Additional sections within a chapter or sub-sections within a section and/or more topic headings could break up the volume of information into smaller chunks for the reader, especially one who may have distractions present. The text does not contain any grammatical errors. This is an excellent question. Would be nice to build out the list for a bunch of other chapters as well. Usually the image it only an inch or two from the Figure citation, but not always clear. Mediating Institutions and Collective Action 4. According to But fundamentally, I often found myself searching for particular lessons, only to find the introduction to those lessons a bit dry or even meandering. 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. read more. And sections on the actually branches of government come near the end. Ways to Participate in Our Democracy 59. American Government 3e aligns with the topics and objectives of many government courses. The text will be accessible to students. Reviewed by Eric Goddard, Lecturer, Trine University on 5/28/19, The book is comprehensive, covering the major topics one would expect to find in a U.S. government textbook. One of the first things that I check when reviewing any textbook is the organization of the information in the table of contents for its structure. Consistently uses contemporary examples. } 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. The content of the text features contemporary examples and events situated within historical and theoretical contexts. The 2020 census will alter the reapportionment section on Congress and the Electoral College. There is a good selections of "photographs.". This is a very attractive and comprehensive text that is in many ways an improvement on the texts I have used for my American Government class. As another example, the description of Adam Smiths views on wealth accumulation is oversimplified and arguably misleading. You can use that resource if you would prefer, but you're responsible for locating the correct excerpts. No Rating Yet Discover. This product will be available on 09/22/2015. It even has a section on Civil Rights and Native Americans. The US is dominated by a rich and powerful elite. For example, the civil rights chapter is organized into five components, including: 1) what are civil rights, 2) African-American civil rights, 3) women's civil rights, 4) civil rights for indigenous groups, and 5) equal protection for other groups. 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. 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. I did not read the text cover to cover, but it seems largely to be free of grammatical errors. Key words repeated throughout so students would be exposed them at various points in the text. It covers all the bases of an Introduction to American Government and then some. From the origins of the US political system, the constitutional framework, participatory inputs, formal institutions, and public policy, the major points are I have used this text this semester (fall 2017) here at Penn State Berks with good success. In short, more up to date statistics and graphics should be there. The work provides a comprehensive overview of both the formal and informal political institutions that one would expect to find in an introductory-level American Government text. In particular, I would like to see some more/more direct discussion of motivated reasoning. By the standards of Introduction to American Politics textbooks, this is a comprehensive offering. The text is extremely consistent. That seems to make the text even more "modular" than would normally be expected. It is a good alternative to expensive textbooks. read more. The book is very comprehensive. I saw no issues there. There is no unifying logic, but the lack of this epistemological perspective is one strength of the book. I agree that the content is relevant, and can be easily updated. The situation is presented to students in a completely objective fashion. Log in to your program from these platforms: McGraw Hill Science Interactives (612), .bs3-nav-link-support a{ Pretty standard for many similar texts and courses. Electoral case studies provide for a story within a history. It includes many examples that students with a wide variety of backgrounds and characteristics should be able to relate to. But that does not render it an invalid tool. The topics in the text are presented in a clear and logical fashion. Greek city-state or polis b) New England town meeting c) Abandoned as size of towns increased and issues became more complex 2. The text is very culturally sensitive and I see no cultural offensiveness. I am skeptical that instructors can get through 17 chapters in a normal semester, but the material is nice to have if desired. And finally, it contains both sections on individual rights and liberties as well as policy and bureaucracy. The Colonial Experience. The modularity of the chapters should allow the instructor to more effectively chunk material than most other textbook options. The text is free of interface issues; charts and graphics are clear and are explained and analyzed. The text moves cleanly through concepts and important sections of each chapter. The framework of the chapters is internal consistent. Analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources including text excerpts, political cartoons, photographs, graphs, charts, and maps. The book covers all of the basic components of American government. I found the text to be eminently user friendly with no issues what so ever navigating within the chapters. The accuracy of the content presented in the Kurtz et al book is as accurate and unbias as one would expect. The discussion of the Civil Liberties issues in Chapter 4 were particularly well chosen, to the point, and engaging. The graphics tables, charts, photos and the like are effective visual representations of important information and all appeared to display properly both online and in the PDF. I appreciate the spacing of the material, and think that it makes it very clear and readable. This was an early indication of the accuracy of the textbook. I recommend considering the use of this book for an introductory American Government course. when necessary. For example, what were free people color doing while such issues as Shay Rebellion and debates about military involvement in the Revolutionary War were going on . The text does a good job of covering the standard content (governments, federalism, civil rights, separation of powers, media, etc.). The text is written in a clear and accessible way. While things may change quickly in American government, a lot stays the same. 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. Such being said, I believe this textbook is far ahead of other options I have seen as far as modularity and the ability for the instructor to chunk portions of the chapter for the assigned reading each week. The text covers everything that an introduction to American government should. Identify politics should be present in more sections of the text. The language seems accessible. One note of concern is that the captions thereon in many instances are not fully compatible for a text reader. The first unit of the text ('Students and the System') outlines the necessary historical context without getting too bogged down in general introduction. But the book helpfully highly new and key phrases, and uses plentiful figures and sidebars to improve clarity. The book is accurate and error-free. 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I think the book could benefit from a more extensive glossary at the end of each chapter, rather than each section. The book is comprehensive, covering the major topics one would expect to find in a U.S. government textbook. Students will develop an appreciation for the value of citizenship and civic . Everything in this textbook looks accurate to me. 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 Randall Newnham, Professor of Political Science, Penn State University, Berks Campus on 2/1/18, Coverage same as most standard Am Gov textbooks, with chapters organized same as most (expensive) standard texts and each chapter about as long as standard texts. The book's seventeen chapters are well-divided into five parts. These officials represent the citizens' ideas and concerns in government. Likewise, the reasoning in Chapter 9 Political Parties as to why we have only two major parties lacks depth. Overall, I like the text very much. Established in the introduction are the necessity and rationale for student interest and participation in their government. One issue that does not receive a lot of direct attention is American political culture, including the values that underlie our democratic system, but this can be supplied complementary readings. Enrollment . Use it to preview online test questions or print for paper and pencil tests. This immediately gives an indication of how the material will flow. United States Government: A Textbook | Mr. E's Codex The United States has a complex government system. While some sentences are a bit languid and I might have organized thoughts differently, there is no direct error in any sentence that I could see. It includes the entire student text along with a variety of planning and instructional support for the print and digital resources. This organization allows instructors and students to easily reference particular sub-units of content. In addition to the readings at the end of the book like The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and Federalist #10 and Federalist #51, the textbook includes links to other readings and primary source documents to supplement the material. Also, each chapter sticks to an identical structure.