Includes pre-built and customizable tests and quizzes, with a variety of question types to provide critical practice for high-stakes assessments. 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. For example, in talking about Courts, jumping from the concept of jurisdiction (complex) to Hamilton and the Federalist, and then to the historical evolution of the Court is a bit jarring. The text is arranged using logical progression and builds upon itself so that it effectively connects topics, theory, and application for the reader while at the same time being structured in such a way that modules are easily and readily divisible (see modularity comments). 7. This textbook provides a comprehensive framework for introductory American government. The text is arranged in a way that necessary updates can be easily integrated. The index is comprehensive, and it helpfully allows the reader to link directly back to the text. The chapters are well organized and reader friendly. American Government 2e offers a comprehensive survey of the core aspects of the US political system. Gerrymandering and redistricting is continually evolving. Examples depicting the new terms are plentiful. They are usually a couple of paragraphs long and illustrate key concepts with practical examples followed by links to websites that have additional relevant information. Identify politics should be present in more sections of the text. Sometimes the content makes leaps (are heuristics really an appropriate topic for an Intro to Government textbook, given how complex the concept is in the political psych literature)? I did not find the book cultural insensitive. 1. In fact. It is not overly complicated and written at the appropriate level. The unit heading probably need more explanation and their rationale for selecting the chapters under each unit topic spelled out. It was quite easy to use. Also, discussions are not biased toward any political ideology. United States Government - Adventist Education However, I believe that the chapter on Bureaucracy (Chapter 15) would be better placed after the discussion of the Presidency (Chapter 12). The text uses the 2016 election, in particular, to help the reader better understand the varying voting methods within the Electoral College by stating: "In 2016, Republican Donald Trump won one congressional district in Maine, even though Hillary Clinton won the state overall. My least favorite chapter concerns Federalism (3), not because of the topic but I just think that chapter is not as informative as others. The information presented in the text book is accurate and comparable to all other books I have used on the market. Chapter 1. This textbook is extremely comprehensive. Perhaps more specific information about the Supreme Court case regarding employment and other cases could be fleshed out. Chapter objectives, appealing graphics and photos, glossaries of 'key terms,' recommended reading, summaries, and quizzes are some of the text features that make this inviting. I believe ample coverage of diverse viewpoints and experiences are made use of in this text. A number of important factors are left out. SyncBlasts:Online SyncBlasts permit teachers to leverage rich, multi-media reading and writing assignments focused on social studies and current event articles. read more. The "glossaries" are very good as well. The framework of the chapters is internal consistent. There are chapters on media literacy, public opinion and polls, civic engagement, that might be taken separately from the actual discussion of government structure. It is a well-written and solid introduction to American Government. 28 . the Cold War era is not well articulated. This text could very easily replace the book I have used The text is very culturally sensitive and I see no cultural offensiveness. Democracy divides us | Alexander Guerrero IAI TV Modularity in this textbook is handled well. 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. The material progresses in a way that makes the most sense. And while all the topic areas you would anticipate are present, the structure is different. The first unit of the text ('Students and the System') outlines the necessary historical context without getting too bogged down in general introduction. Terminology is placed bolded for easy identification. Student Web Activity Visit the United States Government: Democracy in Action Web site at gov.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 13 Student Web Activitiesfor an activity about constitutional rights. Technical terms are clearly explained allowing the typical college to understand unfamiliar terms/concepts. read more. American Government by Krutz and Waskiewicz is an exceptionally good textbook. Figures and images were clear and undistorted. I had no problems with navigation and saw no distortion of images and charts. 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Current and updated; the textbook has a wealth of information ad applicable activities. "in order to" was overused. Ive covered organization under clarity above, so setting this aside, the textbook is good at being consistent in its tone and content, and chapters are easy enough to utilize. For every chapter a special effort could be made to fully integrate the experiences and writings of people of color. It includes the entire student text along with a variety of planning and instructional support for the print and digital resources. Modularity is excellent. The book uses a standard framework/structure, and so there is no problem with consistency. I also think the book does an exceptional job bringing in minorities not traditionally covered in American politics texts (Asian Americans, Native Americans, etc.) The text is written in a way that provides context in a comprehensive and organized way. The index is useful. 5. PDF The State of Democracy in the United States - CGTN The endnotes are difficult to follow. An example is found in Chapter 13, Section 4 in a visually appealing graphic on the timeline of the Supreme Court justices arriving at the Court. 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. That seems to make the text even more "modular" than would normally be expected. If a student is particularly interested in a topic, this would give them an immediate opportunity to find more information. Images and charts were appropriate, visually appealing, and supported the text content in a meaningful way. . There is a very broad selection of examples relating to variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds--the Civil Rights chapter is a good example. Chapter Tests and Lesson Quizzes:Printed blackline master booklet of Lesson Quizzes and Chapter Tests includes all the editable tests available online. This has become such an important issue. The book is updated through to the present day. Very well done. Bill of Rights Poster: File Size: 199 kb: File Type: pdf: . The text is highly segmented, which may seem overwhelming at first, but flows in a way that makes sense. The book is accurate with but few exceptions. Offers coverage of topics that most instructors would cover in such a class, including political behavior, civil rights/liberties, American read more. It provides an effective index as well as a glossary of key terms at the end of each chapter. It is both well researched and written. I sometimes worry that textbooks I use are hard for students to understand. The judiciary doesn't change that often and it rarely affects more than two members at a time. At that meeting the establishment of the International Union of American Republics was approved. Again, these are things the author may want to consider. A couple of further notes (in no order) that didn't seem to fit anywhere else: 1. I like the additional chapter on State and Local Government (Chap 14). The textbooks language is not as direct and as appealing to the pedagogical style of this new generation of students. A chapter on State and Local government is also included as a useful addition. by. To learn about the specific purchase options for this program, please contact our Customer Service team at 800-338-3987. That might help to draw students into the material earlier in the semester, that is if you teach the chapters in order. PDF Us Government Democracy In Action Teacher Edition Reviewed by Angie Hull, Assistant Teaching Professor, MOBIUS on 1/15/19, Comprehensive in terms of concepts and how they related to current ideas. The pure number of citations is impressive, however they are shown to the reader throughout a chapter in a separated gray box. For instance, the many examples of LGBTQ issues like marriage was well documented and current through recent case law like Masterpiece Cakeshop. For example, the definition of the margin of error that is provided is not technically correct, and the example that follows the definition is not correct even in a non-technical sense. 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. It looks easier to move sections around. Differentiate with Spanish language resources, and strategies for approaching level, beyond level, and ELL students. Each topic by chapter is integrated with all the others in some way. I have used this text this semester (fall 2017) here at Penn State Berks with good success. The book is up to date and has most of the usual citations one would expect of an Introduction to American Government text. There are areas where graphics examples could be updated; a few of the federalism chapter charts are using 2014 data. The topics in the text are presented in a clear and logical fashion. The links embedded in the book often do not work. However, the editorial voice of the textbook is less clear than some alternatives from commercial publishers. Overall, this is a solid choice in terms of comprehensiveness. In short, more up to date statistics and graphics should be there. Surely, it would be impossible to cover all the relevant material in this book, but its format does allow the instructor to be selective about the sections within each chapter to be emphasized. For students looking to identify key terms, this bolding does feel mightily inconsistent. I like to 'build' my curriculum from a variety of sources; this book could provide a foundation. But it is an impressive work overall. Each requires students to open up these extended opportunities for more information but in my opinion slides into information "overload" dimensions. This item: United States Government; Our Democracy, c 2018, 9780076681136, 0076681130. by McGraw-Hill Education Paperback . The text was easily navigable and the Index, search function, and drop-down menus in the Table of Contents functioned seamlessly. Foundations of American Government. Excellent use of sub-sections in each chapter. The concepts represented in the text also make case teaching via policy/politics news easy, even if the textbooks examples were to be stale - - which they are unlikely to be. There are currently no items in your shopping cart. This is evident throughout the text. 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 text acknowledges multiple perspectives of race, ethnicity, gender, ability and other backgrounds. PDF TEXT: United States Government: Democracy in Action US GOVERNMENT Though as I said before, more recent in time statistics, graphs, charts, and pictures would help, the use of the visuals organizationally as far as charts, maps, and graphs is very good. The text being published in 2016, there are several locations that need to be updated. This is a pragmatic generation of learners. The choice of pictures, and subjects is excellent throughout. And the Fall of the Patronage system in Section 1 of Chapter 15 also stood out to me as excellent. One designed to be looked at online, another one that is essentially a replica of the printed version. 9. The section summaries will help students distill important ideas and the glossary/test questions will be a useful study aid. An easy example is seen in not grouping the federal bureaucracy in part 4 with the other institutions, instead placing it in section 5, the outputs of government. The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework. The Public, the Political System and American Democracy 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. Overall, it is solid and accurate. I was actually surprised at the 'updatedness" of the book. This textbook is extremely comprehensive. Second, key terms in Chapter 17 are wanting. Most textbooks for undergraduates in this topic area American Government 2e offers a comprehensive survey of the core aspects of the US political system. To report a technical problem with this Web site, please contact the Web Producer.Web . pdf: Download File. Tipping the Scales Toward National Power. 60. The text is easily navigated and free of any significant interface issues. 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. Reviewed by Alexander Cohen, Assistant Professor, Augustana College on 6/19/18, By the standards of Introduction to American Politics textbooks, this is a comprehensive offering. read more. The online Student Learning Center Answer Key Chapter 2 - American Government 3e | OpenStax This is also one of the longer chapters in the book coming in at about 50 pages. The cited political science literature is excellent. The content is presented clearly and appropriately. For example, the civil rights chapter is organized into five components, including: 1) what are civil rights, 2) African-American civil rights, 3) women's civil rights, 4) civil rights for indigenous groups, and 5) equal protection for other groups. Digital Teacher Lesson Center: Easily access all teaching resources and classroom management tools for the curriculum. The Feature Boxes act as a springboard to easily engage students beyond the confines of the text. 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. The text is free of interface issues; charts and graphics are clear and are explained and analyzed. Perhaps the next addition could include an index listing the section number of those various tools to make it easier for students to find. In addition, the reading selections are inconsistentsome are very long lists and others only include five or six books. This text is not culturally insensitive. 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. There were graphics to illustrate some of the material, and it is nice that PDF and online versions are available. I choose this title because it underlines student political participation. However, I always start American Government with a discussion on political culture and that seems to be missing. The organization and flow of the book is very good. The textbook does not include much I do not think this book is at all culturally insensitive. This book contains everything I need for intro American government classes. Americans believed all people (i.e., White males) possessed the rights to life, liberty, and property. p. 176 on Civil Rights for Indigenous Groups). Uses current issues as examples of concepts. The index is thorough and easily navigable with direct links to the There are a few points the author may want to consider. democracy, literally, rule by the people. The way the book is organized makes a lot of sense. There is a consistent pattern in terms of the major headings outlined at the beginning of the book. In this textbook, I was pleased with both. I liked the film recommendations as references, although I wondered why they only came after three chapters (Intro, Congress, Courts)? Our sense of legitimacy is tied to the desire for democratic government D. What is democracy? In fact, Kurtz et al. 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. It provides the necessary information for a student who wants to learn about the American governmental process. The definitions in the glossary are precise. I am impressed with the comprehensiveness of the textbook. It provides an effective index as well as a glossary of key terms at the end of each chapter. In particular, I would like to see some more/more direct discussion of motivated reasoning. The index is thorough and easily navigable with direct links to the relevant section of the text in which the key term is discussed. government, this book integrates instruction about state and local government throughout, rather than relegating these vital institutions to a unit at the end. It even has a section on Civil Rights and Native Americans. PDF Lesson 2 American Government - hplct.org Not much to comment on here. Get it as soon as Monday, Feb 20. Effective participation 3. It is certainly a viable option for my course. But the chapter in Foreign Affairs (Chap 17) is thin and needs more meat. Of course, whenever there are big changes on the Supreme Court or in the American governmental structure updates would need to be made. The textbook has clear images and charts. This book would be easy to update as changes occur. 9780785438724 United States Government Teachers Edition. Reviewed by Gale Czerski, Adult Basic Education Instructor, Portland Community College on 6/20/17, This textbook provides a comprehensive framework for introductory American government. As an introduction to American Government, the text covers the areas and ideas of the subject at a very comprehensive level. If anything it simplifies our history as to discrimination and racism in the direction of being overly intolerant of past civil rights violations in the light of past cultural norms based on ignorance and insecurities that darken our history, and with which the present continues to deal with. The book's content is accurate. I did not see any issues with the accuracy of the book. 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. 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. If faculty want to remove a section, it is not difficult for students to follow the main concepts. - clear framing around basic theories of representation and collective action (probably less explicitly on the latter than something I did not identify any grammatical issues with the textbook content. 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. If anything, the text may be a bit on the long side. A United Nation Requires a Strong Government. 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. It covers all of the major topics an introductory text should cover and a few others as well. Develop strong critical thinking, analytical, and compromise skills with. 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. However, the preponderance of examples from the Obama and Trump eras will become outdated and need updates supplied by the instructor. The text covers exactly what an introduction to political science/government textbook should cover. Chapter 9: Presidential Leadership - Freeman Middle School Books.Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy . 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). Finally, I thought that the chapters (4 & 5) in Civil Liberties & Civil Rights were in particular very informative and well done. 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. The text features sophisticated and accessible prose. The language is accessible for students in higher education; and likely high school juniors and seniors. SKU: b117200 . Particularly well written is the "Approach to Foreign Policy, p. 650, especially, the "Classic Approach" and the more recent history of U.S. foreign policy. Back to List. That said, many of what appear to be hotlinks in the text did not work when I tested them in December 2018. Third, Political Parties should precede elections in the book. LBGTQ issues were integrated in many of the chapters and this is refreshing. As an instructor, I would readily welcome the adoption of this text and would recommend the assignment of the text as required reading for courses that I regularly teach, including PLS 135: American National Politics, PLS 211: U.S. Government I, and PLS 212: U.S. Government II. In my own courses, I am going to make up for this by assigning articles from CQ Researcher. The glossary, summaries, and review questions including critical thinking are all conducive to learning and it will help students prepare for exams. 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 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. read more. The book is well laid out and uses terminology consistent throughout the chapters. For class, it would probably be necessary to inform students of the most important links to review. The text is internally consistent with respect terminology and framework. 11.1 seems to overstate the present state of equality in Congressional elections, especially given voter suppression. The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia is a geopolitical book by Aleksandr Dugin. On the other hand, if students were to use their phones to try to read the book I could see that being a problem. The book seemed reasonable "inclusive", although I suppose this is pretty subjective and I'll admit to not usually judging texts on this ground. Reviewed by Donald Travis, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Gettysburg College on 4/17/20, I like the additional chapter on State and Local Government (Chap 14). In a couple instances such as above, they simply need to be done. .nav-contain-highered{ when necessary. read more. Modularity is important for me as I usually find myself teaching "out of order" with respect to the book's chapter organization. Creating the Constitution. As for as substantively, I find the grouping of Chapters 4-7 to be curious. I also liked very much the "exercises" section allowing "assessment of learning." In the table of contents, chapter 17 is titled "Chapter 17: Foreign Polict.". It is as accurate as any standard, mainstream textbook on American government. (2)The ratification process and the Federalist papers refer to the ratification of the Constitution without the Bill of Rights via Art. The writing is clear and accessible to an introductory-level undergraduate reader. The text is culturally sensitive and consistently makes use of examples that are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, backgrounds, etc. A menu to the left of the online textbook allows readers to quickly and efficiently navigate to another topic of the textbook. The textbook is highly relevant with topics that will continue to be important to include in a foundational study of U.S .government. 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. That said, those places were few and far between. This product will be available on 09/22/2015. Solid end of chapter educational aids are provided. The textbook is written well. The writing appears to be objective and factually correct. This progression is evident, for example, in the learning objectives that begin each section of the text. The text follows the standard format for American Government texts. One particular aspect related to the question of comprehensiveness was the authors decision to include a chapter on state and local government. Chapter 4. Other mainstream textbooks will generally issue an updated edition every few years to include the outcomes of new presidential elections. V. Democracy (pp. There are currently no items in your shopping cart. 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. A chapter on State and Local government is also included as a useful addition. I think it does an excellent review of the issue of slavery and how it impacted US government. It dedicates entire chapters to state and local This consistency and clear explanation of the concepts behind the examples makes the book particularly strong. 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.