Students may find it annoying. The book includes internal links to all notes and figures within the text, and also external web links where relevant. presentation. Each requires students to open up these extended opportunities for more information but in my opinion slides into information "overload" dimensions. Thus, instructors who want to cover highly salient domestic policy issues like healthcare or immigration may need to assign supplements. This product will be available on 09/22/2015. At the same time, given the overall quality of this book and the money my students would save if I assigned it, I am seriously considering changing texts for the first time in over a decade. I think that the textbook goes too far in this direction. American Government is a very comprehensive textbook. For the most part, you could move around chapters if not sections. 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. 33. It includes the entire student text along with a variety of planning and instructional support for the print and digital resources. I agree that the content is relevant, and can be easily updated. Of course, the question is how many students really do that? Overall the organization is quite good. Reviews. United States Government - Holt McDougal 2011-02-10 The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America - Richard Rothstein 2017-05-02 New York Times Bestseller Notable Book of the Year Editors' Choice Selection One of Bill Gates' Additionally, there are sections within each chapter that can be assigned in other courses. The modularity is effective, though the order of the contents is the order I've been using for years, so I wouldn't have to make any changes.. If anything, a few additional terms could likely be added, but this is a nice feature. 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 . Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. In the preface, there is a chart of the makeup of the United States Supreme Court, listing the justices, and their ideology of conservative versus liberal. The text covers all areas that one would expect from an introduction to American Government textbook. Even though there are many different authors/contributors the book reads like a cohesive work. Title: 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. United States Government. Within each chapter, sections are consistently arranged to first build comprehension and then work toward deeper analysis of topic, which is an effective pedagogical framework. This looks like an excellent resource--well researched and in depth. There seem to be problems with the formatting, though that could just be on machine, with some not converted paragraphs. On the other hand, if students were to use their phones to try to read the book I could see that being a problem. This is a hard aspect of any textbook. 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. 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. I usually wind up giving the students a link to these materials on the web, so having them in the actual textbook would be a nice bonus of using this text. Engaging for an open textbook. Would hope a new edition will be forthcoming over the next year or so? This text, American Government 2e by Krutz and Waskiewicz, covers all areas and ideas of the subject appropriately beginning with the origins of each political construct, through its evolution in America, and trends into the future. 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 . Changes like these are expected and I do not think that this would be too difficult to do. For example, while Federalism (Chapter 3) is included in the "Students and the System" section, State and Local Government comes much later in the book (Chapter 14, in the "Formal Institutions" section). But fundamentally, I often found myself searching for particular lessons, only to find the introduction to those lessons a bit dry or even meandering. Material is presented in an unbiased manner without any noticeable errors. Technical terms are clearly explained allowing the typical college to understand unfamiliar terms/concepts. If anything, the text may be a bit on the long side. This is disappointing but not fatal as I can update in class using the overhead. There is little to nothing lost compared to a mainstream textbook. Actually, I think it is. There is a good selections of "photographs.". A chapter on State and Local government is also included as a useful addition. The writing is clear and accessible to an introductory-level undergraduate reader. Although the book does not add a specific domestic policy area, the choice of three areas on domestic policy, foreign policy and state and local government is refreshing. There were a few places where the order within the chapter was slightly distracting (the media chapter comes to mind), but this was not a major issue. GOVERNMENT Arms War It's a long-standing debate. And finally, it contains both sections on individual rights and liberties as well as policy and bureaucracy. This text could very easily replace the book I have used Style is straightforward. The text is not overladen with jargon, and when specialized terms are used, there is an effort to provide definitions for terms. There are some lapses here. I also like the presence of key terms at the end of every chapter as in the textbooks one can pay ($) for. The overall structure moves formal institutions to the back of the book which is different than how I structure my course but the chapters are modular and allow the professor to assign chapters independently and mix and match to lecture chapters. Examples depicting the new terms are plentiful. It even has a section on Civil Rights and Native Americans. read more. I would consider using this textbook in my American Government 101. It covers all the areas that may be taught in an American Government intro class. - Unit I Test - The Foundations of the United States Government + Wednesday September 16th, 2016 HW: TED Talk: Lawrence Lessig . Ideas are presented in a clear, logical fashion, and transitions between sections flow smoothly. I like to 'build' my curriculum from a variety of sources; this book could provide a foundation. One note of concern is that the captions thereon in many instances are not fully compatible for a text reader. The textbook is ideologically neutral throughout, with one exception. read more. The text is written in lucid prose with technical terminology highlighted, defined in the text, and listed again in a glossary. Content is very much up to date. The layout is consistent for each chapter, with topic subheadings, feature boxes, links to learning, summaries and glossaries. 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 glossary, summaries, and review questions including critical thinking are all conducive to learning and it will help students prepare for exams. All about United States Government Our Democracy Textbook is exactly what you need. Alternate ISBNs. This is an excellent question. The endnotes are difficult to follow. Unfortunately, I found the hyperlinks within the text to be a bit distracting. Reviewed by Charles Young, Associate Professor, Umpqua Community College on 1/3/20, The text covers exactly what an introduction to political science/government textbook should cover. The textbook interface is free from any major interface issues or navigation problems. 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. In order to help students understand the ways that government, society, and individuals interconnect, the revision includes more examples and details regarding the lived experiences of diverse groups and communities within the United States. The organization of topics conforms with what one finds in many other introductory level texts on American Government. I saw no problems with the navigation or images. You have been searching for correct information on United States Government Our Democracy Textbook . Mrs Doering s Classroom Government Wikispaces. Within each unit, the chapters are structured to provide connections between topics that build upon the prior chapter's learning objectives . It is not overly burdensome or clunky or overwhelming in its text portions. Most importantly, the emergence of Donald Trump simply alters how the institution of the presidency communicates and respects (or doesn't respect) past institutional norms. I wish the footnotes included links back to main text. The structural framework of the chapters maintains a similar design throughout. Key terms are also defined at the end of each chapter. It also includes a chapter on Such being said, I believe this textbook is far ahead of other options I have seen as far as modularity and the ability for the instructor to chunk portions of the chapter for the assigned reading each week. The information is presented in a logical way. The relevance of content is a real strength of this text. Democracy in the United States is strong, but showing some cracks. It contains every topic I cover and more in an Introductory course. Swapping out these examples for newer ones in the future should not be too onerous. The text's interface is similar to any American Government textbook and has clear charts, tables, and numerous features that are clear and unobtrusive. The book's seventeen chapters are well-divided into five parts. Reviewed by Alexander Cohen, Assistant Professor, Augustana College on 6/19/18, By the standards of Introduction to American Politics textbooks, this is a comprehensive offering. The textbook is sensitive to a range of minority communities including African Americans, immigrants, the LBGQT community, gender and womens issues, and persons who practice the Muslim faith. Most textbooks for undergraduates in this topic area dont include this topic, and its a welcome addition. no out-of-focus or bad images, good graphs, clear text, etc). I had no problems with navigation and saw no distortion of images and charts. Chapter 5 . Prosper Bernard, Jr., City University of New York, Jennifer Danley-Scott, Texas Womans University, Christopher Lawrence, Middle Georgia State College, Adam Newmark, Appalachian State University, Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State University, Shawn Williams, Campbellsville University, Rhonda Wrzenski, Indiana University Southeast. The text contains a variety of ideas and concepts. It was updated in 2020. I suspect students will read the chapters as rather lengthy. The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia is a geopolitical book by Aleksandr Dugin. Chapter 4. The pros and cons of government regulation of group activity (spending) are both presented accurately, and the student is asked to make their own determination. 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 Other mainstream textbooks will generally issue an updated edition every few years to include the outcomes of new presidential elections. As a policy professor with professional experience in the field, I would be likely to use cases to follow up about how policy content accounts for those decisions in a process that includes policy actors (private and public)). Identify Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as leaders of our democracy: Connect with: Strand 1 Concept 4. It is a good alternative to expensive textbooks. Reviewed by Jack Philips, Lecturer, University of Texas at Arlington on 11/12/20, This book contains everything I need for intro American government classes. Your idea of relevance is not really relevant. Reviewed by John Herbert, Instructor, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids, MN on 6/15/19, The material offered more than meets the appropriate standard for a textbook used in a first or second year course in American Government and Politics. Some paragraphs are quite long in word count as are some sections that continue for pages without a break such as a graphic, figure, table or photograph which may inhibit overall comprehension of the material within. It offers an excellent collection of concepts and ideas useful to political science students. read more. Spelling, punctuation and sentence structure were also all very good. The organization and flow of the book is very good. Nearly all of the material presented is relevant. To report a technical problem with this Web site, please contact the Web Producer.Web . I assign a chapter every week, so the modularity has not been vital to me. margin-bottom: 1rem !important; The language seems accessible. It covers all of the major topics an introductory text should cover and a few others as well. Unlike many other textbooks, it has a separate chapter on State and Local government which I think would be useful as I found it is helpful for students to understand the lower level governments in relation to the federal government when discussing American politics. Google Apps. 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. Sentence structure and grammar are excellent. 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). All the chapters have commendable "Finding Middle Ground," "Insider Perspectives," and "Links to Learning" website listed. The book seemed to use inclusive examples--for example, the racial breakdown of the federal judiciary. This is a good choice as the textbook for beginning level political science courses. Students can read individual sections or chapters online (in a way vaguely reminiscent of Wikipedia), they can download a free PDF of the entire book, or more traditional students can order a hard copy of the book from Amazon (at a price that's still less than half of what students might pay for a book from a commercial press). The text covers everything that an introduction to American government should. The United States democracy is based on principles and ideals that are embodied by symbols, people, and documents. 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. The organization and structure are good. Also, discussions are not biased toward any political ideology. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 election, and key aspects of the first-term of the Biden administration are usefully addressed in the text. - A good set of basic references at the end of each chapter. The book's content is accurate. While I am echoing this notion from a previous review, I did find it to be true that Kurtz et al. The textbook does not contain grammatical errors. Pricing for school accounts will display in the cart once you are logged in. al have done so in this text. read more. To some extent, though, that would make this a book with a specific orientation, which defies one of its strengths. I was not able to determine any instances of errors, although there are a few places where the coverage was a bit subjective or questionable. read more. There are questions and glossary words at the end of each chapter to help clarify issues. Students may understand the material better and make a deeper connection regarding the relationship of the Bureaucracy to the Executive Branch if it is covered after the chapter on the Presidency, before the Courts. This is one of the pluses of this text. This textbook covers all the main topics need for American government 101. Yes, the topics are presented in logical and clear fashion. To learn about the specific purchase options for this program, please contact our Customer Service team at 800-338-3987. Go Go. Complex ideas were synthesized inlanguage that was easy to understand. The definitions in the glossary are precise. The text follows the standard format for American Government texts. Effective participation 3. Not every one covers Civil Rights and Liberties or Foreign and Domestic Policy, but this text does offer a chapter on each of those. To expect of our students to readily pursue this extent of "Notes" is excessive, and the opposite effect I suggest occurs, namely a sense of being overwhelmed by such extra content.This is in my opinion too much to expect of our students. Language is neutral and seems to avoid leading or biased undertones. More than other textbooks I have used or read the framework of this textbook is more attuned to my style of teaching and presentation of material. Please read our Terms of Use and Privacy Notice before you explore our Web site. When you become a U.S. citizen, you also make these promises: give up loyalty to other countries defend the Constitution and laws of the United States obey the laws of the United States serve in the U.S. military (if needed) do important work for the nation (if needed) It's nice to have them in one place, and not all other textbooks do that. Important terms are underlined throughout the text making it easier for students to see the terms they should know for testing. The text is very up to date, using examples from as recently as 2016. I have not noticed any internal tensions or inconsistencies within the text. I plan to use this textbook in my first year Intro to American Government & Politics classes and will use the State & Local chapter in that class. Key terms are defined with appropriate detail in a glossary and the summaries serve to reinforce the material covered in each section. History, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Politics and Government Grade Levels: College Freshman, College Sophomore, College Junior, College Senior, Undergraduate Student Submitted By: Daproim Africa Proofread By: Daproim Africa Usage Restrictions: This is a copyrighted book. assistant superintendent salary dr horton,