Almost all said that the United States . More textbook info. The framework/layout of each chapter is consistent which is an aid to both the instructor and the reader. It was quite easy to use. United States Government: Our Democracy (2016) Publisher: McGraw-Hill . have even added very impressive policy chapters (domestic and foreign) that you only see on occasion. read more. For the most part, you could move around chapters if not sections. For students looking to identify key terms, this bolding does feel mightily inconsistent. 5. 9780078747625 United States Government Democracy in. The text is not culturally offensive, but I would like to see more sections or paragraphs that flesh out diversity and politics. There were a few places where the order within the chapter was slightly distracting (the media chapter comes to mind), but this was not a major issue. Otherwise, jargon is well defined and explained with the body of the text itself in such a way that material is accessible to the intended audience. The book is clear and accessible. This is not a pervasive problem, however but an occasional one. However, all textbooks--standard or OER--face this issue. Its publication in 1997 was well received in Russia; it has had significant influence within the Russian military, police, and foreign policy elites, [1] [2] and has been used as a textbook in the Academy . 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.. Focus on big ideas with an accessible student text built around essential questions and inquiry. read more. As a form of government, democracy has been practiced for over 2,500 years, though in different forms, such as direct democracy of the ancient Athenian For example, the term latent opinion comes up in the introductory chapter. These subjects were covered using terminology that was timely and clear. 3. In fact, the whole world pretty much looks democratic and thats not true. Complete List of Documents. The introduction and the summaries are useful starting and ending points for the reader and the addition of thoughtful critical thinking questions plus the keyword pages are another useful addition to the work. However, there were some paragraphs, that were a bit wordy and I am concerned that at times the author may lose the student due to this wordiness. But as I noted above, the unhelpfulness of bolded terms can be genuinely confusing and are inconsistent (Katie Holmes gets bolded? I think the flow of the book is clear, with different headings and images to explain the material. The text is suitably consistent even though there are many chapter authors. You can replace that space with something more relevant? You can use that resource if you would . I did not find the book cultural insensitive. Create assignments for whole class or individual students. 1. read more. The text contains a variety of ideas and concepts. (Read Madeleine Albright's Britannica essay on democracy.) Images and charts that are presented are not distractions at all, most of the time they are enhancements of the chapters. Generally I would say the text would be easy to divide into smaller subsections. line-height: 1.5 !important; United States Government: Democracy in Action If anything, a few additional terms could likely be added, but this is a nice feature. This product will be available on 09/22/2015. Overall, this is a solid choice in terms of comprehensiveness. I liked the fact that the book had several subsections within each chapter. Making it possible for a student to read 2-3 pages and then stop/think about what they have covered. The figure icon needs to be fixed or dropped. The text's prose is written in a clear and concise fashion. In the balance, I would say that the textbook does not do as good a job of providing multiple viewpointsor being honest about its own orientationsas those that are professionally published. It follows the standard layout of American Government textbooks and offers an effective and easily searchable index. The opening parts of the book though do focus a bit more on economics than I would prefer. Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. But it is an impressive work overall. The content delivers plenty of perspective for students to learn about American government. The text contains a variety of ideas and concepts. I did not read the text cover to cover, but it seems largely to be free of grammatical errors. Not a major issue for $40, but annoying. SyncBlasts:Online SyncBlasts permit teachers to leverage rich, multi-media reading and writing assignments focused on social studies and current event articles. The text contains a variety of ideas and concepts. 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. - Good supplementary framing around the founding documents and federalism United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Edition Hardcover full-color textbook divided into chapters and lessons, with table of contents, atlas, glossary, and index, 952 pages]. Democracy | Definition, History, Meaning, Types, Examples, & Facts At present, this text meets that need but it may not completely in a couple of years. The chapters, at more than thirty pages are relatively long for some students so all of the material within a chapter may not be read. Sold by Apex_media and ships from Amazon Fulfillment. American Government, as a textbook, maintains consistency in its use of terminology throughout every chapter. Formal Institutions include Congress, The Courts, and The Presidency). It dedicates entire chapters to state and local 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. The material offered more than meets the appropriate standard for a textbook used in a first or second year course in American Government and Politics. There are even two chapters on public policy, which many basic textbooks omit. Back to List. ISBN. The topics seem to be organized in a clear, logical fashion, with no jarring transitions. Regarding 7.3 Direct Democracy, although I understand why it is where it is currently, I think that the concept needs to be covered earlier in the text (time of American founding perhaps or even in the first chapter if possible). 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 also don't perceive any bias. Well-regarded global democracy indexessuch as Freedom House, 2 Varieties of Democracy, 3 and the Economist Intelligence Unit 4all show an erosion of American democracy since 2016. The textbook provides a clear, concise, and easily navigable resource of comprehensive information on the topic of U.S. government. I didnt find any interface issues in this textbook. 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. This text covers nearly all of the major topics covered in American Government texts. Photos and other content (such as graphs) are clearly positioned and captioned, providing useful supplementation to the written content. It covers all of the major topics an introductory text should cover and a few others as well. The grammar is fine, and the book seems well-written. It offers an excellent collection of concepts and ideas useful to political science students. Please read our Terms of Use and Privacy Notice before you explore our Web site. Following each chapter are a glossary and comprehension/study questions. It covers all the bases of an Introduction to American Government and then some. LBGTQ issues were integrated in many of the chapters and this is refreshing. Students and the System 2. There's A LOT of flexibility with the text content. The textbook is sensitive to a range of minority communities including African Americans, immigrants, the LBGQT community, gender and womens issues, and persons who practice the Muslim faith. However, I believe that the chapter on Bureaucracy (Chapter 15) would be better placed after the discussion of the Presidency (Chapter 12). Most of the content of the different chapters focus on the mechanics of the system and on relevant examples that will be important for years to come. I agree that the content is relevant, and can be easily updated. for only $40. For example, the section on ideology equates authoritarianism with the right side of the political spectrum, even though authoritarianism as a ruling style can also be commonly found in communist or socialist polities; students might be led to conclude that communists and socialists aren't about control. I choose this title because it underlines student political participation. Although I found having a chapter on Bureaucracy toward the end of the textbook unconventional, overall organization of the topics covered in the text are presented in a logical fashion. In the course of using this textbook, I have discovered no significant errors. In general, the content is suitably up to date, although some tables and figures should probably be updated soon. This is a slightly difficult area to comment on. Wish contents would take me straight to the chapter I click. textbooks Openlibrary_work OL2298885W . 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. The content of the text features contemporary examples and events situated within historical and theoretical contexts. PDF Democracy in the United States - USCIS The text repeatedly incorporates up-to-date examples to illustrate its reasoning and explain how foundational themes relate to contemporary political developments. The book seems unbiased - and includes the traditional readings of American Government. 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 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. There are questions and glossary words at the end of each chapter to help clarify issues. It is both well researched and written. Unlike many other textbooks, it has a separate chapter on State and Local government which I think would be useful as I found it is helpful for students to understand the lower level governments in relation to the federal government when discussing American politics. 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. The text did not include culturally offensive material and seemed inclusive in its examples and discussion. 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. I am seriously considering using this text the next time I teach introduction to American Government. The term is derived from the Greek dmokratia, which was coined from dmos ("people") and kratos ("rule") in the middle of the 5th century bce to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens. democracy: key principles, institutions and problems professor david beetham 21 the judiciary in democratic governance: some insights from the indian experience ms. justice m. fathima beevi 31 some important problems and aspects of democracy in the context of the black african states professor abd-el kader boye 37 Democratic Values Liberty, Equality, Justice. 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. I think it would be very easy to pick and choose which parts of the book you would want to assign. The text interface is good. suggestions as to taking featured topics a step further. It is licensed as such: Portions may be subject to prior copyright or may be in the Public Domain. Furthermore, I think there are not enough appropriate charts and illustrations to engage student attention. These issues are prevalent in American political and social life, and have been accentuated during the first term of President Trump. For example, Chapter 1, Section 3 has a discussion on civic engagement along with colorful graphs and data pertaining to 18-29 yr olds and their political participation. If anything, as I noted above, breaking chapters into even more sections or sub-dividing those sections would enhance the ability of the instructor to chunk material. The links for figures seem to be useful in quickly navigating them. p. 176 on Civil Rights for Indigenous Groups). ISBN: 9780076634538. The "Middle Ground" feature might need to be updated as controversies change but overall this definitely a relevant textbook. United States Government - Holt McDougal 2011-02-10 The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America - Richard Rothstein 2017-05-02 New York Times Bestseller Notable Book of the Year Editors' Choice Selection One of Bill Gates' The book does include a chapter on state and local government, which is often not covered in U.S. government textbooks. Everything appears to be up to date, especially in the Voting and Elections chapter, with 2012 statistics and current pictures. The interface is excellent. Students can read individual sections or chapters online (in a way vaguely reminiscent of Wikipedia), they can download a free PDF of the entire book, or more traditional students can order a hard copy of the book from Amazon (at a price that's still less than half of what students might pay for a book from a commercial press). Reviewed by Eric Goddard, Lecturer, Trine University on 5/28/19, The book is comprehensive, covering the major topics one would expect to find in a U.S. government textbook. Teachers Edition:The print Teacher Wraparound Edition is built on the principles of Understanding by Design. United States Government Our Democracy Chapter 1 PDF Book Details . The content is presented in a way that scaffolds the reader's knowledge from basic understanding of the historical context and key concepts toward analysis, synthesis, and finally enables critical assessment of ideas. LGBT rights seem to be given less treatment than African American rights. While no text does a perfect job at inclusiveness, I was impressed at the myriad examples of diverse cultural experiences incorporated throughout the text. 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 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. The text moves cleanly through concepts and important sections of each chapter. While I am echoing this notion from a previous review, I did find it to be true that Kurtz et al. read more. 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. 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. 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; The textbook was first published in 2019. United States Government: Our Democracy 2016, LearnSmart Social Studies Overview Flyer. As always, you have the flexibility to organize the course content as you like. Similar to other Introduction to American Government textbooks this book covers the typical material and then some. The cited political science literature is excellent. I would teach the course with Part 1 first, the Part 4 and Chapter 15, then Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. To learn about the specific purchase options for this program, please contact our Customer Service team at 800-338-3987. That said, those places were few and far between. I look at these minor issues as an opportunity for teachers to clarify in lecture, rather than deal-breaking issues. The more niche chapters like Public Opinion could use a freshen up on the theoretical concepts. PDF Your Government and You Lesson Answer Key - USCIS 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. But thats ok! It is well-written and proof-read. The writing is clear and concise. 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. Again, the book uses a standard organizational framework/structure, and it is organized appropriately for an introductory text. 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. read more. For the most part, this book does as good a jobif not betterat sidestepping this capsules in time and offering something that need not be edited or updated often (though, some updates are always necessary as government is constantly evolving). } The next time I teach American politics, I will definitely use this text. The language is sophisticated throughout the text. I really liked that it had information from the 2016 election, as that is interesting to many students. Digital Student Learning Center:Includes the full student edition and inquiry journal, plus engaging resources that provide context and bring the narrative to life such as maps, timelines, infographics, primary sources, images, and videos. The 5 sections of the book could also be broken apart, for instance I would assign Chapter 15, but not 16 or 17, given the constraints of time. Reviewed by Amanda Sink , Senior Lecturer , UNCG on 12/5/16, It covers all the areas that may be taught in an American Government intro class. It provides an effective index as well as a glossary of key terms at the end of each chapter. This item: United States Government; Our Democracy, c 2018, 9780076681136, 0076681130. by McGraw-Hill Education Paperback . The headings and subheadings are appealing and provide the students with direction about what is coming next. The text would be easily divisible by chapter. Sylvie Waskiewicz, PhD, is an editor, researcher and writer who specialties include textbook publishing and e-learning instructional design, including copyediting and proofreading with meticulous review of text, layout, and media from first pages to printer proofs as well as QC of web content (HTML/XML). 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. In fact, Kurtz et al. I had no problems with navigation and saw no distortion of images and charts. 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 text is particularly impressive with its section on "Equal Protection for Other Groups" as it provides an exceptional overview of the challenges many groups have faced in the United States with thoughtful explanations of landmark Supreme Court cases and legislation impacting the struggle for civil rights. This textbook covers all the main topics need for American government 101. The text's consistency is quite strong in that it provides a comprehensible, conceptual framework and predictably organized units, chapters, and sections for the study of American government and politics. It dedicates entire chapters to state and local government, domestic policy, and foreign policy. Again, these are things the author may want to consider. The language seems accessible. Independence and the Articles of Confederation. PDF The State of Democracy in the United States - CGTN 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. 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 Elsa Dias, Affiliate, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 11/1/19, The textbook provides for a comprehensive overview of American Government. read more. The online availability is of course also excellent for today's students. I also like the presence of key terms at the end of every chapter as in the textbooks one can pay ($) for. Clear organization led to clarity of content. 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. Also, discussions are not biased toward any political ideology. This textbook covers the main topics of a course on American government. The text is written in a way that undergraduate freshmen students would have no problem grasping. Those considering a new adaption for the introduction to American Government class would do well to give Kurtz et. The concepts Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy are key to an American Government course. Nearly every chapter has classic and current concepts to understand the evolution and development of institutions. Reviewed by Nicholas Pyeatt, Associate Professor of Political Science, Penn State, Altoona on 2/1/18, The book is very comprehensive. 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 textbook utilizes a wide array of references to various cultures, both in its written content and its supplementary graphics. read more. I read the "theme" as being about civic engagement, and the theme appears consistently throughout the text. 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. I think it would be easy for me to pick and choose sections of the book to focus on and to present chapters in a customized order. read more. 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. The Organization of American States (OAS) is the world's oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States, held in Washington, D.C., from October 1889 to April 1890. of the topic in a clear, straightforward way. Defining Democracy 1. The discussion of the Civil Liberties issues in Chapter 4 were particularly well chosen, to the point, and engaging. United States government : democracy in action by Remy, Richard C; Congressional Quarterly, inc. 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. It will be interesting to see the update after Election Day. The book is comprehensive, covering the major topics one would expect to find in a U.S. government textbook. Reviewed by Matthew Wright, Associate Professor, American University on 2/1/18, The book is comprehensive in that it has everything I usually look for in an intro to American government text: It does a good job of defining terms used in the text and citing relevant sources. Chapters provide plenty of information for pedagogical instruction; which is well organized. 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. That said, many of what appear to be hotlinks in the text did not work when I tested them in December 2018. The book is available in multiple formats. 1st - 10th Amendments: The Bill of Rights, 1791. In particular, I would like to see some more/more direct Overall, this looks like a viable option for an American government 101 course. The textbook does not contain grammatical errors. read more. This course must give freshman students the conceptual baseline tools to advance to the next grade. 13-23) A. That is the conclusion of a new survey of 1,571 political scientists. My experience is that a significant number of my students will not read/fully comprehend a 30-40 page chapter at one pass. It also includes a chapter on I also think the book does a good job bringing in gender concerns throughout the text. Otherwise, I find the content accurate, sufficiently in depth, and excellent. So things will change and go out-of-date. Within each unit, the chapters are structured to provide connections between topics that build upon the prior chapter's learning objectives . Sections open with learning objectives that tell students the 2-5 most important things to take away from that reading, and quiz questions populate the text at the end of sections to help students self assess their understanding of the reading. read more. .nav-contain-highered p{ The index and glossary are well formulated. This is a good choice as the textbook for beginning level political science courses. Most textbooks for undergraduates in this topic area dont include this topic, and its a welcome addition. I really appreciate how they were able to consolidate what would easily be a 15 chapter textbook into 5! The is consistent in its use of terminology, and the frameworks that it provides are generally helpful and clear. The importance of this document and the story of Shay's Rebellion are too often overlooked and they are covered well here. The current book I use fully integrates free people of color into each chapter. 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. This topic will require frequent updating. Are the media an "it" or a "they?". Content is very much up to date. I certainly will moving forward. The Greeks are often credited with pioneering a . My biggest concerns lie with the unconventional ordering of the material, as well as the density of the text throughout. Below are the modified excerpts that are assigned to you. Additionally, there are critical thinking questions offered that challenge students to consider how persons different from them may feel regarding not only the history of the treatment they have received based on who they are, but how politics, public opinion, media coverage, public policy, and court decisions impact their ability to fully participate in our democracy. I did not find any grammatical errors in the text. Other critical concepts such as "security dilemma" and "domino theory" need to be introduced. Likewise, the reasoning in Chapter 9 Political Parties as to why we have only two major parties lacks depth. 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. Separation of powers refers to the process of dividing government into different branches and giving . I am considering switching to this textbook for my department. This website is constantly being updated and improved. The text covers everything that an introduction to American government should. The coverage of competing philosophies of Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint in Chapter 13, Section 5 nicely presents these approaches to novice readers. United States Government: Democracy in Action - FREE PDF