united states government: our democracy textbook pdf

Reviewed by Leo Keneally, Associate Professor, Thomas Nelson Community College on 3/29/19, The textbook covers all the essential parts of American government. United States Government Manual - Getting Started read more. Overall, the organization and flow of the textbook is logical and it follows a traditional American Government textbook. The structure is on par with leading texts in this area. In updates to this text, it may be useful to search for more contemporary illustrations of key concepts, and this would be a relatively easy fix to implement. 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 concepts Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy are key to an American Government course. The topics seem to be organized in a clear, logical fashion, with no jarring transitions. 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 . Overall, the textbook is written in a traditional format. There were no issues with this at all. Separation of powers refers to the process of dividing government into different branches and giving . Differentiate with Spanish language resources, and strategies for approaching level, beyond level, and ELL students. The analysis of Presidents attending Ivy League institutions is a bit misleading as evidence of elitism, for example. United States Government: Democracy in Action - FREE PDF PDF EBOOK United States Government Democracy In Action. I was actually surprised at the 'updatedness" of the book. 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. The word "democracy" comes from the Greek word "demos" which means "people." The word "democracy" is not used anywhere in the U.S. Constitution. Most of the content of the different chapters focus on the mechanics of the system and on relevant examples that will be important for years to come. American Government by Krutz and Waskiewicz is an exceptionally good textbook. This provides the Media with an opportunity to fill this vacuum. The details and interpretations of major issues provided by the text are accurate and helpful. It is both well researched and written. This is a welcome inclusion: Although most Americans interact far Modularity is important for me as I usually find myself teaching "out of order" with respect to the book's chapter organization. But as I noted above, the unhelpfulness of bolded terms can be genuinely confusing and are inconsistent (Katie Holmes gets bolded? It is licensed as such: Portions may be subject to prior copyright or may be in the Public Domain. The hard copy version is sold by Amazon and other online retailers for about $20 (not sure it includes color for that price). One note of concern is that the captions thereon in many instances are not fully compatible for a text reader. The text covers everything that an introduction to American government should. United States Government Our Democracy Chapter 1 PDF - BOOK KEG Wish contents would take me straight to the chapter I click. The modularity of the chapters should allow the instructor to more effectively chunk material than most other textbook options. Unit II Assignments. I found the text to be eminently user friendly with no issues what so ever navigating within the chapters. The terms is not introduced again in the public opinion chapter. The text uses the 2016 election, in particular, to help the reader better understand the varying voting methods within the Electoral College by stating: "In 2016, Republican Donald Trump won one congressional district in Maine, even though Hillary Clinton won the state overall. Enlightened understanding 4. It covers necessary topics clearly and comprehensively. The textbook content is clearly organized into sensible modules. The text would be very easy to divide into smaller sections. The book is comprehensive, covering the major topics one would expect to find in a U.S. government textbook. I have not noticed any internal tensions or inconsistencies within the text. I think the book could benefit from a more extensive glossary at the end of each chapter, rather than each section. Similar to other Introduction to American Government textbooks this book covers the typical material and then some. There could be more treatment of the concept of power in the beginning of the book. Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. Technical terms are clearly explained allowing the typical college to understand unfamiliar terms/concepts. Overall the textbook is highly consistent. The book was not culturally insensitive or offensive. LearnSmart with SmartBook adaptive ebook helps students learn faster, study more efficiently, and retain more knowledge. The text is highly segmented, which may seem overwhelming at first, but flows in a way that makes sense. At the edges, the composition of Congress and descriptive representation will need to be updated. 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 content of the book is accurate. An instructor could easily rearrange the order of topics without presenting much disruption to the reader. Comprehensive in terms of concepts and how they related to current ideas. The framework/layout of each chapter is consistent which is an aid to both the instructor and the reader. The chapter on civil rights includes sections on African Americans, women, native Americans, Alaskans, Hawaiians and the LGBTQ community. The book clearly defines all the terms and theories and in plain language for non-majors to understand. The coverage and scope is presented in a way that is well organized, concise, and engaging. It is impossible to cover all the material in a quarter college course, this format allows selective teacher emphasized learning outcomes. But fundamentally, I often found myself searching for particular lessons, only to find the introduction to those lessons a bit dry or even meandering. $47.96. Finally, as noted earlier, the book does a nice job of showing that Congress is growing more diverse, while at the same time acknowledging the many ways that Congress is still not representative of the American public (Chapter 11, Congress). .nav-contain-highered p{ 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. Ideas are presented in a clear, logical fashion, and transitions between sections flow smoothly. However, the preponderance of examples from the Obama and Trump eras will become outdated and need updates supplied by the instructor. It also seems like there are only answers to select questions? 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 American Government by Glenn Krutz covers a lot of ground. My preference would be to have these topics addressed earlier on in the textbook. One of many things I like about this textbook is that it is well organized throughout. I saw no problems here. The Constitution of the United States | National Archives For example, Plato and Aristotle are not included in the further readings of the introductory chapter on government. 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. It includes the entire student text along with a variety of planning and instructional support for the print and digital resources. First, on page 15, in Figure 1.6, is a map illustrating different forms of government throughout the world. The process of Amending the Constitution is under developed. line-height: 1.5 !important; Grammar and sentence structure are appropriate for the reading comprehension level expected in an introductory level course. The textbook is structured in a logical manner with chapters that have clearly defined subareas that more than adequately provide students with an understanding of American government. The book is up to date and has most of the usual citations one would expect of an Introduction to American Government text. My preferred text, The Logic of American Politics (Kernell et al. 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. There are numerous ways to define or describe political power, and they should be conveyed in the textbook. If anything, the text may be a bit on the long side. To report a technical problem with this Web site, please contact the Web Producer.Web . Sentence structure and grammar are excellent. The text then moves through its substantive topics in a coherent manner with useful transitions between topics. The president can also send troops into battle, and nominate individuals to serve in the cabinet or on the Supreme Court. The information presented in the text book is accurate and comparable to all other books I have used on the market. However, clearly, the information in this textbook is presented, in a manner that allows for updating as changing occur with major political events, elections, Supreme Court decisions, demographical data, and public opinion. United States Government Our Democracy | Bookshare An example of a high degree of accuracy is the discussion on the problem of divided government. The only suggestion that I would make is to include a little bit more political psychology, especially in the chapters on public opinion and the media. However, there were some paragraphs, that were a bit wordy and I am concerned that at times the author may lose the student due to this wordiness. Reviewed by Eric Radezky, Adjunct Professor, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY on 5/21/18, This textbook is very comprehensive. PDF The State of Democracy in the United States - CGTN If the candidate fails to achieve 270 votes, then the election is sent to the House of Representatives. The book certainly has all of the topics expected of an Introduction to American Government text. Constitutional Democracy Worksheets & Teaching Resources | TpT I am using this text in lieu of my regular purchased text for my intro class and I am excited for the possibilities available given the interesting and useful ways the authors have organized the material in the book - while ensuring all the bread & butter chapters for an intro American Gov text are here. I did not identify any issues with the accuracy of the textbook content. The book does a nice job of bringing in gender concerns throughout the text, as well. The Right to Privacy section of Chapter 4, Section 4 that describes activity from the 9th and 10th Amendments is well done. read more. The links that I checked were still functioning. 1. However, chapters are sometimes questionably or confusingly organized, and compress wider subjects that usually receive broader treatment into footnotes or brief passages. Republic vs. Democracy: What Is the Difference? - ThoughtCo The cited political science literature is excellent. It also includes a chapter on 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. These examples were not solely places in the civil right unit, but incorporated throughout the text; which is significant. The book also does not always allow the reader to skip pages or go straight to a section to read. The book is very comprehensive. I choose this title because it underlines student political participation. 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. 34 Question #69. The chapters are well organized and user friendly. A good example of such are the Continuing Challenges sections. The "finding a middle ground" boxes are a neat idea, particularly in the context of an increasingly polarized country. This book uses clear language and of-the-moment context that brings the idea of government to life. Page_number_confidence 94.70 Pages 922 Pdf_module_version 0.0.20 Ppi 386 Related-external-id urn:isbn:0078786886 urn:oclc:435012046 urn:isbn:0078784050 urn:isbn:0078747627 urn:oclc . The coverage of competing philosophies of Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint in Chapter 13, Section 5 nicely presents these approaches to novice readers. I think it would be very easy to pick and choose which parts of the book you would want to assign. I do not think this book is at all culturally insensitive. The canonical terms of introductory American Government are present and defined adequately. The book is available in multiple formats. are excellent for visual learners and certainly enhance the message of each section/chapter. A number of important factors are left out. Many different races, backgrounds, ethnicities are presented to give the reader a well-rounded picture of how all different groups participate in the American governmental process. The text's modularity is such that the instructor that would be able to easily reorganize and realign the readings to fit the curricular requirements of the course taught. }, United States Government: Our DemocracyRemy Ritchie Arbetman Scott Hanson. Below are the modifiedexcerpts that are assigned to you. and J. D. and Lee Arbetman and Megan L. Hanson and M.S. American Government - 3e - Open Textbook Library This text can definitely be broken down not only by chapter but by sections. United States Government Our Democracy | Bookshare Has good index. I found the organization of chapters a bit unconventional, and certainly different than the way I teach this course. 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. However, the concepts are so strong here (thorough, well laid out) that an 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. United States Government Our Democracy Textbook PDF It is comparable to other American Government textbooks, and I will consider using it in my future courses. In some cases, students are somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of information presented in the text, but I have found that guiding their attention to certain key sections can help to avoid this obstacle. The book is very accessible. Product details Publisher : McGraw Hill; 1st edition (August 11, 2014) Language : English . If practical, it would be helpful if there were a hyperlink to OYEZ or Cornell LII for each case. The text is free from interface issues as it was easy to read and navigate, and the graphics displayed properly. The textbook contains sections and subsections within the chapters with independent learning objectives. That noted, I will assign a section or two to aid in a specific class activity and these chapters can be used to supplement material in another course or two, particularly State & Local Government. This looks like an excellent resource--well researched and in depth. Traditional Democratic Theory 1. It was updated in 2020. I believe that modularity is one of the strengths of this text. If faculty want to remove a section, it is not difficult for students to follow the main concepts. The book is consistent with similar complementary materials. With a publication date of 2019, this text contains updates references both the presidential elections of 2016 and the midterm elections of 2018. Afterwards, the Bill of Rights was adopted to appease anti-federalist and it was ratified in an amendment process of Art. This is a positive choice as it provides students with some knowledge of state and local government without usurping the information that is taught in a state and local government class. The chapters have a mix of history, current facts and evidence along with key concepts traditional of American government texts. The writing is clear and accessible to an introductory-level undergraduate reader. It would be useful to have the endnotes at the end of the chapters. The text is not overladen with jargon, and when specialized terms are used, there is an effort to provide definitions for terms. 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. I liked the film recommendations as references, although I wondered why they only came after three chapters (Intro, Congress, Courts)? For example, reelection rates to Congress stops at 2014. There's A LOT of flexibility with the text content. The text follows the standard format for American Government texts. Reading and writing support such as guided notes, vocabulary pop-ups, and graphic organizers help improve understanding of the content. 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. Most importantly, the emergence of Donald Trump simply alters how the institution of the presidency communicates and respects (or doesn't respect) past institutional norms. The textbook is consistently outlined. From an aesthetic perspective, the textbook has a fair amount of graphic material that is appealing to students. There were graphics to illustrate some of the material, and it is nice that PDF and online versions are available. In this textbook, you will find a built-in structure that helps you identify the key concept in every lesson and see it in action. In addition, some of the information on the map can be confusing for students: the UK is a monarchy and a democracy; and some countries that appear as democracies are transitioning to democracy or are really autocracies. I did not notice anything offensive, but the textbook could be updated in the future on the topic of transgender individuals. Finally, there is no sufficient definition of due process anywhere in the book. Toward Collective Action: Mediating Institutions, Delivering Collective Action: Formal Institutions. In fact, Kurtz et al. But the chapter in Foreign Affairs (Chap 17) is thin and needs more meat. How the Iroquois Great Law of Peace Shaped U.S. Democracy In doing so, the approach seeks to provide instructors with ample opportunities to open discussions, extend and update concepts, and drive deeper engagement. The textbook is error-free and unbiased. United States government : democracy in action - Internet Archive Students may struggle with somewhat dated, routine examples. Not every one covers Civil Rights and Liberties or Foreign and Domestic Policy, but this text does offer a chapter on each of those. Useful explanation with visual of common goods & excludability; unitary, federation and confederation; contents/concepts of Constitutional amendments. The attention to both content and process in the chapters on policy is useful. The text was clear and devoid of any unnecessary jargon. Thorough coverage of the main thematic areas generally addressed by introductory American Government textbooks. read more. While there are changes I would like to see, that is true for any book. The use of the Electoral College and same-sex marriage across chapters are examples that I found useful in this regard. This New Deal-era publication was published initially as a loose-leaf notebook, its pages held in place by three metal rings. The text does not contain any grammatical errors. Regarding 7.3 Direct Democracy, although I understand why it is where it is currently, I think that the concept needs to be covered earlier in the text (time of American founding perhaps or even in the first chapter if possible). Material is presented in an unbiased manner without any noticeable errors. It does not explain some additional reasons why the two-party system in the U.S. persists. The authors certainly did not skimp on providing information nor did they fail to provide source material in most instances. For example, p. 44. and in most of the chapters. But after that there is some latitude as to which major theme comes next. VII of the Constitution. Democracy Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster Most textbooks for undergraduates in this topic area American Government 2e offers a comprehensive survey of the core aspects of the US political system. The Organization of American States (OAS) is the world's oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States, held in Washington, D.C., from October 1889 to April 1890. I am skeptical that I really liked that it had information from the 2016 election, as that is interesting to many students. But by sticking to institutional logic, historical examples, and well-established topic controversies that are not going to go away (abortion, executive orders and the use of force, the civil service), the book does an excellent job at avoiding the publishing industrys penchant for planned obsolescence. I found my iPad did not always work well with it. It also includes a chapter on State and Local Government. The concise introductions at the beginning of each chapter effectively frame the chapter topic. This text could very easily replace the book I have used ("We the People") for the past 3 years. Modularity is excellent. Reviews. There are some nice inserts in each chapter called Link to Learning. My own opinion is that the biggest shortcoming is a lack of current events coverage. Building Democracy for All - EdTech Books There seems to be a great emphasis on students and the system, as indicated in Part 1, and civic engagement more generally. The book seems unbiased - and includes the traditional readings of American Government. The chapters contain accurate information. This textbook is very clear and straightforward. The text is written in a clear and accessible way. The writing is clear and error-free. Grammar was excellent. Where is the concept of deterrence? The authors for this book have used a standard structure that will stay relevant as long as any other. The text is highly relevant for students studying American government and politics today and will serve students well in subsequent years without seeming obsolete. I found it very appropriate for undergraduates. This is the first time that I have thoroughly reviewed an open source textbook for potential use in a course, and I was impressed by the overall quality of the book. I found the textbook culturally sensitive and in no way offensive. The book builds upon what students have already learned and emphasizes connections between topics as well as between theory and applications. As always, you have the flexibility to organize the course content as you like. Overall, all expected topics, and then some, are covered, hence the text is certainly comprehensive enough by any measure of expectation in an introduction to American government text. Because the textbook has less of an editorial voice, it is easier to move chapters around. . Everything appears to be up to date, especially in the Voting and Elections chapter, with 2012 statistics and current pictures. Multiple perspectives on issues and areas of controversy are acknowledged.Enduring themes and tensions between ideas and realities are presented in a way that is not reductive. 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. I clicked on many, but was not taken to that particular resource. Each chapter includes an introduction, theory and history of particular governmental entity, Links to Learning credible websites, graphs, photos, documents, Insider Perspectives introducing a biography of an icon of the chapter, ways to engage in real life government , glossary, and Bibliography for Further Study including books and films. Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. Almost all said that the United States . The content of the work is accurate and unbiased. Overall, this is a good text that seems to be accessible for student learning. It focuses on the importance of community engagement and social responsibility among middle and high school studentscore themes in the Massachusetts 8th Grade History & Social Science Curriculum Framework. 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 book is actually slightly longer and denser than other texts I have assigned for an introductory course in American One designed to be looked at online, another one that is essentially a replica of the printed version. Within each of the chapters, there are sections which provide clear learning objectives, summaries, key terms, and opportunities for assessment with multiple-choice and short-response review questions. 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. Students at all levels will have no difficulty with the language used therein. : My goal in writing this book is to help you develop the knowledge, skills, and ideals you need to protect your own freedom; to keep democracy alive in the United States. I found the language clear. There are occasional editorial comments and examples of protests which suggest liberal criticisms of the status quo.