Concepts well explained and presented. It is not overly burdensome or clunky or overwhelming in its text portions. In doing so, the approach seeks to provide instructors with ample opportunities to open discussions, extend and update concepts, and drive deeper engagement. 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. The use of terminology appears to be consistent between chapters and is a strength of the textbook as repetition is valuable for student retention of a particular term or concept. As an introduction to American Government, the text covers the areas and ideas of the subject at a very comprehensive level. Sometimes the content makes leaps (are heuristics really an appropriate topic for an Intro to Government textbook, given how complex the concept is in the political psych literature)? Terminology is placed bolded for easy identification. Each chapter includes an introduction, theory and history of particular governmental entity, Links to Learning credible websites, graphs, photos, documents, Insider Perspectives introducing a biography of an icon of the chapter, ways to engage in real life government , glossary, and Bibliography for Further Study including books and films. It covers all the bases of an Introduction to American Government and then some. Of course the book's "longevity" is not likely to be long just because of the nature of the subject matter. These definitions are located at the end of the chapter, which is not entirely user-friendly but understandable given the format of the text. 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 authors updated the contents reflecting current events and political landscape. It is a good alternative to expensive textbooks. It is certainly a viable option for my course. It is a well-written and solid introduction to American Government. However, the chapter lengths seem fairly typical for this type of text. 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. Before joining OU, he served on the faculty of Arizona State University and helped run two large-scale National Science Foundation projects as a doctoral student at Texas A&M University. The canonical terms of introductory American Government are present and defined adequately. One designed to be looked at online, another one that is essentially a replica of the printed version. Updating some of the pictures will be easy ( how many of our freshmen will remember that much about Mitt Romney?) The content is mostly up to date. 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. However, the concepts are so strong here (thorough, well laid out) that an for only $40. 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.. Not every one covers Civil Rights and Liberties or Foreign and Domestic Policy, but this text does offer a chapter on each of those. 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. You have been searching for correct information on United States Government Our Democracy Textbook . Its designed with the C3 Framework for social studies in mind. 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. At the time this edition was written, the information in figure 3.17, presented data on the legality of same sex marriage by state in our country in an easily understood and precise manner. ACT & SAT Practice Books. Information is presented in a logical order. The text effectively frames controversial topics in American politics and the reader does not come away with the impression that the author's are putting their thumbs on the scale in favor of a particular interpretation or political ideology. Reviewed by Gina Flakes, Adjunct Professor, Aiken Technical College on 5/24/21, American Government 2e offers a comprehensive survey of the core aspects of the US political system. This means that you promise loyalty to the United States. The accuracy of the content is reinforced by the textbook's frequent use of references, such as source citations, to articles, books, and studies. It is arranged in such a way that updates will be easy to implement. Because of the texts design, I believe that it will be a manageable task to keep it up to date. I found the language clear. read more. I did not see any grammatical errors. Milestone Documents. The text does not run the risk of becoming obsolete in a short period of time; however, many of the examples are quite common to other introductory American Government texts. 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. It contains every topic I cover and more in an Introductory course. Would hope a new edition will be forthcoming over the next year or so? I have not noticed any internal tensions or inconsistencies within the text. No Rating Yet Discover. Delivering Collective Action: Formal Institutions 5. I do miss a chapter on political culture, but even without it, the text is good. An instructor could easily rearrange the order of topics without presenting much disruption to the reader. The framework of the chapters is internal consistent. Tipping the Scales Toward National Power. It also includes a chapter on state/local politics, which is a unique addition to the textbook. Geared as a unit in t This may just be me, but I take issue with this statement from page 9, "Democracy and capitalism do not have to go hand in hand." I do think you have to have a free market to have democracy, although it might be a regulated market. Charles N. Quigley, Executive DirectorCenter for Civic Education5115 Douglas Fir Road, Suite JCalabasas, CA 91302(818) 591-9321(818) 591-9330 (fax)e-mail: web@civiced.org. While the textbook references race, ethnicity, gender, and other identities in expected chapters like Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, and even the Media, overall the textbook offers a limited approach to identity politics in the context of American politics and government. The index is clear and useful and the chapter glossaries are excellent. Such can pose a roadblock for the easily distracted student or the person using the aid of a text reader. It does a good job of defining terms used in the text and citing relevant sources. Not much to comment on here. The content is up-to-date including most of the Trump presidency, which is helpful for students' understanding and familiarity. Thus, instructors who want to cover highly salient domestic policy issues like healthcare or immigration may need to assign supplements. I would consider using this textbook in my American Government 101. There were graphics to illustrate some of the material, and it is nice that PDF and online versions are available. al have done so in this text. The terms is not introduced again in the public opinion chapter. The textbook content is thorough yet very clearly written. . PDF Chapter 1 Study Guide - lkstevens.wednet.edu But the chapter in Foreign Affairs (Chap 17) is thin and needs more meat. I would teach the course with Part 1 first, the Part 4 and Chapter 15, then Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. That noted, I will assign a section or two to aid in a specific class activity and these chapters can be used to supplement material in another course or two, particularly State & Local Government. US Government Textbook PowerPoints - McGrawHill; Power Points Economics; Power Point files from US Government: Mr. Juan Calderon. The topics in the text are organized, structured, and flow in a logical sequence. This is a well put together textbook and with periodic revisions should be useful for students of American government for many years and decades to come. This article lists forms of government and political systems, according to a series of different ways of categorizing them.The systems listed are not mutually exclusive, and often have overlapping definitions. The book is actually slightly longer and denser than other texts I have assigned for an introductory course in American American Government is a very comprehensive textbook. To some extent, though, that would make this a book with a specific orientation, which defies one of its strengths. The textbook utilizes a wide array of references to various cultures, both in its written content and its supplementary graphics. The text provides an accurate, informative, cost-effective option for college students. In each chapter, there are charts, diagrams, pictures from the news media that are appropriate, and informative that connect with the material in the chapter. Democracy in the United States is strong, but showing some cracks. The best way to protect these rights was by limiting the power of government and allowing people to govern themselves. And, as an instructor, I particularly appreciate the supplemental resources provided for teachers and the study aides in each chapter for students. read more. Overall, this looks like a viable option for an American government 101 course. There could be more treatment of the concept of power in the beginning of the book. The index is clear and useful and the chapter glossaries are I found it especially comprehensive in its coverage of civil rights, voter registration and turnout, and the concluding policy chapters. PDF Lesson 2 American Government - hplct.org 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. In fact. 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. I think it would be harder to pull apart sections of the book independently and rearrange them. 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. read more. Third, Political Parties should precede elections in the book. I found it easy to adapt it to the different needs of my course. Donald A. Ritchie, Richard C. Remy. 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. The book is available in multiple formats. For many such students, the clarity in organization will further help clear any obstacles in understanding the political system. While there are a few points where the text could be more concise, overall the text is well written and accessible. As to presenting information in an unbiased minor, I would argue that Kurtz et. First, Page 39 of textbook about Locke and the social contract gives no citation. I am strongly considering adopting this for my students, though I wish that it were weightier and lengthier. This means that the program can easily fit into your curriculum, no matter how high-tech or low-tech your classroom is. A good example of such are the Continuing Challenges sections. However, after assigning the questions, I found that the 'full online' version has the review questions INTEGRATED into the text (scattered in the chapter) AND provides ANSWERS to them. As always, you have the flexibility to organize the course content as you like. The text is internally consistent with respect terminology and framework. 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. I was quite impressed by the clear prose used in this text. The "glossaries" are very good as well. The Greeks are often credited with pioneering a . Additionally, there are sections within each chapter that can be assigned in other courses. Subchapter titles like organizing to govern are a bit confusing. Our sense of legitimacy is tied to the desire for democratic government D. What is democracy? Identity politics should be an integral part of academic conversations and should provide opportunities to students to engage with difficult topics by using critical thinking strategies. Concerns: Textbook lacks yearly/semester pacing guide, limited ability to edit teacher resources . For example, could chapter 8 be divided into six or eight sections? We have stopped printing many old products, but we might have some stock in our warehouse. To learn more about how the presi-dent makes important decisions and leads our nation, view the Democracy in There's A LOT of flexibility with the text content. The online Student Learning Center 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. read more. For students looking to identify key terms, this bolding does feel mightily inconsistent. 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. I have also discovered no instances in which the presentation seems unduly slanted or biased. However I do feel that stylistically the presentation of in-text citations is cumbersome and distracting. The links embedded in the book often do not work. 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. However, there were some paragraphs, that were a bit wordy and I am concerned that at times the author may lose the student due to this wordiness. There is also a Link to Learning in each module that guides readers to content related updates that are available online. 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. Even though the publishing date is 2019, however, many of the charts, maps, graphs, pictures, and statistics in general are from 2015 or earlier. Product details Publisher : Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (November 30, 2021) Language : English Hardcover : 576 pages ISBN-10 : 1982160276 ISBN-13 : 978-1982160272 Item Weight : 1.99 pounds Dimensions : 6 x 1.9 x 9 inches The textbook includes many illustrations, photographs, and examples that are recent enough for students to be able to relate to without much difficulty. For example, the chapter on political parties resembles a history text. The deeper learning tools like Middle Ground and so forth allow the reader to learn more about a specific concept using a real world application and should provide the instructor with a ready-made activity that will more actively engage the student be it in an online or seated class. The text covers all areas that one would expect from an introduction to American Government textbook. 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. The interface is well done. 35. The chapters are arranged in a way that makes sense to the material. Find step-by-step solutions and answers to United States Government: Our Democracy - 9780076634538, as well as thousands of textbooks so you can move forward with confidence. Textbook solutions. The only suggestion that I would make is to include a little bit more political psychology, especially in the chapters on public opinion and the media. I'm seeing paragraph errors on my machine, but that may be unique to me. 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. I mentioned this earlier, but I think it is important to have the chapters presented in a different order. The book is well laid out and uses terminology consistent throughout the chapters. Yes, the text is clearly divided into sections, chapters, and subchapters, all numerically outlined and structured in a clear way. The Government Manual is a regularly updated special edition of . There are even two chapters on public policy, which many basic textbooks omit. One small issue: I found that I could not order a free 'desk' printed version from the publisher, as is standard for normal texts.