperlinks within the text to be a bit distracting. The writing is clear and accessible to an introductory-level undergraduate reader. VII of the Constitution. 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). The writing appears to be objective and factually correct. In addition to what I discussed earlier, here are some other things about the book I enjoyed that did not easily fit into the previous topics provided: I very much apricate the discussion of The Articles of Confederation in Chapter 2, Section 2. United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Edition Hardcover full-color textbook divided into chapters and lessons, with table of contents, atlas, glossary, and index, 952 pages]. 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, The text's clarity is excellent. 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. The text makes the content more relevant to students by providing opportunities to analyze and interpret charts, data, and graphs to better understand current examples and the applications of the material. The content is presented in a way that scaffolds the reader's knowledge from basic understanding of the historical context and key concepts toward analysis, synthesis, and finally enables critical assessment of ideas. Greek city-state or polis b) New England town meeting c) Abandoned as size of towns increased and issues became more complex 2. I believe this textbook is a comprehensive and well written vehicle to aid the instructor and enhance student learning. However, it would be helpful if there were a way to transition back to the main body of the text from the note in question. Such can pose a roadblock for the easily distracted student or the person using the aid of a text reader. The book is accurate and error-free. For over eight decades, The United States Government Manual has been the "official handbook" of the Federal Government. In fact, in several places the book includes specific discussion of how the subject relates to minority or historically underrepresented or repressed communities that other texts tend to ignore (e.g. ACT & SAT Practice Books. Instructors planning on using this book may want to request access to the instructor resources very early to avoid issues. It would also be helpful if the text came with bookmarks to the main chapters and subsections. 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. There is no distortion of text, images, or figures; this is all very clear. I think it does an excellent review of the issue of slavery and how it impacted US government. Overall, this is a solid choice in terms of comprehensiveness. read more. the text covers many inclusive and powerful cases of civil rights from African Americans and the Civil Rights Movement to women's suffrage to Occupy Wall Street. Generally I would say the text would be easy to divide into smaller subsections. The text features sophisticated and accessible prose. The book contained appropriate section breaks so that students can jump directly to the relevant subsection. It supplements text content with useful links that serve as a great tool for boosting application and comprehension. There are numerous features that are used to help students engage with content (summaries, supplemental reading, graphics and break outs). Changes on the composition of the members of the elected branches are easily updated and/or can be explained in the classroom. I found the book to be clear and precise in its discussions and presentation of material. read more, 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. The prose is accessible, and the authors' have done an outstanding job avoiding the jargon that can unnecessarily complicate a text. I found it very appropriate for undergraduates. The presentation of the material lends itself to be easily modified to accommodate changes in the political sphere. United States Government: Democracy in Action. There are some chapters I would probably not use (the policy chapters) and I would prefer the chapters in a different order (institutions before behavior), but that is something that can come through teaching. I also liked very much the "exercises" section allowing "assessment of learning." Traditional Democratic Theory 1. Students will develop an appreciation for the value of citizenship and civic . The consistency and cohesion of the organization of the textbook is on par with all the other material on the market. Title: American government textbooks, in order to stay relevant, demand frequent updates. While I would like a comprehensive glossary for each chapter, the fact that each subsection within the chapter has its own glossary makes assigning small sections very easy, though I would not recommend assigning sections in place of a full chapter. 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. This is also one of the longer chapters in the book coming in at about 50 pages. read more. Democracy in the United States is strong, but showing some cracks. The chapter summaries, quizzes, the suggestions for extra activities in particular are useful. As other agents of socialization dont seem to educate students in how essential their participation is to a healthy democratic system, any text that emphasizes and provides easy ways to engage in politics is welcome. At the edges, the composition of Congress and descriptive representation will need to be updated. Go Go. The text is written in lucid, accessible prose, and provides adequate context for any jargon/technical terminology used. It includes the entire student text along with a variety of planning and instructional support for the print and digital resources. The Feature Boxes act as a springboard to easily engage students beyond the confines of the text. It is not overly burdensome or clunky or overwhelming in its text portions. First, Page 39 of textbook about Locke and the social contract gives no citation. This immediately gives an indication of how the material will flow. Making it possible for a student to read 2-3 pages and then stop/think about what they have covered. 11th Amendment: Grants states immunity from outside lawsuits, 1795. . Print Edition ISBNs: Student (2018): 978--07-668113-6 ; Teacher (2018): 978--07-668108-2 ; Contact the company representative for ISBN numbers for online/eText editions. While things may change quickly in American government, a lot stays the same. 60. The text is not culturally insensitive. From the origins of the US political system, the constitutional framework, participatory inputs, formal institutions, and public policy, the major points are read more. Chapter 8 on the Media is the best chapter I've seen on that subject. For instance, right off the bat, the critique of socialism seems to take the position that socialism is inherently and entirely distinct from our system, which isnt accurate. Key words repeated throughout so students would be exposed them at various points in the text. However, on the library listing page, there is a typo in the index for chapter 17. Enlightened understanding 4. Experiences and participation of African-American, Latinx, Asian, indigenous, women, and LGBT citizens fill a chapter. The textbook is error-free and unbiased. The entire unmodified textbook can be accessed here on OpenStax, where you can also download a PDF, install the app, or even order a hard copy from Amazon if you desire. For example, Plato and Aristotle are not included in the further readings of the introductory chapter on government. I choose this title because it underlines student political participation. Thorough coverage of the main thematic areas generally addressed by introductory American Government textbooks. Again, these are things the author may want to consider. The graphics, photos, and primary documents add a visual appeal as well as provide students to other literacies. The text was easily navigable and the Index, search function, and drop-down menus in the Table of Contents functioned seamlessly. .nav-contain-highered p{ The index is thorough and easily navigable with direct links to the Government Democracy In Action Answers below. Overall, this is a solid choice in terms of comprehensiveness. The textbook follows the usual model of an American Government textbook. The Greeks are often credited with pioneering a . It does not explain some additional reasons why the two-party system in the U.S. persists. 1st - 10th Amendments: The Bill of Rights, 1791. by. It's nice to have them in one place, and not all other textbooks do that. The choice of pictures, and subjects is excellent throughout. . It would be easier if the chapters would focus on the 2016 and 2018 elections. 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 narrative is engaging and very well written. 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. The index is clear and useful and the chapter glossaries are Your textbook makes no mention of Rousseau. 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. Overall it is a bit smaller in word count than a traditional hard copy textbook and some of the chapters are smaller than I would like. Accuracy is excellent, with essentially an unbiased and error-free content (and i do judge rather stringently the accuracy of historical content given I teach history as well). Thus, instructors who want to cover highly salient domestic policy issues like healthcare or immigration may need to assign supplements. The text's content also features an excellent collection of relevant, recent landmark Supreme Court cases, including Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and Obergefell v. Hodges. The concise introductions at the beginning of each chapter effectively frame the chapter topic. Solid end of chapter educational aids are provided. 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. The sources cited, within the sections of each of the various chapters, are from reputable, recognizable experts in their fields of study. Overall, the organization and flow of the textbook is logical and it follows a traditional American Government textbook. Excellent charts and interactive materiel. U.S. Government: Our Democracy helps educators teach students about government and how to "do democracy.". Alternate ISBNs. This looks like an excellent resource--well researched and in depth. The Government Manual is a regularly updated special edition of . Many different races, backgrounds, ethnicities are presented to give the reader a well-rounded picture of how all different groups participate in the American governmental process. This item: United States Government; Our Democracy, c 2018, 9780076681136, 0076681130. by McGraw-Hill Education Paperback . The more niche chapters like Public Opinion could use a freshen up on the theoretical concepts. I spent a significant amount of time reviewing and reading this textbook. And a printed version is also available for those who prefer it (including me!) Text is well written and provides adequate context for necessary political science terminology. Knowing that I would be using the book over many sections and many semesters, I ordered a copy from Amazon and I am glad I did. While I am generally unfamiliar with how open-resource textbooks are supposed to be ideally positioned, the book provides excellent navigational tools on the left side of the bar that made it easy for me to find what I wanted.