united states government: our democracy textbook pdf

This New Deal-era publication was published initially as a loose-leaf notebook, its pages held in place by three metal rings. I was able to move freely throughout the textbook with ease, experiencing no navigational difficulties and without finding any display features that were distracting or confusing. I believe that modularity is one of the strengths of this text. For students looking to identify key terms, this bolding does feel mightily inconsistent. Diverse student populations will appreciate this aspect of the text. The material progresses in a way that makes the most sense. I encourage any professor of U.S. Government to take a good look at this text and strongly consider its adoption. It covers all of the major topics an introductory text should cover and a few others as well. I would not consider this to be a fatal flaw by any means, but one of the advantages of a digital text is that these types of updates are easier to make. 7. I have no comment or assessment of either the usefulness of "supplementary" stuff like outside websites or discussion questions. There are occasional editorial comments and examples of protests which suggest liberal criticisms of the status quo. 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. Reviewed by Charles Young, Associate Professor, Umpqua Community College on 1/3/20, The text covers exactly what an introduction to political science/government textbook should cover. These gaps give the impression that the text has not been properly edited to make sure that text and images are combined the best possible way. Almost all said that the United States . A democracy, consequently, must be confined to a small . The accuracy of the content is reinforced by the textbook's frequent use of references, such as source citations, to articles, books, and studies. Faculty involved in the project have endeavored to make government workings, issues, debates, and impacts meaningful and memorable to students while maintaining the conceptual coverage and rigor inherent in the subject. The textbook is written well. One area it could be more inclusive is by including more primary sources and perspectives from underrepresented groups both as parts of chapters and suggested readings/bibliography citations. This is a welcome inclusion: Although most Americans interact far more with their state and local governments than the national government on a daily basis, historically American government courses have de-emphasized sub-national politics. I certainly will moving forward. But I would rather have it smaller so I .nav-contain-highered{ However, after assigning the questions, I found that the 'full online' version has the review questions INTEGRATED into the text (scattered in the chapter) AND provides ANSWERS to them. margin-bottom: 1rem !important; But as with any American government textbook, this information will need to be periodically updated. I plan to use this textbook in my first year Intro to American Government & Politics classes and will use the State & Local chapter in that class. I never saw any problems with that concern. It also seems like there are only answers to select questions? The text is written in lucid prose with technical terminology highlighted, defined in the text, and listed again in a glossary. I didn't notice any serious grammar problems. I have not tested it on a smartphone; however, on a computer the book is easy to navigate - to move between chapters, sections, pages, etc is easy. Some of the current graphs and charts will need to be updated.The links to learning sections make it possible to quickly find current data and information. I did not notice anything offensive, but the textbook could be updated in the future on the topic of transgender individuals. I have used this text successfully in the classroom, and students generally respond positively to it. I did not find the book cultural insensitive. However, the day after Election Day, this chapter will need an overhaul. This book contains everything I need for intro American government classes. I didnt have any difficulty navigating the book. While most of the narrative text is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections, there are sections that go on for a page and a half of densely worded blocks of text that many of my first and second year students would find challenging in comprehension given that length. Included is a Power Point and outlined note packet that is used to introduce the origins of government for a high school American Government course. SKU: b117200 . American Government is a very comprehensive textbook. read more. To some extent, though, that would make this a book with a specific orientation, which defies one of its strengths. I think it would be easy for me to pick and choose sections of the book to focus on and to present chapters in a customized order. Each module is self-contained with its own summaries, key terms, assessments, and suggestions for further study. Ways to Participate in Our Democracy 59. I don't think that would be a problem here, because the chapters are for the most part logically defined and pretty self-contained. This is particularly identifiable in chapters one and two. Reviewed by Angie Hull, Assistant Teaching Professor, MOBIUS on 1/15/19, Comprehensive in terms of concepts and how they related to current ideas. read more. Zip. 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. The textbook's content is accurate, free from errors, and unbiased. United States Government Democracy in Action Student ~ United States Government Democracy in Action Student Edition GOVERNMENT IN THE 1st Edition by McGrawHill Author 43 out of 5 stars 14 ratings ISBN13 9780078799822 ISBN10 0078799821 Why is ISBN important ISBN This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book Would hope a new edition will be forthcoming over the next year or so? Useful explanation with visual of common goods & excludability; unitary, federation and confederation; contents/concepts of Constitutional amendments. I do find, however, the text to be more densely worded than preferable. Reviewed by Donald Travis, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Gettysburg College on 4/17/20, I like the additional chapter on State and Local Government (Chap 14). 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. The presentation of the material lends itself to be easily modified to accommodate changes in the political sphere. Style is straightforward. On diversity: Notwithstanding the fact that the book has text and images that represent different groups based on sex, race, religion and sexual orientation, among other characteristics; there is general reference to Hispanics being the largest minority group in the first chapter which is supposed to set up the main characteristics of our country. Some texts may cover only one additional chapter other than the The book is competently written and produced. As another example, the description of Adam Smiths views on wealth accumulation is oversimplified and arguably misleading. 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. It even has a chapter on Local government and two policy chapters, Domestic and Foreign. The text is highly relevant for students studying American government and politics today and will serve students well in subsequent years without seeming obsolete. It does not explain some additional reasons why the two-party system in the U.S. persists. I think it does an excellent review of the issue of slavery and how it impacted US government. The textbook is very comprehensive with more than 650 pages of content plus appendices with relevant documents. The text focuses on current events less than many commercial publishers' alternatives (Keeping the Republic comes to mind). It would be useful to have the endnotes at the end of the chapters. The book clearly defines all the terms and theories and in plain language for non-majors to understand. Chapter 8 on the Media is the best chapter I've seen on that subject. Similar to removing the bureaucracy form the discussion of institutions, I found the grouping of Civil Liberties and Civil Rights with Public Opinion and Elections to be an odd placement decision. This book is very comprehensive. The book includes internal links to all notes and figures within the text, and also external web links where relevant. 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 In each unit, there is a clear progression of thought from basic description of concepts toward more critical analysis. 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. are excellent for visual learners and certainly enhance the message of each section/chapter. The book is updated through to the present day. Creating the Constitution. Each chapter is clearly divided into main sections with learning objectives, and there the text is further divided under clearly delineated sub-section heads. As for as substantively, I find the grouping of Chapters 4-7 to be curious. The interface of the textbook is excellent. Generally, I don't think my critique of the modularity poses a problem for the use of this text. A good example of such are the Continuing Challenges sections. Chapter 3. The supplemental materials (graphs, charts, figures, etc.) I assign a chapter every week, so the modularity has not been vital to me. Terminology is placed bolded for easy identification. Its publication in 1997 was well received in Russia; it has had significant influence within the Russian military, police, and foreign policy elites, [1] [2] and has been used as a textbook in the Academy . Examples depicting the new terms are plentiful. I am especially excited about he design combining theory and practice and critical thinking. They examine these conflicts in our democracy by reading primary sources, summarizing based on textual evidence, and beginning analysis of multiple perspectives for text. This course must give freshman students the conceptual baseline tools to advance to the next grade. Yes, the text is clearly divided into sections, chapters, and subchapters, all numerically outlined and structured in a clear way. Sylvie Waskiewicz, PhD, is an editor, researcher and writer who specialties include textbook publishing and e-learning instructional design, including copyediting and proofreading with meticulous review of text, layout, and media from first pages to printer proofs as well as QC of web content (HTML/XML). The text is academic, yet accessible. And, as an instructor, I particularly appreciate the supplemental resources provided for teachers and the study aides in each chapter for students. While there are changes I would like to see, that is true for any book. I found the language clear. This is a welcome inclusion: Although most Americans interact far There is a vibrant discussion in modern research on the balance between socialization and genetics in public opinion research that should be included. I have also discovered no instances in which the presentation seems unduly slanted or biased. The various appendixes include Subchapter titles like organizing to govern are a bit confusing. The text was easily navigable and the Index, search function, and drop-down menus in the Table of Contents functioned seamlessly. Reviewed by Jack Philips, Lecturer, University of Texas at Arlington on 11/12/20, This book contains everything I need for intro American government classes. Similar to other Introduction to American Government textbooks this book covers the typical material and then some. In the book, the word Figure will appear to let the reader know to look for an image. 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. The language might not appeal as well to the Z generation. Overall, this was an excellent e-book. I noticed no issues of the kind. It follows the standard layout of American Government textbooks and offers an effective and easily searchable index. There are even two chapters on public policy, which many basic textbooks omit. 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I also think the book does a good job bringing in gender concerns throughout the text. 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. 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. Students can read individual sections or chapters online (in a way vaguely reminiscent of Wikipedia), they can download a free PDF of the entire book, or more traditional students can order a hard copy of the book from Amazon (at a price that's still less than half of what students might pay for a book from a commercial press). The content is accurate, straightforward, and unbiased. Overall, I like the organization of each chapter with the review questions, further reading and film suggestions. The text would be easily divisible by chapter. I also wish that some videos were integrated into the text as students love videos and this might help to draw them into the content even more. Not a major issue for $40, but annoying. I am strongly considering adopting this for my students, though I wish that it were weightier and lengthier. These subjects were covered using terminology that was timely and clear. Again, the sections of the book include origins of the republic (in this case called "Students and the System"), individual action, collective action, formal institutions and government output. These aren't things I ever bother with in textbooks, so I have no opinion about whether they are useful or not in this case. Reviewed by Leo Keneally, Associate Professor, Thomas Nelson Community College on 3/29/19, The textbook covers all the essential parts of American government. I could go on, but you have some important ones. al have done so in this text. The book was very internally consistent in terms of terminology. The concise introductions at the beginning of each chapter effectively frame the chapter topic. The goal of each section is to enable students not just to recognize concepts, but to work with them in ways that will be useful in later courses, future careers, and as engaged citizens. Great examples, engaging stories, and clever interactive readings; the textbook would be relevant to most community college students today. However I do feel that stylistically the presentation of in-text citations is cumbersome and distracting. 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. Whenever the next update does occur, I would strongly suggest change the order of the paragraphs so Part 4 comes after Part 1. 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. Right from the get go I enjoyed the section on Civic Engagement as The pure number of citations is impressive, however they are shown to the reader throughout a chapter in a separated gray box. The book's organization/structure/flow is very good. In his haste to laud American democracy as a good, if evolving, system, the author sometimes fails to recognize critical perspectives, or interpret them as straw-men. But the textbook does well dealing with less amorphous topics, like the simple history of the Constitution or structural questions; for instance, the discussion of the eccentricities of the double-jeopardy concept. See the License and About pages for more details, as linked below. 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. 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. read more. The book does not seem to be culturally insensitive, and I like the inclusion of the Equal Protection for Other Groups in section 5.5. Yes, the topics are presented in logical and clear fashion. I do not see the natural connection that ties those topics together. To learn more about how the presi-dent makes important decisions and leads our nation, view the Democracy in 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. It covers all the bases of an Introduction to American Government and then some. This is a slightly difficult area to comment on. 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 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. The Greeks are often credited with pioneering a . 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, Page 1 Reading text only The United States is a representative democracy. This isn't physics, it's politics. I believe students prefer more than black and white words. Greek city-state or polis b) New England town meeting c) Abandoned as size of towns increased and issues became more complex 2. The definition of public opinion is probably not as accurate as it could be. Are the media an "it" or a "they?". Then again maybe that is just my bias because of what information was included and what was omitted. Furthermore, it also includes chapters on linkage institutions like parties, interest groups, and the media. Spelling, punctuation and sentence structure were also all very good. United States Government: Our Democracy allows students to master an understanding of the structure, function, and powers of government at all levels. Its framework is solid. This Electoral College voting method is referred to as the district system." While the examples could become outdated, the issues used have been relevant for a long period of time. According to The red links in areas of the textbook are distracting. The topics are presented in a logical and clear fashion. I do think that some modules could be combined, but for the most part the author accomplishes this well. My preference would be to have these topics addressed earlier on in the textbook. I found the book well-organized and based on a logical structure. Learning goals are explicit and each chapter has a clear structure and consistent features that carry throughout the chapters. I saw no problems with the navigation or images. Finally, the "further reading" section is missing major works. read more. (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. 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. I can see myself using this textbook in the future. Chapters are structured in reasonable ways. read more. No Rating Yet Discover. 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. Because the textbook has less of an editorial voice, it is easier to move chapters around. Reviewed by Gina Flakes, Adjunct Professor, Aiken Technical College on 5/24/21, American Government 2e offers a comprehensive survey of the core aspects of the US political system. Overall, this looks like a viable option for an American government 101 course. The reader benefits from content that is organized in a fashion that is both comprehensible and predictable. The text covers all areas that one would expect from an introduction to American Government textbook. Following each chapter are a glossary and comprehension/study questions. ACT & SAT Practice Books. Overall, this is a solid choice in terms of comprehensiveness. At the same time, given the overall quality of this book and the money my students would save if I assigned it, I am seriously considering changing texts for the first time in over a decade. Reviewed by Alexandre Couture Gagnon, Associate Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 10/26/20, This textbook covers the main topics of a course on American government. For example, when discussing the Boston Tea Party, the authors claim, "Today, many who do not agree with the positions of the Democratic of Republican Party have organized themselves into an oppositional group dubbed the Tea Party (41)." There are a couple other places in the text where this is noticeable. Reading and writing support such as guided notes, vocabulary pop-ups, and graphic organizers help improve understanding of the content. To report a technical problem with this Web site, please contact the Web Producer.Web . The text is evenly written with no discernible bias. Origins of American Government Articles of Confederation Power Point Note Packet. American Government 3ealigns with the topics and objectives of many government courses. 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. I have not noticed any internal tensions or inconsistencies within the text. 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 pros and cons of government regulation of group activity (spending) are both presented accurately, and the student is asked to make their own determination. It offers an excellent collection of concepts and ideas useful to political science students. read more. My experience is that a significant number of my students will not read/fully comprehend a 30-40 page chapter at one pass. You can use that resource if you would prefer, but you're responsible for locating the correct excerpts. In fact, I wish there was an entire chapter devoted to Campaigns and Elections. In 1988, the U.S. Senate paid tribute with a resolution 3 that said . The authors or editors clearly made an effort to be inclusive in this chapter. 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. The founding chapter and the Constitution are great chapters and will always be relevant. I believe this textbook is a comprehensive and well written vehicle to aid the instructor and enhance student learning. Uses contemporary examples, but not in depth cases that may be needed in higher level courses. There were no issues with this at all. Chapter 1. I'm seeing paragraph errors on my machine, but that may be unique to me. democracy: key principles, institutions and problems professor david beetham 21 the judiciary in democratic governance: some insights from the indian experience ms. justice m. fathima beevi 31 some important problems and aspects of democracy in the context of the black african states professor abd-el kader boye 37 Differentiate with Spanish language resources, and strategies for approaching level, beyond level, and ELL students. More than other textbooks I have used or read the framework of this textbook is more attuned to my style of teaching and presentation of material. United States Government: Democracy in Action. Students may struggle with somewhat dated, routine examples. However, I always start American Government with a discussion on political culture and that seems to be missing. The text is arranged in a way that necessary updates can be easily integrated. }. Thus, instructors who want to cover highly salient domestic policy issues like healthcare or immigration may need to assign supplements. 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. . , but for next semester, the text needs to provide 2016 turnout and election data. 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. Offers many examples and insights to a wide variety of political views and cultures. United States Government: Our Democracy 2016, LearnSmart Social Studies Overview Flyer. In each chapter, there are charts, diagrams, pictures from the news media that are appropriate, and informative that connect with the material in the chapter. 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. Third, Political Parties should precede elections in the book. read more. The text is generally clear and easy to read, although it may err towards oversimplification is some places. read more. I believe ample coverage of diverse viewpoints and experiences are made use of in this text. The Colonial Experience. Also, the yellow for Saudi Arabia doesn't show up very well. One designed to be looked at online, another one that is essentially a replica of the printed version. The appendix is also important; and for example, it contains the Constitution, and some of the Federalist Papers. The accuracy of this text is equivalent or higher than any introductory text I am familiar with. Some chapters have one; others dont. Words seem arbitrarily capitalized (why capitalize Scalia and McConnell)? Perhaps the next addition could include an index listing the section number of those various tools to make it easier for students to find. The text offers an accurate synthesis of American political scholarship and is presented in an unbiased manner.

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