Students and the System 2. The text covers everything that an introduction to American government should. The text is not culturally insensitive, supplying context to why the Founders created the government originally and how it has evolved. There are occasional editorial comments and examples of protests which suggest liberal criticisms of the status quo. In the book, the word Figure will appear to let the reader know to look for an image. read more. I found the language clear. The real differences of course align along questions of *what* aspects of society and the economy ought to be controlled, and by whom--liberals want to control some areas, conservatives others. As one would expect from a 771-page book, at times there are minor issues. Today's must-read. I did not identify any grammatical issues with the textbook content. Pricing for school accounts will display in the cart once you are logged in. American Government by Glenn Krutz covers a lot of ground. Following Here, citizens vote for their government officials. 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 . It is arranged in such a way that updates will be easy to implement. Modularity is important for me as I usually find myself teaching "out of order" with respect to the book's chapter organization. Prior to reviewing this text, I was not very familiar with open source textbooks. This is somewhat backwards to how I teach the course in my mind. There is a consistent pattern in terms of the major headings outlined at the beginning of the book. text-decoration: underline; The text is written in a clear and accessible way. This immediately gives an indication of how the material will flow. New Blasts are being added regularly; Spanish language Blasts are also included. 1st - 10th Amendments: The Bill of Rights, 1791. 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. A number of important factors are left out. 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 of the chapters are accurate but I found two main problems: the map on different types of government (Chapter 1) and the chronology of the Bill of Rights (Chapter 2). United States Government: A Textbook. Reviewed by Andrew Thangasamy, Associate Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 8/28/20, In terms of content, the textbook has all the chapters one normally expects from an introductory American Government textbook. The United States has a complex government system. read more. Reviews. Customize the learning experience for differentiated instruction using leveled reading, customizable assessments and worksheets, and flexible online learning tools. I found the book to be clear and precise in its discussions and presentation of material. This New Deal-era publication was published initially as a loose-leaf notebook, its pages held in place by three metal rings. The Links to Learning and Insider Perspective features in the text help to enrich the material without breaking the overall flow of discussion. Within the chapters, there are simple navigational linksoften to external resourcesthat are helpful and not distracting. The textbook does not include much material on current elections, but an instructor can easily add his or her own supplemental materials. read more. The required terminology for the curriculum is present with context in every chapter. The text is impressively comprehensive, both with respect to its range of coverage and depth of discussion of each topic. 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. And the Fall of the Patronage system in Section 1 of Chapter 15 also stood out to me as excellent. Sometimes it is used in plural sense, but most often used in the singular sense. 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. However, on the library listing page, there is a typo in the index for chapter 17. 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. Identify politics should be present in more sections of the text. The choice of pictures, and subjects is excellent throughout. For example, Plato and Aristotle are not included in the further readings of the introductory chapter on government. $47.96. margin-bottom: 1rem !important; Yes, the book is internally consistent in terms of its discussion and its presentation of information. Chapter 5 . 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. The book builds upon what students have already learned and emphasizes connections between topics as well as between theory and applications. Chapter 2: The Origins of American Government font-weight: 400 !important; It will be interesting to see the update after Election Day. Complex ideas were synthesized inlanguage that was easy to understand. This text, American Government 2e by Krutz and Waskiewicz, covers all areas and ideas of the subject appropriately beginning with the origins of each political construct, through its evolution in America, and trends into the future. The discussion of the Civil Liberties issues in Chapter 4 were particularly well chosen, to the point, and engaging. This is tricky, as some American politics textbooks emerge from an activist mentality of pointing out howfor lack of a better termmessed up American culture can be. There are sections in the textbook that resemble a history textbook. Of course since a key feature of this book is to present a considerable amount of material that combines theory and application and stimulate critical thinking, covering the volume of materials given the way it is divided may present a challenge over one semester. It dedicates entire chapters to state and local 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." The supplementary material within each chapter/section like Finding Middle Ground and Milestone can be an effective tool for the instructor to use for additional student engagement or an activity as such go deeper into a particular concept than mere text can. Analysis of political institutions is well-balanced with substantial attention to the role of the individual and collective action. Use it to preview online test questions or print for paper and pencil tests. In fact, the text compares positively with other leading texts in this regard. Likewise, the reasoning in Chapter 9 Political Parties as to why we have only two major parties lacks depth. 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, and next the originality and purpose of our federal system of government. read more. The canonical terms of introductory American Government are present and defined adequately. Generally, I don't think my critique of the modularity poses a problem for the use of this text. I did not see too much passive tense. I have detected nothing in the text that could be considered culturally insensitive or offensive. This is a good choice as the textbook for beginning level political science courses. According to Yale professor Juan Jos Linz there are three main types of political systems today: democracies, totalitarian regimes and, sitting between these two, authoritarian regimes . Cumulative Hands-On Chapter Projects and additional Technology Extension activity provide authentic performance assessment. Identify Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as leaders of our democracy: Connect with: Strand 1 Concept 4. At times, the chapters are heavy with history and not as much with theory. I saw no problems here. Similar t the question about modularity, the organization and flow of the book is partially a matter of the author and editor's preference. I plan to regularly assign these items to use in discussion and written work. In addition, the reading selections are inconsistentsome are very long lists and others only include five or six books. 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. Examples depicting the new terms are plentiful. Other similar books dive too deeply for my purposes into the minutiae of government without providing concepts or making those concepts too academic sounding. I think students would have an easier time digesting the information in this book than some of the other textbooks I have used. I liked how things were broken down so I could deposit topics that students find challenging. The "Middle Ground" feature might need to be updated as controversies change but overall this definitely a relevant textbook. 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. The language seems accessible. Learning objectives are clearly identified for each unit, and each unit concludes with a concise summary of main points followed by multiple-choice and short answer questions. 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. However, the concepts are so strong here (thorough, well laid out) that an instructor could easily supplement the text for a variety of courses and levels. It is both well researched and written. The Bill of Rights. I did not see any clear grammatical errors in my review. Also helpful are the key historical moments "milestones" allowing a broader context viewpoint. 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. Perhaps more specific information about the Supreme Court case regarding employment and other cases could be fleshed out. This textbook is extremely comprehensive. It follows the standard layout of American Government textbooks and offers an effective and easily searchable index. Also, discussions are not biased toward any political ideology. The charts, graphs and figures are well done and supplement the content. There is much more in this book than I could use in a term, so I would select portions of the chapters. The term is derived from the Greek dmokratia, which was coined from dmos ("people") and kratos ("rule") in the middle of the 5th century bce to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens. Present the electoral information in tables and use the 2016 election as a case study. But as I noted above, the unhelpfulness of bolded terms can be genuinely confusing and are inconsistent (Katie Holmes gets bolded? The authors for this book have used a standard structure that will stay relevant as long as any other. To learn more about how the presi-dent makes important decisions and leads our nation, view the Democracy in The Declaration of Independence and parts of the Constitution are in the Appendices. The terms is not introduced again in the public opinion chapter. font-family: ProximaNova,Helvetica Neue,Arial,Noto Sans,Liberation Sans,sans-serif,Apple Color Emoji,Segoe UI Emoji,Segoe UI Symbol,Noto Color Emoji !important; I would reduce the number of "in order to" and replace with "to" in many sentences. Some chapters have one; others dont. The supplemental materials (graphs, charts, figures, etc.) Of course, the question is how many students really do that? Milestone Documents. The text is free of interface issues; charts and graphics are clear and are explained and analyzed. This follows from previous comments. I did not see any grammatical errors while doing so. The writing is clear and error-free. If anything, as I noted above, breaking chapters into even more sections or sub-dividing those sections would enhance the ability of the instructor to chunk material. I have no comment or assessment of either the usefulness of "supplementary" stuff like outside websites or discussion questions. I recommend considering the use of this book for an introductory American Government course. The text is not overladen with jargon, and when specialized terms are used, there is an effort to provide definitions for terms. Verified. I also don't perceive any bias. line-height: 1.5 !important; As to presenting information in an unbiased minor, I would argue that Kurtz et. I have not tested it on a smartphone; however, on a computer the book is easy to navigate - to move between chapters, sections, pages, etc is easy. And while all the topic areas you would anticipate are present, the structure is different. 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. This progression is evident, for example, in the learning objectives that begin each section of the text. Even though there are many different authors/contributors the book reads like a cohesive work. As mentioned above, I found the text slightly denser than the average textbook for an Introduction to American Government class. The text does not run the risk of becoming obsolete in a short period of time; however, many of the examples are quite common to other introductory American Government texts. I believe students prefer more than black and white words. I assign a chapter every week, so the modularity has not been vital to me. 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. Overall, the content is relevant and won't quickly become obsolete. Some texts may cover only one additional chapter other than the And as stated above, the book is very clear and easy to read, which would make this text easy for students to understand. That was the first online textbook that I looked at and it gave me pause when considering using one. I agree that the content is relevant, and can be easily updated. And the text generally attempts to present its material in a balanced and unbiased way, presenting several perspectives on controversial issues. The 'Insider Perspective' sections in each chapter reflect this in their profiles of diverse individuals. Diverse student populations will appreciate this aspect of the text. text-decoration: underline; The main framework chapters are excellent and thorough. Instructor and student resources are need improvement. The textbook interface is free from any major interface issues or navigation problems. 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. It is not overly complicated and written at the appropriate level. 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 text is not culturally insensitive. The United States democracy is based on principles and ideals that are embodied by symbols, people, and documents. There is a good selections of "photographs.". al consideration. To report a technical problem with this Web site, please contact the Web Producer.Web . read more. This is not a pervasive problem, however but an occasional one. However, when I went over each chapter in detail I realized that there is no consistency throughout the textbook regarding the film selection. For example, section 1.3 shows up as not converted. The book is internally consistent. Yes, the text is clearly divided into sections, chapters, and subchapters, all numerically outlined and structured in a clear way. Moreover, I found the film selection stiflingno documentaries, no TV series, no foreign films. I particularly liked the "Get Connected," "Links to Learning," and "Insider Perspectives." Exam Weighting (Multiple-Choice Section) Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy. The comprehensiveness of Krutz's American Government text is such that it more than adequately addresses the curricular requirements of the American government and politics courses offered by the Virginia Community College System. Some of the information in it is five years old and the writing does not explore clearly the theory of federalism and its evolution. I reviewed the book for about 3 hours, and I could probably spend another 3 hours finding other "issues." 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. This textbook does a nice job covering women Chapter 7, especially in regards to elections. The text's ease of access and open source publishing make it a clear and obvious alternative to expensive textbooks. I was quite impressed with this textbook, and have made plans to adopt it next year. The units are ordered to provide a guiding conceptual framework for study. The accuracy of the content presented in the Kurtz et al book is as accurate and unbias as one would expect. I really liked the authors writing style. Product details Publisher : McGraw Hill; 1st edition (August 11, 2014) Language : English . The book is clearly and accessible written. It also includes a chapter on state/local politics, which is a unique addition to the textbook. For example, p. 44. and in most of the chapters. It is a good alternative to expensive textbooks. The first unit of the text ('Students and the System') outlines the necessary historical context without getting too bogged down in general introduction. 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. And I don't. In summary, this is a high-quality book that has most everything anybody would want. 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. The framework of the text is internally consistent. It is impossible to cover all the material in a quarter college course, this format allows selective teacher emphasized learning outcomes. Krutz textbook is set up exactly the same as the three different United States Government textbooks I have used in nine years of teaching at the community college level. I have not found inconsistencies in the use of concepts. This book does a much better job of bringing these groups in than some other texts I have seen. read more. 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. Geared as a unit in t American Government 3e aligns with the topics and objectives of many government courses. Has good index. The authors also included new terms such as the use of Astroturf movement on page 379 and PIRGS on page 382. 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. By comparison, another online textbook on American government (which will remain nameless) had a clear bias from the very first chapter. by Richard C. Remy. The material is not overly self-referential. The textbook contents are organized in an insightful way, beginning with core foundational elements of the Constitution, federalism, civil liberties and civil rights. Technical language is defined within the text or in the chapter glossaries. As mentioned earlier, chapters are structured in reasonable ways. All government textbooks have a tendency to show their age quickly, but this text may be more resilient than most. The book is accurate and error-free. read more. For the most part, you could move around chapters if not sections. Differentiation strategies as well as project-based learning materials are included. I believe that modularity is one of the strengths of this text. And a printed version is also available for those who prefer it (including me!) The chapters are well organized and reader friendly. 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 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. Reviewed by Charles Young, Associate Professor, Umpqua Community College on 1/3/20, The text covers exactly what an introduction to political science/government textbook should cover. Everything is going to be okay. In short, more up to date statistics and graphics should be there. ACT & SAT Practice Books. I encourage any professor of U.S. Government to take a good look at this text and strongly consider its adoption. The index is clear and useful and the chapter glossaries are excellent. There is very little jargon, and technical terms are adequately summarized. By avoiding the topics and the conversations, the text is not allowing students to civically engage in discussions and learning. font-weight: 400; The text is academic, yet accessible. See previous answer immediately above I do not detect any issues here. Reviewing the text, I did not experience any significant interface issues. A couple of further notes (in no order) that didn't seem to fit anywhere else: 1. 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. My kudos to the author. The book's seventeen chapters are well-divided into five parts. 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. Washington set precedents. Chapter 4. There could be more treatment of the concept of power in the beginning of the book. The links that I checked were still functioning. I would have included in most, if not all chapters after the constitution, sections where students would be guided on how to engage with politics effectively in the context of each chapter. As a form of government, democracy has been practiced for over 2,500 years, though in different forms, such as direct democracy of the ancient Athenian All the chapters have commendable "Finding Middle Ground," "Insider Perspectives," and "Links to Learning" website listed.