Article Critique: An Introduction to American Government by Greer, Schiller, and Segal - Essay Example

To comply with the requirements of writing a critique, one selected the topic which covers the rationale for federalism (why federalism?) and provide insights regarding personal reactions and opinions on the points that were discussed to determine if these points were appropriately supported. Why Federalism? The authors effectively presented a discussion on the topic (why federalism?) by first establishing the rationale for unification. Other terms that were successfully defined included: nation, confederal system, unitary system, self-government, and federalism (Greer, Schiller, and Segal 75-77).

The expertise and authoritativeness of the authors on the subject have been established in their capacities as political science professors. As such, provisions of meanings of terms were validly presented through the knowledge they have gained from previous academic pursuits and in their respective professions as educators. From another perspective, the authors used fairly comprehensible and straightforward language that aids the students, who are the primary audience, in gaining awareness and knowledge on the subject of discussion.

Through the provision of clear examples that students could effectively identify and relate to, the authors thereby are effective in language use and structural presentation. Difficult terms or vocabularies that need to be expounded were effectively provided meanings in straightforward and easily understood manners. Also, by citing other authoritative discourses authored by experts on the subject, Greer, Schiller and Segal (2012) established support and increased credibility on the topics being discussed.

For instance, in defining the term ‘federalism’ which is crucial in this section, Greer, Schiller, and Segal (2012) made reference to a political scientist, William Riker, whose definition was explicitly disclosed therein. Likewise, through presenting a visual comparative illustration of conferral, unitary and federal systems, as Figure 3.1 (Greer, Schiller, and Segal 76), students were illumined on the similarities or disparities of one method of government from the other. Visual representations and illustrations are effective means to enhance understanding of topics that could be challenging to comprehend through purely written literary discourse.

In subjects such as political science and history where students expect a lot of reading and discussion, as well as references to the historical backdrop, using visual aids and illustrations become a welcome and helpful respite. The sources of other secondary references that provided support to the authors’ contentions were cited in two ways: through immediate citation with references under figures or visual illustrations; and through an author index where superscripts were initially added in citations through the text.

In expounding on the subject of why federalism, for instance, the authors made reference to only one citation, from the work of William Riker in his definition of the term ‘federalism’ (Greer, Schiller, and Segal 76).