There is a standard form to intro Am Gov textbooks, and this one is pretty typical. The various appendixes include The text covers all areas that one would expect from an introduction to American Government textbook. 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. The chapter on civil rights includes sections on African Americans, women, native Americans, Alaskans, Hawaiians and the LGBTQ community. read more. The text is suitably consistent even though there are many chapter authors. The headings and subheadings are appealing and provide the students with direction about what is coming next. I do think that some modules could be combined, but for the most part the author accomplishes this well. The material progresses in a way that makes the most sense. How the Iroquois Great Law of Peace Shaped U.S. Democracy U.S. Government: Our Democracy helps educators teach students about government and how to "do democracy.". The topics are presented in a clear fashion. The framework of the text is internally consistent. 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. This is one of the strengths of this textbook. The organization of the text is fairly traditional, with the decision to include the topic of bureaucracy under the Outputs of Government as one less conventional approach. Electoral case studies provide for a story within a history. This book would be easy to update as changes occur. I really like that a section on state and local government is included. The chapters relating to State & Local Government plus Domestic & Foreign Policy (14,16 & 17) are an added bonus although I will not assign these whole chapters in the Intro course due to time restrictions. One nice feature of the text is the ability directly to citations through the texts footnotes. To learn more about how the presi-dent makes important decisions and leads our nation, view the Democracy in The text was clear and devoid of any unnecessary jargon. Might be using this text in the spring of 2020, Reviewed by Amedee George, Professor, SUNO on 4/23/19, The chapters in the Kurtz et al e-book covers all relevant chapters of American Government and even offers chapters on Foreign policy, Domestic policy and State and Local government. Reviewed by Heidi Getchell-Bastien, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Government, Massachusetts Bay Community College on 6/28/21, This textbook is perfect for my American government course that I teach to undergraduates at the community college level. Toward Collective Action: Mediating Institutions, Delivering Collective Action: Formal Institutions. 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. Creating the Constitution. Offers coverage of topics that most instructors would cover in such a class, including political behavior, civil rights/liberties, American References are balanced--not exclusively conservative or liberal--and include non-partisan resources.This text appears to be carefully edited and reviewed. The index is useful. There is a vibrant discussion in modern research on the balance between socialization and genetics in public opinion research that should be included. As I have shared, I suggest fewer "Note" features within the already long paragraphs of content, and in fact a tightening as well of the length of the reading text. At present, this text meets that need but it may not completely in a couple of years. The historical approaches in many chapters provide contextualization of concepts. It would be easier if the chapters would focus on the 2016 and 2018 elections. Also, each chapter sticks to an identical structure. Also in terms of comprehensiveness, there are 17 chapters in total, which at one chapter per week is at least three or four more chapters than most instructors will be able to get through in a semester. I can definitely see the advantage of having them all in one place. Naturally, in a subject like government and politics there are a host of judgment calls relating to the meaning of certain terms and events and in this regard, I respect the judgment of the authors and believe they presented the material in an unbiased manner. Key terms are included at the end of each chapter. I believe the language used in the text is entirely appropriate for an introductory college course on the subject. For example, p. 44. and in most of the chapters. Each chapter includes embedded boxes with relevant information such as insider perspectives, specific short contemporary case studies, and external links to deeper readers. The material could easily be reorganized or covered in a different sequence at the discretion of the instructor without much disruption. There are a couple other places in the text where this is noticeable. 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. American Government 2e offers a comprehensive survey of the core aspects of the US political system. I think it would be very easy to pick and choose which parts of the book you would want to assign. The chapter on Congress should also be updated and with data from 2016 and 2018. Traditional Democratic Theory 1. Technical language is defined within the text or in the chapter glossaries. Foundations of Geopolitics - Wikipedia ), does a bit better job of using a small number of key concepts transaction costs, conformity costs, free riding, the prisoners dilemma, etc. Finally, I thought that the chapters (4 & 5) in Civil Liberties & Civil Rights were in particular very informative and well done. The accuracy of the content presented in the Kurtz et al book is as accurate and unbias as one would expect. I found this textbook to have excellent coverage and scope. The Iroquois Confederacy, founded by the Great Peacemaker in 1142 1, is the oldest living participatory democracy on earth 2. Have questions? There are also some advantages to this textbook, including clarity of the writing and various appendixes that include the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Federalist 10 and 51 right in the book. Print Edition ISBNs: Student (2018): 978--07-668113-6 ; Teacher (2018): 978--07-668108-2 ; Contact the company representative for ISBN numbers for online/eText editions. For their effort and expertise, I commend them and those who have supported this project. The text would be very easy to divide into smaller sections. I certainly will moving forward. The textbook is well-written and clear. I believe this textbook is a comprehensive and well written vehicle to aid the instructor and enhance student learning. Table 17.1 on page 643 is useless. PDF United states government: our democracy pdf online free - Weebly The "Key terms" sections at the end of each chapter will be helpful to students who aren't sure whether they understand a particular term. For students looking to identify key terms, this bolding does feel mightily inconsistent. The text is very written and edited, I did not notice any grammatical errors, although that was not the primary focus of my review. This textbook is very comprehensive. Uses contemporary examples, but not in depth cases that may be needed in higher level courses. See the License and About pages for more details, as linked below. 35. Prosper Bernard, Jr., City University of New York, Jennifer Danley-Scott, Texas Womans University, Christopher Lawrence, Middle Georgia State College, Adam Newmark, Appalachian State University, Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State University, Shawn Williams, Campbellsville University, Rhonda Wrzenski, Indiana University Southeast. The more niche chapters like Public Opinion could use a freshen up on the theoretical concepts. It is difficult to be so comprehensive and not lose the forest for the trees at times. I think that's important to show that most of the world's nations do operate with a democratic framework. The text is consistent in terms of language, organization, and overall framework. Important terms are underlined throughout the text making it easier for students to see the terms they should know for testing. Changes on the composition of the members of the elected branches are easily updated and/or can be explained in the classroom. The index is clear and useful and the chapter glossaries are excellent. Only 2 left in stock - order soon. This text covers nearly all of the major topics covered in American Government texts. are excellent for visual learners and certainly enhance the message of each section/chapter. In the table of contents, chapter 17 is titled "Chapter 17: Foreign Polict.". Comprehensive in terms of concepts and how they related to current ideas. I have also discovered no instances in which the presentation seems unduly slanted or biased. If faculty want to remove a section, it is not difficult for students to follow the main concepts. Within each unit, the chapters are structured to provide connections between topics that build upon the prior chapter's learning objectives . Hume's ideas on human nature as the underlying purpose for dividing power is essential to understanding the American political system. While there's always room to incorporate more diversity, overall the book does a nice job. The book is clear and accessible. I suppose that in this case the decision was made to put individual action next as a way to show students how they can participate in government and how government affects them. The text then moves through its substantive topics in a coherent manner with useful transitions between topics. Aristotelian "rule of the many" (direct or participatory democracy) a) Fourth-century B.C. However, the editorial voice of the textbook is less clear than some alternatives from commercial publishers. Democracy in the United States is strong, but showing some cracks. Uses current issues as examples of concepts. This text is VERY detailed in its coverage, which is impressive and surprising given its relative brevity. More textbook info. On the plus side, the fact that the chapters are divided into sections aids the instructor in assigning chunks of material and the reader in being able to jump to a particular section therein. 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. Instructors will have no difficulty omitting certain topics/chapters. I found no problem with navigating the text. The framework of the text is consistent and simple to understand. 266-267, and the Electoral College, the idea of achieving a tie vote is irrelevant. al consideration. As another example, the description of Adam Smiths views on wealth accumulation is oversimplified and arguably misleading. Also, the authors do not explain the Electoral College sufficiently as it relates to the 2 parties. But after that there is some latitude as to which major theme comes next. This means that the program can easily fit into your curriculum, no matter how high-tech or low-tech your classroom is. Thought/theory/philosophy explained while discussing history of government. This edition (2016) has been eclipsed by the huge changes under Trump, but that is also true of all 'standard' texts. I found no appreciable errors in the textbook. Analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources including text excerpts, political cartoons, photographs, graphs, charts, and maps. 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. This progression is evident, for example, in the learning objectives that begin each section of the text. The material is easily divisible. Tipping the Scales Toward National Power. Welcome to our textbook for the year. read more. 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. Overall, the textbook is written in a traditional format. The glossary, summaries, and review questions including critical thinking are all conducive to learning and it will help students prepare for exams. One small issue: I found that I could not order a free 'desk' printed version from the publisher, as is standard for normal texts.