This textbook provides a comprehensive framework for introductory American government. It is divided into five sections, which makes it easily approachable to both instructor and student. read more. LearnSmart with SmartBook adaptive ebook helps students learn faster, study more efficiently, and retain more knowledge. this revised book on our United States Government. Overall, this was an excellent e-book. This textbook covers the main topics of a course on American government. The updates to the text with respect to the 2016 election are topical and serve to make the content more easily understand without the risk of seeming outdated in a short period of time. GOVERNMENT Arms War It's a long-standing debate. 35. The index is thorough and easily navigable with direct links to the relevant section of the text in which the key term is discussed. There are occasional editorial comments and examples of protests which suggest liberal criticisms of the status quo. Milestone Documents | National Archives In the case of the United States, that power is exercised indirectly, through elected representatives. One note of concern is that the captions thereon in many instances are not fully compatible for a text reader. It covers all the bases of an Introduction to American Government and then some. Some may view this as a benefit, as there is more room for each instructor to add their own "big story" to their courses. Cumulative Hands-On Chapter Projects and additional Technology Extension activity provide authentic performance assessment. The book is internally consistent. 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. The framework of the chapters is internal consistent. The prose is accessible, and the authors' have done an outstanding job avoiding the jargon that can unnecessarily complicate a text. The text's interface is similar to any American Government textbook and has clear charts, tables, and numerous features that are clear and unobtrusive. The respective discussions involving each of the aforementioned groups is objective, open minded, and balanced. for only $40. According to Yale professor Juan Jos Linz there are three main types of political systems today: democracies, totalitarian regimes and, sitting between these two, authoritarian regimes . The headings and subheadings are appealing and provide the students with direction about what is coming next. There are a few points the author may want to consider. The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. Offers coverage of topics that most instructors would cover in such a class, including political behavior, civil rights/liberties, American I mentioned this earlier, but I think it is important to have the chapters presented in a different order. Not a major issue for $40, but annoying. The text did not include culturally offensive material and seemed inclusive in its examples and discussion. I saw no problems here. Perhaps more specific information about the Supreme Court case regarding employment and other cases could be fleshed out. Also, when you click, for example, chapter 2, you cannot go directly to chapter 2, but you have to click the Intro first. 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. The pure number of citations is impressive, however they are shown to the reader throughout a chapter in a separated gray box. I have not found culturally insensitive comments. I believe ample coverage of diverse viewpoints and experiences are made use of in this text. Finally, as noted earlier, the book does a nice job of showing that Congress is growing more diverse, while at the same time acknowledging the many ways that Congress is still not representative of the American public (Chapter 11, Congress). read more. The text covers everything that an introduction to American government should. 1st - 10th Amendments: The Bill of Rights, 1791. read more. } Further, the writing is clear and concise. The concepts Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy are key to an American Government course. 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. I did not find the book cultural insensitive. If you click on the Media icon subsets you can go straight to that subsection of the Media chapter. The book includes internal links to all notes and figures within the text, and also external web links where relevant. 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. United States Government Democracy in Action Student. Also, discussions are not biased toward any political ideology. Identity politics should be an integral part of academic conversations and should provide opportunities to students to engage with difficult topics by using critical thinking strategies. This is something that can be adjusted by the instructor, and I rarely teach in the order books present the material anyway. One issue, however, that might be addressed is with the word "media." My only critique of the book is that the sections on Congress, the presidency, and the court system appear later on in the textbook. . 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. There seem to be problems with the formatting, though that could just be on machine, with some not converted paragraphs. There are minor mistakes in some of the tables and figures, too. At the time this edition was written, the information in figure 3.17, presented data on the legality of same sex marriage by state in our country in an easily understood and precise manner. Founding Father James Madison may have best described the difference between a democracy and a republic: "It [the difference] is that in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person: in a republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents. 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. I found the book to be clear and precise in its discussions and presentation of material. 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I really liked that it had information from the 2016 election, as that is interesting to many students. . Instructors planning on using this book may want to request access to the instructor resources very early to avoid issues. The invitation to re-introduce discussion of governors, state legislatures, city councils, and other forms of sub-national government is much appreciated. (1) I liked the narrative on different types of government but I think that a table with the Greek classification of types of governments based on how many rule and whether they are good or bad would have clarified it better for students. 33. At that meeting the establishment of the International Union of American Republics was approved. 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. Not every one covers Civil Rights and Liberties or Foreign and Domestic Policy, but this text does offer a chapter on each of those. It is impossible to cover all the material in a quarter college course, this format allows selective teacher emphasized learning outcomes. I also very much like the end of the chapter contents. I imagine the authors are planning to update every two years and it should be relatively simple to add/subtract topical material without substantial modifications to the foundational text. This is a plus of this text. and J. D. and Lee Arbetman and Megan L. Hanson and M.S. And the Fall of the Patronage system in Section 1 of Chapter 15 also stood out to me as excellent. The text interface is good. 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. Further, the text includes supplemental readings, such as important primary source materials, such as the Constitution and Federalist Papers #10 and #51. The following key features of U.S. Government: Our Democracy support both government content and civic engagement standards: Government in Your Community, which prompts students to . I can see myself using this textbook in the future. Modularity is important for me as I usually find myself teaching "out of order" with respect to the book's chapter organization. Find step-by-step solutions and answers to United States Government: Our Democracy - 9780076634538, as well as thousands of textbooks so you can move forward with confidence. The concise introductions at the beginning of each chapter effectively frame the chapter topic. PO 4 Free Solutions for United States Government: Our Democracy - Quizlet This Electoral College voting method is referred to as the district system." Key terms are included at the end of each chapter. United States Government: Our Democracy allows high school students to master an understanding of the structure, function, and powers of government at all levels. For example, I appreciate the discussion of women as political candidates in the chapter on elections. The United States Government Manual. After review, I was impressed with this text on a number of fronts namely its clear writing style and comprehensive nature. The text follows a chapter layout that is common among American politics texts, beginning with the Constitution and ending with policy. p. 176 on Civil Rights for Indigenous Groups). 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. 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. While some textbooks do delve deeper into certain subjects (seemingly at random), it is good to see a textbook that offers nuts and bolts that will make it usable to nearly any instructor, allowing them ample room to discuss areas of their expertise without conflicting with the textbook. I set up an assignment for my students to respond to a question based on the discussion in this section in an online class. However, all textbooks--standard or OER--face this issue. It also includes a chapter on This is a positive choice as it provides students with some knowledge of state and local government without usurping the information that is taught in a state and local government class. Zip. The text is free of interface issues; charts and graphics are clear and are explained and analyzed. Yes, the book is internally consistent in terms of its discussion and its presentation of information. To learn more about how the presi-dent makes important decisions and leads our nation, view the Democracy in 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 This product will be available on 09/22/2015. As an introduction to American Government, the text covers the areas and ideas of the subject at a very comprehensive level. It is as accurate as any standard, mainstream textbook on American government. The interface is excellent. Chapter sections are easily divisible and do not overwhelm the reader with too much information in any single subheading. I have found that with any textbook, it is always necessary to supplement by lecture with current information that is not in the textbook. The textbook is written in a way that is easy to understand. For example, in section 8.1 there is no break for 11 paragraphs/over one thousand words. 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.