Creating the Constitution. Mediating Institutions and Collective Action 4. . 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. This enabled some students to essentially cheat on my homework. Concerns: Textbook lacks yearly/semester pacing guide, limited ability to edit teacher resources . Right from the get go I enjoyed the section on Civic Engagement as The fact that it is free is even more impressive. Some of the current graphs and charts will need to be updated.The links to learning sections make it possible to quickly find current data and information. read more. Grammar is as good as one would expect from a textbook from a commercial press. As mentioned earlier, the book is reasonably up to date. The textbook content and organization is consistent throughout. read more. The cosmetics of the book is well done. One particular aspect related to the question of comprehensiveness was the authors decision to include a chapter on state and local government. This book is very comprehensive. The book does a nice job of bringing in gender concerns throughout the text, as well. 35. It is a good alternative to expensive textbooks. I hasten to add that I teach at the community college level where I often have to address certain shortcomings and misunderstandings regarding the students high school knowledge in this topic area, so perhaps this preference only applies because of my specific student audience. 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)). The textbook contains sections and subsections within the chapters with independent learning objectives. The book leans more towards describing American government than explaining it, which may be fine for many instructors, especially for an introductory course. Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. However, I always start American Government with a discussion on political culture and that seems to be missing. There is a very broad selection of examples relating to variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds--the Civil Rights chapter is a good example. 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. No instances of cultural insensititvity. The second edition of the text provides more than 100 substantial updates from the last two years. 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. 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. 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. Reviewed by Angie Hull, Assistant Teaching Professor, MOBIUS on 1/15/19, Comprehensive in terms of concepts and how they related to current ideas. 3. Modularity is clearly possible in this text, although I do not think this criteria should be rated high in importance as to determining whether this is a solid textbook. I found the textbook culturally sensitive and in no way offensive. The textbook is structured in a logical manner with chapters that have clearly defined subareas that more than adequately provide students with an understanding of American government. Yes, the text is clearly divided into sections, chapters, and subchapters, all numerically outlined and structured in a clear way. The hyperlinks are effective for those who want to review the source and to learn more. 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. I only use online textbooks and sources for my classes, but have students who want a hard copy option. Madison and Hamilton cite him in the Federalist Papers. 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. Although the disinclination students sometimes feel toward politics is examined , the many and various avenues to address grievances or engage in government enterprises are the centerpiece of the book's mission. The materials contain frequent references to variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. The text follows the standard format for American Government texts. 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; Not every one covers Civil Rights and Liberties or Foreign and Domestic Policy, but this text does offer a chapter on each of those. Good, though for my purposes (I teach a graduate level policy processes course), some could be broken down differently for my use. The process of Amending the Constitution is under developed. Please read our Terms of Use and Privacy Notice before you explore our Web site. There's A LOT of flexibility with the text content. My only critique of the book is that the sections on Congress, the presidency, and the court system appear later on in the textbook. The explanation of disagreements and legal decisions in particular is objective yet clear what values, tradeoffs, etc were at stake and how the decisions affected government especially. Reviewed by Eileen Feldman, Instructor, Bunker Hill Community College on 11/20/20, 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. I was quite impressed with this textbook, and have made plans to adopt it next year. I made significant checks throughout the textbook and found it to accurate in the information provided. 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. The textbook covers all the essential parts of American government. It focuses on the importance of community engagement and social responsibility among middle and high school studentscore themes in the Massachusetts 8th Grade History & Social Science Curriculum Framework. . The framework of the text is internally consistent. I can definitely see the advantage of having them all in one place. have even added very impressive policy chapters (domestic and foreign) that you only see on occasion. There is a standard form to intro Am Gov textbooks, and this one is pretty typical. Relax. I think students would have an easier time digesting the information in this book than some of the other textbooks I have used. A Constitutional Democracy Interactive Notebook, which works for both print and Google Drive, investigates and helps gain an understanding of how the federal, state, and local governments in the United States work under the Constitution and the responsibilities of citizenship. There are some lapses here. Landmark cases and events bring history alive. I like how there are separate chapters for Civil Liberties and Civil Rights. Your idea of relevance is not really relevant. Because the textbook has less of an editorial voice, it is easier to move chapters around. The text is evenly written with no discernible bias. 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. Inclusion 6. 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 presentation of the material lends itself to be easily modified to accommodate changes in the political sphere. Two points will be commented on here. Reviewed by Heidi Getchell-Bastien, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Government, Massachusetts Bay Community College on 6/28/21, This textbook is perfect for my American government course that I teach to undergraduates at the community college level. You have a solid editing staff doing well to ensure a good syntax throughout the book. The textbook is highly relevant with topics that will continue to be important to include in a foundational study of U.S .government. 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. Excellent charts and interactive materiel. 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. 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. read more. The text is free from interface issues as it was easy to read and navigate, and the graphics displayed properly. The text focuses on current events less than many commercial publishers' alternatives (Keeping the Republic comes to mind). Modularity in this textbook is handled well. 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 coverage and scope is presented in a way that is well organized, concise, and engaging. Similar t the question about modularity, the organization and flow of the book is partially a matter of the author and editor's preference. It also includes a chapter on state/local politics, which is a unique addition to the textbook. The textbook follows the usual model of an American Government textbook. I find this a potentially helpful framework to shape my courses. Each chapter begins with an introduction, moves into the various sections and concludes with the summary and then supplemental material. United States Government Our Democracy Textbook PDF Book Details . Reviewed by Hyokyung Kwak, Assistance Professor, College of Charleston on 9/19/21, This textbook covers all the main topics need for American government 101. The text also does a better job than most of discussing the importance of Voter Registration in Chapter 7 (Voting and Elections), including coverage of the Voting Rights Act and Shelby County v. Holder (2013). This is tricky, as some American politics textbooks emerge from an activist mentality of pointing out howfor lack of a better termmessed up American culture can be. The consistency and cohesion of the organization of the textbook is on par with all the other material on the market. On diversity: Notwithstanding the fact that the book has text and images that represent different groups based on sex, race, religion and sexual orientation, among other characteristics; there is general reference to Hispanics being the largest minority group in the first chapter which is supposed to set up the main characteristics of our country. United States Government: Our Democracy 2016, LearnSmart Social Studies Overview Flyer. These long reading stretches are furthermore too frequently interrupted by "Note" features that while allowing for the opening up of key court cases concerning the topic at hand also lengthens the necessary attention span expected of the students beyond a reasonable extent. Overall, the content is up to date. 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. The Founders and Federalism. ISBN: 9780076634538. Do away with elections and democracy itself might be saved, argues Alexander Guerrero. Prior to reviewing this text, I was not very familiar with open source textbooks. The images and charts used in the book help clarify the concepts very well. 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. But it is an impressive work overall. But there is never a number or way to identify the image/picture attached to the Figure reference. Thorough coverage of the main thematic areas generally addressed by introductory American Government textbooks. 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]. To report a technical problem with this Web site, please contact the Web Producer.Web . The overall textbook is structured clearly with important areas (1. Technical terminology is explained in a precise and clear manner. pdf: Download File. I set up an assignment for my students to respond to a question based on the discussion in this section in an online class. United States Government Our Democracy View larger image. Gun-rights groups believe that the Second Amendment gives citizens the right to own and carry guns. We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.--Preamble to the United States Constitution United States Government: Our Democracy 2018. Pretty standard for many similar texts and courses. For the most part, you could move around chapters if not sections. The content delivers plenty of perspective for students to learn about American government. 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 accuracy of the content presented in the Kurtz et al book is as accurate and unbias as one would expect. Chapter three necessitates a revision in order to re-create its relevance. Reviewed by Robert Perry, Chair, Department of Social Sciences, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin on 6/19/18, Very well done. 3. It is only mentioned in the chapter on civil rights. Reviewed by Wayne Jones, Assistant Professor, Virginia State University on 6/20/17, American Government is a very comprehensive textbook. font-weight: 400 !important; The president can also send troops into battle, and nominate individuals to serve in the cabinet or on the Supreme Court. Content is very much up to date. The text features sophisticated and accessible prose. 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. Reviewed by Elsa Dias, Affiliate, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 11/1/19, The textbook provides for a comprehensive overview of American Government. Straightforward comparisons with oligarchy and monarchy. 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. Although there is an internet link to the Articles in Chapter 2, I find it more useful for students to have access to the Articles within the textbook so they see they are important. At present, this text meets that need but it may not completely in a couple of years. Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy. For every chapter a special effort could be made to fully integrate the experiences and writings of people of color. The book clearly defines all the terms and theories and in plain language for non-majors to understand. read more. - clear framing around basic theories of representation and collective action (probably less explicitly on the latter than something I am especially excited about he design combining theory and practice and critical thinking. Updating some of the pictures will be easy ( how many of our freshmen will remember that much about Mitt Romney?) Accuracy is overall quite good. One small issue: I found that I could not order a free 'desk' printed version from the publisher, as is standard for normal texts. read more. The topics in the text are presented in a clear and logical fashion. Generally I would say the text would be easy to divide into smaller subsections. Most of the other chapters are in the 35 to 40 page range. The importance of this document and the story of Shay's Rebellion are too often overlooked and they are covered well here. This textbook is very clear and straightforward. In each unit, there is a clear progression of thought from basic description of concepts toward more critical analysis. Publication date 2003 . 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. Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. Federalism. I believe that modularity is one of the strengths of this text. The use of the Electoral College and same-sex marriage across chapters are examples that I found useful in this regard. 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. At that meeting the establishment of the International Union of American Republics was approved. The "glossaries" are very good as well. PDF EBOOK United States Government Democracy In Action. Our sense of legitimacy is tied to the desire for democratic government D. What is democracy? 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. 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. An Introduction to each unit with the rationale and goals would be helpful. But the chapter in Foreign Affairs (Chap 17) is thin and needs more meat. It is such a long and comprehensive textbook that possibly it might suffer from not having a clear and overriding theme. The endnotes are difficult to follow. Modularity is excellent. Almost all said that the United States . In terms of content, the textbook has all the chapters one normally expects from an introductory American Government textbook. I did not find the book cultural insensitive. The many color images and illustrations are very critical to minimizing any confusion. Everything was clear and easy to find, including graphics, charts, and figures. The text did not include culturally offensive material and seemed inclusive in its examples and discussion. There are even two chapters on public policy, which many basic textbooks omit. I do not think this book is at all culturally insensitive. Reading and writing support such as guided notes, vocabulary pop-ups, and graphic organizers help improve understanding of the content. The book is consistent with similar complementary materials. Identify politics should be present in more sections of the text. The chapters have a mix of history, current facts and evidence along with key concepts traditional of American government texts. But as I noted above, the unhelpfulness of bolded terms can be genuinely confusing and are inconsistent (Katie Holmes gets bolded? My preferred text, The Logic of American Politics (Kernell et al. 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. It covers all the bases of an Introduction to American Government and then some. 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. Democratic Values Liberty, Equality, Justice. However, the text provides a strong historical perspective on the issues that it addresses, so much of the texts discussion will continue to be relevant and applicable even with the passage of time. THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES in 10 minutes The 1619 Project Exposed: A Special Edition of the American Mind . I found no appreciable factual errors and appreciate the wealth of source material provided therefor. Reviewed by Nicole Kalaf-Hughes, Assistant Professor, Bowling Green State University on 2/1/18, The text covers all areas that one would expect from an introduction to American Government textbook. As clearly noted, I found far more to like about the text than not. The subchapters are very short, and while they sometimes deal with distinct topics, it would often be more efficient to discuss big ideas by combining them into a more cohesive and less chopped-up narrative. Download Here pdfsdocuments2 com. The concepts are: growth of democracy, federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, civil liberties . Enlightened understanding 4. Although in the last decade I have opted for brief editions of American government, in an electronic format a longer text is useful for Figures and images were clear and undistorted. It includes many examples that students with a wide variety of backgrounds and characteristics should be able to relate to. Greek city-state or polis b) New England town meeting c) Abandoned as size of towns increased and issues became more complex 2. The only section that I would point to specifically that I think could be improved significantly comes in Chapter 2, Section 5 and the discussion of Constitutional Change. . This book contains everything I need for intro American government classes. Everything in this textbook looks accurate to me. The interface is well done. I did not identify any issues with the accuracy of the textbook content. This text could very easily replace the book I have used Comprehensive in terms of concepts and how they related to current ideas. Terminology is placed bolded for easy identification. 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). The textbook provides a clear, concise, and easily navigable resource of comprehensive information on the topic of U.S. government. 2. Might be using this text in the spring of 2020, Reviewed by Amedee George, Professor, SUNO on 4/23/19, 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. Also, each chapter sticks to an identical structure. The material could easily be reorganized or covered in a different sequence at the discretion of the instructor without much disruption. Individual Agency and Action 3. The real differences of course align along questions of *what* aspects of society and the economy ought to be controlled, and by whom--liberals want to control some areas, conservatives others. For me, this was one of the strengths of the 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.. 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. It is a well planned and logical progression of chapters and topics. The book covers all the main topics that good introductory American Government textbooks typically cover and also includes chapters on topics that are not covered in detail in many textbooks. The authors and reviewers sought to strike a balance between confronting the negative and harmful elements of American government, history, and current events, while demonstrating progress in overcoming them. The case law is also an effective addition. A chapter on State and Local government is also included as a useful addition. 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. 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. Naturally, in a subject like government and politics there are a host of judgment calls relating to the meaning of certain terms and events and in this regard, I respect the judgment of the authors and believe they presented the material in an unbiased manner. This is something that can be adjusted by the instructor, and I rarely teach in the order books present the material anyway. This is a plus of this text. While most of the narrative text is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections, there are sections that go on for a page and a half of densely worded blocks of text that many of my first and second year students would find challenging in comprehension given that length. The Iroquois Confederacy, founded by the Great Peacemaker in 1142 1, is the oldest living participatory democracy on earth 2. Even worse, most of the Domestic Policy chapter is a theoretical discussion of policy; the only substantive area that gets much coverage is budgeting and tax policy (section 16.5). Consistently uses contemporary examples. 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. The book looks very good, is easily navigable, and has a pleasing visual style (viz. For example, could chapter 8 be divided into six or eight sections? The situation is presented to students in a completely objective fashion. The text is divided into 5 categories. The book was written at a high level but not an unclear one. Create assignments for whole class or individual students. The content of the text features contemporary examples and events situated within historical and theoretical contexts. Overall, I like the organization of each chapter with the review questions, further reading and film suggestions. The chapter summaries, quizzes, the suggestions for extra activities in particular are useful. American Government by Krutz and Waskiewicz is an exceptionally good textbook. read more. I think it does an excellent review of the issue of slavery and how it impacted US government.
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