Upon completion of checkout, you will receive an email with a link for you to download the file and save to your local device. Please note that ebooks and other digital media downloads are not returnable and all sales are final. In the American Government Student Text , 3rd ed. The course provides an overview of changes and developments in our government with an emphasis on the U. Constitution and current events. It is organized for use in either a one- or two-semester course.
The third edition of American Government contains a new chapter on state and local governments as well as Christian worldview boxes that are designed to help students think scripturally and critically about governmental issues. The 3rd edition revised of American government examines the principles and mechanics of a constitutional republic, with an emphasis on the responsibilities of Christian citizenship within society. It emphasizes biblical and governmental principle, forms of government and democracy, the constitution, federalism, political parties, elections, public policy and politics, the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch.
The 3 rd edition now includes a new chapter on state and local government, and can be taught as a one- or two-semester course; content is divided into 90 lessons. The Teacher Edition includes additional information, suggested activities, lesson plan overview, and more; the Toolkit CD is included with the Teacher Edition and contains charts, tables, graphs, and photos.
The American Government course is intended for 12 th grade and discusses the Constitution, the three branches of government, political parties, elections, foreign policy and more — all from a Biblical perspective.
It reflects a conservative evangelical perspective and would be a good choice for many Christians because of its Godly perspective. In addition to the historical aspect of Heritage Studies, students are invited to evaluate concepts, cultural values, economic issues, and government systems using Scripture.
By teaching the past, students become aware of the present and are better able to understand and think critically about issues they will face.
Heritage Studies strives to present a balanced view of history and challenges students to think for themselves. Many of the texts have been updated and revised in recent years. Student Texts are colorful and non-consumable.
Teacher Editions are full of resources these will vary between editions , and usually include reduced student pages, teaching tips, background and supplemental information, and answer keys.
Newer editions also include a Toolkit CD, which includes maps, visuals, instructional aids, Activity Manual Answer Keys in some cases , and more. Activity Manuals include full-color pages to review and enrich lessons. Activity Manual Answer Keys are student activity manual pages with answers filled in — in some cases the Activity Manual answers are found in the teacher edition for that level. Tests are non-reproducible and come in a packet with one test per chapter; Tests Answer Keys are student tests with the answers filled in.
A Visuals Packet is available for grade 1 optional and includes a timeline, maps, pictures, interactive figures, and full-color charts. Call: 1.
My child has enjoyed the previous books, so we are continuing next year with Government. Yolanda on Apr 2, How many credits is this course worth? Ashley on Jun 26, Reply Inaccurate Sara C. Staff on Jun 28, Our school gave 5 credits. Questions For Similar Products. Review More Purchases My Posts. There are no reviews for this item.
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At times, the chapters are heavy with history and not as much with theory. The information in several chapters, like the chapters pertaining to the institutions, provide for an in-depth analysis. The updates for most chapters should be easily accomplished. American government textbooks, in order to stay relevant, demand frequent updates.
Chapter three necessitates a revision in order to re-create its relevance. Some of the information in it is five years old and the writing does not explore clearly the theory of federalism and its evolution. The chapter on Congress should also be updated and with data from and The language is sophisticated throughout the text. The required terminology for the curriculum is present with context in every chapter. Terminology is placed bolded for easy identification. Overall, the textbook is written in a traditional format.
The language might not appeal as well to the Z generation. This is a pragmatic generation of learners. Chapters six and seven are uncharacteristic. It would be easier if the chapters would focus on the and elections.
Present the electoral information in tables and use the election as a case study. By reorganizing the information contained in the chapters, it will be easier for the reader to follow the data if it is in a table format. Electoral case studies provide for a story within a history. This could certainly be prepared for the election. Political behavior for presidential and mid-term congressional elections should be analyzed independently. The framework in the textbook and within chapters is consistent with other traditional publications.
The terminology is consistent and the textbook has a glossary at the end of each chapter; which is useful for students to identify terms and concepts. The appendix is also important; and for example, it contains the Constitution, and some of the Federalist Papers.
The textbook contains sections and subsections within the chapters with independent learning objectives. The headings and subheadings are appealing and provide the students with direction about what is coming next. Chapters provide plenty of information for pedagogical instruction; which is well organized.
If faculty want to remove a section, it is not difficult for students to follow the main concepts. Overall, the organization and flow of the textbook is logical and it follows a traditional American Government textbook. There are sections in the textbook that resemble a history textbook. For example, the chapter on political parties resembles a history text. The red links in areas of the textbook are distracting. The endnotes are difficult to follow. It would be useful to have the endnotes at the end of the chapters.
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. These issues are prevalent in American political and social life, and have been accentuated during the first term of President Trump. By avoiding the topics and the conversations, the text is not allowing students to civically engage in discussions and learning.
Instead the textbook chooses to avoid the high stakes conversations. This provides the Media with an opportunity to fill this vacuum. Identify politics should be present in more sections of the text. Identity politics should be an integral part of academic conversations and should provide opportunities to students to engage with difficult topics by using critical thinking strategies.
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 foundational building blocks of the republic that are provided are similar to the last I found no appreciable factual errors and appreciate the wealth of source material provided therefor. The writing appears to be objective and factually correct. Naturally, in a subject like government and politics there are a host of judgment calls relating to the meaning of certain terms and events and in this regard, I respect the judgment of the authors and believe they presented the material in an unbiased manner.
Those items in chapter 8 are among my favorites. The text, while voluminous, should be readily understandable to the typical student. 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.
For example, in section 8. Of course, this is a college textbook and there is much to learn, my recent experience is that if the volume of the reading appears ominous such may not be read in whole or be comprehended as well as the instructor may have hoped. Each chapter begins with an introduction, moves into the various sections and concludes with the summary and then supplemental material.
The use of terminology appears to be consistent between chapters and is a strength of the textbook as repetition is valuable for student retention of a particular term or concept.
The use of the Electoral College and same-sex marriage across chapters are examples that I found useful in this regard. For example, could chapter 8 be divided into six or eight sections?
Such can pose a roadblock for the easily distracted student or the person using the aid of a text reader. 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.
Additionally, there are sections within each chapter that can be assigned in other courses. More than other textbooks I have used or read the framework of this textbook is more attuned to my style of teaching and presentation of material. The material is generally laid out in a straightforward fashion that should make sense to the reader. On the plus side, the fact that the chapters are divided into sections aids the instructor in assigning chunks of material and the reader in being able to jump to a particular section therein.
The hyperlinks are effective for those who want to review the source and to learn more. A downside of the online version is that the section, source and other links do not open in a new page, at least for me, which causes the reader to then backtrack with the effect that after a few instances some readers may not bother.
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.
One note of concern is that the captions thereon in many instances are not fully compatible for a text reader. I plan to print around pages double-sided in additional to providing the online and PDF links.
The text contains no grammatical errors that jumped out at me which is quite an accomplishment in such a voluminous text. The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive and it makes use of examples that are inclusive more than the norm. The materials contain frequent references to variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.
I believe this textbook is a comprehensive and well written vehicle to aid the instructor and enhance student learning. The authors certainly did not skimp on providing information nor did they fail to provide source material in most instances. For their effort and expertise, I commend them and those who have supported this project.
As noted, perhaps the authors will consider a further subdivision in this regard. I plan to regularly assign these items to use in discussion and written work. Perhaps the next addition could include an index listing the section number of those various tools to make it easier for students to find.
The inclusion of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, selected Federalist Papers and electoral college results will aid the student in referencing those materials over the instructor including a link to be lost or the student conducting a search. The case law is also an effective addition.
I note there is a link to the homepage of those repositories in the text. 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. My least favorite chapter concerns Federalism 3 , not because of the topic but I just think that chapter is not as informative as others. Then again maybe that is just my bias because of what information was included and what was omitted.
The book is comprehensive, covering the major topics one would expect to find in a U. One issue that does not receive a lot of direct attention is American political culture, including the values that underlie our 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.
The book does include a chapter on state and local government, which is often not covered in U. The index is comprehensive, and it helpfully allows the reader to link directly back to the text. The details and interpretations of major issues provided by the text are accurate and helpful. In the course of using this textbook, I have discovered no significant errors. I have also discovered no instances in which the presentation seems unduly slanted or biased.
All government textbooks have a tendency to show their age quickly, but this text may be more resilient than most. With a publication date of , this text contains updates references both the presidential elections of and the midterm elections of The second edition of the text provides more than substantial updates from the last two years.
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 text is written in a clear and accessible way.
The text is not overladen with jargon, and when specialized terms are used, there is an effort to provide definitions for terms. These definitions are located at the end of the chapter, which is not entirely user-friendly but understandable given the format of the text.
The is consistent in its use of terminology, and the frameworks that it provides are generally helpful and clear. I have not noticed any internal tensions or inconsistencies within the text. I believe that modularity is one of the strengths of this text. The order in which I present material in the course varies from the order in which chapters are presented in the text, but I have experienced few difficulties in subdividing chapters and assigning them in the order needed to support teaching.
Each chapter is clearly divided into main sections with learning objectives, and there the text is further divided under clearly delineated sub-section heads. The topics in the text are presented in a clear and logical fashion. The internal structure of individuals chapters is clear and logical. The textbook interface is free from any major interface issues or navigation problems.
One nice feature of the text is the ability directly to citations through the texts footnotes. 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. It would also be helpful if the text came with bookmarks to the main chapters and subsections. I have detected nothing in the text that could be considered culturally insensitive or offensive.
I have used this text successfully in the classroom, and students generally respond positively to it. In some cases, students are somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of information presented in the text, but I have found that guiding their attention to certain key sections can help to avoid this obstacle. In general, I am impressed by the amount of thought and research that has gone in to preparing this edition.
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. It is a well planned and logical progression of chapters and topics. Great examples, engaging stories, and clever interactive readings; the textbook would be relevant to most community college students today. Well written with solid organization, the chapters flow nicely together. Solid end of chapter educational aids are provided.
One of the strengths of the Krutz text; each chapter format patterns the same learning styles and methods. Each unit has three to four sub units that can easily be assigned in different readings This is the type of written activities I use in the classroom, specifically teacher driven selected chapter readings. It is impossible to cover all the material in a quarter college course, this format allows selective teacher emphasized learning outcomes.
Logical and standard fare. 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. Some texts may cover only one additional chapter other than the Some texts may cover only one additional chapter other than the basic chapters one would expect. In some cases, the additional or special chapter focuses on a specific policy area such as environmental policy or housing policy.
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 accuracy of the content presented in the Kurtz et al book is as accurate and unbias as one would expect. The reason I say this is because the choice of content is a subjective process in itself and surely there are other content areas that could be added on a particular theme.
For example in the discussion on the writers influencing the colonies toward revolution, Locke, no doubt an important writer, is presented while many others could have been highlighted. I like the fact that the authors attempt to present both sides in discussing problems and issues which contributes to an unbias pr presentation.
Nearly all of the material presented is relevant. 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.
Surely, it would be impossible to cover all the relevant material in this book, but its format does allow the instructor to be selective about the sections within each chapter to be emphasized. The text is written in a way that undergraduate freshmen students would have no problem grasping.
The glossary of terms after each chapter and the illustrations, examples, color pictorials and web links are all critical to the issue of clarity. The authors do a superb job. The text of each chapter does form a consistency. There is a consistent pattern in terms of the major headings outlined at the beginning of the book. 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.
I also would like to see a separate chapter on social movements. The text is easily and readily visible and permits an instructor to select what to cover based on the learning objectives of each chapter. The topics are presented in a logical and clear fashion. The unit heading probably need more explanation and their rationale for selecting the chapters under each unit topic spelled out.
An Introduction to each unit with the rationale and goals would be helpful. I found no problem with navigating the text. The many color images and illustrations are very critical to minimizing any confusion. The book was very culturally sensitive but more could be added throughout each chapter. 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.
For every chapter a special effort could be made to fully integrate the experiences and writings of people of color. LBGTQ issues were integrated in many of the chapters and this is refreshing. Overall, this was an excellent e-book. I am especially excited about he design combining theory and practice and critical thinking.
The current book I use fully integrates free people of color into each chapter. Although this book is culturally sensitive, I challenge the authors to do more. The book certainly has all of the topics expected of an Introduction to American Government text. In fact, Kurtz et al. I am skeptical that I am skeptical that instructors can get through 17 chapters in a normal semester, but the material is nice to have if desired. The text is divided into 5 categories.
And while all the topic areas you would anticipate are present, the structure is different. An easy example is seen in not grouping the federal bureaucracy in part 4 with the other institutions, instead placing it in section 5, the outputs of government. I suspect some will like this placement and others not, it is likely a matter or preference, but is worth noting. Overall, all expected topics, and then some, are covered, hence the text is certainly comprehensive enough by any measure of expectation in an introduction to American government text.
I did not see anything that I would say is not accurate, as much as a couple items that need to be updated, but that is discussed below. As to presenting information in an unbiased minor, I would argue that Kurtz et. One example to consider is presented in chapter 10, section 5 discussing the free speech rights of interest groups versus calls to regulate their activity. The situation is presented to students in a completely objective fashion. The pros and cons of government regulation of group activity spending are both presented accurately, and the student is asked to make their own determination.
This is one of the pluses of this text. The text being published in , there are several locations that need to be updated. An example is found in Chapter 13, Section 4 in a visually appealing graphic on the timeline of the Supreme Court justices arriving at the Court. Yet both Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh are not present in the graphic. There are a couple other places in the text where this is noticeable.
I would not consider this to be a fatal flaw by any means, but one of the advantages of a digital text is that these types of updates are easier to make. In a couple instances such as above, they simply need to be done. I believe the language used in the text is entirely appropriate for an introductory college course on the subject. Further, each section within the chapters does contain a glossary of bolded terms.
If anything, a few additional terms could likely be added, but this is a nice feature. 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. The structural framework of the chapters maintains a similar design throughout. Sections open with learning objectives that tell students the most important things to take away from that reading, and quiz questions populate the text at the end of sections to help students self assess their understanding of the reading.
Overall there are no major things to complain about here. However I do feel that stylistically the presentation of in-text citations is cumbersome and distracting.
The pure number of citations is impressive, however they are shown to the reader throughout a chapter in a separated gray box. These add up quickly and at times break up material where paragraphs or explanations would benefit from remaining connected. Plus, they blend with the gray boxes of the same color that are often used, otherwise effectively, to present case studies or specific examples. I believe the entire flow of the text and ease of read would increase by ditching this method of citation and simply using end notes or foot notes.
The previous comment represents a slight stylistic concern in the area of organization, but not a major one.
As for as substantively, I find the grouping of Chapters to be curious. Similar to removing the bureaucracy form the discussion of institutions, I found the grouping of Civil Liberties and Civil Rights with Public Opinion and Elections to be an odd placement decision. Certainly this could just be a matter of preference, and obviously an instructor can teach topics and assign chapters in whatever order they desire, but I am puzzled by this decision.
I do not see the natural connection that ties those topics together. I found the text to be eminently user friendly with no issues what so ever navigating within the chapters. Images and charts that are presented are not distractions at all, most of the time they are enhancements of the chapters.
I believe ample coverage of diverse viewpoints and experiences are made use of in this text. While I am echoing this notion from a previous review, I did find it to be true that Kurtz et al.
This is a plus of this text. Overall, I like the text very much. 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. In addition to what I discussed earlier, here are some other things about the book I enjoyed that did not easily fit into the previous topics provided: I very much apricate the discussion of The Articles of Confederation in Chapter 2, Section 2.
The importance of this document and the story of Shay's Rebellion are too often overlooked and they are covered well here. The Right to Privacy section of Chapter 4, Section 4 that describes activity from the 9th and 10th Amendments is well done.
Chapter 8, Section 3 discussing the media and particularly the FCC is a very strong section of the text. The coverage of competing philosophies of Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint in Chapter 13, Section 5 nicely presents these approaches to novice readers. And the Fall of the Patronage system in Section 1 of Chapter 15 also stood out to me as excellent.
The only section that I would point to specifically that I think could be improved significantly comes in Chapter 2, Section 5 and the discussion of Constitutional Change. The process of Amending the Constitution is under developed. 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.
That is, of course, just one area. As clearly noted, I found far more to like about the text than not. Those considering a new adaption for the introduction to American Government class would do well to give Kurtz et. The textbook covers all the essential parts of American government.
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. But I would rather have it smaller so I But I would rather have it smaller so I can add what I think is important than have too much material overwhelm the students. For example, I do a lot with the 9th Amendment, but it only has three paragraphs in the textbook.
The book is up to date and has most of the usual citations one would expect of an Introduction to American Government text. The opening parts of the book though do focus a bit more on economics than I would prefer. The book clearly defines all the terms and theories and in plain language for non-majors to understand. The textbook follows the usual model of an American Government textbook.
The writers do have material distributed into sections of the text that are not always the best choice in my view this could be said of any textbook. The book is divided into chapters, and then subdivided again into sections. Each subsection has a quick review at the end to help readers see if they understand the section. The textbook follows a traditional American government textbook format, starting with the Constitution and covering, Federalism, Civil Liberties and Rights, Interest Groups, Political Parties, and the three branches of government.
It even has a chapter on Local government and two policy chapters, Domestic and Foreign. Important terms are underlined throughout the text making it easier for students to see the terms they should know for testing.
The links embedded in the book often do not work. Those that do work, can take the reader away from the book and you can not hit the go back button. I found my iPad did not always work well with it. The book also does not always allow the reader to skip pages or go straight to a section to read.
If you click on a chapter title, say Media, nothing happens, except it opens the subsections of the chapter. If you click on the Media icon subsets you can go straight to that subsection of the Media chapter. The figure icon needs to be fixed or dropped. In the book, the word Figure will appear to let the reader know to look for an image. Usually the image it only an inch or two from the Figure citation, but not always clear. I think it does an excellent review of the issue of slavery and how it impacted US government.
Its review of Civil Rights and the groups fighting for their rights is one of the strongest parts of the text. I am considering switching to this textbook for my department.
It is one of the few textbooks that offers colored images in it. I believe students prefer more than black and white words. I am also happy it comes in a printed version. I only use online textbooks and sources for my classes, but have students who want a hard copy option. 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.
This text could very easily replace the book I have used This text could very easily replace the book I have used "We the People" for the past 3 years. The text provides a very objective and accurate account of the full layout of American government. It incorporates an impressive amount of historical references to add context and depth. The text does a good job of covering the standard content governments, federalism, civil rights, separation of powers, media, etc.
I am especially impressed by its multi-dimensional approach to topic coverage. The writers were able to demonstrate intersections across time, incorporating themes that could easily be segregated in a single chapter.
Because it is a publication, it will need to be updated to include up-to-date info on campaigns and elections, recent SCOTUS cases dealing with civil liberties, civic engagement and challenges to 2nd Amendment, etc The language is accessible for students in higher education; and likely high school juniors and seniors. It supplements text content with useful links that serve as a great tool for boosting application and comprehension.
The writers also relied on tons of well-referenced outside sources that can easily be reorganized and incorporated into additional units. There's A LOT of flexibility with the text content. The text is highly segmented, which may seem overwhelming at first, but flows in a way that makes sense. I really appreciate how they were able to consolidate what would easily be a 15 chapter textbook into 5! Overall, the text is free of interface issues and navigation problems; the main drawback is the sheer volume of links - can get a bit cumbersome.
For class, it would probably be necessary to inform students of the most important links to review. While no text does a perfect job at inclusiveness, I was impressed at the myriad examples of diverse cultural experiences incorporated throughout the text. These examples were not solely places in the civil right unit, but incorporated throughout the text; which is significant. This text is VERY detailed in its coverage, which is impressive and surprising given its relative brevity.
I encourage any professor of U. Government to take a good look at this text and strongly consider its adoption. Comprehensive in terms of concepts and how they related to current ideas. Uses contemporary examples, but not in depth cases that may be needed in higher level courses. However, the concepts are so strong here thorough, well laid out that an 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.
The book is consistent with similar complementary materials. 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. As a policy professor with professional experience in the field, I would be likely to use cases to follow up about how policy content accounts for those decisions in a process that includes policy actors private and public.
Uses current issues as examples of concepts. While the examples could become outdated, the issues used have been relevant for a long period of time. Straightforward comparisons with oligarchy and monarchy. Concepts well explained and presented. Consistently uses contemporary examples. This consistency and clear explanation of the concepts behind the examples makes the book particularly strong. Good, though for my purposes I teach a graduate level policy processes course , some could be broken down differently for my use.
Would grade this as 4. I will likely use this book to replace and supplement my graduate level course materials. Other similar books dive too deeply for my purposes into the minutiae of government without providing concepts or making those concepts too academic sounding.
This book uses clear language and of-the-moment context that brings the idea of government to life.
This text covers nearly all of the major topics covered in American Government texts. From the origins of the US political system, the constitutional framework, participatory inputs, formal institutions, and public policy, the major points are From the origins of the US political system, the constitutional framework, participatory inputs, formal institutions, and public policy, the major points are addressed.
I like the text's thematic emphasis on student participation. I do miss a chapter on political culture, but even without it, the text is good. That said, there are areas where the text is quite brief and doesn't provide terribly deep discussion. Adopting profs should read the chapters carefully so they know what areas get deeper coverage, and what areas get shallower treatment. Overall the book is balanced, but there are areas where things could be more even handed.
For example, the section on ideology equates authoritarianism with the right side of the political spectrum, even though authoritarianism as a ruling style can also be commonly found in communist or socialist polities; students might be led to conclude that communists and socialists aren't about control.
On the other hand, on the divisive topic of LGBT rights, the discussion is pretty even-handed, adopting what is certainly the modal vocabulary of political science regarding these complex issues. I agree that the content is relevant, and can be easily updated. That said, many of what appear to be hotlinks in the text did not work when I tested them in December The book is consistent, though I think its framework of effective engagement could have been implemented more consistently.
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. The modularity is effective, though the order of the contents is the order I've been using for years, so I wouldn't have to make any changes..
I found the insertion of bold links in the middle of the text rather distracting. I didn't read every line, but the broad sections I read contained no technical writing errors that I observed. There is a very broad selection of examples relating to variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds--the Civil Rights chapter is a good example. Very well done. The text covers everything that an introduction to American government should.
I was actually surprised at the 'updatedness" of the book. I assume the work has been, and will continue to be, updated with each election. I liked the fact that the book had several subsections within each chapter. That seems to make the text even more "modular" than would normally be expected. I saw no issues there. The links that I checked were still functioning. The graphics were very well done.
I never saw any problems with that concern. One issue, however, that might be addressed is with the word "media. For example, on page 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. This is a very impressive work, and I will most certainly adopt this book.
My kudos to the author. The fact that it is free is even more impressive. There are a few points the author may want to consider. First, on page 15, in Figure 1. I think that's important to show that most of the world's nations do operate with a democratic framework. My issue is that the map doesn't show differences among those democracies e. In other words, most of the world's countries are parliamentary, not presidential. The uniqueness of the American system is rarely mentioned e.
I think it would be interesting to point out that when the USA had the chance to write other countries' constitutions, those new systems Japan and West Germany were created with parliamentary governments. Again, these are things the author may want to consider. This book is very impressive, as is.
By the standards of Introduction to American Politics textbooks, this is a comprehensive offering. 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.
However, chapters are sometimes questionably or confusingly organized, and compress wider subjects that usually receive broader treatment into footnotes or brief passages.
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