The figure icon needs to be fixed or dropped. Analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources including text excerpts, political cartoons, photographs, graphs, charts, and maps. Having learning objectives at the beginning of each subsection (not just in a chapter) could help students stay focus on important takeaways. Making it possible for a student to read 2-3 pages and then stop/think about what they have covered. read more. These definitions are located at the end of the chapter, which is not entirely user-friendly but understandable given the format of the text. Reviewed by Jeremiah Castle, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 8/17/20, An innovative inclusion is that, in addition to the standard chapter on federalism, American Government (2e) also includes a separate chapter (14) on State and Local Governments. For example, p. 44. and in most of the chapters. Chapter 4. 33. .nav-contain-highered p{ It also seems like there are only answers to select questions? 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. read more. I am skeptical that instructors can get through 17 chapters in a normal semester, but the material is nice to have if desired. Great examples, engaging stories, and clever interactive readings; the textbook would be relevant to most community college students today. The text is easily and readily visible and permits an instructor to select what to cover based on the learning objectives of each chapter. Reviewing the text, I did not experience any significant interface issues. The text is consistent in its use of terminology. Although it lacks some of the additional material that other traditional textbooks provide (i.e., more information on judicial decision-making or constitutional interpretation), the text accomplishes its goal--to provide a clear and accessible overview of the American political process. Go Go. I note there is a link to the homepage of those repositories in the text. The text features sophisticated and accessible prose. The book is consistent, though I think its framework of effective engagement could have been implemented more consistently. One issue, however, that might be addressed is with the word "media." } US Government Textbook PowerPoints - McGrawHill; Power Points Economics; Power Point files from US Government: Mr. Juan Calderon. The text contains no grammatical errors that jumped out at me which is quite an accomplishment in such a voluminous text. One example to consider is presented in chapter 10, section 5 discussing the free speech rights of interest groups versus calls to regulate their activity. Basics of American Government - University of North Georgia To be clear, it is not culturally insensitive. The book is comprehensive in that it has everything I usually look for in an intro to American government text: - clear framing around basic theories of representation and collective action (probably less explicitly on the latter than something like the Kernell book, but on balance thats a good thing). The book seemed reasonable "inclusive", although I suppose this is pretty subjective and I'll admit to not usually judging texts on this ground. Chapters six and seven are uncharacteristic. Donald A. Ritchie, Richard C. Remy. This was an early indication of the accuracy of the textbook. I found the book to be clear and precise in its discussions and presentation of material. 5. There are currently no items in your shopping cart. I can see myself using this textbook in the future. I was not able to determine any instances of errors, although there are a few places where the coverage was a bit subjective or questionable. Such can pose a roadblock for the easily distracted student or the person using the aid of a text reader. Other mainstream textbooks will generally issue an updated edition every few years to include the outcomes of new presidential elections. The text did not include culturally offensive material and seemed inclusive in its examples and discussion. 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. The index is concise and effective, and the book has key terms aggregated toward the end of each chapter. I think students would have an easier time digesting the information in this book than some of the other textbooks I have used. Access and customize online lesson plans and explore the library of resources. I really like that a section on state and local government is included. 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. Each chapter is structured similarly. And the conclusion of each chapter follows a common format including key terms definitions, summaries of each subchapter, about twenty multiple choice and essay questions, and a list of suggested readings for further study. Concepts well explained and presented. The text would be easily divisible by chapter. Reviewed by Jack Philips, Lecturer, University of Texas at Arlington on 11/12/20, This book contains everything I need for intro American government classes. The book does include a chapter on state and local government, which is often not covered in U.S. government textbooks. 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. I didn't notice any serious grammar problems. Again, these are things the author may want to consider. Very well done. Relevant archival documents and photos add to the appeal. You can use that resource if you would prefer, but you're responsible for locating the correct excerpts. The fact that it is free is even more impressive. The chapter summaries, quizzes, the suggestions for extra activities in particular are useful. 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 book is very accessible. This is something that can be adjusted by the instructor, and I rarely teach in the order books present the material anyway. These aren't things I ever bother with in textbooks, so I have no opinion about whether they are useful or not in this case. Experiences and participation of African-American, Latinx, Asian, indigenous, women, and LGBT citizens fill a chapter. Fifth, Page 338 discusses the Electoral College as the reason for a two-party system, but the explanation given does not explain why the Electoral College is one of the main reasons why there is an entrenched two-party system. The textbook is a PDF and presents no problem in terms of viewing. The point-by-point "Summary" section is a great way for students to review the main ideas in the chapter. The book is accurate with but few exceptions. You have a solid editing staff doing well to ensure a good syntax throughout the book. The textbook is consistently outlined. 7. The chapters are arranged in a way that makes sense to the material. Federalism. 1st - 10th Amendments: The Bill of Rights, 1791. I did not see any clear grammatical errors in my review. The book does a nice job of acknowledging racial injustice at the time of the American founding, including the Three-Fifths Compromise, as well as the importance of the Civil War Amendments in beginning to correct those wrongs (p. 63). democracy, literally, rule by the people. 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. I found my iPad did not always work well with it. Ways to Participate in Our Democracy 59. This is evident throughout the text. Elazar is a bit dated to present as useful fact (14.2) Many Supreme Court Justices do not regard the Court systems as the guardians of individual rights, but reserve this right to Congressthe Court, in their eyes, is there only to enforce laws that are made, whether right or wrong, so long as they are strictly in concordance with the Constitution. Democracy in the United States is strong, but showing some cracks. In a couple instances such as above, they simply need to be done. I found the book well-organized and based on a logical structure. The content is concise to the point it is accessible for early undergraduates, but also in depth enough that real coverage of the topics exists. First, on page 15, in Figure 1.6, is a map illustrating different forms of government throughout the world. United States Government: Our Democracy allows students to master an understanding of the structure, function, and powers of government at all levels. 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. It does not explain some additional reasons why the two-party system in the U.S. persists. In the book, the word Figure will appear to let the reader know to look for an image. I found no appreciable errors in the textbook. Mrs Doering s Classroom Government Wikispaces. Right from the get go I enjoyed the section on Civic Engagement as Of course, where to draw those lines is subjective and not all will see the value. Overall, I found the text to be clear and readable. The text is easily and readily divisible. Introduction, Consitution, Federalism, Civil Rights and Liberties, Parties and Ideology, Opinion and Media, Congress, President, Courts, state and local, and International Affairs. For example, could chapter 8 be divided into six or eight sections? See previous answer immediately above I do not detect any issues here. 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. - Good supplementary framing around the founding documents and federalism THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES in 10 minutes The 1619 Project Exposed: A Special Edition of the American Mind . 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. - 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. 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. However, this is a general U.S. government overview, so there is room for an instructor to supplement with additional primary sources, such as diary excerpts, speeches, poems and other genres. This text will only need updates in the area of the presidency, public policy, and possibly elections. And the Fall of the Patronage system in Section 1 of Chapter 15 also stood out to me as excellent. The authors also included new terms such as the use of Astroturf movement on page 379 and PIRGS on page 382. The Iroquois Confederacy, founded by the Great Peacemaker in 1142 1, is the oldest living participatory democracy on earth 2. There are some chapters I would probably not use (the policy chapters) and I would prefer the chapters in a different order (institutions before 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. There are minor mistakes in some of the tables and figures, too. However, the concepts are so strong here (thorough, well laid out) that an instructor could easily supplement the text for a variety of courses and levels. As always, you have the flexibility to organize the course content as you like. 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. Understanding Economics. The information presented in the text book is accurate and comparable to all other books I have used on the market. Multiple perspectives on issues and areas of controversy are acknowledged.Enduring themes and tensions between ideas and realities are presented in a way that is not reductive. Rousseau more clearly articulated the concept of Social Contract, borrowed from Locke. Uses contemporary examples, but not in depth cases that may be needed in higher level courses. United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Learning Center Online interactive website, accessible with login and password. Uses contemporary examples, but not in depth cases that may be needed in higher level courses. I usually wind up giving the students a link to these materials on the web, so having them in the actual textbook would be a nice bonus of using this text. Included is a Power Point and outlined note packet that is used to introduce the origins of government for a high school American Government course. read more. Each topic by chapter is integrated with all the others in some way. It means "rule by the people" or "sovereignty of the people". I think it does an excellent review of the issue of slavery and how it impacted US government. In addition the appendix with major judicial cases will withstand the passing of time and it isn't difficult to add a couple of relevant cases per judicial year and then review the choices every four or five years. This is one of the strengths of this textbook. American Government by Krutz and Waskiewicz is an exceptionally good textbook. Each requires students to open up these extended opportunities for more information but in my opinion slides into information "overload" dimensions. Terminology is placed bolded for easy identification. This publication continues to be a popular introductory guide for American citizens and those of other countries who seek a greater understanding of our heritage of democracy. GOVERNMENT Arms War It's a long-standing debate. Chapter 5 . Each subsection has a quick review at the end to help readers see if they understand the section. I like how there are separate chapters for Civil Liberties and Civil Rights. It is licensed as such: Portions may be subject to prior copyright or may be in the Public Domain. Reviewed by Shawn Osborne, Instructor, Portland Community College on 8/21/16, As an introduction to American Government, the text covers the areas and ideas of the subject at a very comprehensive level. Also, when you click, for example, chapter 2, you cannot go directly to chapter 2, but you have to click the Intro first. There are chapters on media literacy, public opinion and polls, civic engagement, that might be taken separately from the actual discussion of government structure. Reviewed by Charles Young, Associate Professor, Umpqua Community College on 2/8/17, I am impressed with the comprehensiveness of the textbook. A good example of such are the Continuing Challenges sections. 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. The terms is not introduced again in the public opinion chapter. Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s) Expansion and Reform (1801-1861) Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877) The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900) The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930) The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945) Technical language is defined within the text or in the chapter glossaries. As for "flow," here again I suggest that there are too many "Note" interruptions to the readings. 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 glossary, summaries, and review questions including critical thinking are all conducive to learning and it will help students prepare for exams. 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. However, clearly, the information in this textbook is presented, in a manner that allows for updating as changing occur with major political events, elections, Supreme Court decisions, demographical data, and public opinion. United States Government Democracy in Action Student ~ United States Government Democracy in Action Student Edition GOVERNMENT IN THE 1st Edition by McGrawHill Author 43 out of 5 stars 14 ratings ISBN13 9780078799822 ISBN10 0078799821 Why is ISBN important ISBN This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book As a teacher of history also, I especially look for historical accuracy. United States makes some of the nation's most important decisions. read more. Updating some of the pictures will be easy ( how many of our freshmen will remember that much about Mitt Romney?) It would be useful to have the endnotes at the end of the chapters. There is little to nothing lost compared to a mainstream textbook. It is not overly complicated and written at the appropriate level. There seems to be a great emphasis on students and the system, as indicated in Part 1, and civic engagement more generally. 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 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. margin-bottom: 1rem !important; 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. Customize the learning experience for differentiated instruction using leveled reading, customizable assessments and worksheets, and flexible online learning tools. . At the same time, given the overall quality of this book and the money my students would save if I assigned it, I am seriously considering changing texts for the first time in over a decade.