Syllabus for American Presidency class, Tulane University, Fall 2009

8/6/2019 Syllabus for American Presidency class, Tulane University, Fall 2009

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POLA 322The American PresidencyFall 200912:30-1:45 TR212 Herbert Hall

Instructor:

Dr. Ray Mikell316 Norman MayerPhone: 239-0513E-Mail: [email protected] Hours: 2-3:20 p.m., TThu and Wed. 1:30-3 p.m. or by appointment

Required Texts

Pike, Joseph A. and Maltese, John Anthony (2007). The Politics of the Presidency(Revised 7th Edition). Washington DC: CQ Press.

Jacobson, Gary C. (2006).A Uniter, Not a Divider: George Bush and the American

People. New York: Pearson. Other materials will be posted on the course site at Blackboard or at my website,

http://raymikell.com/classes

Course Description

A new American president, Barack Obama, was inaugurated in January, after a bruising,

nearly two year run for the office. He took the helm at a time when the nation wasundergoing its greatest economic crisis in least 30 years, and the country was still at war in

Iraq and Afghanistan. He had also pledged to somehow bring about universal heath care inthe US. And he pledged to attempt to govern in a bipartisan way.

What limits might this president--or any future U.S. chief executive--be expected to face, andwhat strengths and powers, even when not taking on so many formidable challenges? Couldany president, in this day and age, have the ability and power to bridge the partisan divide?

In examining such questions, we will no look so much at Obama (who, of course, has onlyserved six months in office) as at the presidency as an institution. More specifically, thecourse will focus on the modern presidency, that which developed largely in the 20 th Century,during and after the tenure of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The presidency has evolved into aninstitution that only somewhat resembles what the Framers of the US Constitutionenvisioned. Over time, the office has become the nation's central political institutions, andlooked to as the leader in domestic and economic policy, as well as international relations.

The Constitution, as we shall see, still limits presidential power in domestic policy. It alsooffers more incentives for presidential activism in foreign policy. The president's control ofthe executive branch and various reforms have, however, allowed recent presidents to greatlyexpand their powers over the all areas of federal policymaking and in shaping the federalbureaucracy. The office nevertheless remains poorly understood and peculiar institution, with

the unusual and lengthy means of executive selection being only the beginning.


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Grading, Requirements:

Attendance, participation in discussion: 10 percentAssignments, Mini-Essays (10): 20 percentMid-Term Exam: 20 percentFinal Exam 25 percentFinal research paper: 25 percent

Course Policies

Attendance: Students are expected to attend class. Attendance will be taken.

Academic dishonesty: This will not be tolerated. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not

limited to, cheating, plagiarism, falsifying identity or academic records, and being anaccessory to acts of academic dishonesty. Ignorance about what counts as plagiarism is notan acceptable excuse. Any infractions will be reported and penalized in accordance with theTulane Honor Code (http://www.som.tulane.edu/student/honorcode/new.htm)

Assistance: I keep regular office hours, and regularly check and answer e-mail. If you areunsure about a question, or the direction of an essay you are writing, please feel free to ask.I will rarely respond immediately, but will within a week's time. If your question needsimmediate attention, please note as much, but be absolutely sure your e-mail is indeedurgent before doing so.

Expectations for Classroom Behavior: First, talking in class and intentional disruption oflectures or discussion will not be tolerated. Secondly, I do not mind going off-topic withdiscussion on occasion. It is not easy for most students to learn in a humorless environment.Do you best, however, to exercise restraint in course discussions, in order to keep theprimary focus on course material, and I will do my best to do the same. Finally, please notethat cell phones and other wireless devices must turned off or silenced class begins.

Disability access: It is University policy to provide reasonable accommodations to students

who have disabilities that may affect their ability to participate in course activities or to meetcourse requirements. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact their instructorsand/or the Office of Disability Services to discuss their individual needs for accommodations.To ODS can be reached at 862-8433 or via confidential fax at 862-8435.

Schedule of classes:T. Aug. 25 & Th. Aug. 27

Pika and Maltese, Ch. 1,"The Changing Presidency.

T. Sept. 1 & Th. Sept. 3Pika and Maltese, Ch. 2, "Election Politics."

Additional Readings on Blackboard

T. Sept. 8 & Th. Sept. 10Pika and Maltese, Ch. 3, Public Politics.



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T. Sept. 15 & Th. Sept. 17

Pika and Maltese, Ch. 4, "Presidential Character and Performance."Additional Readings on Blackboard

T. Sept. 22 & Th. Sept. 24Pika and Maltese, Ch. 5, "Legislative Politics."

Neustadt, R. Presidential power: The power to persuade. In, Shafritz, et. al., pp. 230-33.

and Other Readings on Blackboard

T. Sept. 29 & Th. Oct. 1

Pika and Maltese, Ch. 6, "Executive Politics."Additional Readings on Blackboard

T., Oct. 6 and Th., Oct. 8

Pika and Maltese, Ch. 7, "Judicial Politics.Ch. 8, "The Politics of Domestic Policy."

T. Oct. 13

Mid-Term Essay Exam

Th. Oct. 15No Class (Fall Break)

T. Oct. 20 and Th., Oct. 22

Pika and Maltese, Ch. 8, "The Politics of Domestic Policy.Additional Readings on Blackboard

T. Oct. 27 & Th., Oct. 29Pika and Maltese, Ch. 9, "The Politics of Economic Policy.


T. Nov. 3 & Th. Nov. 5

Ch. 10, the Politics of National Security Policy.Additional Readings on Blackboard

T. Nov. 9 & Th., Nov. 11

Ch. 11 from Previous Edition, Pika and Maltese, "George W. Bush: Challenges of a WartimePresident.

Jacobson book

T. Nov. 17 and Th. Nov. 19Jacobson book

Ch. 11 from Revised 7th Edition, Pika and Maltese, Barack Obama: Transition to Power and First100 Days

T. Nov. 24(No Class, Thanksgiving Holiday)

T. Dec. 1 & Th. Dec. 3Blackboard Readings, Odd and Ends

Research Paper and Final Exam Discussion

Research papers due. Drop-offs should be placed in my box in 316 Norman Mayer by Dec. 5 orsent by the same date to: [email protected] or [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Final Exam Date: Thursday, Dec 10

Documents

Syllabus for American Presidency class, Tulane University, Fall 2009