The text was clear and devoid of any unnecessary jargon. This has become such an important issue. The consistency and cohesion of the organization of the textbook is on par with all the other material on the market. I assign a chapter every week, so the modularity has not been vital to me. I also very much like the end of the chapter contents. 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. There seem to be problems with the formatting, though that could just be on machine, with some not converted paragraphs. The foundational building blocks of the republic that are provided are similar to the last The framework of the chapters is internal consistent. While things may change quickly in American government, a lot stays the same. For every chapter a special effort could be made to fully integrate the experiences and writings of people of color. The book does not seem to be culturally insensitive, and I like the inclusion of the Equal Protection for Other Groups in section 5.5. The United States has a complex government system. Great looking book and the price point would be very beneficial to students. I am also happy it comes in a printed version. The book builds upon what students have already learned and emphasizes connections between topics as well as between theory and applications. Enrollment . However, all textbooks--standard or OER--face this issue. There is an additional chapter on State & Local government aside from the chapter on federalism - which offers Further, each section within the chapters does contain a glossary of bolded terms. Actually, I think it is. LBGTQ issues were integrated in many of the chapters and this is refreshing. Reviewed by Vicki Jeffries-Bilton, Instructor, Portland Community College on 12/31/21, The textbook includes virtually all topics that are critical to foundational course(s) in U.S. Government. The "glossaries" are very good as well. The cited political science literature is excellent. The concepts Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy are key to an American Government course. Such can pose a roadblock for the easily distracted student or the person using the aid of a text reader. read more. I haven't found inconsistencies throughout the text as to terminology and framework. Government Democracy In Action Answers below. I do not think this book is at all culturally insensitive. Important terms are underlined throughout the text making it easier for students to see the terms they should know for testing. The text offers a consistent presentation of terms situated within a logical and approachable framework for college students. Mediating Institutions and Collective Action 4. The textbook interface is free from any major interface issues or navigation problems. PDF Basics of American Government - University of North Georgia You can use that resource if you would . 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. But the Krutz book has won back my confidence. The text moves cleanly through concepts and important sections of each chapter. The writing is clear and accessible to an introductory-level undergraduate reader. The layout is consistent for each chapter, with topic subheadings, feature boxes, links to learning, summaries and glossaries. It has begun. As clearly noted, I found far more to like about the text than not. The division of provisions of the Bill of Rights into three categories is arguable at best. The reason I say this is because the choice of content is a subjective process in itself and surely there are other content areas that could be added on a particular theme. The hard copy version is sold by Amazon and other online retailers for about $20 (not sure it includes color for that price). The text being published in 2016, there are several locations that need to be updated. It even has a section on Civil Rights and Native Americans. A number of important factors are left out. The links that I checked were still functioning. read more. Chapter tests include traditional and document-based question tests. 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: United States Government Our Democracy | Bookshare In fact, Kurtz et al. ISBN. Overall, this is a good text that seems to be accessible for student learning. These definitions are located at the end of the chapter, which is not entirely user-friendly but understandable given the format of the text. United States Government Our Democracy Textbook PDF Book Details . Experiences and participation of African-American, Latinx, Asian, indigenous, women, and LGBT citizens fill a chapter. Have questions? Product details Publisher : McGraw Hill; 1st edition (August 11, 2014) Language : English . Reviewed by Randall Newnham, Professor of Political Science, Penn State University, Berks Campus on 2/1/18, Coverage same as most standard Am Gov textbooks, with chapters organized same as most (expensive) standard texts and each chapter about as long as standard texts. Thorough coverage of the main thematic areas generally addressed by introductory American Government textbooks. Even the most "controversial" chapters - civil rights and liberties, for example - are well-handled and I can't imagine a reasonable basis for students' balking at them. These subjects were covered using terminology that was timely and clear. The chapter organization is clear, so it would be easy to teach the chapters in a different order. The book also includes more whitespace than a typical textbook (e.g. Others may view this as a downside, because students will have less guidance in identifying the major themes or "thesis" of the course. Reviewing the text, I did not experience any significant interface issues. I was actually surprised at the 'updatedness" of the book. Right from the get go I enjoyed the section on Civic Engagement as The text is internally consistent with respect terminology and framework. The text did not include culturally offensive material and seemed inclusive in its examples and discussion. Teach Me Economics. In Chapter Four, for example, there are six "Note" sections in the first four pages and for the book as a whole, the average is one to two "Notes" per page. 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. 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. 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)? The chapters are well organized and user friendly. See the License and About pages for more details, as linked below. This provides the Media with an opportunity to fill this vacuum. . While some sentences are a bit languid and I might have organized thoughts differently, there is no direct error in any sentence that I could see. It provides the necessary information for a student who wants to learn about the American governmental process. I set up an assignment for my students to respond to a question based on the discussion in this section in an online class. Because the textbook has less of an editorial voice, it is easier to move chapters around. If anything it simplifies our history as to discrimination and racism in the direction of being overly intolerant of past civil rights violations in the light of past cultural norms based on ignorance and insecurities that darken our history, and with which the present continues to deal with. While each citizen only has a small say, they do have some say in how the government is run and who runs the government. The book contained appropriate section breaks so that students can jump directly to the relevant subsection. In short, more up to date statistics and graphics should be there. 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 democracy including but not limited to: The Constitution, federalism, civil liberties, civil rights, voting, Congress, the presidency, our court system, and the federal bureaucracy. The beginning of each module clearly identifies the learning objectives and is organized in such a way that it can be assigned at any point within the course as the instructor sees fit. The book certainly has all of the topics expected of an Introduction to American Government text. } This is a good choice as the textbook for beginning level political science courses. They provide both classic and current concepts throughout the textbook. Identify Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as leaders of our democracy: Connect with: Strand 1 Concept 4. I found the textbook culturally sensitive and in no way offensive. Differentiate with Spanish language resources, and strategies for approaching level, beyond level, and ELL students. Books.Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy . The attention to both content and process in the chapters on policy is useful. Yes, the book is internally consistent in terms of its discussion and its presentation of information. 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. This book is very comprehensive. It also includes a chapter on I did not see any issues in terms uneven discussions or those filled with mistakes. margin-bottom: 1rem !important; 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. This product will be available on 09/22/2015. Nevertheless, this section is missing the Articles of Confederation. Democracy divides us | Alexander Guerrero IAI TV 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. This is a very attractive and comprehensive text that is in many ways an improvement on the texts I have used for my American Government class. Concept 1: Foundations of Government . There are questions and glossary words at the end of each chapter to help clarify issues. The text is wide-ranging and inclusive to a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds in its examples, particularly in the chapters on individual agency and action. The various appendixes include In particular, I would like to see some more/more direct discussion of motivated reasoning. Overall the book is extremely well edited. The material could easily be reorganized or covered in a different sequence at the discretion of the instructor without much disruption. I repeat that the textbook content is well written. It is a good alternative to expensive textbooks. The cosmetics of the book is well done. Usually the image it only an inch or two from the Figure citation, but not always clear. 60. This website is constantly being updated and improved. Chapter 8 on the Media is the best chapter I've seen on that subject. I am considering switching to this textbook for my department. 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. A textbook with a framework as solid as this will not go out-of-date quickly. The opening parts of the book though do focus a bit more on economics than I would prefer. font-family: ProximaNova,Helvetica Neue,Arial,Noto Sans,Liberation Sans,sans-serif,Apple Color Emoji,Segoe UI Emoji,Segoe UI Symbol,Noto Color Emoji !important; This means that our government is elected by citizens. Its designed with the C3 Framework for social studies in mind. I also think the book does an exceptional job bringing in minorities not traditionally covered in American politics texts (Asian Americans, Native Americans, etc.) The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia is a geopolitical book by Aleksandr Dugin. I like the "Feature Boxes" with the "Get Connected!" Similar to removing the bureaucracy form the discussion of institutions, I found the grouping of Civil Liberties and Civil Rights with Public Opinion and Elections to be an odd placement decision. The question-and-an-swer format covers a broad range of topics dealing with the legisla- The book was very culturally sensitive but more could be added throughout each chapter. 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. I found it easy to adapt it to the different needs of my course. I have detected nothing in the text that could be considered culturally insensitive or offensive. Reviewed by Angie Hull, Assistant Teaching Professor, MOBIUS on 1/15/19, Comprehensive in terms of concepts and how they related to current ideas. Democratic backsliding in the United States is no longer a matter of speculative concern. If anything, the text may be a bit on the long side. This is a very impressive work, and I will most certainly adopt this book. There's A LOT of flexibility with the text content. This is something that can be adjusted by the instructor, and I rarely teach in the order books present the material anyway. The judiciary doesn't change that often and it rarely affects more than two members at a time. I haven't seen anything quite like that before, and it's useful. It covers all the bases of an Introduction to American Government and then some. Origins of American Government Articles of Confederation Power Point Note Packet. by Richard C. Remy. Citizen control of the agenda 5. I have not tested it on a smartphone; however, on a computer the book is easy to navigate - to move between chapters, sections, pages, etc is easy. 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. This is a hard aspect of any textbook. 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.. References are balanced--not exclusively conservative or liberal--and include non-partisan resources.This text appears to be carefully edited and reviewed. 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. Reviewed by Leslie Caughell, Assistant Professor, Virginia Wesleyan College on 2/8/17, This book is very comprehensive. Most of the content of the different chapters focus on the mechanics of the system and on relevant examples that will be important for years to come. This book is very impressive, as is. Here, citizens vote for their government officials. read more. Overall, the textbook is written in a traditional format. The text contains no grammatical errors that jumped out at me which is quite an accomplishment in such a voluminous text. Where is the concept of deterrence? 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. Foundations of Our Democracy (Aug 22-26) Monday: Roots of Democratic Government - All About Me (Assignment) . 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. Would hope a new edition will be forthcoming over the next year or so? The textbook has clear images and charts. To report a technical problem with this Web site, please contact the Web Producer.Web . This text had no major interface issues. Democracy | Definition, History, Meaning, Types, Examples, & Facts The text is a fully integrated print-digital solution for students and teachers. There are areas where graphics examples could be updated; a few of the federalism chapter charts are using 2014 data. Those considering a new adaption for the introduction to American Government class would do well to give Kurtz et. read more. The text covers all areas that one would expect from an introduction to American Government textbook. Many varied examples and leaders are highlighted. And a printed version is also available for those who prefer it (including me!) Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 PO 4. I saw no issues there. The subchapters themselves are internal divided with separate headers, though this third level organization is not numbered. 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. Chapter 2. 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. The topics are presented in a clear fashion. I read the "theme" as being about civic engagement, and the theme appears consistently throughout the text. Yes, the text is clearly divided into sections, chapters, and subchapters, all numerically outlined and structured in a clear way. 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. Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. This textbook covers the main topics of a course on American government. Independence and the Articles of Confederation. However, I cant really think of a way to sidestep these concerns all authors must make choices. The textbook follows a traditional American government textbook format, starting with the Constitution and covering, Federalism, Civil Liberties and Rights, Interest Groups, Political Parties, and the three branches of government. Democracy in America: How Is It Doing? - The New York Times In other words, most of the world's countries are parliamentary, not presidential. The authors for this book have used a standard structure that will stay relevant as long as any other. The information presented in the text book is accurate and comparable to all other books I have used on the market. Would be nice to build out the list for a bunch of other chapters as well. It is one of the few textbooks that offers colored images in it. 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. There are sections in the textbook that resemble a history textbook. Surely, it would be impossible to cover all the relevant material in this book, but its format does allow the instructor to be selective about the sections within each chapter to be emphasized. I believe that modularity is one of the strengths of this text. The text acknowledges multiple perspectives of race, ethnicity, gender, ability and other backgrounds. Prior to reviewing this text, I was not very familiar with open source textbooks. United States Government: A Textbook | Mr. E's Codex Donald A. Ritchie, Richard C. Remy. The charts, graphs and figures are well done and supplement the content. The book seems unbiased - and includes the traditional readings of American Government. An Introduction to each unit with the rationale and goals would be helpful. The process of Amending the Constitution is under developed. From the founding and Constitution to the major institutions of Congress, Courts, and the Presidency, these major areas are Separation of powers refers to the process of dividing government into different branches and giving .
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