The text covers everything that an introduction to American government should. You'll learn how the men who created the U.S. Constitution set up a structure of government intended to stand the test of time, and how the compromises they made left some questions unresolved that continue to be debated today. In fact, Kurtz et al. In general, the content is suitably up to date, although some tables and figures should probably be updated soon. Has good index. The material is easily divisible. 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; For example, section 1.3 shows up as not converted. Uses contemporary examples, but not in depth cases that may be needed in higher level courses. Great looking book and the price point would be very beneficial to students. As a teacher of history also, I especially look for historical accuracy. 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 respective discussions involving each of the aforementioned groups is objective, open minded, and balanced. Reviewed by Carley Shinault, Assistant Professor, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania on 3/13/19, The text covers the full range of standard American Government textbooks, from government and civic engagement, to civil liberties and rights to branches of government and foreign policy. In 1988, the U.S. Senate paid tribute with a resolution 3 that said . Established in the introduction are the necessity and rationale for student interest and participation in their government. Moreover, I found the film selection stiflingno documentaries, no TV series, no foreign films. This looks like an excellent resource--well researched and in depth. OAS - Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security 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. Whenever the next update does occur, I would strongly suggest change the order of the paragraphs so Part 4 comes after Part 1. But as I noted above, the unhelpfulness of bolded terms can be genuinely confusing and are inconsistent (Katie Holmes gets bolded? 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. In some cases, students are somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of information presented in the text, but I have found that guiding their attention to certain key sections can help to avoid this obstacle. And sections on the actually branches of government come near the end. I am skeptical that In addition, there are charts, visual aids, and extension activities to expand and complement the text. Unit II Assignments. I looked more at concepts and content. United States government : democracy in action by Remy, Richard C; Congressional Quarterly, inc. United States Government: Democracy in Action. Democracy divides us | Alexander Guerrero IAI TV The importance of this issue reflects so much for students about the goals of those at the convention and the individuals who ratified the document, coupled with the impact this very high hurdle for change has had on governing in America, leads me to believe that students need more time with this material and a further discussion of the impact that Article V has had. The textbook is consistently outlined. The clearer organization is a benefit to undergraduate students who may be taking the course as a required course. Text is well written and provides adequate context for necessary political science terminology. However, it does do a nice job of considering the broader themes that characterize United States politics today. 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. The text covers all areas that one would expect from an introduction to American Government textbook. The writing is generally very clear. The writing appears to be objective and factually correct. 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. The supplemental materials (graphs, charts, figures, etc.) 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. By: Donald A. Ritchie and Richard C. Remy and M. Ed. This book is very comprehensive. The entire unmodified textbook can be accessed here on OpenStax, where you can also download a PDF, install the app, or even order a hard copy from Amazon if you desire. Uses contemporary examples, but not in depth cases that may be needed in higher level courses. I found the organization of chapters a bit unconventional, and certainly different than the way I teach this course. It covers all the areas that may be taught in an American Government intro class. 4. It dedicates entire chapters to state and local Would be nice to build out the list for a bunch of other chapters as well. 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. The textbook follows a traditional American government textbook format, starting with the Constitution and covering, Federalism, Civil Liberties and Rights, Interest Groups, Political Parties, and the three branches of government. Third, Political Parties should precede elections in the book. I am considering switching to this textbook for my department. There isnt much to say here. Other mainstream textbooks will generally issue an updated edition every few years to include the outcomes of new presidential elections. Pricing for school accounts will display in the cart once you are logged in. This book does a much better job of bringing these groups in than some other texts I have seen. This is particularly identifiable in chapters one and two. Images and charts that are presented are not distractions at all, most of the time they are enhancements of the chapters. Right from the start is an engaging "What is Government" and "Who governs" introductory sections, followed by excellent descriptions of our constitutional backgrounds and developments, It is a well planned and logical progression of chapters and topics. in District List . But thats ok! democracy, literally, rule by the people. The interface is excellent. Because of the breakdown by the author, students can tackle smaller blocks of material easily and I believe that this will help with comprehension of the material. In each chapter, there are charts, diagrams, pictures from the news media that are appropriate, and informative that connect with the material in the chapter. Learning goals are explicit and each chapter has a clear structure and consistent features that carry throughout the chapters. The United States democracy is based on principles and ideals that are embodied by symbols, people, and documents. The text is evenly written with no discernible bias. You have a solid editing staff doing well to ensure a good syntax throughout the book. 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. font-weight: 400; 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. Faculty involved in the project have endeavored to make government workings, issues, debates, and impacts meaningful and memorable to students while maintaining the conceptual coverage and rigor inherent in the subject. In fact, I would critique the text somewhat in the other direction, there are a few points where important related ideas are broken into different subsections. Though I had trouble accessing the PDF and online versions, it appears to have been an issue with the browser I was using at the time. Instructors planning on using this book may want to request access to the instructor resources very early to avoid issues. United States Government: Democracy in Action - FREE PDF I have used this text successfully in the classroom, and students generally respond positively to it. read more. It would be useful to have the endnotes at the end of the chapters. Most textbooks for undergraduates in this topic area The unit heading probably need more explanation and their rationale for selecting the chapters under each unit topic spelled out. Seems quite well written. Democracy 10 days 20 days Students analyze inherent tensions in American democracy between rights and freedoms and between promoting the public good and protecting individuals. 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; 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. Examples depicting the new terms are plentiful. 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. I saw no problems here. Overall, the content is relevant and won't quickly become obsolete. However, I cant really think of a way to sidestep these concerns all authors must make choices. read more. It offers an excellent collection of concepts and ideas useful to political science students. The textbook does not include much material on current elections, but an instructor can easily add his or her own supplemental materials. 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. Reviewed by Rolfe Peterson, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Susquehanna University on 2/11/20, This textbook is extremely comprehensive. The beginning of each module clearly identifies the learning objectives and is organized in such a way that it can be assigned at any point within the course as the instructor sees fit. The only suggestion that I would make is to include a little bit more political psychology, especially in the chapters on public opinion and the media. Those considering a new adaption for the introduction to American Government class would do well to give Kurtz et. The layout is consistent for each chapter, with topic subheadings, feature boxes, links to learning, summaries and glossaries. 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 book is very comprehensive. 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. 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. The text offers an accurate synthesis of American political scholarship and is presented in an unbiased manner. Technical terminology is explained in a precise and clear manner. Changes on the composition of the members of the elected branches are easily updated and/or can be explained in the classroom. The book is consistent in terms and focus. There are numerous ways to define or describe political power, and they should be conveyed in the textbook. There are long stretches of well written but long winded paragraphs. This means that pretty much every major topic you could want is in this book and all you have to do is choose which chapters you want to cover. The book certainly has all of the topics expected of an Introduction to American Government text. The text is written in a way that provides context in a comprehensive and organized way. The endnotes are difficult to follow. I did not notice any grammatical errors, though I admit I was not closely proofreading for this purpose. , but for next semester, the text needs to provide 2016 turnout and election data. Useful explanation with visual of common goods & excludability; unitary, federation and confederation; contents/concepts of Constitutional amendments. Some of the pages could use a little more color to add some pop. Chapter sections are easily divisible and do not overwhelm the reader with too much information in any single subheading. It also does a great job bringing in marginalized or minority voices. It is very comprehensive and covers all the necessary information. Chapter tests include traditional and document-based question tests. Chapter 9: Presidential Leadership - Freeman Middle School I appreciate the spacing of the material, and think that it makes it very clear and readable. My biggest concerns lie with the unconventional ordering of the material, as well as the density of the text throughout. The Colonial Experience. Democratic backsliding in the United States is no longer a matter of speculative concern. GOVERNMENT Arms War It's a long-standing debate. The text is easily navigated and free of any significant interface issues. Question #55 61. It has begun. government, this book integrates instruction about state and local government throughout, rather than relegating these vital institutions to a unit at the end. The text is internally consistent with respect terminology and framework. Making it possible for a student to read 2-3 pages and then stop/think about what they have covered. The etymological origins of the term democracy hint . American Government, as a textbook, maintains consistency in its use of terminology throughout every chapter. By the standards of Introduction to American Politics textbooks, this is a comprehensive offering. The content delivers plenty of perspective for students to learn about American government. I repeat that the textbook content is well written. This is one of the strengths of this textbook. From the origins of the US political system, the constitutional framework, participatory inputs, formal institutions, and public policy, the major points are By the standards of Introduction to American Politics textbooks, this is a comprehensive offering. I think that the textbook goes too far in this direction. For their effort and expertise, I commend them and those who have supported this project. I didnt find any interface issues in this textbook. Photos and other content (such as graphs) are clearly positioned and captioned, providing useful supplementation to the written content. - Unit I Test - The Foundations of the United States Government + Wednesday September 16th, 2016 HW: TED Talk: Lawrence Lessig . 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. American Government and Civic Engagement, entire unmodified textbook can be accessed here on OpenStax, SLED (Statewide Library Electronic Doorway), "Slave Streets, Free Streets" - Virtual Tour of Baltimore, c. 1815, World War I: Why Young Men Wanted to Go To War. These examples were not solely places in the civil right unit, but incorporated throughout the text; which is significant. There are even two chapters on public policy, which many basic textbooks omit. THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES in 10 minutes The 1619 Project Exposed: A Special Edition of the American Mind . Also, the map on page 15 lists Russia as a representative democracy. This is a hard aspect of any textbook. Each topic by chapter is integrated with all the others in some way. 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. Uses contemporary examples, but not in depth cases that may be needed in higher level courses. There is an additional chapter on State & Local government aside from the chapter on federalism - which offers 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. The book seemed to use inclusive examples--for example, the racial breakdown of the federal judiciary.