Then again maybe that is just my bias because of what information was included and what was omitted. The printed version (and online replica version) has all review questions at back of each chapter, without answers provided, the way I wanted it. 7. I saw no problems and particularity liked the emphasis on voter registration in the Voting and Elections unit. The text makes frequent use of examples that seek to inform through inclusion so as to make the material more relevant to individuals from a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. There are sections in the textbook that resemble a history textbook. This textbook is very clear and straightforward. This product will be available on 09/22/2015. The text does not run the risk of becoming obsolete in a short period of time; however, many of the examples are quite common to other introductory American Government texts. Chapter 8 on the Media is the best chapter I've seen on that subject. Photos and other content (such as graphs) are clearly positioned and captioned, providing useful supplementation to the written content. 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 Would be nice to build out the list for a bunch of other chapters as well. In other words, most of the world's countries are parliamentary, not presidential. Particularly well written is the "Approach to Foreign Policy, p. 650, especially, the "Classic Approach" and the more recent history of U.S. foreign policy. 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. As another example, the description of Adam Smiths views on wealth accumulation is oversimplified and arguably misleading. There is no unifying logic, but the lack of this epistemological perspective is one strength of the book. read more. I recommend considering the use of this book for an introductory American Government course. Reviews. . The text is very up to date, using examples from as recently as 2016. The chapters have a mix of history, current facts and evidence along with key concepts traditional of American government texts. Equality in voting 2. The textbook utilizes a wide array of references to various cultures, both in its written content and its supplementary graphics. PO 4 read more. Arrive Math (K-8) Achieve3000 Literacy (2-12) C; Achieve3000 Math . Some of the information in it is five years old and the writing does not explore clearly the theory of federalism and its evolution. font-family: ProximaNova,Helvetica Neue,Arial,Noto Sans,Liberation Sans,sans-serif,Apple Color Emoji,Segoe UI Emoji,Segoe UI Symbol,Noto Color Emoji !important; Its review of Civil Rights and the groups fighting for their rights is one of the strongest parts of the text. I spotted no factual inaccuracies, and the text does not belay any obvious political bias. read more. The chapter on civil rights includes sections on African Americans, women, native Americans, Alaskans, Hawaiians and the LGBTQ community. Even though the publishing date is 2019, however, many of the charts, maps, graphs, pictures, and statistics in general are from 2015 or earlier. I encourage any professor of U.S. Government to take a good look at this text and strongly consider its adoption. American Government by Krutz and Waskiewicz is an exceptionally good textbook. Within each chapter, sections are consistently arranged to first build comprehension and then work toward deeper analysis of topic, which is an effective pedagogical framework. Instructors planning on using this book may want to request access to the instructor resources very early to avoid issues. I really like that a section on state and local government is included. I think students would have an easier time digesting the information in this book than some of the other textbooks I have used. By avoiding the topics and the conversations, the text is not allowing students to civically engage in discussions and learning. Citizen control of the agenda 5. ), does a bit better job of using a small number of key concepts transaction costs, conformity costs, free riding, the prisoners dilemma, etc. The text is suitably consistent even though there are many chapter authors. Examples depicting the new terms are plentiful. That said, many of what appear to be hotlinks in the text did not work when I tested them in December 2018. Unit II Assignments. Identify Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as leaders of our democracy: Connect with: Strand 1 Concept 4. Reviewed by Matthew Wright, Associate Professor, American University on 2/1/18, The book is comprehensive in that it has everything I usually look for in an intro to American government text: At the edges, the composition of Congress and descriptive representation will need to be updated. The book is competently written and produced. 35. However, many pages have blank gaps in the middle of chapters. Everything was clear and easy to find, including graphics, charts, and figures. The graphics were very well done. It is a good alternative to expensive textbooks. Chapter . I made significant checks throughout the textbook and found it to accurate in the information provided. 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. Reviewed by Hyokyung Kwak, Assistance Professor, College of Charleston on 9/19/21, This textbook covers all the main topics need for American government 101. I use review questions in each chapter for mandatory homework. A downside of the online version is that the section, source and other links do not open in a new page, at least for me, which causes the reader to then backtrack with the effect that after a few instances some readers may not bother. The question-and-an-swer format covers a broad range of topics dealing with the legisla- 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 text's prose is written in a clear and concise fashion. So if you wanted to teach the presidency before Congress, there is enough information about Congress in the presidency chapter that students would be able to understand it without having first read the chapter on Congress. This is a pragmatic generation of learners. From an aesthetic perspective, the textbook has a fair amount of graphic material that is appealing to students. 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. I liked the incorporation of the graphics, which will enable students to work on their graphic/data interpretation skills. I did not notice anything offensive, but the textbook could be updated in the future on the topic of transgender individuals. The chapters are arranged in a way that makes sense to the material. Well, longevity is a tough matter for this kind of text. 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. You can use that resource if you would prefer, but you're responsible for locating the correct excerpts. text-decoration: underline; The text's interface is similar to any American Government textbook and has clear charts, tables, and numerous features that are clear and unobtrusive. 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. 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. Reviewed by M. Victoria Perez-Rios, Adjunct Assistant Professor, La Guardia Community College on 5/21/18, The textbook is very comprehensive with more than 650 pages of content plus appendices with relevant documents. When you become a U.S. citizen, you also make these promises: give up loyalty to other countries defend the Constitution and laws of the United States obey the laws of the United States serve in the U.S. military (if needed) do important work for the nation (if needed) Changes on the composition of the members of the elected branches are easily updated and/or can be explained in the classroom. However domestic and foreign policy are rushed at the end while lobbyists and other peripheral topics enjoy a more central position. It is well-written and proof-read. 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. Some texts may cover only one additional chapter other than the So do be sure, if adopting this text, to carefully preview the chapters for any issues like this. 36 Question #70. Overall, it is solid and accurate. Pretty standard for many similar texts and courses. read more, 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. Clear organization led to clarity of content. The images and charts used in the book help clarify the concepts very well. The material is easily divisible. The links for figures seem to be useful in quickly navigating them. Furthermore, I think there are not enough appropriate charts and illustrations to engage student attention. It follows the standard layout of American Government textbooks and offers an effective and easily searchable index. Issues related to race, ethnicity, gender, and class are addressed in appropriate ways. Before joining OU, he served on the faculty of Arizona State University and helped run two large-scale National Science Foundation projects as a doctoral student at Texas A&M University. no out-of-focus or bad images, good graphs, clear text, etc). This text will only need updates in the area of the presidency, public policy, and possibly elections. I find first and second year college students (the levels I teach) have limited attention spans with regard dense text no matter how articulately written. The book is very comprehensive. p. 176 on Civil Rights for Indigenous Groups). The book uses a standard framework/structure, and so there is no problem with consistency. Perhaps more specific information about the Supreme Court case regarding employment and other cases could be fleshed out. I looked more at concepts and content. Prior to reviewing this text, I was not very familiar with open source textbooks. The text repeatedly incorporates up-to-date examples to illustrate its reasoning and explain how foundational themes relate to contemporary political developments. The text is not culturally insensitive. Below are the modifiedexcerpts that are assigned to you. It will be interesting to see the update after Election Day. The required terminology for the curriculum is present with context in every chapter. Formal Institutions include Congress, The Courts, and The Presidency). Instructor and student resources are need improvement. The writing appears to be objective and factually correct. The cosmetics of the book is well done. read more. This enabled some students to essentially cheat on my homework. read more. American Government by Glenn Krutz covers a lot of ground. The red links in areas of the textbook are distracting. Sections open with learning objectives that tell students the 2-5 most important things to take away from that reading, and quiz questions populate the text at the end of sections to help students self assess their understanding of the reading. $47.96. Some chapters have one; others dont. Comprehensive in terms of concepts and how they related to current ideas. As a policy professor with professional experience in the field, I would be likely to use cases to follow up about how policy content accounts for those decisions in a process that includes policy actors (private and public)). The text is impressively comprehensive, both with respect to its range of coverage and depth of discussion of each topic. You can replace that space with something more relevant? The material progresses in a way that makes the most sense. Student Edition: Focus on the big ideas with an accessible print student text built around Essential Questions and Inquiry. Maximize comprehension with the Reading Help Desk in each lesson to assist students with building vocabulary, cultivating reading strategies, and strengthening note-taking skills. Analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources including text excerpts, political cartoons, photographs, graphs, maps, and more. Develop strong critical thinking, analytical, and compromise skills with Debate and Deliberation features. Challenge students to "be the judge" in Supreme Court Case Studies; students will classify arguments, assign unmarked opinions and decide cases, apply precedents to recent cases, and conduct in-class moot courts. Customize the learning experience for differentiated instruction using leveled reading, customizable assessments and worksheets, and flexible online learning tools. Facilitate mastery of complex principles with dynamic digital tools. The inclusion of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, selected Federalist Papers and electoral college results will aid the student in referencing those materials over the instructor including a link (to be lost) or the student conducting a search. The cited political science literature is excellent. The textbook's content is accurate, free from errors, and unbiased. This course must give freshman students the conceptual baseline tools to advance to the next grade. Very clearly explains important concepts; I can use my own assignments to require graduate level thinking and expand on the complications/interactions of the text concepts, etc. Reviewed by Brian Jones, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Political Science, Northern Virginia Community College on 6/20/17, The comprehensiveness of Krutz's American Government text is such that it more than adequately addresses the curricular requirements of the American government and politics courses offered by the Virginia Community College System. It is very comprehensive and covers all the necessary information. The material is generally laid out in a straightforward fashion that should make sense to the reader. It is comparable to other American Government textbooks, and I will consider using it in my future courses. Though I had trouble accessing the PDF and online versions, it appears to have been an issue with the browser I was using at the time. The text offers a consistent presentation of terms situated within a logical and approachable framework for college students. Changes like these are expected and I do not think that this would be too difficult to do. Not every one covers Civil Rights and Liberties or Foreign and Domestic Policy, but this text does offer a chapter on each of those. However, this text would need to be updated after all national elections (mid-term and presidential). While the focus on diversity is certainly not as all-encompassing as some commercial books that make racial/ethnic diversity the "thesis of the book" (most notably McClain and Tauber's American Government in Black and White), the book certainly does not limit discussion of racial/ethnic diversity to the chapter on Civil Rights, as many textbooks have done historically. In particular, I would like to see some more/more direct In each unit, there is a clear progression of thought from basic description of concepts toward more critical analysis. Foundations of American Government. The best way to protect these rights was by limiting the power of government and allowing people to govern themselves. [et al.] I saw no issues there. In terms of content, the textbook has all the chapters one normally expects from an introductory American Government textbook. Reviewed by Carley Shinault, Assistant Professor, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania on 3/13/19, 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. Engaging for an open textbook. The United States has a complex government system. There is an additional chapter on State & Local government aside from the chapter on federalism - which offers 334-335). by Richard C. Remy. Bill of Rights Poster: File Size: 199 kb: File Type: pdf: . - Good supplementary framing around the founding documents and federalism read more. The United States is an indirect democracy or a republic. Students first learn what constitutes a government. Complete List of Documents. Student Web Activity Visit the United States Government: Democracy in Action Web site at gov.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 13 Student Web Activitiesfor an activity about constitutional rights. Each topic by chapter is integrated with all the others in some way. The accuracy of this text is equivalent or higher than any introductory text I am familiar with. Chapter sections are easily divisible and do not overwhelm the reader with too much information in any single subheading. Greek city-state or polis b) New England town meeting c) Abandoned as size of towns increased and issues became more complex 2. I like the additional chapter on State and Local Government (Chap 14). Reviewed by Mary Anne K. Clarke, Adjunct Faculty, Rhode Island College on 4/11/17, American Government by Glenn Krutz covers a lot of ground. The topics in the text are organized, structured, and flow in a logical sequence. As clearly noted, I found far more to like about the text than not. The chapters contain accurate information. The textbook is error-free and unbiased. However, it does do a nice job of considering the broader themes that characterize United States politics today. (2)The ratification process and the Federalist papers refer to the ratification of the Constitution without the Bill of Rights via Art. read more. Unlike many other textbooks, it has a separate chapter on State and Local government which I think would be useful as I found it is helpful for students to understand the lower level governments in relation to the federal government when discussing American politics.