In other words, most of the world's countries are parliamentary, not presidential. However, the editorial voice of the textbook is less clear than some alternatives from commercial publishers. 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. Great looking book and the price point would be very beneficial to students. 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. 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)? This is one of the strengths of this textbook. It also does a great job bringing in marginalized or minority voices. Its review of Civil Rights and the groups fighting for their rights is one of the strongest parts of the text. has on the daily lives of each and every American, motivating students to become active participants in all aspects of our political system, and helping overcome the The 'Insider Perspective' sections in each chapter reflect this in their profiles of diverse individuals. Overall, the textbook provides accurate information, but there are some places where it comes up short in this regard, and a few statements made in the book are not as clear as they could be. The definition of public opinion is probably not as accurate as it could be. It covers all the bases of an Introduction to American Government and then some. The chapter on State and Local Government was a nice addition, but I am not sure how many instructors would be able to cover this material in addition to the other material required in an Introduction to American Government course. 11.1 seems to overstate the present state of equality in Congressional elections, especially given voter suppression. I did not identify any issues with the accuracy of the textbook content. Chapter tests include traditional and document-based question tests. The authors updated the contents reflecting current events and political landscape. }. In terms of content, the textbook has all the chapters one normally expects from an introductory American Government textbook. 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. For example, in section 8.1 there is no break for 11 paragraphs/over one thousand words. The various appendixes include The text is free from interface issues as it was easy to read and navigate, and the graphics displayed properly. 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. At the end of each chapter, the reader finds a glossary of key terms emphasized in the chapter. Formal Institutions include Congress, The Courts, and The Presidency). 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. By reorganizing the information contained in the chapters, it will be easier for the reader to follow the data if it is in a table format. Sentence structure and grammar are excellent. In the balance, I recognize the critiques above may not sound like the book is a good resource. 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 . Useful explanation with visual of common goods & excludability; unitary, federation and confederation; contents/concepts of Constitutional amendments. have even added very impressive policy chapters (domestic and foreign) that you only see on occasion. Defining Democracy 1. This is particularly identifiable in chapters one and two. This textbook is perfect for my American government course that I teach to undergraduates at the community college level. The organization of topics conforms with what one finds in many other introductory level texts on American Government. This book uses clear language and of-the-moment context that brings the idea of government to life. 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 book seemed reasonable "inclusive", although I suppose this is pretty subjective and I'll admit to not usually judging texts on this ground. That said, there are areas where the text is quite brief and doesn't provide terribly deep discussion. The AP U.S. Government and Politics framework is organized into five commonly taught units of study that provide one possible sequence for the course. The topics seem to be organized in a clear, logical fashion, with no jarring transitions. This is also one of the longer chapters in the book coming in at about 50 pages. The importance of this document and the story of Shay's Rebellion are too often overlooked and they are covered well here. 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. Third, Political Parties should precede elections in the book. According to Locke individuals held authority through a divine power that existed in the people that formed the basis for the "fountain of authority"? This is another useful function to organize student assignments around. The text is internally consistent with respect terminology and framework. It also seems like there are only answers to select questions? 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. 9. The Government Manual is a regularly updated special edition of . The book is very up to date for early 2017, including data from the 2016 campaign and elections, as well as very contemporary policy debates and legal issues. In addition, the chapter on the Bureaucracy is placed in the "Outputs of Government" section alongside the chapters on domestic and foreign policy, rather than its more traditional place just after The Presidency. But that seems like a limitation of this medium, not of this particular textbook. Mixed views of structural changes in the political system. Faculty are used to getting free copies of texts. I like the additional chapter on State and Local Government (Chap 14). Creating the Constitution. I am skeptical that As another example, the description of Adam Smiths views on wealth accumulation is oversimplified and arguably misleading. The topics in the text are presented in a clear and logical fashion. The book is well laid out and uses terminology consistent throughout the chapters. I love the inclusion of recent current events. The text's prose is written in a clear and concise fashion. $47.96. Also, where is David Hume? Log in to your program from these platforms: McGraw Hill Science Interactives (612), .bs3-nav-link-support a{ The explanation of disagreements and legal decisions in particular is objective yet clear what values, tradeoffs, etc were at stake and how the decisions affected government especially. The beginning of each module clearly identifies the learning objectives and is organized in such a way that it can be assigned at any point within the course as the instructor sees fit. In fact, in several places the book includes specific discussion of how the subject relates to minority or historically underrepresented or repressed communities that other texts tend to ignore (e.g. The text is divided into 5 categories. 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. This was an early indication of the accuracy of the textbook. I really liked the authors writing style. From the origins of the US political system, the constitutional framework, participatory inputs, formal institutions, and public policy, the major points are By the standards of Introduction to American Politics textbooks, this is a comprehensive offering. However, this is a general U.S. government overview, so there is room for an instructor to supplement with additional primary sources, such as diary excerpts, speeches, poems and other genres. 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. The framework/layout of each chapter is consistent which is an aid to both the instructor and the reader. The Bill of Rights. However, many pages have blank gaps in the middle of chapters. You have a solid editing staff doing well to ensure a good syntax throughout the book. I saw no problems here. There are currently no items in your shopping cart. The text builds on the foundation in a logical and consistent manner. this revised book on our United States Government. Enlightened understanding 4. The sources cited, within the sections of each of the various chapters, are from reputable, recognizable experts in their fields of study. 35. There are questions and glossary words at the end of each chapter to help clarify issues. Lincoln preserved . I am strongly considering adopting this for my students, though I wish that it were weightier and lengthier. Unfortunately, I found the hyperlinks within the text to be a bit distracting. This textbook is very clear and straightforward. 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. Government Democracy In Action Answers below. However, when I went over each chapter in detail I realized that there is no consistency throughout the textbook regarding the film selection. read more. The text is consistent in its use of terminology. I liked the Supreme Court and Electoral College Appendices, very nice additions beyond the usual set of founding documents. The way the book is organized makes a lot of sense. There is no distortion of text, images, or figures; this is all very clear. textbooks Openlibrary_work OL2298885W . Because of the texts design, I believe that it will be a manageable task to keep it up to date. The textbook is very comprehensive with more than 650 pages of content plus appendices with relevant documents. Here, citizens vote for their government officials. Those that do work, can take the reader away from the book and you can not hit the go back button. Have questions? Its inclusive treatment of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds is especially evident in the texts treatment of civil rights, but it is evident in other sections of the text as well. My least favorite chapter concerns Federalism (3), not because of the topic but I just think that chapter is not as informative as others. For example, could chapter 8 be divided into six or eight sections? A Constitutional Democracy Interactive Notebook, which works for both print and Google Drive, investigates and helps gain an understanding of how the federal, state, and local governments in the United States work under the Constitution and the responsibilities of citizenship. 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 content of the work is accurate and unbiased. The text is written in lucid prose with technical terminology highlighted, defined in the text, and listed again in a glossary. The text is not culturally offensive, but I would like to see more sections or paragraphs that flesh out diversity and politics. Concerns: Textbook lacks yearly/semester pacing guide, limited ability to edit teacher resources . - Chapter organization around the set of themes that any proper intro gov class would teach: institutions plus civil rights liberties, parties, elections, public opinion, and so on. I like that the chapters are divided into numbered subsections, which helps give students clearer instructions when I am dividing chapters over multiple days. Prior to reviewing this text, I was not very familiar with open source textbooks. I am especially impressed by its multi-dimensional approach to topic coverage. Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. The importance of this issue reflects so much for students about the goals of those at the convention and the individuals who ratified the document, coupled with the impact this very high hurdle for change has had on governing in America, leads me to believe that students need more time with this material and a further discussion of the impact that Article V has had. 4. In reviewing the table of contents, I found the book has a logical flow that begins with defining what government is and then proceeds to provide information on the critical subjects of our democracy including but not limited to: The Constitution, federalism, civil liberties, civil rights, voting, Congress, the presidency, our court system, and the federal bureaucracy. } The authors or editors clearly made an effort to be inclusive in this chapter. Additional sections within a chapter or sub-sections within a section and/or more topic headings could break up the volume of information into smaller chunks for the reader, especially one who may have distractions present. Some of the pages could use a little more color to add some pop. This text is not culturally insensitive. One nice feature of the text is the ability directly to citations through the texts footnotes. Would grade this as 4.5 if possible. The text does not contain any grammatical errors. With this objective in mind, the content of this textbook has been developed and arranged to provide a logical progression from the fundamental principles of institutional design at the founding, to avenues of political participation, to thorough coverage of the political structures that constitute American government. But at the mass level most Tea Party identifiers are Republicans, and in Congress the vast majority of Tea Party sympathizers (perhaps all) are Republicans. Each topic by chapter is integrated with all the others in some way. The textbook content is clearly organized into sensible modules. It incorporates an impressive amount of historical references to add context and depth. Although there is an internet link to the Articles in Chapter 2, I find it more useful for students to have access to the Articles within the textbook so they see they are important. This may just be me, but I take issue with this statement from page 9, "Democracy and capitalism do not have to go hand in hand." I do think you have to have a free market to have democracy, although it might be a regulated market. It includes many examples that students with a wide variety of backgrounds and characteristics should be able to relate to. The book does a nice job of bringing in gender concerns throughout the text, as well. .nav-contain-highered p{ , but for next semester, the text needs to provide 2016 turnout and election data. Textbook solutions. Many textbooks cover these two topics together in one chapter and I believe that it may be easier to teach if there is dedicated material to each topic in separate chapters. Thorough coverage of the main thematic areas generally addressed by introductory American Government textbooks. SKU: b117200 . read more. By breaking each chapter into sections, the modularity of the textbook itself is enhanced and should allow the instructor to break apart and/or chunk particular sections of interest. Overall, the organization and flow of the textbook is logical and it follows a traditional American Government textbook. I use review questions in each chapter for mandatory homework. have even added very impressive policy chapters (domestic and foreign) that you only see on occasion. Chapter sections are easily divisible and do not overwhelm the reader with too much information in any single subheading. The text is written in a clear and accessible way. I appreciate the spacing of the material, and think that it makes it very clear and readable. I was quite impressed with this textbook, and have made plans to adopt it next year. This text can definitely be broken down not only by chapter but by sections. It offers an excellent collection of concepts and ideas useful to political science students. for only $40. I am skeptical that instructors can get through 17 chapters in a normal semester, but the material is nice to have if desired. Reviewed by John Herbert, Instructor, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids, MN on 6/15/19, 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. 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 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. Again, these are things the author may want to consider. Political behavior for presidential and mid-term congressional elections should be analyzed independently. 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. In short, more up to date statistics and graphics should be there. The authors also included new terms such as the use of Astroturf movement on page 379 and PIRGS on page 382. I did not identify any grammatical issues with the textbook content. 1st - 10th Amendments: The Bill of Rights, 1791. The book seemed to use inclusive examples--for example, the racial breakdown of the federal judiciary. 11th Amendment: Grants states immunity from outside lawsuits, 1795. . Content is very much up to date. The highlighting of key terms and the examples that are provided are helpful. The chapters are well organized and user friendly. Students may find it annoying. Yet both Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh are not present in the graphic. For example, if an instructor wanted to cover formal institutions prior to individual agency and action or mediating institutions, it would not be difficult to do so using this text. But I would rather have it smaller so I Many varied examples and leaders are highlighted. I am not sure about the process of updates though and I suspect that within one or two years the book will need a refresh. Reviewed by Elsa Dias, Affiliate, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 11/1/19, The textbook provides for a comprehensive overview of American Government. There are some lapses here. Right from the start is an engaging "What is Government" and "Who governs" introductory sections, followed by excellent descriptions of our constitutional backgrounds and developments, 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. Even though there are many different authors/contributors the book reads like a cohesive work. Origins of American Government Articles of Confederation Power Point Note Packet. Not every one covers Civil Rights and Liberties or Foreign and Domestic Policy, but this text does offer a chapter on each of those. The content of the text features contemporary examples and events situated within historical and theoretical contexts. The information in several chapters, like the chapters pertaining to the institutions, provide for an in-depth analysis. It is divided into five sections, which makes it easily approachable to both instructor and student. I haven't found inconsistencies throughout the text as to terminology and framework. Current and updated; the textbook has a wealth of information ad applicable activities. It is impossible to cover all the material in a quarter college course, this format allows selective teacher emphasized learning outcomes. "in order to" was overused. As clearly noted, I found far more to like about the text than not. Students will develop an appreciation for the value of citizenship and civic . 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. The text is easily navigated and free of any significant interface issues. The writing is clear and concise. The text is highly segmented, which may seem overwhelming at first, but flows in a way that makes sense.