Generally I would say the text would be easy to divide into smaller subsections. Chapter 8 on the Media is the best chapter I've seen on that subject. I really like that a section on state and local government is included. The book is very comprehensive. Maybe not from top to bottom, but often enough that it is a concern. Title: There's A LOT of flexibility with the text content. As for as substantively, I find the grouping of Chapters 4-7 to be curious. The chapters on civil liberties and civil rights, in particular, demonstrate the cultural relevance of the text. Each chapter starts with basic concepts and moves discussion toward topics which need more critical thinking. The book's layout is consistent. Concept 1: Foundations of Government . In my classes using the book, I have done quite a bit of rearranging. It contains every topic I cover and more in an Introductory course. The text appropriately covers the essential concepts, and their related application, for American government and politics. Using a free text ensures that all students will HAVE the book, which has been a problem for me in recent years with 'standard' texts. This follows from previous comments. This textbook covers all the main topics need for American government 101. 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. 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. Feb. 23, 2017. But I would rather have it smaller so I can add what I think is important than have too much material overwhelm the students. There are numerous features that are used to help students engage with content (summaries, supplemental reading, graphics and break outs). For example, on page 205 of the text, the author writes "With the rise of the Internet and social media, however, traditional media have become less powerful agents of this kind of socialization." Foundations of Our Democracy (Aug 22-26) Monday: Roots of Democratic Government - All About Me (Assignment) . United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Learning Center Online interactive website, accessible with login and password. It's nice to have them in one place, and not all other textbooks do that. This organization allows instructors and students to easily reference particular sub-units of content. It follows the standard layout of American Government textbooks and offers an effective and easily searchable index. In other words, most of the world's countries are parliamentary, not presidential. This edition (2016) has been eclipsed by the huge changes under Trump, but that is also true of all 'standard' texts. Would hope a new edition will be forthcoming over the next year or so? This text can definitely be broken down not only by chapter but by sections. read more. For example, the text's section on "Engagement in a Democracy," outlines how individuals can become more civically engaged and showcases how ordinary people can effect change. By the standards of Introduction to American Politics textbooks, this is a comprehensive offering. The text offers a consistent presentation of terms situated within a logical and approachable framework for college students. I never saw any problems with that concern. These add up quickly and at times break up material where paragraphs or explanations would benefit from remaining connected. The layout is consistent for each chapter, with topic subheadings, feature boxes, links to learning, summaries and glossaries. The content is very up-to-date and includes/examines relevant current issues. I like the "exercises" section for assessment of learning and the "glossaries." Also, each chapter sticks to an identical structure. An example is found in Chapter 13, Section 4 in a visually appealing graphic on the timeline of the Supreme Court justices arriving at the Court. The textbook does not contain a glossary. The accuracy of the content is reinforced by the textbook's frequent use of references, such as source citations, to articles, books, and studies. American Government and Civic Engagement, entire unmodified textbook can be accessed here on OpenStax, SLED (Statewide Library Electronic Doorway), "Slave Streets, Free Streets" - Virtual Tour of Baltimore, c. 1815, World War I: Why Young Men Wanted to Go To War. The book is very comprehensive. A democracy, consequently, must be confined to a small . 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)? Third, Political Parties should precede elections in the book. Generally, I don't think my critique of the modularity poses a problem for the use of this text. Then again maybe that is just my bias because of what information was included and what was omitted. I think it does an excellent review of the issue of slavery and how it impacted US government. As one would expect from a 771-page book, at times there are minor issues. Following this is a separate section on media, parties, and interest groups. al have done so in this text. If the candidate fails to achieve 270 votes, then the election is sent to the House of Representatives. I believe ample coverage of diverse viewpoints and experiences are made use of in this text. The book's content is accurate. 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. There is also a Link to Learning in each module that guides readers to content related updates that are available online. It is pitched at an appropriate level for undergraduates in an introductory class, and is in no way patronizing as some of these books can often be. Seems quite well written. I believe this textbook is a comprehensive and well written vehicle to aid the instructor and enhance student learning. While each citizen only has a small say, they do have some say in how the government is run and who runs the government. I made significant checks throughout the textbook and found it to accurate in the information provided. I have not found inconsistencies in the use of concepts. I found this textbook to have excellent coverage and scope. United States Government - Holt McDougal 2011-02-10 The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America - Richard Rothstein 2017-05-02 New York Times Bestseller Notable Book of the Year Editors' Choice Selection One of Bill Gates' Reviewed by Colin Glennon, Associate Professor, East Tennessee State University on 4/11/19, The book certainly has all of the topics expected of an Introduction to American Government text. This is probably a sensitive issue. Do you need help? The book looks very good, is easily navigable, and has a pleasing visual style (viz. Because of the texts design, I believe that it will be a manageable task to keep it up to date. 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. I found the organization of chapters a bit unconventional, and certainly different than the way I teach this course. The text covers everything that an introduction to American government should. United States Government: A Textbook. Having learning objectives at the beginning of each subsection (not just in a chapter) could help students stay focus on important takeaways. I haven't found inconsistencies throughout the text as to terminology and framework. It provides the necessary information for a student who wants to learn about the American governmental process. Generally speaking, I think this textbook does as good a job at this as any other good textbook. Many varied examples and leaders are highlighted. read more. In doing so, the approach seeks to provide instructors with ample opportunities to open discussions, extend and update concepts, and drive deeper engagement. There seem to be problems with the formatting, though that could just be on machine, with some not converted paragraphs. The pure number of citations is impressive, however they are shown to the reader throughout a chapter in a separated gray box. Individual Agency and Action 3. The text contains no grammatical errors of any significance. He was our longest-serving president and also our best. LBGTQ issues were integrated in many of the chapters and this is refreshing. I did not see any clear grammatical errors in my review. The fully integrated print and digital content of United States Government: Our Democracy is grounded in solid pedagogy, strong authorship, and includes a full suite of thoughtfully designed teaching and learning tools. Instead the chapters information jumps around and the data needs organizing. Usually the image it only an inch or two from the Figure citation, but not always clear. The way the book is organized makes a lot of sense. One issue, however, that might be addressed is with the word "media." I suspect some will like this placement and others not, it is likely a matter or preference, but is worth noting. The text builds on the foundation in a logical and consistent manner. al consideration. The concepts represented in the text also make case teaching via policy/politics news easy, even if the textbooks examples were to be stale - - which they are unlikely to be. presentation. The book is divided into chapters, and then subdivided again into sections. Clear organization led to clarity of content. Afterwards, the Bill of Rights was adopted to appease anti-federalist and it was ratified in an amendment process of Art. The links that I checked were still functioning. 33. I think that the textbook goes too far in this direction. This . The book does a nice job of acknowledging racial injustice at the time of the American founding, including the Three-Fifths Compromise, as well as the importance of the Civil War Amendments in beginning to correct those wrongs (p. 63). Overall, the text is free of interface issues and navigation problems; the main drawback is the sheer volume of links - can get a bit cumbersome. Also, when you click, for example, chapter 2, you cannot go directly to chapter 2, but you have to click the Intro first. The only section that I would point to specifically that I think could be improved significantly comes in Chapter 2, Section 5 and the discussion of Constitutional Change. The discussion of the Civil Liberties issues in Chapter 4 were particularly well chosen, to the point, and engaging. The narrative is engaging and very well written. This is a well put together textbook and with periodic revisions should be useful for students of American government for many years and decades to come. You have been searching for correct information on United States Government Our Democracy Textbook . The text is easily and readily visible and permits an instructor to select what to cover based on the learning objectives of each chapter. The updates for most chapters should be easily accomplished. I spent a significant amount of time reviewing and reading this textbook.