united states government: our democracy textbook pdf
This immediately gives an indication of how the material will flow. It follows the standard layout of American Government textbooks and offers an effective and easily searchable index. The content of the text features contemporary examples and events situated within historical and theoretical contexts. It offers an excellent collection of concepts and ideas useful to political science students. Greek Influence on U.S. Democracy - National Geographic Society The writing is clear and accessible to an introductory-level undergraduate reader. The text covers the full range of standard American Government textbooks, from government and civic engagement, to civil liberties and rights to branches of government and foreign policy. It also does a great job bringing in marginalized or minority voices. The text is culturally sensitive and consistently makes use of examples that are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, backgrounds, etc. The text covers all areas that one would expect from an introduction to 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. I saw no problems here. The textbook, American Government, has been written to be a lucid and detailed, book that more than adequately gives context to the terminology used in every chapter. The Declaration of Independence and parts of the Constitution are in the Appendices. The information is presented in a logical way. I found the text to be eminently user friendly with no issues what so ever navigating within the chapters. I mentioned this earlier, but I think it is important to have the chapters presented in a different order. It provides the necessary information for a student who wants to learn about the American governmental process. The text covers exactly what an introduction to political science/government textbook should cover. This is not, however, a reason not to use the book as currently written and hope that it is appropriately updated in the years ahead. Language is neutral and seems to avoid leading or biased undertones. 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. The "Middle Ground" feature might need to be updated as controversies change but overall this definitely a relevant textbook. I haven't seen anything quite like that before, and it's useful. Alternate ISBNs. To some extent, though, that would make this a book with a specific orientation, which defies one of its strengths. Uses contemporary examples, but not in depth cases that may be needed in higher level courses. The content of the work is accurate and unbiased. Faculty are used to getting free copies of texts. Our sense of legitimacy is tied to the desire for democratic government D. What is democracy? I found it very appropriate for undergraduates. PDF United states government: our democracy pdf online free - Weebly This is a plus of this text. It covers all of the major topics an introductory text should cover and a few others as well. My only critique of the book is that the sections on Congress, the presidency, and the court system appear later on in the textbook. Instead the textbook chooses to avoid the high stakes conversations. I really like that a section on state and local government is included. . Textbook solutions. 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. It can be said that in capitalism, government accumulates wealth and then redistributes it to citizens. China is not a socialist country; it is an oligarchic authoritarian regime. I am also happy it comes in a printed version. It is difficult to be so comprehensive and not lose the forest for the trees at times. line-height: 1.5 !important; Differentiate with Spanish language resources, and strategies for approaching level, beyond level, and ELL students. The text also does a better job than most of discussing the importance of Voter Registration in Chapter 7 (Voting and Elections), including coverage of the Voting Rights Act and Shelby County v. Holder (2013). The current book I use fully integrates free people of color into each chapter. The book seems to presume knowledge of the concept based on preceding chapters. But that seems like a limitation of this medium, not of this particular textbook. government, this book integrates instruction about state and local government throughout, rather than relegating these vital institutions to a unit at the end. p. 176 on Civil Rights for Indigenous Groups). For example, p. 44. and in most of the chapters. The more niche chapters like Public Opinion could use a freshen up on the theoretical concepts. I also very much like the end of the chapter contents. I can see myself using this textbook in the future. 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. To be clear, it is not culturally insensitive. Yet a majority also says that the "fundamental design and structure" of U.S. government is in need of "significant changes" to make it work today. 1st - 10th Amendments: The Bill of Rights, 1791. However, the day after Election Day, this chapter will need an overhaul. The book is very accessible. But thats ok! The text would be easily divisible by chapter. But the book helpfully highly new and key phrases, and uses plentiful figures and sidebars to improve clarity. Accuracy is overall quite good. I am strongly considering adopting this for my students, though I wish that it were weightier and lengthier. Further, the text includes supplemental readings, such as important primary source materials, such as the Constitution and Federalist Papers #10 and #51. All the chapters have commendable "Finding Middle Ground," "Insider Perspectives," and "Links to Learning" website listed. The book uses a standard framework/structure, and so there is no problem with consistency. The authors updated the contents reflecting current events and political landscape. The text is highly relevant for students studying American government and politics today and will serve students well in subsequent years without seeming obsolete. Have used it this semester in 2 sections of my intro Am Gov class with no student complaints. This coverage emphasizes and links back to the section of the text on Civic Engagement. United States Government Our Democracy | Bookshare read more. The book's organization/structure/flow is very good. American government textbooks, in order to stay relevant, demand frequent updates. 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. I have not noticed any internal tensions or inconsistencies within the text. The prose is accessible, and the authors' have done an outstanding job avoiding the jargon that can unnecessarily complicate a text. - Unit I Test - The Foundations of the United States Government + Wednesday September 16th, 2016 HW: TED Talk: Lawrence Lessig . I found this textbook to have excellent coverage and scope. Chapter 8, Section 3 discussing the media and particularly the FCC is a very strong section of the text. I think the book could benefit from a more extensive glossary at the end of each chapter, rather than each section. It looks easier to move sections around. read more. The links for figures seem to be useful in quickly navigating them. These issues are prevalent in American political and social life, and have been accentuated during the first term of President Trump. I like how you included the FCC. Overall, an excellent textbook which covers the needed subject matter comprehensively. We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.--Preamble to the United States Constitution Google Apps. It follows the standard layout of American Government textbooks and offers an effective and easily searchable index. For example I like to group Congress and Interest Groups together, the Presidency and Political Parties, and Civil Rights and Civil Liberties with the Judiciary. }, United States Government: Our DemocracyRemy Ritchie Arbetman Scott Hanson. I didn't read every line, but the broad sections I read contained no technical writing errors that I observed. The text would be very easy to divide into smaller sections. This matters very much for American government texts, and the author has done a very good job here mixing long-standing historical examples with contemporaneous material. Adopting profs should read the chapters carefully so they know what areas get deeper coverage, and what areas get shallower treatment. The text is very up to date, using examples from as recently as 2016. This is something that can be adjusted by the instructor, and I rarely teach in the order books present the material anyway. 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. Overall the book is balanced, but there are areas where things could be more even handed. The book does include a chapter on state and local government, which is often not covered in U.S. government textbooks. 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. The text is free from interface issues as it was easy to read and navigate, and the graphics displayed properly. 7. LearnSmart with SmartBook adaptive ebook helps students learn faster, study more efficiently, and retain more knowledge. Modularity is important for me as I usually find myself teaching "out of order" with respect to the book's chapter organization. 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. 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The textbook was first published in 2019. The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. The concepts are: growth of democracy, federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, civil liberties . Facilitate mastery of complex principles with dynamic digital tools. I did not see any clear cultural bias on the part of the authors. Product details Publisher : McGraw Hill; 1st edition (August 11, 2014) Language : English . This item: United States Government; Our Democracy, c 2018, 9780076681136, 0076681130. by McGraw-Hill Education Paperback . Elazar is a bit dated to present as useful fact (14.2) Many Supreme Court Justices do not regard the Court systems as the guardians of individual rights, but reserve this right to Congressthe Court, in their eyes, is there only to enforce laws that are made, whether right or wrong, so long as they are strictly in concordance with the Constitution. The textbook does not include much material on current elections, but an instructor can easily add his or her own supplemental materials. They examine these conflicts in our democracy by reading primary sources, summarizing based on textual evidence, and beginning analysis of multiple perspectives for text. I appreciate the spacing of the material, and think that it makes it very clear and readable. Have questions? 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. As noted, perhaps the authors will consider a further subdivision in this regard. The text acknowledges multiple perspectives of race, ethnicity, gender, ability and other backgrounds. Your idea of relevance is not really relevant. 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 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. Additionally, if I made any additions to the text, you may not have them. The chapters are well organized and reader friendly. It is very comprehensive and covers all the necessary information. Democracy and government, the U.S. political system, elected officials and governmental institutions Americans are generally positive about the way democracy is working in the United States. The text effectively frames controversial topics in American politics and the reader does not come away with the impression that the author's are putting their thumbs on the scale in favor of a particular interpretation or political ideology. Reviewed by Gale Czerski, Adult Basic Education Instructor, Portland Community College on 6/20/17, This textbook provides a comprehensive framework for introductory American government. 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.
united states government: our democracy textbook pdf