Coverage and scope
Our
American Government textbook adheres to the scope and sequence of introductory American government courses nationwide. We have endeavored to make the workings of American Government interesting and accessible to students while maintaining the conceptual coverage and rigor inherent in the subject at the college level. 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. The book builds upon what students have already learned and emphasizes connections between topics as well as between theory and applications. 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. The organization and pedagogical features were developed and vetted with feedback from American government instructors dedicated to the project.
Unit I: Students and the System
- Chapter 1: American Government and Civic Engagement
- Chapter 2: The Constitution and Its Origins
- Chapter 3: American Federalism
Unit II: Individual Agency and Action
- Chapter 4: Civil Liberties
- Chapter 5: Civil Rights
- Chapter 6: The Politics of Public Opinion
- Chapter 7: Voting and Elections
Unit III: Toward Collective Action: Mediating Institutions
- Chapter 8: The Media
- Chapter 9: Political Parties
- Chapter 10: Interest Groups and Lobbying
Unit IV: Delivering Collective Action: Formal Institutions
- Chapter 11: Congress
- Chapter 12: The Presidency
- Chapter 13: The Courts
- Chapter 14: State and Local Government
Unit V: Outputs of Government
- Chapter 15: The Bureaucracy
- Chapter 16: Domestic Policy
- Chapter 17: Foreign Policy
Appendixes
- Appendix A: Declaration of Independence
- Appendix B: The Constitution of the United States
- Appendix C: Federalist Papers #10 and #51
- Appendix D: Electoral College Votes by State, 2012–2020
- Appendix E: Selected Supreme Court Cases
Engaging feature boxes
Throughout
American Government , you will find features that engage students by taking selected topics a step further. Our features include:
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Get Connected! This feature shows students ways they can become engaged in the U.S. political system. Follow-up may include an activity prompt or a discussion question on how students might address a particular problem.
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Finding a Middle Ground. This feature highlights a tradeoff or compromise related to the chapter’s content area. Follow-up questions guide students to examine multiple perspectives on an issue, think critically about the complexities of the topic, and share their opinions.
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Insider Perspective. This feature takes students behind the scenes of the governmental system to see how things actually work. Follow-up questions ask students for their reaction to this peek inside the “black box” of politics.
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Link to Learning. This feature provides a very brief introduction to a website that is pertinent to students’ exploration of the topic at hand. Included in every module, Link to Learning boxes allow students to connect easily to the most current data on ever-changing content such as poll research, budget statistics, and election coverage.
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Milestone. This feature looks at a key historical moment or series of events in the topic area. Follow-up questions link the milestone to the larger chapter theme and probe students’ knowledge and opinions about the events under discussion.
