united states government: our democracy textbook pdf

united states government: our democracy textbook pdf

I think students would have an easier time digesting the information in this book than some of the other textbooks I have used. Recent elections and the up to date makeup of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches are provided, along with the most recent as possible statistical aspects of our bureaucracy. I do wish there was a bit more of a unified explanatory framework that was used throughout the chapters, though. 2. From the founding and Constitution to the major institutions of Congress, Courts, and the Presidency, these major areas are all covered. I like how there are separate chapters for Civil Liberties and Civil Rights. I like how you included the FCC. Books.Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy . For the most part, you could move around chapters if not sections. The chapter summaries, quizzes, the suggestions for extra activities in particular are useful. I spent a significant amount of time reviewing and reading this textbook. This is probably a sensitive issue. It follows the standard layout of American Government textbooks and offers an effective and easily searchable index. It also includes a chapter on Following Are the media an "it" or a "they?". 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, However, it would be helpful if there were a way to transition back to the main body of the text from the note in question. And finally, it contains both sections on individual rights and liberties as well as policy and bureaucracy. Modularity is important for me as I usually find myself teaching "out of order" with respect to the book's chapter organization. The writing appears to be objective and factually correct. This means that pretty much every major topic you could want is in this book and all you have to do is choose which chapters you want to cover. The Greeks are often credited with pioneering a . have even added very impressive policy chapters (domestic and foreign) that you only see on occasion. Basics of American Government - University of North Georgia The textbook is error-free and unbiased. Reviewed by Shawn Osborne, Instructor, Portland Community College on 8/21/16, As an introduction to American Government, the text covers the areas and ideas of the subject at a very comprehensive level. Aristotelian "rule of the many" (direct or participatory democracy) a) Fourth-century B.C. The Colonial Experience. Electoral case studies provide for a story within a history. The textbook contains sections and subsections within the chapters with independent learning objectives. The textbook is a PDF and presents no problem in terms of viewing. Also, the map on page 15 lists Russia as a representative democracy. This is an excellent question. Understanding Economics. Do away with elections and democracy itself might be saved, argues Alexander Guerrero. There is an additional chapter on State & Local government aside from the chapter on federalism - which offers Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. It does not explain some additional reasons why the two-party system in the U.S. persists. textbooks Openlibrary_work OL2298885W . Some of the pages could use a little more color to add some pop. The book addresses difficult issues in an appropriate way. Yet both Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh are not present in the graphic. This is a very impressive work, and I will most certainly adopt this book. The authors or editors clearly made an effort to be inclusive in this chapter. The online availability is of course also excellent for today's students. The book is very comprehensive. It is certainly a viable option for my course. The 'Insider Perspective' sections in each chapter reflect this in their profiles of diverse individuals. Nearly every chapter has classic and current concepts to understand the evolution and development of institutions. United States Government: Our Democracy, Student Edition Hardcover full-color textbook divided into chapters and lessons, with table of contents, atlas, glossary, and index, 952 pages]. The glossary of terms after each chapter and the illustrations, examples, color pictorials and web links are all critical to the issue of clarity. I have not noticed any internal tensions or inconsistencies within the text. 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. The book builds upon what students have already learned and emphasizes connections between topics as well as between theory and applications. For instance, I find the unit groupings to be effective and have always taught special interest groups before Congress. The etymological origins of the term democracy hint . It is only mentioned in the chapter on civil rights. For example, the term latent opinion comes up in the introductory chapter. Ive covered organization under clarity above, so setting this aside, the textbook is good at being consistent in its tone and content, and chapters are easy enough to utilize. 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. While some textbooks do delve deeper into certain subjects (seemingly at random), it is good to see a textbook that offers nuts and bolts that will make it usable to nearly any instructor, allowing them ample room to discuss areas of their expertise without conflicting with the textbook. Although the book does not add a specific domestic policy area, the choice of three areas on domestic policy, foreign policy and state and local government is refreshing. Well-regarded global democracy indexessuch as Freedom House, 2 Varieties of Democracy, 3 and the Economist Intelligence Unit 4all show an erosion of American democracy since 2016. The required terminology for the curriculum is present with context in every chapter. Reviewed by Matthew Jacobsmeier, Associate Professor, West Virginia University on 4/15/20, The book covers all the main topics that good introductory American Government textbooks typically cover and also includes chapters on topics that are not covered in detail in many textbooks. The text moves cleanly through concepts and important sections of each chapter. It is licensed as such: Portions may be subject to prior copyright or may be in the Public Domain. Concerns: Textbook lacks yearly/semester pacing guide, limited ability to edit teacher resources . 334-335). The book is very comprehensive. There are even two chapters on public policy, which many basic textbooks omit. It covers all the areas that may be taught in an American Government intro class. 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. There certainly is enough relevant and timely material to assign a chapter per week for the one semester Intro type class, especially when combined with the supplementary material noted above. That said, many of what appear to be hotlinks in the text did not work when I tested them in December 2018. 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 book is accurate with but few exceptions. One note of concern is that the captions thereon in many instances are not fully compatible for a text reader. I can see myself using this textbook in the future. Spelling, punctuation and sentence structure were also all very good. The online navigation is exceptionally good. The text provides a very objective and accurate account of the full layout of American government. Generally speaking, I think this textbook does as good a job at this as any other good textbook. There are some nice inserts in each chapter called Link to Learning. The text, while voluminous, should be readily understandable to the typical student. The president can also send troops into battle, and nominate individuals to serve in the cabinet or on the Supreme Court. If anything, the text may be a bit on the long side. So do be sure, if adopting this text, to carefully preview the chapters for any issues like this. There is a standard form to intro Am Gov textbooks, and this one is pretty typical. The text acknowledges multiple perspectives of race, ethnicity, gender, ability and other backgrounds. 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. No Rating Yet Discover. Multiple perspectives on issues and areas of controversy are acknowledged.Enduring themes and tensions between ideas and realities are presented in a way that The material is easily divisible. Also, the yellow for Saudi Arabia doesn't show up very well. I think it would be harder to pull apart sections of the book independently and rearrange them. To report a technical problem with this Web site, please contact the Web Producer.Web . read more. 11th Amendment: Grants states immunity from outside lawsuits, 1795. . The text can easily be divided into modules. the Cold War era is not well articulated. read more. Reviewed by Rolfe Peterson, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Susquehanna University on 2/11/20, This textbook is extremely comprehensive. Right from the get go I enjoyed the section on Civic Engagement as many textbooks do not cover civic engagement to the level it was covered in this text. font-weight: 400 !important; I appreciate the spacing of the material, and think that it makes it very clear and readable. Everything seems consistently written and well-integrated. I did not notice a significant number of grammatical errors. US Government Textbook PowerPoints - McGrawHill; Power Points Economics; Power Point files from US Government: Mr. Juan Calderon. font-weight: 400 !important; However, the day after Election Day, this chapter will need an overhaul. Moreover, I found the film selection stiflingno documentaries, no TV series, no foreign films. It offers an excellent collection of concepts and ideas useful to political science students. government, this book integrates instruction about state and local government throughout, rather than relegating these vital institutions to a unit at the end. The chapter on Congress should also be updated and with data from 2016 and 2018. Democracy and government, the U.S. political system, elected officials and governmental institutions Americans are generally positive about the way democracy is working in the United States. The authors do a superb job. I am skeptical that 1. For instance, right off the bat, the critique of socialism seems to take the position that socialism is inherently and entirely distinct from our system, which isnt accurate. To learn more about how the presi-dent makes important decisions and leads our nation, view the Democracy in This is something that can be adjusted by the instructor, and I rarely teach in the order books present the material anyway. Furthermore, it also includes chapters on linkage institutions like parties, interest groups, and the media. For over eight decades, The United States Government Manual has been the "official handbook" of the Federal Government. Building Democracy for All is an interactive, multimodal, multicultural, open access e-book for teaching and learning key topics in United States Government and Civic Life. The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. Reviewed by John Herbert, Instructor, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids, MN on 6/15/19, The material offered more than meets the appropriate standard for a textbook used in a first or second year course in American Government and Politics. The president signs bills into law or vetoes them. Perhaps its status as an open textbook is one reason why it is so easy to avoid a chapter on Trumps tweets, as this is stuff that publishers vaunt as the need for new editions. ISBN. By avoiding the topics and the conversations, the text is not allowing students to civically engage in discussions and learning. Instructors will have no difficulty omitting certain topics/chapters. The continuing calls for student engagement is also a nice addition in that it allows the student to see more of how they can be active participants in governing beyond just paying taxes or voting. I use review questions in each chapter for mandatory homework. The information is presented in a logical way. The text focuses on current events less than many commercial publishers' alternatives (Keeping the Republic comes to mind). Our students love videos---was it a conscious decision not to include video links? On the Appendices section, I like that it includes an appendix with relevant court cases (Appendix E). I did not see any issues with the accuracy of the book. In fact, I wish there was an entire chapter devoted to Campaigns and Elections. 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. It offers an excellent collection of concepts and ideas useful to political science students. The book was very culturally sensitive but more could be added throughout each chapter. } In other words, most of the world's countries are parliamentary, not presidential. Table 17.1 on page 643 is useless. Right from the get go I enjoyed the section on Civic Engagement as All government textbooks have a tendency to show their age quickly, but this text may be more resilient than most. The book is clearly and accessible written. Additionally, if I made any additions to the text, you may not have them. In general, I am impressed by the amount of thought and research that has gone in to preparing this edition. One particular aspect related to the question of comprehensiveness was the authors decision to include a chapter on state and local government. Students first learn what constitutes a government. 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. 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. 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. Some texts may cover only one additional chapter other than the Americans believed all people (i.e., White males) possessed the rights to life, liberty, and property. After review, I was impressed with this text on a number of fronts namely its clear writing style and comprehensive nature. Reviewed by Nicholas Pyeatt, Associate Professor of Political Science, Penn State, Altoona on 2/1/18, The book is very comprehensive. That was the first online textbook that I looked at and it gave me pause when considering using one. The sources cited, within the sections of each of the various chapters, are from reputable, recognizable experts in their fields of study. Our sense of legitimacy is tied to the desire for democratic government D. What is democracy? The text is wide-ranging and inclusive to a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds in its examples, particularly in the chapters on individual agency and action. The structural framework of the chapters maintains a similar design throughout. Knowing that I would be using the book over many sections and many semesters, I ordered a copy from Amazon and I am glad I did. I think the flow of the book is clear, with different headings and images to explain the material. The book is comprehensive, covering the major topics one would expect to find in a U.S. government textbook. read more. The Art Program, which "is designed to enhance students understanding of concepts through clear and effective statistical graphs, tables, and photographs", is excellent. 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. In addition, the reading selections are inconsistentsome are very long lists and others only include five or six books. This immediately gives an indication of how the material will flow. have even added very impressive policy chapters (domestic and foreign) that you only see on occasion. 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. The book is well laid out and uses terminology consistent throughout the chapters. The text is not overladen with jargon, and when specialized terms are used, there is an effort to provide definitions for terms. It is impossible to cover all the material in a quarter college course, this format allows selective teacher emphasized learning outcomes. The content of the text features contemporary examples and events situated within historical and theoretical contexts. The book is up to date and has most of the usual citations one would expect of an Introduction to American Government text. Chapter objectives, appealing graphics and photos, glossaries of 'key terms,' recommended reading, summaries, and quizzes are some of the text features that make this inviting. This text covers nearly all of the major topics covered in American Government texts. Chapter 3. Many textbooks cover these two topics together in one chapter and I believe that it may be easier to teach if there is dedicated material to each topic in separate chapters. I didn't notice any serious grammar problems. The book is actually slightly longer and denser than other texts I have assigned for an introductory course in American American Government is a very comprehensive textbook. 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 The text can easily be consumed in small portions without sacrificing a broader understanding of the material. Pretty standard for many similar texts and courses. I find this a potentially helpful framework to shape my courses. I like the text's thematic emphasis on student participation. There's A LOT of flexibility with the text content. But I would rather have it smaller so I can add what I think is important than have too much material overwhelm the students. Overall, the content is up to date. So if you wanted to teach the presidency before Congress, there is enough information about Congress in the presidency chapter that students would be able to understand it without having first read the chapter on Congress. I liked the fact that the book had several subsections within each chapter. Reviewed by Nicholas Goedert, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech on 6/20/17, The text is impressively comprehensive, both with respect to its range of coverage and depth of discussion of each topic. I liked how things were broken down so I could deposit topics that students find challenging. Modularity is excellent. I do not see the natural connection that ties those topics together. 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. The textbook is consistent and the framework is adhered to in each chapter. 1st - 10th Amendments: The Bill of Rights, 1791.

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