The beginning of each module clearly identifies the learning objectives and is organized in such a way that it can be assigned at any point within the course as the instructor sees fit. There is a good selections of "photographs.". 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. 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 various appendixes include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Federalist 10 and 51 and a couple of other items. The more niche chapters like Public Opinion could use a freshen up on the theoretical concepts. At times, the chapters are heavy with history and not as much with theory. In particular, I would like to see some more/more direct discussion of motivated reasoning. My biggest concerns lie with the unconventional ordering of the material, as well as the density of the text throughout. Chapter 5 . Also, the map on page 15 lists Russia as a representative democracy. Overall, this book is a strong introductory text. The accuracy of this text is equivalent or higher than any introductory text I am familiar with. PDF Us Government Democracy In Action Teacher Edition These long reading stretches are furthermore too frequently interrupted by "Note" features that while allowing for the opening up of key court cases concerning the topic at hand also lengthens the necessary attention span expected of the students beyond a reasonable extent. 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. I did not identify any issues with the accuracy of the textbook content. . I find this a potentially helpful framework to shape my courses. Each chapters is highly segmented into small units that could easily be assigned at different points within the course or adapted into a dynamic class project/activity with high impact. But as I noted above, the unhelpfulness of bolded terms can be genuinely confusing and are inconsistent (Katie Holmes gets bolded? My least favorite chapter concerns Federalism (3), not because of the topic but I just think that chapter is not as informative as others. As another example, the description of Adam Smiths views on wealth accumulation is oversimplified and arguably misleading. This includes a host of the Critical Thinking questions that I found to be on point and thought provoking. read more. pdf: Download File. In addition the appendix with major judicial cases will withstand the passing of time and it isn't difficult to add a couple of relevant cases per judicial year and then review the choices every four or five years. As noted, perhaps the authors will consider a further subdivision in this regard. Moreover, I found the film selection stiflingno documentaries, no TV series, no foreign films. This means that our government is elected by citizens. Each chapter culminates in a Taking Action activity designed to translate learning into informed action. Concepts well explained and presented. Your idea of relevance is not really relevant. Welcome to our textbook for the year. I spent a significant amount of time reviewing and reading this textbook. The index and glossary are well formulated. I only use online textbooks and sources for my classes, but have students who want a hard copy option. All of the topics you would expect to be covered in an American government 101 course are here: origins of our republic, institutions, individual action and collective action. Right from the get go I enjoyed the section on Civic Engagement as 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. In the balance, I recognize the critiques above may not sound like the book is a good resource. I think the book could benefit from a more extensive glossary at the end of each chapter, rather than each section. Madison and Hamilton cite him in the Federalist Papers. There were no issues with this at all. Also, the authors do not explain the Electoral College sufficiently as it relates to the 2 parties. Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. Excellent charts and interactive materiel. However, the preponderance of examples from the Obama and Trump eras will become outdated and need updates supplied by the instructor. Overall, this is a solid choice in terms of comprehensiveness. Reviewed by Angie Hull, Assistant Teaching Professor, MOBIUS on 1/15/19, Comprehensive in terms of concepts and how they related to current ideas. To be clear, it is not culturally insensitive. Textbook solutions. A menu to the left of the online textbook allows readers to quickly and efficiently navigate to another topic of the textbook. 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. Foundations of Geopolitics - Wikipedia This product will be available on 09/22/2015. Information is presented in a logical order. It includes many examples that students with a wide variety of backgrounds and characteristics should be able to relate to. The text being published in 2016, there are several locations that need to be updated. 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. I dont think its as good as hearing from some of the real experts in the field and their approach, and I dont think it would be a good match for some faculty who like to teach from a given perspective. Those items in chapter 8 are among my favorites. 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. Students may understand the material better and make a deeper connection regarding the relationship of the Bureaucracy to the Executive Branch if it is covered after the chapter on the Presidency, before the Courts. An example of a high degree of accuracy is the discussion on the problem of divided government. I think it would be harder to pull apart sections of the book independently and rearrange them. SKU: b117200 . Includes audio, annotation tools, and approaching level option for the student text. I can see myself using this textbook in the future. While there are a few points where the text could be more concise, overall the text is well written and accessible. 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. One designed to be looked at online, another one that is essentially a replica of the printed version. My concern about the text are the hyperlinks and how they are integrated within the content. of the topic in a clear, straightforward way. This is the easiest area for remarks for this review. In Chapter Four, for example, there are six "Note" sections in the first four pages and for the book as a whole, the average is one to two "Notes" per page. The foundational material in each chapter/section is relevant and the examples used to explain/apply such material is more up to date than many for profit books I have read. This is an excellent question. This is disappointing but not fatal as I can update in class using the overhead. The discussion of the Civil Liberties issues in Chapter 4 were particularly well chosen, to the point, and engaging. Otherwise, jargon is well defined and explained with the body of the text itself in such a way that material is accessible to the intended audience. Though as I said before, more recent in time statistics, graphs, charts, and pictures would help, the use of the visuals organizationally as far as charts, maps, and graphs is very good. The opening parts of the book though do focus a bit more on economics than I would prefer. -- to shed light on a wide variety of phenomena and encourage students to think analytically. These subjects were covered using terminology that was timely and clear. One small issue: I found that I could not order a free 'desk' printed version from the publisher, as is standard for normal texts. This book does a much better job of bringing these groups in than some other texts I have seen. United States government : democracy in action by Remy, Richard C; Congressional Quarterly, inc. Overall, it is solid and accurate. Personally, I prefer to teach institutions before individual or collective action, and that looks like it would be easy enough to do with this textbook by simply assigning some of the later chapters first and then coming back to the ones in the middle of the book later. However, the concepts are so strong here (thorough, well laid out) that an The word "democracy" comes from the Greek word "demos" which means "people." The word "democracy" is not used anywhere in the U.S. Constitution. by. The importance of this issue reflects so much for students about the goals of those at the convention and the individuals who ratified the document, coupled with the impact this very high hurdle for change has had on governing in America, leads me to believe that students need more time with this material and a further discussion of the impact that Article V has had. But after that there is some latitude as to which major theme comes next. The text is easily and readily divisible. AP United States Government and Politics - AP Students - College Board . As an instructor, I would readily welcome the adoption of this text and would recommend the assignment of the text as required reading for courses that I regularly teach, including PLS 135: American National Politics, PLS 211: U.S. Government I, and PLS 212: U.S. Government II. Teachers Edition:The print Teacher Wraparound Edition is built on the principles of Understanding by Design. The chapters, at more than thirty pages are relatively long for some students so all of the material within a chapter may not be read. This organization allows instructors and students to easily reference particular sub-units of content. The text is extremely consistent. However, when I went over each chapter in detail I realized that there is no consistency throughout the textbook regarding the film selection. It would be useful to have the endnotes at the end of the chapters. I am glad to have discovered this book. The textbook provides a clear, concise, and easily navigable resource of comprehensive information on the topic of U.S. government. From the founding and Constitution to the major institutions of Congress, Courts, and the Presidency, these major areas are The framework of the chapters is internal consistent. Textbooks Submitted By: Daproim Africa Proofread By: Daproim Africa Usage Restrictions: This is a copyrighted book. However, I cant really think of a way to sidestep these concerns all authors must make choices. AP United States Government and Politics - College Board margin-bottom: 1rem !important; 9780078747625 United States Government Democracy in. Democracy in the United States. Some of the information in it is five years old and the writing does not explore clearly the theory of federalism and its evolution. Sometimes the beginning of the paragraphs are repetitive but this may favor comprehension of the content. 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. This isn't physics, it's politics. 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. In particular, the text's chapters on interest groups and bureaucracy could be kept separated or recombined to provide instruction, as necessary, on the topic of public policy. Instructor and student resources are need improvement. Key terms are included at the end of each chapter. This text is not culturally insensitive. Differentiate with Spanish language resources, and strategies for approaching level, beyond level, and ELL students. Milestone Documents. The content delivers plenty of perspective for students to learn about American government. This book contains everything I need for intro American government classes. 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. I like to 'build' my curriculum from a variety of sources; this book could provide a foundation. This Electoral College voting method is referred to as the district system." The professor can supply larger themes to the broader course and this textbook can fit nearly any theme with important and clear information on American Government. This is evident throughout the text. Accuracy is overall quite good. In terms of content, the textbook has all the chapters one normally expects from an introductory American Government textbook. The content is concise to the point it is accessible for early undergraduates, but also in depth enough that real coverage of the topics exists. American Government 2e offers a comprehensive survey of the core aspects of the US political system. Although the order of the chapters differ from the way I may group chapters together, the book does maintain a consistent pattern based on the logic of the book it presents. But the book helpfully highly new and key phrases, and uses plentiful figures and sidebars to improve clarity. read more. The language seems accessible. 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. Chapters six and seven are uncharacteristic. The authors do a superb job. The book is very comprehensive. Chapter 8 on the Media is the best chapter I've seen on that subject. There isnt much to say here. The organization of topics conforms with what one finds in many other introductory level texts on American Government. There are a number of instances where, as was previously noted, there are significant blocks of text in long paragraphs without subheadings or some other type of break. The text does not contain any grammatical errors. V of the Constitution. I am impressed with the comprehensiveness of the textbook. al consideration. Zip. The textbook follows the usual model of an American Government textbook. Because of the breakdown by the author, students can tackle smaller blocks of material easily and I believe that this will help with comprehension of the material. While the textbook references race, ethnicity, gender, and other identities in expected chapters like Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, and even the Media, overall the textbook offers a limited approach to identity politics in the context of American politics and government. Given by award-winning professors and experts in their field, these recorded lectures dive deep into the worlds of religion, government, literature, and social justice. I appreciate the spacing of the material, and think that it makes it very clear and readable. Others may view this as a downside, because students will have less guidance in identifying the major themes or "thesis" of the course. Nearly every chapter has classic and current concepts to understand the evolution and development of institutions. Reviewed by Leslie Caughell, Assistant Professor, Virginia Wesleyan College on 2/8/17, This book is very comprehensive. It covers all the areas that may be taught in an American Government intro class. The text then moves through its substantive topics in a coherent manner with useful transitions between topics.