- American Government (Wilson)
"American Government" is a
textbook , now in its tenth edition, written by noted public administration scholarJames Q. Wilson and political scientistJohn J. DiIulio, Jr. . DiIulio is a Democrat who served as the director of theWhite House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives . Wilson has chaired and participated in numerousWhite House task forces and commissions, and was awarded thePresidential Medal of Freedom by Bush in 2003. The book examines and analyzes thegovernment of the United States , covering every aspect of government from elections to interest groups. It is currently published byHoughton Mifflin .This book is currently used in both college and
Advanced Placement high school courses across theUnited States . The book is roughly 780 pages and includes theU.S. Constitution ,U.S. Bill of Rights , outcomes of various elections throughoutAmerican history , and famous court cases. It is accompanied by a companion website that features practice test questions and detailed explanations on each chapter.Controversy
The textbook became an item of national news coverage in April, 2008. A
New Jersey high school senior expressed concerns to athink tank , theCenter for Inquiry , regarding what he felt wasconservative bias in the textbook, specifically inaccuracies about its coverage ofglobal warming .cite news | first=Nancy | last=Zuckerbrod | coauthors= | title=Student Sees Problems With H.S. Text | date=2008-03-08 | publisher= | url =http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jbrQTGcd9yRqQEuE_5cArsv8kvcwD8VTVOE80 | work =Associated Press | pages = | accessdate = 2008-04-27 | language = ] The senior also wrote a opinion piece in theLos Angeles Times . [cite news | first=Matthew | last=LaClair | coauthors= | title=Give me the lesson without the spin | date=2008-03-27 | publisher=Los Angeles Times | url =http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-op-laclairapr27,1,4119982.story | work =Los Angeles Times | pages = | accessdate = 2008-04-27 | language = ] The group issued a critical report on the textbook. [cite news | title=CFI Textbook Critique | date=2008-04-09 | publisher=The Center for Inquiry | url=http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/CFI_Textbook_Critique.pdf | pages = | accessdate = 2008-05-04 | language = ] The group's criticism of the coverage on climate was buttressed by a few scientists, and then additional criticism from legal scholars who claimed the book presented a skewed view ofseparation of church and state . The publisherHoughton Mifflin announced that it would review the book [cite news | first=Andrew | last=Revkin | coauthors= | title= A Textbook Case of Downplaying Global Warming? | date=2008-04-10 | publisher=The New York Times Company | url =http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/a-textbook-case-of-downplaying-global-warming/ | work =The New York Times | pages = | accessdate = 2008-04-27 | language = ] , as did theCollege Board which oversees college-levelAdvanced Placement courses used in high schools.External links
* [http://politicalscience.college.hmco.com/students/ Official Companion Website]
*Center for Inquiry 's [http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/CFI_Textbook_Critique.pdf Textbook Accuracy Report] [PDF]References
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