Introduction to Political Science

Reviewed by S. Jason Giannaros, Assistant Professor, The University of the District of Columbia on 4/22/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book does a good job covering all the important sub-fields and foundational issues relating to an Intro to Political Science course, both domestically and internationally.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I found that this book was highly accurate in the information it presented. The authors provide plenty of background and contextual information as well, which is helpful (as are the video links).

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Overall it is highly relevant to almost every audience, and does a good job of bringing current/recent events into the discussion.

Clarity rating: 5

The book does a good job of balancing the need to use some political science jargon with not overwhelming the reader with confusing terms. It is very readable prose. Though a couple students commented on the length of the chapters, I found them to be approrpriate.

Consistency rating: 5

I found that the terminology and framework of the book as a whole was very conducive both to learning and teaching the material.

Modularity rating: 5

For the more complicated chapters, I just made one weekly module for each of them. For some of the less-intensive chapters (particularly earlier on), you can double up on chapters (one per meeting instead of one per week). Thus, it is very easy to split this text up into modules as appropriate for the course itself.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The book is very logically organized - the one exception would be splitting up the chapters on civil liberties and civil rights. Some students found it difficult to parse these two terms, so in the future I will teach them as one unit.

Interface rating: 5

The text has no interface issue that I saw, and it is easy to connect to the video supplements as well.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found no grammatical errors in the text at all.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

It is not culturally insensitive at all. The one thing I would have liked to see a little more of is discussion of indigenous political issues, both domestically and globally.

Comments

Overall this is a very well-written book with little that needs changing. I might consider re-organizing the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties sections, but other than that it is well-organized and flows well, in a way that is not difficult for students to absorb. It also strikes a good balance of covering American political issues that will be highly relevant to students, but not making it an "American Politics" textbook.

Reviewed by Michelle Payne, Associate Professor, Political Science, Texas Wesleyan University on 2/29/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Selected key terms are both relevant and clearly defined

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The book is packed with both cumulative, foundational knowledge and associated current event references, and as far as I have read, both reflect superior accuracy

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The book is packed with both cumulative, foundational knowledge and associated current event references, which tie together theory, concept, and relevancy is an easy to understand format.

Clarity rating: 5

Form an Instructor viewpoint, very clearly written- particularly the review questions. The text to video connections are also concisely and clearly stated.

Consistency rating: 5

This is one of the reasons I would like to use the text- the terminology, structure and general outlay of the material are logically connected and lend to a smooth integration and adaptation.

Modularity rating: 5

I set out a tentative outline for moving context around, and had no transitional issues- I also tentatively integrated my material into the mix and it reads well, with no loss of integrity to the material.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Very straightforward- easy to adapt if need to.

Interface rating: 5

Didn't see any issues- I will say that the links to government websites were placed discreetly yet noticeably in the text and I see that ease of accessibility as an added bonus for students

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I haven't found any

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The diverse pictures, stories, illustrations and video links cover this aspect well.

Comments

I am excited to find a text that is so packed with info, yet approachable for students, even in a dual enrollment course.

Reviewed by Larry Carter, Distinguished Senior Lecturere, University of Texas at Arlington on 4/4/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Covers all areas needed for American intro course.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Content is accurate and unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Should hold up well.

Clarity rating: 5

Good clarity.

Consistency rating: 5

Layout and content consistent

Modularity rating: 5

Easily and readily divisible.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Good flow. Layout good.

Interface rating: 5

Free of interface questions.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Not culturally insensitive

Comments

Good layout and content.

Reviewed by Katrina Heimark, Lecturer, Century College on 3/7/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Introduction to Political Science covers all the major topics and has a global focus, using examples from around the world. My only observation on content that was not covered in-depth was regarding regime change and the factors that cause democracies to fail or authoritarian regimes to rise. This is an important part of the comparative political science literature that could have been focused on in more detail.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I have found the content to be accurate, unbiased, and with citation of sources.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Students are so impressed with the real-world examples of this text book, and the fact that it was published in 2022 makes it a great resources for them. The content is relevant today, but should also be relevant for the next 5-10 years. Updates/more relevant examples should be easy to find once this text is a bit older.

Clarity rating: 5

This is a great intro text for any student who has no experience or exposure to political science. It is straightforward and complex terms are explained in such a way that it is easy for all audiences to understand.

Consistency rating: 5

I have found this text to be consistent in terms of its organization, terminology, and framework.

Modularity rating: 5

The online version of this text is fantastic in terms of the layout and accessibility of the different content modules. The modules are broken up in a way that makes sense, is logical, and also can stand alone.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book has a great mix of video, text, and images and is clearly organized both within chapters, sub-chapters, and as a textbook as a whole.

Interface rating: 5

The interface is easy to use, particularly the online textbook. Allows for highlighting in different colors and also creation of notes.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This book has excellent examples from across different country and cultural contexts. While designed for a US audience, the textbook does a fantastic job of using examples from different regions, cultures, and countries to illustrate the different political examples. One region is not overly represented, nor is one region used exclusively for negative examples. I found this book to be incredibly fair, accurate, and presenting an amazing culturally diverse content across subject areas.

Comments

This book has been great for an introductory political science course that I have taught to first year college students. I find it to be at the perfect level for these students--clear, relevant, and also challenges them to see the world through multiple perspectives.