POL S 436-01
The American Presidency
Spring, 2013
Professor Carole Kennedy
Class Meeting: TTh 9:30—10:45 a.m., MCN-112
Office Hours: T, 1-2 p.m. and W 1-2 p.m. and by appt.
Office Location: Adams Humanities 4123
e-mail: ckennedy@mail.sdsu.edu (please put 436-01 in the subject line)
Course Web Site:
https://blackboard.sdsu.edu/webapps/login
The past forty years has been an unprecedented era of change with regards to the
American Presidency. We have witnessed presidential resignation, presidential scandals,
presidential impeachment, the controversial presidential election of 2000, post-9/11
expansion of executive power and the election of the first African-American president in
our history: all of these events conjure images of a political institution in dramatic
transition as it reflects the challenges of the modern era.
There are three main theoretical frameworks which we will utilize to analyze the
American Presidency: the institutional approach ("the office"), the behavioral approach
("the man"), and the historical approach (the lives of the 44 Presidents and how they
behaved in the political context of their times). The institutional approach will focus on
how distant and recent historical occurrences have shaped the institution of the
Presidency, with a specific focus upon the presidency in the context of the Constitution
and separation of powers and checks and balances envisioned by the Founding Fathers.
The behavioral approach will focus on the psychologies and personalities of the
individuals who held the office of the Presidency and how they have shaped our
understanding of the Presidency. The historical approach allows us to examine the
contributions to our understanding of the Presidency by examining the small number of
men who have held the office since the founding of the Republic and how they have
executed their duties and responsibilities and met the distinct challenges of their times.
Finally, and importantly, class meetings will be devoted to lecture and discussion of
assigned readings and media. In addition to assigned readings in this syllabus, there may
be additional reading required which will be available on Blackboard.
Learning Objectives:
Students successfully completing this course will:
1. Develop critical thinking skills that are applied to written assignments.
2. Develop an understanding of how political scientists analyze the American
Presidency and apply these tools to analyzing the current President/Presidency.
3. Prepare a research paper, demonstrating the capacity to reason well, provide
evidence in support of assertions, utilizing appropriate style and citation guidelines
and formal, academic prose.
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REQUIRED TEXTS:
Edwards, George C. and Stephen J. Wayne. 2010. Presidential Leadership: Politics and
Policy Making. 8th edition. Thomson-Wadsworth Publishers. Paperback.
Rockman, Bert A., Andrew Rudalevige, and Colin Campbell, eds. 2012. The Obama
Presidency, Appraisals and Prospects. CQ Press. Paperback
Other reading material may be required as well, and will be available on reserve in the
library or accessible through Blackboard.
IMPORTANT DATES:
January 31
Last day to drop classes. No drops allowed after 11:59 p.m. on this date.
February 4
Last day to add classes or change grading basis. No schedule adjustments
allowed after 11:59 p.m. on this date.
March 28
Midterm Examination (in class)
April 1-5
Spring recess.
May 7
Last day of class before final – Research papers due
May 16, 8—10:00 a.m.
Final Exam
GRADING:
Your course grade will be determined on the following basis:
Attendance, discussion, participation
Research Paper (8-10 pages)
Midterm Examination
Final Examination (non-cumulative)
20%
30%
25%
25%
The midterm and final examinations will consist of essay questions. Please plan to bring
a blue book and a pen to exams. PLEASE DO NOT USE PENCIL ON EXAMS and
please write legibly.
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COURSE OUTLINE and Required Readings:
I.
Perspectives on the Presidency: The Man and The Office
E&W, Preface and Chapter 1, 6, and 8, and Appendices A and C
E &W, pp229--247 (the first half of the chapter on Presidential Decision-Making)
RR&C, Chapter 1 and chapter 8 and chapter 14
II.
Presidential Campaigns and Elections
E&W, chapters 2 and 3
RR&C chapters 2, 3 and 4
III.
The President, the Public and the Media
E & W, 4 and 5
RR&C, chapters 5 and 6
IV.
The Presidency and the Judiciary
E & W, chapter 11
RR&C chapter 10
V.
The Presidency and the Congress
E & W, chapter 10
RR&C chapter 9
VI.
The Obama Presidency
E & W chapter 15
RR&C, chapters 11, 12, and 13
IMPORTANT NOTE: There will be a substantial amount of assigned reading each
week which will be linked to Blackboard. Be sure to check Blackboard regularly so that
you are aware of those assigned, required readings and can complete them by the due
date.
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Please note the following rules, which will be fairly but firmly enforced:
The professor reserves the right to alter the course outline as necessary, with
advance notice being given to all students through class announcement and
announcement on Blackboard.
Late assignments and papers WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED without a legitimate,
verifiable excuse. Likewise, make-up examinations will be given only in cases of illness,
religious holiday observance and family emergency. The professor reserves the right to
request documentation of illness and family emergency excuses submitted.
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ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. All written work must be your original work
(i.e., not previously submitted for credit in any other course, either at SDSU or at any
other academic institution). Please familiarize yourself with the University Policy
regarding Academic dishonesty and Plagiarism at:
http://csrr.sdsu.edu/academics1.html
AND
http://csrr.sdsu.edu/conduct1.html
And also be aware of the Student Grievances procedure, available on-line at:
http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/ombuds/process.html
Finally, please note that I am required by law to report all instances of academic
dishonesty, pursuant to Executive Order 969:
http://csrr.sdsu.edu/complaint3.html
Extra Credit: There MAY be (i.e. no guarantees are made at the beginning of the term)
opportunities for students to earn extra credit in this course. Occasionally, throughout the
semester, there are lectures or other special events on our campus that can supplement
our course materials. If these opportunities arise, you will be notified via Blackboard
about how to earn extra credit.
Course materials: When a class documentary or video or other media is presented,
take notes and pay attention, as the material presented is germane to our course and will
be covered on exams. I will NOT be able to place the materials on reserve for you to
view at your leisure, so please be sure you can attend every class meeting.
Class Structure:
I am teaching two back-to-back sections of the American
Presidency, so I am not available immediately before or after class to answer
questions…even quick ones! ;-) Most questions can be answered by e-mail. More
complicated issues can be discussed during office hours. If you cannot make my office
hours, please e-mail me and a mutually convenient appointment can be scheduled.
If you are unable to keep a scheduled appointment with the professor, PLEASE be sure
to cancel at least 24 hours in advance, by notifying the professor by e-mail.
You do not need to schedule an appointment to meet with the professor during regular
office hours, although it’s generally a good idea to check Blackboard regularly so that if
the professor is unable to meet students at the regular weekly office hours, you can find
rescheduled office hours and save yourself a trip to campus.
Class structure will include a mixture of lecture and discussion, so please do assigned
readings when they are due so that you can participate in discussion.
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Attendance: A roll sheet will be passed around at each class meeting. If you are not in
class to sign the sheet when it goes around (i.e. you arrive late or leave early), you will
not receive credit for attendance. If you arrive late or leave early, please do NOT
interrupt the professor to request the attendance sheet.
Examinations: For the midterm and final exam students should arrive promptly at the
scheduled start time with a large blue book (or two small blue books) and a black or blue
ink pen.
No baseball caps or hats. IPODs, cell phones, or other electronic equipment may NOT
be utilized during the exam.
The midterm examination will be no longer than one hour and 15 minutes, and the final
examination will be about the same length, so please be sure to attend to your physical
needs before exams, as students will not be allowed to leave the classroom during an
exam (except, of course, in an emergency.)
Research Paper: All students enrolled in this course will write a research paper.
Instructions on the research paper will be discussed later in the semester. The paper will
be 8-10 pages long and include proper citation of sources and a full bibliography.
Helpful Hints:
1.
Bring your syllabus to each course meeting.
2.
Check Blackboard on a daily basis for updated information.
3.
Do all assigned readings and come to class prepared to discuss course
materials.
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