It even has a section on Civil Rights and Native Americans. 2. I also think the book does a good job bringing in gender concerns throughout the text. I did not see any clear grammatical errors in my review. 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' Chapter 3. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 election, and key aspects of the first-term of the Biden administration are usefully addressed in the text. While it is rare for any textbook to be completely full of errors, there are a few more errors in this book than in my preferred American Government textbook and other leading textbooks on the topic. For example in the discussion on the writers influencing the colonies toward revolution, Locke, no doubt an important writer, is presented while many others could have been highlighted. Differentiate with Spanish language resources, and strategies for approaching level, beyond level, and ELL students. The text was easily navigable and the Index, search function, and drop-down menus in the Table of Contents functioned seamlessly. Federalism. It is not overly burdensome or clunky or overwhelming in its text portions. PO 4 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. There is very little jargon, and technical terms are adequately summarized. Reviewed by David Weiden, Associate Professor, Colorado State Board of Higher Education on 11/23/19, The book covers all of the basic components of American government. read more. This is an excellent question. United States makes some of the nation's most important decisions. Generally I would say the text would be easy to divide into smaller subsections. Solid end of chapter educational aids are provided. The book is very comprehensive. . The Charter of the OAS was signed in Bogot in 1948 and entered into force in . There are even two chapters on public policy, which many basic textbooks omit. 978-5-8592-8019-3. The appendix is also important; and for example, it contains the Constitution, and some of the Federalist Papers. The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive and it makes use of examples that are inclusive more than the norm. I found no appreciable errors in the textbook. The book seemed reasonable "inclusive", although I suppose this is pretty subjective and I'll admit to not usually judging texts on this ground. Chapters are structured in reasonable ways. The units are ordered to provide a guiding conceptual framework for study. I suspect students will read the chapters as rather lengthy. 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. Also, the yellow for Saudi Arabia doesn't show up very well. Although the book does not add a specific domestic policy area, the choice of three areas on domestic policy, foreign policy and state and local government is refreshing. Students may understand the material better and make a deeper connection regarding the relationship of the Bureaucracy to the Executive Branch if it is covered after the chapter on the Presidency, before the Courts. Perhaps more specific information about the Supreme Court case regarding employment and other cases could be fleshed out. GOVERNMENT Arms War It's a long-standing debate. The writing is clear and error-free. United States Government: Our Democracy, Chapter Tests and Lesson Quizzes, United States Government: Our Democracy, Spanish Student Suite Bundle, 6-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Learning Center with Complete Inquiry Journal Bundle, 1-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Learning Center with Complete Inquiry Journal Bundle, 6-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Suite with Complete Inquiry Journal Bundle, 1-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Suite with Complete Inquiry Journal Bundle, 6-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Teacher Edition, United States Government: Our Democracy, Teacher Lesson Center, 1-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Teacher Lesson Center, 6-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Teacher Lesson Center, 7-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Teacher Suite with LearnSmart Bundle, 1-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Teacher Suite with LearnSmart Bundle, 6-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Inquiry Journal, United States Government: Our Democracy, Print Inquiry Journal, 6-year Fulfillment, United States Government: Our Democracy, Print Inquiry Journal, 7-year Fulfillment, United States Government: Our Democracy, Spanish Student Edition, United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Edition, United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Learning Center, 1-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Learning Center, 6-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Learning Center, 7-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Suite with LearnSmart Bundle, 1-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Suite with LearnSmart Bundle, 6-year subscription, United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Suite with LearnSmart, 7-year subscription. The information presented in the text book is accurate and comparable to all other books I have used on the market. Other similar books dive too deeply for my purposes into the minutiae of government without providing concepts or making those concepts too academic sounding. 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. Sometimes the beginning of the paragraphs are repetitive but this may favor comprehension of the content. 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. Maybe not from top to bottom, but often enough that it is a concern. Has good index. Gerrymandering and redistricting is continually evolving. United States Government. I am especially impressed by its multi-dimensional approach to topic coverage. However, I always start American Government with a discussion on political culture and that seems to be missing. Reviewed by Robert Asaadi, Instructor, Portland State University on 2/22/22, 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. al have done so in this text. 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. The book is consistent with similar complementary materials. There are some chapters I would probably not use (the policy chapters) and I would prefer the chapters in a different order (institutions before behavior), but that is something that can come through teaching. 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. There are a number of instances where, as was previously noted, there are significant blocks of text in long paragraphs without subheadings or some other type of break. I found the content of the book accurate and complete. I found the organization of chapters a bit unconventional, and certainly different than the way I teach this course. The framework in the textbook and within chapters is consistent with other traditional publications. United States Government Democracy in Action Student. Reviewed by Charles Young, Associate Professor, Umpqua Community College on 2/8/17, I am impressed with the comprehensiveness of the textbook. Reviews. Do away with elections and democracy itself might be saved, argues Alexander Guerrero. The modularity of the chapters should allow the instructor to more effectively chunk material than most other textbook options. The real differences of course align along questions of *what* aspects of society and the economy ought to be controlled, and by whom--liberals want to control some areas, conservatives others. Overall, it is solid and accurate. American Government, as a textbook, maintains consistency in its use of terminology throughout every chapter. This is an excellent and comprehensive American Government textbook. It focuses on the importance of community engagement and social responsibility among middle and high school studentscore themes in the Massachusetts 8th Grade History & Social Science Curriculum Framework. While there are a few points where the text could be more concise, overall the text is well written and accessible. Logical and standard fare. 3. For every chapter a special effort could be made to fully integrate the experiences and writings of people of color. The content is mostly up to date. [et al.] For many such students, the clarity in organization will further help clear any obstacles in understanding the political system. There is a very broad selection of examples relating to variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds--the Civil Rights chapter is a good example. This provides the Media with an opportunity to fill this vacuum. In addition, the reading selections are inconsistentsome are very long lists and others only include five or six books. Product details Publisher : McGraw Hill; 1st edition (August 11, 2014) Language : English . 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. I like how there are separate chapters for Civil Liberties and Civil Rights. Download Here pdfsdocuments2 com. Political behavior for presidential and mid-term congressional elections should be analyzed independently. The text contains no grammatical errors of any significance. In his haste to laud American democracy as a good, if evolving, system, the author sometimes fails to recognize critical perspectives, or interpret them as straw-men. In summary, this is a high-quality book that has most everything anybody would want. I liked the incorporation of the graphics, which will enable students to work on their graphic/data interpretation skills. Overall, an excellent textbook which covers the needed subject matter comprehensively. I did not see any clear cultural bias on the part of the authors. An Introduction to each unit with the rationale and goals would be helpful. Mixed views of structural changes in the political system. The endnotes are difficult to follow. Although the disinclination students sometimes feel toward politics is examined , the many and various avenues to address grievances or engage in government enterprises are the centerpiece of the book's mission. The required terminology for the curriculum is present with context in every chapter. This textbook is perfect for my American government course that I teach to undergraduates at the community college level. For example, the chapter on political parties has a nice section about divided government and political polarization (section 9.4), and the chapter on Congressional representation does a nice job of recognizing both the growing diversity of Congress as well as the continued ways in which Congress is less diverse than the American public (section 11.3). Below are the modified excerpts that are assigned to you. I looked more at concepts and content. The text's clarity is excellent. Thought/theory/philosophy explained while discussing history of government. 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. And the Fall of the Patronage system in Section 1 of Chapter 15 also stood out to me as excellent. read more. by Richard C. Remy. 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. If the candidate fails to achieve 270 votes, then the election is sent to the House of Representatives. 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 book is clear and accessible. It will be interesting to see the update after Election Day. - A timely set of examples, nicely updated through the beginning of the Trump presidency. The text is written in a way that provides context in a comprehensive and organized way. It presents materials clearly. On diversity: Notwithstanding the fact that the book has text and images that represent different groups based on sex, race, religion and sexual orientation, among other characteristics; there is general reference to Hispanics being the largest minority group in the first chapter which is supposed to set up the main characteristics of our country. Great examples, engaging stories, and clever interactive readings; the textbook would be relevant to most community college students today. I assume the work has been, and will continue to be, updated with each election. I could go on, but you have some important ones. 1. The accuracy of the content is reinforced by the textbook's frequent use of references, such as source citations, to articles, books, and studies. Furthermore, the textbook has the capacity to undergo straightforward updates, (such as to linked contents, etc.) This is another useful function to organize student assignments around. The book is clearly and accessible written. Inclusion 6. This textbook is extremely comprehensive. The online Student Learning Center It is arranged in such a way that updates will be easy to implement. Present the electoral information in tables and use the 2016 election as a case study. This enabled some students to essentially cheat on my homework. The text is not culturally insensitive, supplying context to why the Founders created the government originally and how it has evolved. The book certainly has all of the topics expected of an Introduction to American Government text. The reader benefits from content that is organized in a fashion that is both comprehensible and predictable. Sold by Apex_media and ships from Amazon Fulfillment. If you click on the Media icon subsets you can go straight to that subsection of the Media chapter. Students will develop an appreciation for the value of citizenship and civic . 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. Figures and images were clear and undistorted. Modularity is excellent. It offers an excellent collection of concepts and ideas useful to political science students. The many color images and illustrations are very critical to minimizing any confusion. I am glad to have discovered this book. B. Generally speaking, I think this textbook does as good a job at this as any other good textbook. For example, while Federalism (Chapter 3) is included in the "Students and the System" section, State and Local Government comes much later in the book (Chapter 14, in the "Formal Institutions" section). In 1988, the U.S. Senate paid tribute with a resolution 3 that said . I did not notice anything offensive, but the textbook could be updated in the future on the topic of transgender individuals. While the examples could become outdated, the issues used have been relevant for a long period of time. Although in the last decade I have opted for brief editions of American government, in an electronic format a longer text is useful for Useful explanation with visual of common goods & excludability; unitary, federation and confederation; contents/concepts of Constitutional amendments. The textbook covers all the essential parts of American government. Most importantly, the emergence of Donald Trump simply alters how the institution of the presidency communicates and respects (or doesn't respect) past institutional norms. The invitation to re-introduce discussion of governors, state legislatures, city councils, and other forms of sub-national government is much appreciated. I only use online textbooks and sources for my classes, but have students who want a hard copy option. The textbook's content is accurate, free from errors, and unbiased. Examples depicting the new terms are plentiful. Almost all said that the United States . Overall the textbook is highly consistent. I have found that with any textbook, it is always necessary to supplement by lecture with current information that is not in the textbook. Americans believed all people (i.e., White males) possessed the rights to life, liberty, and property. 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. The chapters on civil liberties and civil rights, in particular, demonstrate the cultural relevance of the text. Key Terms are highlighted within a chapter and then are defined again in the at the end of the chapter which should help student recall for those who want to check along. Chapter three necessitates a revision in order to re-create its relevance. 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. All of the topics you would expect to be covered in an American government 101 course are here: origins of our republic, institutions, individual action and collective action. Overall the book is extremely well edited. The book contained appropriate section breaks so that students can jump directly to the relevant subsection. Effective participation 3. While there's always room to incorporate more diversity, overall the book does a nice job. But chapters are broken up into 5 or so modules, so it could be assigned that way. I saw no problems and particularity liked the emphasis on voter registration in the Voting and Elections unit. The text is written in a way that undergraduate freshmen students would have no problem grasping. Google Apps. And I would rather see the civil rights and liberties grouped with discussion of the constitutional framework and courts, while voting and elections are groups with parties and media. Modularity is clearly possible in this text, although I do not think this criteria should be rated high in importance as to determining whether this is a solid textbook. For example, I do a lot with the 9th Amendment, but it only has three paragraphs in the textbook. It covers all of the major topics an introductory text should cover and a few others as well. 1997. Have questions? There are some nice inserts in each chapter called Link to Learning. The text is highly relevant for students studying American government and politics today and will serve students well in subsequent years without seeming obsolete. line-height: 1.5 !important; : My goal in writing this book is to help you develop the knowledge, skills, and ideals you need to protect your own freedom; to keep democracy alive in the United States. Overall, this book is a strong introductory text. The deeper learning tools like Middle Ground and so forth allow the reader to learn more about a specific concept using a real world application and should provide the instructor with a ready-made activity that will more actively engage the student be it in an online or seated class. Introduction, Consitution, Federalism, Civil Rights and Liberties, Parties and Ideology, Opinion and Media, Congress, President, Courts, state and local, and International Affairs. . After review, I was impressed with this text on a number of fronts namely its clear writing style and comprehensive nature. 28 . read more. Yes, the topics are presented in logical and clear fashion. I particularly liked the "Get Connected," "Links to Learning," and "Insider Perspectives." The textbook is written well. The book was very internally consistent in terms of terminology. I have not noticed any internal tensions or inconsistencies within the text. Our sense of legitimacy is tied to the desire for democratic government D. What is democracy? The textbook is a PDF and presents no problem in terms of viewing. government, this book integrates instruction about state and local government throughout, rather than relegating these vital institutions to a unit at the end. The writers do have material distributed into sections of the text that are not always the best choice in my view (this could be said of any textbook). My preferred text, The Logic of American Politics (Kernell et al. 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. First President of the United States. I believe this textbook is a comprehensive and well written vehicle to aid the instructor and enhance student learning. I found it especially comprehensive in its coverage of civil rights, voter registration and turnout, and the concluding policy chapters. The judiciary doesn't change that often and it rarely affects more than two members at a time. I look at these minor issues as an opportunity for teachers to clarify in lecture, rather than deal-breaking issues. There's A LOT of flexibility with the text content. There are questions and glossary words at the end of each chapter to help clarify issues. Grammar is as good as one would expect from a textbook from a commercial press. I like the fact that the authors attempt to present both sides in discussing problems and issues which contributes to an unbias pr Second, key terms in Chapter 17 are wanting. The book also does not always allow the reader to skip pages or go straight to a section to read. Overall, this was an excellent e-book. And the text generally attempts to present its material in a balanced and unbiased way, presenting several perspectives on controversial issues. Reviewed by Rolfe Peterson, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Susquehanna University on 2/11/20, This textbook is extremely comprehensive. My kudos to the author. Please read our Terms of Use and Privacy Notice before you explore our Web site. The text is extremely consistent. There are numerous features that are used to help students engage with content (summaries, supplemental reading, graphics and break outs).