United States Government. 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. In updates to this text, it may be useful to search for more contemporary illustrations of key concepts, and this would be a relatively easy fix to implement. 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. I did not see any clear cultural bias on the part of the authors. However, the concepts are so strong here (thorough, well laid out) that an Most of the chapters are accurate but I found two main problems: the map on different types of government (Chapter 1) and the chronology of the Bill of Rights (Chapter 2). The text effectively frames controversial topics in American politics and the reader does not come away with the impression that the author's are putting their thumbs on the scale in favor of a particular interpretation or political ideology. The index is thorough and easily navigable with direct links to the relevant section of the text in which the key term is discussed. Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section) Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy. The foundational building blocks of the republic that are provided are similar to the last two textbooks I used (We the People & By the People) and for that matter correspond to the textbook I myself used over thirty years ago in my Intro course which I still refer to in the classroom. Overall, this is a solid choice in terms of comprehensiveness. pdf: Download File. The professor can supply larger themes to the broader course and this textbook can fit nearly any theme with important and clear information on American Government. p. 176 on Civil Rights for Indigenous Groups). Each chapter begins with an introduction, moves into the various sections and concludes with the summary and then supplemental material. The textbook includes virtually all topics that are critical to foundational course(s) in U.S. Government. Modularity in this textbook is handled well. This book is very comprehensive. 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. The online Student Learning Center PDF Democracy in the United States - USCIS I found the textbook culturally sensitive and in no way offensive. It was supplemented by a survey conducted March 7-14 among 1,466 adults on landlines and cellphones. It is easily the equal of most other traditional textbooks on the market now. Given the nature of an American politics course, I don't frequently see my colleagues, nor do I, order concepts much differently than they are ordered in this book. 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. I do wish there was a bit more of a unified explanatory framework that was used throughout the chapters, though. Again, the book uses a standard organizational framework/structure, and it is organized appropriately for an introductory text. 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. If anything, the text may be a bit on the long side. 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. American government textbooks, in order to stay relevant, demand frequent updates. I really like that a section on state and local government is included. Uses current issues as examples of concepts. Overall, this is a good text that seems to be accessible for student learning. The historical approaches in many chapters provide contextualization of concepts. It is very comprehensive and covers all the necessary information. One of the first things that I check when reviewing any textbook is the organization of the information in the table of contents for its structure. The textbook covers all the essential parts of American government. It supplements text content with useful links that serve as a great tool for boosting application and comprehension. The images and charts used in the book help clarify the concepts very well. The chapters are well organized and reader friendly. 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. In the preface, there is a chart of the makeup of the United States Supreme Court, listing the justices, and their ideology of conservative versus liberal. I think it would be interesting to point out that when the USA had the chance to write other countries' constitutions, those new systems (Japan and West Germany) were created with parliamentary governments. To learn about the specific purchase options for this program, please contact our Customer Service team at 800-338-3987. Overall, the content is up to date. There is a standard form to intro Am Gov textbooks, and this one is pretty typical. 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. The text provides a very objective and accurate account of the full layout of American government. But fundamentally, I often found myself searching for particular lessons, only to find the introduction to those lessons a bit dry or even meandering. Bill of Rights Poster: File Size: 199 kb: File Type: pdf: . The index is comprehensive, and it helpfully allows the reader to link directly back to the text. The authors for this book have used a standard structure that will stay relevant as long as any other. 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. United States Government: Our Democracy 2018 - McGraw Hill Overall the textbook is highly consistent. This coverage emphasizes and links back to the section of the text on Civic Engagement. Reviewed by Leslie Caughell, Assistant Professor, Virginia Wesleyan College on 2/8/17, This book is very comprehensive. The president can also send troops into battle, and nominate individuals to serve in the cabinet or on the Supreme Court. Those that do work, can take the reader away from the book and you can not hit the go back button. 11th Amendment: Grants states immunity from outside lawsuits, 1795. . line-height: 1.5 !important; Chapter 2: The Origins of American Government Unit II Assignments. 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. For example, the term latent opinion comes up in the introductory chapter. Inclusion 6. I find it useful assigning my students questions based on discussions in various sections of chapters. It even has a section on Civil Rights and Native Americans. The textbook is written in a way that is easy to understand. 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 authors certainly did not skimp on providing information nor did they fail to provide source material in most instances. Its designed with the C3 Framework for social studies in mind. Government Democracy In Action Answers below. The text makes the content more relevant to students by providing opportunities to analyze and interpret charts, data, and graphs to better understand current examples and the applications of the material. The book is well laid out and uses terminology consistent throughout the chapters. The book is clear and accessible. While I am echoing this notion from a previous review, I did find it to be true that Kurtz et al. I have no comment or assessment of either the usefulness of "supplementary" stuff like outside websites or discussion questions. United States Government Our Democracy Chapter 1 PDF - BOOK KEG I repeat that the textbook content is well written. It is well-written and proof-read. I am sure many people would leave these out, but they are there if you want them. Generally speaking, I think this textbook does as good a job at this as any other good textbook. It provides the necessary information for a student who wants to learn about the American governmental process. Examples used are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and gender. Here, the author does provide a chapter on our crappy treatment of some groups, but it is not as inclusive as it could be, and sidesteps coverage of some important groups. Maybe not from top to bottom, but often enough that it is a concern. There seems to be a great emphasis on students and the system, as indicated in Part 1, and civic engagement more generally. But by sticking to institutional logic, historical examples, and well-established topic controversies that are not going to go away (abortion, executive orders and the use of force, the civil service), the book does an excellent job at avoiding the publishing industrys penchant for planned obsolescence. Third, Political Parties should precede elections in the book. The concise introductions at the beginning of each chapter effectively frame the chapter topic. This edition (2016) has been eclipsed by the huge changes under Trump, but that is also true of all 'standard' texts. Overall, I found the text to be clear and readable. However, the day after Election Day, this chapter will need an overhaul. These gaps give the impression that the text has not been properly edited to make sure that text and images are combined the best possible way. One of many things I like about this textbook is that it is well organized throughout. Diverse student populations will appreciate this aspect of the text. 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. These hyperlinks will distract the reader. One issue that does not receive a lot of direct attention is American political culture, including the values that underlie our democratic system, but this can be supplied complementary readings. As mentioned earlier, the book is reasonably up to date. The links that I checked were still functioning. This textbook covers all the main topics need for American government 101. Concept 1: Foundations of Government . It incorporates an impressive amount of historical references to add context and depth. I found no problem with navigating the text. font-weight: 400 !important; The text is easily and readily divisible. I will admit, however, I could not get the hyperlinks to work. The material is generally laid out in a straightforward fashion that should make sense to the reader. I agree that the content is relevant, and can be easily updated. Changes on the composition of the members of the elected branches are easily updated and/or can be explained in the classroom. The question-and-an-swer format covers a broad range of topics dealing with the legisla- This book uses clear language and of-the-moment context that brings the idea of government to life. The language is accessible for students in higher education; and likely high school juniors and seniors. read more. The book does a nice job of bringing in gender concerns throughout the text, as well. I am not sure about the process of updates though and I suspect that within one or two years the book will need a refresh. With this objective in mind, the content of this textbook has been developed and . Faculty are used to getting free copies of texts. The chapter-to-chapter progression is logical. I did not see any grammatical errors. The invitation to re-introduce discussion of governors, state legislatures, city councils, and other forms of sub-national government is much appreciated. If practical, it would be helpful if there were a hyperlink to OYEZ or Cornell LII for each case. The more niche chapters like Public Opinion could use a freshen up on the theoretical concepts. 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. I look at these minor issues as an opportunity for teachers to clarify in lecture, rather than deal-breaking issues. 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 definition of public opinion is probably not as accurate as it could be. Students and the System 2. I assign a chapter every week, so the modularity has not been vital to me. There is an additional chapter on State & Local government aside from the chapter on federalism - which offers I do think the other subsections on elections get a little shortchanged. Also, each chapter sticks to an identical structure. More textbook info. While the examples could become outdated, the issues used have been relevant for a long period of time. This is a plus of this text. Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. UPC: 9780076681136 It offers an excellent collection of concepts and ideas useful to political science students. }. The chapters are subdivided into appropriate sections with relevant information with documentation given with charts, diagrams, references to Supreme Court decisions and stories from media sources. All government textbooks have a tendency to show their age quickly, but this text may be more resilient than most. The text repeatedly incorporates up-to-date examples to illustrate its reasoning and explain how foundational themes relate to contemporary political developments. However, it does do a nice job of considering the broader themes that characterize United States politics today. When you become a U.S. citizen, you also make these promises: give up loyalty to other countries defend the Constitution and laws of the United States obey the laws of the United States serve in the U.S. military (if needed) do important work for the nation (if needed) But as I noted above, the unhelpfulness of bolded terms can be genuinely confusing and are inconsistent (Katie Holmes gets bolded? 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. It is not overly burdensome or clunky or overwhelming in its text portions. This . The text is also 100% iPad compatible. It is licensed as such: Portions may be subject to prior copyright or may be in the Public Domain. 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. Differentiate with Spanish language resources, and strategies for approaching level, beyond level, and ELL students. That is as comprehensive or more comprehensive than other textbooks I have used. Reviewed by Peter Wielhouwer, Associate Professor of Political Science, Western Michigan University on 12/14/18, This text covers nearly all of the major topics covered in American Government texts. United States government : democracy in action - Internet Archive The point-by-point "Summary" section is a great way for students to review the main ideas in the chapter. Includes pre-built and customizable tests and quizzes, with a variety of question types to provide critical practice for high-stakes assessments. The index is thorough and easily navigable with direct links to the From an aesthetic perspective, the textbook has a fair amount of graphic material that is appealing to students. In particular, I would like to see some more/more direct The content of the text features contemporary examples and events situated within historical and theoretical contexts. and J. D. and Lee Arbetman and Megan L. Hanson and M.S. However, when I went over each chapter in detail I realized that there is no consistency throughout the textbook regarding the film selection. The online availability is of course also excellent for today's students. I liked the Supreme Court and Electoral College Appendices, very nice additions beyond the usual set of founding documents. The comprehensiveness of Krutz's American Government text is such that it more than adequately addresses the curricular requirements of the American government and politics courses offered by the Virginia Community College System. 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. These issues are prevalent in American political and social life, and have been accentuated during the first term of President Trump. 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. read more. 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. Gerrymandering and redistricting is continually evolving. You can use that resource if you would . This is something that can be adjusted by the instructor, and I rarely teach in the order books present the material anyway. One note of concern is that the captions thereon in many instances are not fully compatible for a text reader. United States Government Democracy in Action Student. The "finding a middle ground" boxes are a neat idea, particularly in the context of an increasingly polarized country. At times, the chapters are heavy with history and not as much with theory.
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