This was an early indication of the accuracy of the textbook. 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. The text is not overladen with jargon, and when specialized terms are used, there is an effort to provide definitions for terms. The organization and flow of the book is very good. I am skeptical that Relevant archival documents and photos add to the appeal. However, many pages have blank gaps in the middle of chapters. have even added very impressive policy chapters (domestic and foreign) that you only see on occasion. I did not find enormous blocks of text without subheadings. The organization of topics conforms with what one finds in many other introductory level texts on American Government. These will not significantly modify the content of the text, so you should be alright either way. Making it possible for a student to read 2-3 pages and then stop/think about what they have covered. read more. There is no unifying logic, but the lack of this epistemological perspective is one strength of the book. There are a couple other places in the text where this is noticeable. The United States Government Manual. And a printed version is also available for those who prefer it (including me!) A democracy, consequently, must be confined to a small . I did not see anything that I would say is not accurate, as much as a couple items that need to be updated, but that is discussed below. For example, the text's section on "Engagement in a Democracy," outlines how individuals can become more civically engaged and showcases how ordinary people can effect change. A United Nation Requires a Strong Government. read more. Reviewed by Eric Radezky, Adjunct Professor, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY on 5/21/18, This textbook is very comprehensive. However, when I went over each chapter in detail I realized that there is no consistency throughout the textbook regarding the film selection. 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 textbook is very comprehensive with more than 650 pages of content plus appendices with relevant documents. The text covers all areas that one would expect from an introduction to American Government textbook. The invitation to re-introduce discussion of governors, state legislatures, city councils, and other forms of sub-national government is much appreciated. United States Government: Our Democracy 2016, LearnSmart Social Studies Overview Flyer. Americans believed all people (i.e., White males) possessed the rights to life, liberty, and property. The text is academic, yet accessible. The text provides an accurate, informative, cost-effective option for college students. Perhaps the next addition could add a supplement for each chapter or unit containing other voices which could be an effective shortcut for the instructor and of interest to our contemporary student base that is more diverse in many areas than 10-20 years ago. 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. Yet a majority also says that the "fundamental design and structure" of U.S. government is in need of "significant changes" to make it work today. For many such students, the clarity in organization will further help clear any obstacles in understanding the political system. Again, these are things the author may want to consider. 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 grammar is fine, and the book seems well-written. Then they are taught about the Founding of our country; moving on to the concepts of federalism, civil liberties, civil rights, and then to the institutions of our democracy. , but for next semester, the text needs to provide 2016 turnout and election data. LGBT rights seem to be given less treatment than African American rights. 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. I find this a potentially helpful framework to shape my courses. It is comparable to other American Government textbooks, and I will consider using it in my future courses. There are currently no items in your shopping cart. A chapter on State and Local government is also included as a useful addition. The writing is generally very clear. Some of the information in it is five years old and the writing does not explore clearly the theory of federalism and its evolution. If anything, the text may be a bit on the long side. Also, the authors do not explain the Electoral College sufficiently as it relates to the 2 parties. The textbook does not include much material on current elections, but an instructor can easily add his or her own supplemental materials. But the textbook does well dealing with less amorphous topics, like the simple history of the Constitution or structural questions; for instance, the discussion of the eccentricities of the double-jeopardy concept. Overall, the textbook provides accurate information, but there are some places where it comes up short in this regard, and a few statements made in the book are not as clear as they could be. 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. All about United States Government Our Democracy Textbook is exactly what you need. There are sections in the textbook that resemble a history textbook. In particular, the text's chapters on interest groups and bureaucracy could be kept separated or recombined to provide instruction, as necessary, on the topic of public policy. These issues are prevalent in American political and social life, and have been accentuated during the first term of President Trump. Information is presented in a logical order. And I don't. First, on page 15, in Figure 1.6, is a map illustrating different forms of government throughout the world. Most textbooks for undergraduates in this topic area 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. 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. Please read our Terms of Use and Privacy Notice before you explore our Web site. The interface is well done. You have been searching for correct information on United States Government Our Democracy Textbook . The textbook provides for a comprehensive overview of American Government. The highlighting of key terms and the examples that are provided are helpful. 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. The text is written in lucid prose with technical terminology highlighted, defined in the text, and listed again in a glossary. Sometimes it is used in plural sense, but most often used in the singular sense. As other agents of socialization dont seem to educate students in how essential their participation is to a healthy democratic system, any text that emphasizes and provides easy ways to engage in politics is welcome. It contains accurate references to the Trump presidency. The text is free of interface issues; charts and graphics are clear and are explained and analyzed. And the book is missing some introductory material on theory of collective action/game theory that I is included in other texts that I like to teach in my course. Generally I would say the text would be easy to divide into smaller subsections. Do away with elections and democracy itself might be saved, argues Alexander Guerrero. read more. Separation of powers refers to the process of dividing government into different branches and giving . I could go on, but you have some important ones. The text's clarity is excellent. Similar to other Introduction to American Government textbooks this book covers the typical material and then some. The glossary, summaries, and review questions including critical thinking are all conducive to learning and it will help students prepare for exams. I did not see any grammatical errors. The chapters have a mix of history, current facts and evidence along with key concepts traditional of American government texts. Excellent. My institution, CUNY, currently has money for instructors to print course packets for students, so it would be possible to print the chapters I want to use and then the students would have a hard copy. 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. This organization allows instructors and students to easily reference particular sub-units of content. Reviewed by Rod Hanson, Political Science Instructor, Central Oregon Community College on 5/26/19, Krutz textbook is set up exactly the same as the three different United States Government textbooks I have used in nine years of teaching at the community college level. Sixth, from pp. The fully integrated print and digital content of United States Government: Our Democracy is grounded in solid pedagogy, strong authorship, and includes a full suite of thoughtfully designed teaching and learning tools. The book is very comprehensive. 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. Uses current issues as examples of concepts. Differentiate with Spanish language resources, and strategies for approaching level, beyond level, and ELL students. the Cold War era is not well articulated. 3. The concepts Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy are key to an American Government course. But it is an impressive work overall. There are no grammar or spelling errors, but sometimes the choice or placement of topics doesnt align with the larger argument being made in a chapter, which can be confusing. 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. The textbook follows the usual model of an American Government textbook. But at the mass level most Tea Party identifiers are Republicans, and in Congress the vast majority of Tea Party sympathizers (perhaps all) are Republicans. Chapter Tests and Lesson Quizzes:Printed blackline master booklet of Lesson Quizzes and Chapter Tests includes all the editable tests available online. Of course since a key feature of this book is to present a considerable amount of material that combines theory and application and stimulate critical thinking, covering the volume of materials given the way it is divided may present a challenge over one semester. Present the electoral information in tables and use the 2016 election as a case study. This topic will require frequent updating. In particular, I would like to see some more/more direct discussion of motivated reasoning. 5.0. There's A LOT of flexibility with the text content. These definitions are located at the end of the chapter, which is not entirely user-friendly but understandable given the format of the text. no out-of-focus or bad images, good graphs, clear text, etc). .nav-contain-highered{ The chapter organization is clear, so it would be easy to teach the chapters in a different order. This book does a much better job of bringing these groups in than some other texts I have seen. PDF EBOOK United States Government Democracy In Action. Chapter tests include traditional and document-based question tests. I believe ample coverage of diverse viewpoints and experiences are made use of in this text. The book is comprehensive, covering the major topics one would expect to find in a U.S. government textbook. Reviewed by Robert Asaadi, Instructor, Portland State University on 2/22/22, 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. The content is presented clearly and appropriately. It is a well planned and logical progression of chapters and topics. Furthermore, it also includes chapters on linkage institutions like parties, interest groups, and the media. Understanding Economics. For example, section 1.3 shows up as not converted. 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. Everything appears to be up to date, especially in the Voting and Elections chapter, with 2012 statistics and current pictures. read more. 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. Similar t the question about modularity, the organization and flow of the book is partially a matter of the author and editor's preference. 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). While it clearly has a logical structure and is thoughtfully organized, chapters could be selected based on the theme and objectives of the course. - Chapter organization around the set of themes that any proper intro gov class would teach: institutions plus civil rights liberties, parties, elections, public opinion, and so on. From the founding and Constitution to the major institutions of Congress, Courts, and the Presidency, these major areas are all covered. Concept 1: Foundations of Government . Enlightened understanding 4. The book's layout is consistent. The links that I checked were still functioning. The index is clear and useful and the chapter glossaries are excellent. I think that's important to show that most of the world's nations do operate with a democratic framework. But the Krutz book has won back my confidence. It is as accurate as any standard, mainstream textbook on American government. 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. The material could easily be reorganized or covered in a different sequence at the discretion of the instructor without much disruption. Following The book is divided into chapters, and then subdivided again into 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. 4. I am considering switching to this textbook for my department. 5. The text covers everything that an introduction to American government should. Fourth, the idea that the winner-take-all approach to election is the reason for the two-party system is a conventional and weak argument, and there are no citations to back up the text (pp. The 'Insider Perspective' sections in each chapter reflect this in their profiles of diverse individuals. Its review of Civil Rights and the groups fighting for their rights is one of the strongest parts of the text. I have found that with any textbook, it is always necessary to supplement by lecture with current information that is not in the textbook. The units are ordered to provide a guiding conceptual framework for study. Each chapter is structured similarly. Outputs of Government) and chapters that fold under the broader categories (i.e. Nevertheless, this section is missing the Articles of Confederation. Perhaps the next addition could include an index listing the section number of those various tools to make it easier for students to find. Overall, it is solid and accurate. . suggestions as to taking featured topics a step further. The process of Amending the Constitution is under developed. V of the Constitution. The layout is consistent for each chapter, with topic subheadings, feature boxes, links to learning, summaries and glossaries. Would be nice to build out the list for a bunch of other chapters as well. The accuracy of this text is equivalent or higher than any introductory text I am familiar with. The framework in the textbook and within chapters is consistent with other traditional publications. Are the media an "it" or a "they?". Google Apps. 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. As for bias, the author(s) definitely stayed neutral in their descriptions of the events regarding the Trump presidency and their effect on American society. It is impossible to cover all the material in a quarter college course, this format allows selective teacher emphasized learning outcomes. The content is mostly up to date. 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 . The text builds on the foundation in a logical and consistent manner. The only issue I had was that the NOTES that are interspersed through the chapters and appear to be hyperlinks do not work. Most of the other chapters are in the 35 to 40 page range. See previous answer immediately above I do not detect any issues here. The "Middle Ground" feature might need to be updated as controversies change but overall this definitely a relevant textbook. 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. UPC: 9780076681136 This is one of the strengths of this textbook. Each chapter includes embedded boxes with relevant information such as insider perspectives, specific short contemporary case studies, and external links to deeper readers. While there are changes I would like to see, that is true for any book. 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. There were no issues with this at all. Yet both Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh are not present in the graphic. Reviewed by Andrew Thangasamy, Associate Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 8/28/20, In terms of content, the textbook has all the chapters one normally expects from an introductory American Government textbook. The book is actually slightly longer and denser than other texts I have assigned for an introductory course in American The text's content also features an excellent collection of relevant, recent landmark Supreme Court cases, including Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and Obergefell v. Hodges. I liked the incorporation of the graphics, which will enable students to work on their graphic/data interpretation skills. The book covers all of the basic components of American government. A second point, is figure 3.17 regarding marriage equality. The "Key terms" section at the end of each chapter is a great resource for students studying for multiple choice exams. I believe this textbook is a comprehensive and well written vehicle to aid the instructor and enhance student learning. 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 terminology is consistent and the textbook has a glossary at the end of each chapter; which is useful for students to identify terms and concepts. The chapter on State and Local Government was a nice addition, but I am not sure how many instructors would be able to cover this material in addition to the other material required in an Introduction to American Government course. It seems to be equal to any 'standard' Am Gov text. of the topic in a clear, straightforward way. It covers all of the major topics an introductory text should cover and a few others as well. The book seemed reasonable "inclusive", although I suppose this is pretty subjective and I'll admit to not usually judging texts on this ground. New Blasts are being added regularly; Spanish language Blasts are also included. Sold by Apex_media and ships from Amazon Fulfillment. Go Go. That said, those places were few and far between. 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. If anything, a few additional terms could likely be added, but this is a nice feature. It covers most, if not all, of the material that I typically cover in my American Government course and does so in an engaging way. 9. I am sure many people would leave these out, but they are there if you want them. read more. The content delivers plenty of perspective for students to learn about American government. Such can pose a roadblock for the easily distracted student or the person using the aid of a text reader. There are a few points the author may want to consider. The structure is on par with leading texts in this area. The text did not include culturally offensive material and seemed inclusive in its examples and discussion. It is difficult to be so comprehensive and not lose the forest for the trees at times. 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. For their effort and expertise, I commend them and those who have supported this project. Clear organization led to clarity of content. There are some nice inserts in each chapter called Link to Learning. Perhaps its status as an open textbook is one reason why it is so easy to avoid a chapter on Trumps tweets, as this is stuff that publishers vaunt as the need for new editions. 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. Back to List. The text contains a variety of ideas and concepts. 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. I will likely use this book to replace and supplement my graduate level course materials. Instructors will have no difficulty omitting certain topics/chapters. In addition, there are charts, visual aids, and extension activities to expand and complement the text. The textbook contains sections and subsections within the chapters with independent learning objectives. The book includes internal links to all notes and figures within the text, and also external web links where relevant. But the book helpfully highly new and key phrases, and uses plentiful figures and sidebars to improve clarity. The text is written in a clear and accessible way. Some of the pages could use a little more color to add some pop. 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 text can easily be divided into modules. For example, p. 44. and in most of the chapters. So concludes a recent study by Princeton University Prof Martin Gilens and Northwestern University Prof Benjamin I Page. Technical terminology is explained in a precise and clear manner. I haven't found inconsistencies throughout the text as to terminology and framework. This is a particular strength of the text book from my view. Experiences and participation of African-American, Latinx, Asian, indigenous, women, and LGBT citizens fill a chapter. This edition (2016) has been eclipsed by the huge changes under Trump, but that is also true of all 'standard' texts. This is a hard aspect of any textbook. Customize the learning experience for differentiated instruction using leveled reading, customizable assessments and worksheets, and flexible online learning tools. At that meeting the establishment of the International Union of American Republics was approved. I really like that a section on state and local government is included. The various appendixes include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Federalist 10 and 51 and a couple of other items. In doing so, the approach seeks to provide instructors with ample opportunities to open discussions, extend and update concepts, and drive deeper engagement. Some of this material is bound to become somewhat out-of-date in the relatively near term, but it appears to authors are releasing new editions of the book with updated information quite frequently, so this is less of concern to me than with other texts on this subject. The cosmetics of the book is well done. Overall the book is extremely well edited. The many color images and illustrations are very critical to minimizing any confusion. Independence and the Articles of Confederation. 1. in District List . One nice feature of the text is the ability directly to citations through the texts footnotes. 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..
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