Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Syllabus

The American Presidency
Spring 2008
Political Science Course # PS 360 01

Course Description

When George Washington was inaugurated in 1789 as the first President of the United States, he took over a fledging executive branch that, its founders hoped, would remain relatively subservient to the more democratic national legislature. Over 200 years later, President George W. Bush presides over a sprawling bureaucracy, as well as the world’s most powerful military, and is often described as the most powerful man in the world. Washington and Bush might seem to have little in common beyond their shared office, yet we should not overlook the similar ways that the Presidency—as an institution—both constrains and enables their actions and policies. Bush has offered answers to the same questions that Washington faced, including: What qualities and factors make for effective executive leadership? What are the ways in which Presidents achieve their policy goals? What are the limits of Presidential power?

Political science courses on the Presidency traditionally have addressed the different aspects of the office, such as interactions with other national actors like Congress and the courts. This course will examine these topics, but with an explicit historical focus. The course is structured around the chronological development of the Presidency as an institution. After a brief theoretical introduction, we will begin by examining the founders’ ideas about the presidency. Then we will complete a historical survey of all 43 Presidents (paying more attention to some than others, of course). In this way we will discover how the executive branch has changed with the country, while still remaining rooted in the American constitutional order. Finally, since this is a presidential election year, we will end the class by paying particular attention to presidential elections, and attempt to use what we have learned to evaluate the surviving candidates.

Required Texts

Students are encouraged to purchase the following book:

The American Presidency: Origins and Development, 1776-2007
Sidney M. Milkis and Michael Nelson
5th Edition (2008)
ISBN: 9780872893368

This book is available from Shakespeare and Company (939 Lexington Avenue, at 69th Street). You may be able to find a used copy online. If you purchase online or elsewhere, however, make sure that you obtain the correct edition and that you can get the book in a timely fashion.

Additional readings may be assigned throughout the semester; these will be available through handouts or online links at the course website. Readings will be assigned at the end of each class, and also will be posted on the class website.

Course Requirements
  • Come to class prepared. Complete all required readings beforehand, and bring your textbook/readings to class.
  • Participate. Attend class regularly and on time—you cannot participate if you are not present—and join your colleagues in critical analysis of the assigned readings. In order to encourage participation, you will be asked to complete the following assignment:
    • Summaries. Write seven (7) one-page summaries of assigned readings throughout the course of the semester. Guidelines for summary writing will be distributed early in the semester. In general, you can submit summaries whenever you would like, with the following restriction: one summary must be completed in February, with an additional one (two in total) due by the mid-term exam. Still, I encourage you to WRITE YOUR SUMMARIES EARLY – do not wait until the end of the semester, or you may run out of time to complete your required seven.
  • Complete all other written assignments:
    • Exams. You will be given two examinations throughout the course, a mid-term and a final. The final exam focuses primarily on material covered in the second half of the course, but may build upon and refer to material discussed earlier. Exams will consist of brief essay questions, with the questions distributed in advance. Exams will be based on the required readings and on classroom discussions.
    • Paper. A 10-12 page research paper will be due towards the end of the semester; you will be required to submit a first draft a few weeks earlier. Details for the assignment, including deadlines and instructions, will be distributed in class later in the semester.
Grading

Your grade will be based on your written work and your class participation. Course requirements will be weighted as follows when calculating your grade:

Paper: 25%
The research paper will be worth one-fourth (25%) of your grade. Grading criteria will be included when the paper assignments are distributed. A one letter grade penalty will be imposed upon late papers without valid documentation (e.g., medical emergency).

Exams: 50%
Of the two exams, your lowest grade will be worth 20%, while your highest will be worth 30%. Make-up exams will be given only when proper documentation for the absence is provided.

Participation: 25%
Submission of all required summaries establishes a base participation grade of B. Failure to submit a summary will lower this grade by one-third of a letter grade (e.g., B to B-). Excessive lateness or absences may lead to further reductions, while frequent and thoughtful contributions to class discussion will have the opposite effect.

Incomplete grades will be assigned only for a valid and documented cause, for a length of time specified by the instructor when the documentation is accepted.

Academic Integrity

Students should be aware of the college’s policies regarding cheating, plagiarism and any other kind of academic misconduct as outlined in the MMC Academic Honesty Policy. These policies will be discussed briefly during the first class, and are available at http://www.mmm.edu/
study/resources/ and at the course website. Students who have questions or concerns about their written work should discuss these with the instructor before submitting any assignments.

Special Needs

Any student who is learning disabled, whose primary language is other than English, or who has other special needs and may thus require special accommodations should notify me immediately.

Course Schedule (subject to change)

Tuesday, January 29
Course Overview

Thursday, January 31
Approaches to the Presidency

Tuesday, February 5
Constitutional Design: Background

Thursday, February 7
Constitutional Design: Creating the Presidency

Tuesday, February 12
Constitutional Design: The Case for the Constitution

Thursday, February 14
Constitutional Design: The Case against the Constitution

Tuesday, February 19
The Constitutional Presidency: Washington and Adams

Thursday, February 21
The Jeffersonian Era: Jefferson to J.Q. Adams

Tuesday, February 26
Jacksonian Democracy: Jackson to Buchanan

Thursday, February 28
Lincoln

Tuesday, March 4
The Postwar Reaction: Johnson to McKinley

Thursday, March 6
Exam Review

Tuesday, March 11
NO CLASS – HONORS DAY

Thursday, March 13
MID-TERM EXAMINATION

Tuesday, March 17
Thursday, March 19
NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK

Tuesday, March 25
The Progressive Era: Roosevelt and Taft

Thursday, March 27
The New Internationalism: Wilson

Tuesday, April 1
Conservatism: Harding to Hoover

Thursday, April 3
The Modern Presidency: Roosevelt to Eisenhower

Tuesday, April 8
The Personal Presidency: Kennedy to Carter

Thursday, April 10
The Restoration: Reagan and Bush 1

Tuesday, April 15
The Media Presidency: Clinton

Thursday, April 17
NO CLASS – ADVISEMENT DAY

Tuesday, April 22
The New Imperial Presidency: Bush 2

Thursday, April 24
The New Imperial Presidency: Bush 2 (cont.)

Tuesday, April 29
Presidential Elections

Thursday, May 1
Presidential Elections (cont.)

Tuesday, May 6
Evaluating the Candidates

Thursday, May 8
Evaluating the Candidates (cont.)

Tuesday, May 13
Exam Review

Thursday, May 15
FINAL EXAM