There are areas where graphics examples could be updated; a few of the federalism chapter charts are using 2014 data. As an It dedicates entire chapters to state and local government, domestic policy, and foreign policy. Clear organization led to clarity of content. In the balance, I would say that the textbook does not do as good a job of providing multiple viewpointsor being honest about its own orientationsas those that are professionally published. Each topic by chapter is integrated with all the others in some way. I really like that a section on state and local government is included. For example, reelection rates to Congress stops at 2014. While there are a few points where the text could be more concise, overall the text is well written and accessible. I use review questions in each chapter for mandatory homework. The word "democracy" comes from the Greek word "demos" which means "people." The word "democracy" is not used anywhere in the U.S. Constitution. My preferred text, The Logic of American Politics (Kernell et al. The text features sophisticated and accessible prose. Additionally, there are sections within each chapter that can be assigned in other courses. All the chapters have commendable "Finding Middle Ground," "Insider Perspectives," and "Links to Learning" website listed. In the book, the word Figure will appear to let the reader know to look for an image. 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. (1) $6.50. The organization of topics conforms with what one finds in many other introductory level texts on American Government. In general, the content is suitably up to date, although some tables and figures should probably be updated soon. But fundamentally, I often found myself searching for particular lessons, only to find the introduction to those lessons a bit dry or even meandering. Finally, there is no sufficient definition of due process anywhere in the book. Reviewed by Colin Glennon, Associate Professor, East Tennessee State University on 4/11/19, The book certainly has all of the topics expected of an Introduction to American Government text. I like the additional chapter on State and Local Government (Chap 14). The inclusion of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, selected Federalist Papers and electoral college results will aid the student in referencing those materials over the instructor including a link (to be lost) or the student conducting a search. United States makes some of the nation's most important decisions. The content delivers plenty of perspective for students to learn about American government. 36 Question #70. 60. The text uses the 2016 election, in particular, to help the reader better understand the varying voting methods within the Electoral College by stating: "In 2016, Republican Donald Trump won one congressional district in Maine, even though Hillary Clinton won the state overall. The framework of the text is internally consistent. ISBN. The units are ordered to provide a guiding conceptual framework for study. Its publication in 1997 was well received in Russia; it has had significant influence within the Russian military, police, and foreign policy elites, [1] [2] and has been used as a textbook in the Academy . I liked the incorporation of the graphics, which will enable students to work on their graphic/data interpretation skills. The textbook is written well. The book is available in multiple formats. By the standards of Introduction to American Politics textbooks, this is a comprehensive offering. Hume's ideas on human nature as the underlying purpose for dividing power is essential to understanding the American political system. Reviewed by Gale Czerski, Adult Basic Education Instructor, Portland Community College on 6/20/17, This textbook provides a comprehensive framework for introductory American government. 334-335). 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. Then again maybe that is just my bias because of what information was included and what was omitted. I am especially impressed by its multi-dimensional approach to topic coverage. I never saw any problems with that concern. This textbook is perfect for my American government course that I teach to undergraduates at the community college level. Its framework is solid. It is comparable to other American Government textbooks, and I will consider using it in my future courses. But by sticking to institutional logic, historical examples, and well-established topic controversies that are not going to go away (abortion, executive orders and the use of force, the civil service), the book does an excellent job at avoiding the publishing industrys penchant for planned obsolescence. THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES in 10 minutes The 1619 Project Exposed: A Special Edition of the American Mind . Those items in chapter 8 are among my favorites. The charts, graphs and figures are well done and supplement the content. There are questions and glossary words at the end of each chapter to help clarify issues. 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. Yet both Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh are not present in the graphic. Each unit has three to four sub units that can easily be assigned in different readings This is the type of written activities I use in the classroom, specifically teacher driven selected chapter readings. The end-of-the-chapter resources are also quite good (better than I've seen in many books from commercial publishers). 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. There could be more treatment of the concept of power in the beginning of the book. has on the daily lives of each and every American, motivating students to become active participants in all aspects of our political system, and helping overcome the I found no appreciable factual errors and appreciate the wealth of source material provided therefor. They provide both classic and current concepts throughout the textbook. 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. The second edition of the text provides more than 100 substantial updates from the last two years. It is a well-written and solid introduction to American Government. Updating some of the pictures will be easy ( how many of our freshmen will remember that much about Mitt Romney?) I am using this text in lieu of my regular purchased text for my intro class and I am excited for the possibilities available given the interesting and useful ways the authors have organized the material in the book - while ensuring all the bread & butter chapters for an intro American Gov text are here. Traditional Democratic Theory 1. Foundations of American Government. I had no problems with navigation and saw no distortion of images and charts. These hyperlinks will distract the reader. I did not notice anything plainly inaccurate. The 'Insider Perspective' sections in each chapter reflect this in their profiles of diverse individuals. } I would like the links available, but not mixed in with the text. Right from the get go I enjoyed the section on Civic Engagement as Reviewing the text, I did not experience any significant interface issues. Reviewed by Rolfe Peterson, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Susquehanna University on 2/11/20, This textbook is extremely comprehensive. Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy. There is very little jargon, and technical terms are adequately summarized. 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. Reviewed by Jeremiah Castle, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 8/17/20, An innovative inclusion is that, in addition to the standard chapter on federalism, American Government (2e) also includes a separate chapter (14) on State and Local Governments. read more. The 2020 census will alter the reapportionment section on Congress and the Electoral College. The Art Program, which "is designed to enhance students understanding of concepts through clear and effective statistical graphs, tables, and photographs", is excellent. Ideas are presented in a clear, logical fashion, and transitions between sections flow smoothly. Again, the book uses a standard organizational framework/structure, and it is organized appropriately for an introductory text. The "Key terms" sections at the end of each chapter will be helpful to students who aren't sure whether they understand a particular term. Mediating Institutions and Collective Action 4. The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. If anything, the text may be a bit on the long side. Charles N. Quigley, Executive DirectorCenter for Civic Education5115 Douglas Fir Road, Suite JCalabasas, CA 91302(818) 591-9321(818) 591-9330 (fax)e-mail: [email protected]. This is not, however, a reason not to use the book as currently written and hope that it is appropriately updated in the years ahead. This textbook does a nice job covering women Chapter 7, especially in regards to elections. I dont think its as good as hearing from some of the real experts in the field and their approach, and I dont think it would be a good match for some faculty who like to teach from a given perspective. However, I believe that the chapter on Bureaucracy (Chapter 15) would be better placed after the discussion of the Presidency (Chapter 12). In general, I am impressed by the amount of thought and research that has gone in to preparing this edition. The text is easily and readily divisible. Inclusion 6. Sections open with learning objectives that tell students the 2-5 most important things to take away from that reading, and quiz questions populate the text at the end of sections to help students self assess their understanding of the reading. I like the additional chapter on State and Local Government (Chap 14). Well, longevity is a tough matter for this kind of text. Overall, this was an excellent e-book. Though as I said before, more recent in time statistics, graphs, charts, and pictures would help, the use of the visuals organizationally as far as charts, maps, and graphs is very good. Not every one covers Civil Rights and Liberties or Foreign and Domestic Policy, but this text does offer a chapter on each of those. The book is very comprehensive. 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. 1. However, many pages have blank gaps in the middle of chapters. The authors also included new terms such as the use of Astroturf movement on page 379 and PIRGS on page 382. The next time I teach American politics, I will definitely use this text. Furthermore, it also includes chapters on linkage institutions like parties, interest groups, and the media. The text contains no grammatical errors of any significance. I think it would be easy for me to pick and choose sections of the book to focus on and to present chapters in a customized order. 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. The book covers all of the basic components of American government. It offers an excellent collection of concepts and ideas useful to political science students. Great looking book and the price point would be very beneficial to students. I have no comment or assessment of either the usefulness of "supplementary" stuff like outside websites or discussion questions. The United States democracy is based on principles and ideals that are embodied by symbols, people, and documents. This could certainly be prepared for the 2020 election. Overall, the organization and flow of the textbook is logical and it follows a traditional American Government textbook. Inquiry Journal:This interactive print worktext is built around essential questions and permits students to develop their inquiry skills using analysis, primary sources, and evidence-based writing. Content is very much up to date. Technical language is defined within the text or in the chapter glossaries. Bill of Rights Poster: File Size: 199 kb: File Type: pdf: . This means that you promise loyalty to the United States. It is not overly complicated and written at the appropriate level. There are long stretches of well written but long winded paragraphs. I did not see any grammatical errors. no out-of-focus or bad images, good graphs, clear text, etc). The grammar is fine, and the book seems well-written. In summary, this is a high-quality book that has most everything anybody would want. Recent elections and the up to date makeup of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches are provided, along with the most recent as possible statistical aspects of our bureaucracy. It provides an effective index as well as a glossary of key terms at the end of each chapter. I am not sure about the process of updates though and I suspect that within one or two years the book will need a refresh. Overall, this is a good text that seems to be accessible for student learning. I imagine the authors are planning to update every two years and it should be relatively simple to add/subtract topical material without substantial modifications to the foundational text. I wish there were more pictures though to break up the text and to enhance the reading. Welcome to our textbook for the year. I believe that modularity is one of the strengths of this text. As for as substantively, I find the grouping of Chapters 4-7 to be curious. It offers an excellent collection of concepts and ideas useful to political science students. For example, the definition of the margin of error that is provided is not technically correct, and the example that follows the definition is not correct even in a non-technical sense. Overall, I like the organization of each chapter with the review questions, further reading and film suggestions. It is arranged in such a way that updates will be easy to implement. It is as accurate as any standard, mainstream textbook on American government. I certainly will moving forward. It covers all of the major topics an introductory text should cover and a few others as well. United States Government: Democracy in Action. 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. This text had no major interface issues. 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. Elsewhere in the same chapter, the descriptions of Shays's Rebellion and the Boston Tea Party leave out important details that would help students relate the events to the broader topics under discussion. It is very comprehensive and covers all the necessary information. The "Key terms" section at the end of each chapter is a great resource for students studying for multiple choice exams. There certainly is enough relevant and timely material to assign a chapter per week for the one semester Intro type class, especially when combined with the supplementary material noted above. It is a well planned and logical progression of chapters and topics. The presentation of the material lends itself to be easily modified to accommodate changes in the political sphere. - Good supplementary framing around the founding documents and federalism There are even two chapters on public policy, which many basic textbooks omit. This textbook is extremely comprehensive. In 1988, the U.S. Senate paid tribute with a resolution 3 that said . The text is easily divisible into smaller sections that can be reordered within the course. most of the chapters are pretty well self-contained and explain relevant concepts from other chapters so the student doesn't get lost. The figure icon needs to be fixed or dropped. So if you wanted to teach the presidency before Congress, there is enough information about Congress in the presidency chapter that students would be able to understand it without having first read the chapter on Congress. Democracy is a means of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy reflects citizens' preferences. The book is well laid out and uses terminology consistent throughout the chapters. United States Government Our Democracy Textbook PDF Book Details . The index is comprehensive, and it helpfully allows the reader to link directly back to the text. Reviewed by Nicholas Pyeatt, Associate Professor of Political Science, Penn State, Altoona on 2/1/18, The book is very comprehensive. Adopting profs should read the chapters carefully so they know what areas get deeper coverage, and what areas get shallower treatment. The chapter summaries, quizzes, the suggestions for extra activities in particular are useful. The work provides a comprehensive overview of both the formal and informal political institutions that one would expect to find in an introductory-level American Government text. Facilitate mastery of complex principles with dynamic digital tools. text-decoration: underline; Words seem arbitrarily capitalized (why capitalize Scalia and McConnell)? In short, more up to date statistics and graphics should be there. Welcome to our textbook for the year. The continuing calls for student engagement is also a nice addition in that it allows the student to see more of how they can be active participants in governing beyond just paying taxes or voting. It could easily be mistaken for a book that costs students $75, and so that fact that it is free of charge means everybody should use it. The text is easily and readily visible and permits an instructor to select what to cover based on the learning objectives of each chapter. In reviewing the table of contents, I found the book has a logical flow that begins with defining what government is and then proceeds to provide information on the critical subjects of our American Government by Glenn Krutz covers a lot of ground. I assign a chapter every week, so the modularity has not been vital to me. Everything is going to be okay. One issue that does not receive a lot of direct attention is American political culture, including the values that underlie our . Reviewed by Matthew Wright, Associate Professor, American University on 2/1/18, The book is comprehensive in that it has everything I usually look for in an intro to American government text: Digital Teacher Lesson Center: Easily access all teaching resources and classroom management tools for the curriculum. 28 . I plan to print around 100 pages double-sided in additional to providing the online and PDF links. The canonical terms of introductory American Government are present and defined adequately. Instead the chapters information jumps around and the data needs organizing. However, it does do a nice job of considering the broader themes that characterize United States politics today. I am seriously considering using this text the next time I teach introduction to American Government. Sometimes the beginning of the paragraphs are repetitive but this may favor comprehension of the content. This is a welcome inclusion: Although most Americans interact far Reviewed by Angie Hull, Assistant Teaching Professor, MOBIUS on 1/15/19, Comprehensive in terms of concepts and how they related to current ideas. Creating the Constitution. The question-and-an-swer format covers a broad range of topics dealing with the legisla- Style is straightforward. Also in terms of comprehensiveness, there are 17 chapters in total, which at one chapter per week is at least three or four more chapters than most instructors will be able to get through in a semester. 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 think it would be harder to pull apart sections of the book independently and rearrange them. Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. And the text generally attempts to present its material in a balanced and unbiased way, presenting several perspectives on controversial issues. United States Government Democracy in Action Student. Grammar and sentence structure are appropriate for the reading comprehension level expected in an introductory level course. The book is clearly and accessible written. The information in several chapters, like the chapters pertaining to the institutions, provide for an in-depth analysis. read more. In fact. In some cases, the additional or special chapter focuses on a specific policy area such as environmental policy or housing policy. Within each of the chapters, there are sections which provide clear learning objectives, summaries, key terms, and opportunities for assessment with multiple-choice and short-response review questions. As mentioned earlier, chapters are structured in reasonable ways. Was: $150.00 Now: $120.00. Thorough coverage of the main thematic areas generally addressed by introductory American Government textbooks. I did not see any grammatical errors while doing so. Furthermore, I think there are not enough appropriate charts and illustrations to engage student attention. In fact, the text compares positively with other leading texts in this regard. The chapter organization was not revolutionary but logical and familiar. 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 found my iPad did not always work well with it. The text contains no grammatical errors that jumped out at me which is quite an accomplishment in such a voluminous text. The images and charts used in the book help clarify the concepts very well. In doing so, the approach seeks to provide instructors with ample opportunities to open discussions, extend and update concepts, and drive deeper engagement. No obvious grammatical errors that I noticed. US Government Textbook PowerPoints - McGrawHill; Power Points Economics; Power Point files from US Government: Mr. Juan Calderon. One area it could be more inclusive is by including more primary sources and perspectives from underrepresented groups both as parts of chapters and suggested readings/bibliography citations.