I did not find the book cultural insensitive. Yes, the book is internally consistent in terms of its discussion and its presentation of information. GOVERNMENT Arms War It's a long-standing debate. read more, The chapters in the Kurtz et al e-book covers all relevant chapters of American Government and even offers chapters on Foreign policy, Domestic policy and State and Local government. United States Government: Our Democracy allows students to master an understanding of the structure, function, and powers of government at all levels. Along those lines, I would like to have seen the American government discussed more in a relative/comparative sense. The text offers a consistent presentation of terms situated within a logical and approachable framework for college students. 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. margin-bottom: 1rem !important; have even added very impressive policy chapters (domestic and foreign) that you only see on occasion. It follows the standard layout of American Government textbooks and offers an effective and easily searchable index. font-weight: 400 !important; Product details Publisher : McGraw Hill; 1st edition (August 11, 2014) Language : English . Was: $150.00 Now: $120.00. It incorporates an impressive amount of historical references to add context and depth. The topics in the text are organized, structured, and flow in a logical sequence. However, the text provides a strong historical perspective on the issues that it addresses, so much of the texts discussion will continue to be relevant and applicable even with the passage of time. 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. In general, I am impressed by the amount of thought and research that has gone in to preparing this edition. Reviewed by Vicki Jeffries-Bilton, Instructor, Portland Community College on 12/31/21, The textbook includes virtually all topics that are critical to foundational course(s) in U.S. Government. For example, the chapter on political parties has a nice section about divided government and political polarization (section 9.4), and the chapter on Congressional representation does a nice job of recognizing both the growing diversity of Congress as well as the continued ways in which Congress is less diverse than the American public (section 11.3). Images and charts that are presented are not distractions at all, most of the time they are enhancements of the chapters. The current book I use fully integrates free people of color into each chapter. Also, each chapter sticks to an identical structure. read more. Although overall the text is quite comprehensive, one downside is that there are only two chapters on policy (separated into Domestic and Foreign Policy). The text makes frequent use of examples that seek to inform through inclusion so as to make the material more relevant to individuals from a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. 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. 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. Content is very much up to date. 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. The text also does a better job than most of discussing the importance of Voter Registration in Chapter 7 (Voting and Elections), including coverage of the Voting Rights Act and Shelby County v. Holder (2013). 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 also don't perceive any bias. The book is very comprehensive. It is divided into five sections, which makes it easily approachable to both instructor and student. I found the insertion of bold links in the middle of the text rather distracting. 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 book follows a relatively consistent framework for presentation throughout. , but for next semester, the text needs to provide 2016 turnout and election data. As to presenting information in an unbiased minor, I would argue that Kurtz et. Fourth, the idea that the winner-take-all approach to election is the reason for the two-party system is a conventional and weak argument, and there are no citations to back up the text (pp. 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]. Reviewed by Elsa Dias, Affiliate, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 11/1/19, The textbook provides for a comprehensive overview of American Government. Inquiry Journal:This interactive print worktext is built around essential questions and permits students to develop their inquiry skills using analysis, primary sources, and evidence-based writing. 1. As another example, the description of Adam Smiths views on wealth accumulation is oversimplified and arguably misleading. The discussion of the Civil Liberties issues in Chapter 4 were particularly well chosen, to the point, and engaging. 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. One note of concern is that the captions thereon in many instances are not fully compatible for a text reader. To learn more about how the presi-dent makes important decisions and leads our nation, view the Democracy in The book's seventeen chapters are well-divided into five parts. Overall, this is a solid choice in terms of comprehensiveness. I did not see any issues in terms uneven discussions or those filled with mistakes. My least favorite chapter concerns Federalism (3), not because of the topic but I just think that chapter is not as informative as others. This is probably a sensitive issue. 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. I am especially impressed by its multi-dimensional approach to topic coverage. Your idea of relevance is not really relevant. I believe that modularity is one of the strengths of this text. 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. This is a welcome inclusion: Although most Americans interact far The material progresses in a way that makes the most sense. The units are ordered to provide a guiding conceptual framework for study. Below are the modifiedexcerpts that are assigned to you. The text is consistent in terms of language, organization, and overall framework. Verified. Mixed views of structural changes in the political system. Each chapter is structured similarly. I have no comment or assessment of either the usefulness of "supplementary" stuff like outside websites or discussion questions. The coverage of competing philosophies of Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint in Chapter 13, Section 5 nicely presents these approaches to novice readers. text-decoration: underline; Find step-by-step solutions and answers to United States Government: Our Democracy - 9780076634538, as well as thousands of textbooks so you can move forward with confidence. The book was very internally consistent in terms of terminology. I really appreciate how they were able to consolidate what would easily be a 15 chapter textbook into 5! I assume the work has been, and will continue to be, updated with each election. In my own courses, I am going to make up for this by assigning articles from CQ Researcher. There are areas where graphics examples could be updated; a few of the federalism chapter charts are using 2014 data. Here again I suggest that there are too many long blocks of text to read made even more so by the frequent "Note" sections expecting students to further read about key court cases. As clearly noted, I found far more to like about the text than not. All government textbooks have a tendency to show their age quickly, but this text may be more resilient than most. Sometimes it is used in plural sense, but most often used in the singular sense. 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. Digital Teacher Lesson Center: Easily access all teaching resources and classroom management tools for the curriculum. read more. font-weight: 400; For example, I may not get the chance to dedicate a whole class to elections but I can use sections of the chapter on elections in relation to civil rights, to Congress and to the Executive. 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. The language is sophisticated throughout the text. Concepts well explained and presented. The section summaries will help students distill important ideas and the glossary/test questions will be a useful study aid. There are currently no items in your shopping cart. It does not explain some additional reasons why the two-party system in the U.S. persists. There are numerous ways to define or describe political power, and they should be conveyed in the textbook. Textbooks Submitted By: Daproim Africa Proofread By: Daproim Africa Usage Restrictions: This is a copyrighted book. An instructor could easily rearrange the order of topics without presenting much disruption to the reader. It also includes a chapter on If anything, the text may be a bit on the long side.