Political Science 474/574
The Executive Process
Fall 2011
T, Th 9:30-10:45
AH 220
Instructor: Dr. Fred Slocum
Office: 204A Morris Hall
Phone: 389-6935
E-mail: frederick.slocum@mnsu.edu
Web site: http://sbs.mnsu.edu/psle/faculty/slocum.html
Office Hours: M, W 11:00-12:30 and 3:00-4:30; T, Th 2:00-4:00; or by appointment
Introduction:
This course examines politics and policymaking in American politics, from the perspective of executive
leaders. This is primarily a course on the United States presidency, but from time to time we will draw
comparisons with state and local executive officials, and with executive officials in other nations. We also
will look at the initial expansion of presidential power since September 11, 2001, and responses to this
expansion from the legislative and judicial branches.
We will encounter many ideas this semester, some of them quite controversial. Political scientists,
politicians and political observers argue vociferously over these ideas, and you should, too. I expect and
encourage frequent participation from members of the class. You should come to class prepared to offer
opinions, observations and questions, and to use recent events to shed light on concepts learned in this class.
Students of all ideological persuasions are encouraged to express their opinions during class discussions.
Agreement or disagreement with the professor’s views will never become a factor in grading.
Course Objectives:
To the extent they do well in this course, students will gain knowledge and understanding of the following:















The American framers’ experiences with executives, and how those experiences shaped the
constitutional powers given to the president
Presidential elections, in the nomination and general election stages
Factors that contribute to the outcomes of presidential elections
The Electoral College, its advantages, disadvantages and biases
The 2008 election and its consequences; the electoral landscape for 2012.
Organization of the executive branch, and how it is affected by the president’s management style
Psychological dimensions of presidential service, including presidential character types
Presidential relations with Congress, and the factors that shape presidential success in Congress
The mutual influences of the president and the judicial branch on each other
The president’s relations with bureaucrats, and why they often resist the president’s preferences
The president’s relationship with the press, and sources of conflict between presidents and journalists
Public opinion toward the president, its trends, sources and consequences
The concept of presidential opportunity, and how it influences a president’s performance in office
The George W. Bush presidency; the Obama presidency so far
Suggestions for reforming the presidency
An additional objective of this course is to sharpen skills that will benefit you in gaining employment or
admission to graduate or professional school. These skills include especially those of communication (oral
and written) and critical thinking that are valued increasingly in the global economy. We will spend
substantial class time discussing topics related to the readings and/or current events, as appropriate.
Students will be assigned to complete a brief research article review and oral report, and several other brief
oral/written assignments with a choice of topics. For graduate students, a longer book review replaces the
article review, and an annotated bibliography will also be required. Details on all paper assignments will be
handed out separately.
Assignments and Grading:
There will be a midterm exam (October 13) and a non-cumulative final exam (December 6). Each will
consist of essays and identification items. About a week before each, I will pass out a study guide to help
you prepare.
The review assignment (to be handed out separately) will be due in class Thursday, November 17, with oral
presentations in class November 17 and 22. For undergraduates, the paper will be a critical review (5-6
typed, double-spaced pages) of a research article on U.S. executive politics found in a professional journal
such as Presidential Studies Quarterly. No article can be reviewed by more than one student. For graduate
students, the paper will be a longer review of a book-length study instead, and will be due the same date.
There are several other short paper assignments, and students can exercise some choice among them. One
option is a brief character study of a president, using James David Barber’s typology of presidential
character (due Sept. 27). A second option is an analysis of a decision faced by a president since 1969, on
which there are clear constituencies on both (or multiple) sides of the issue (due Oct. 25). A third option is
to evaluate the ‘presidential opportunity level’ of a premodern (pre-FDR) president of your choice (due
Nov. 8). Students will choose any two of the above three options and for each, complete the assignment in
a short paper and make a brief oral presentation in class. Further details will be handed out separately.
Graduate students will also complete an annotated bibliography of articles from scholarly journals (totaling
250 pages or more) on a topic relevant to the American presidency or executive politics. The topic must be
cleared with the instructor. The topic of your bibliography must be submitted to me in writing no later than
Thursday, September 22. The bibliography itself is due Tuesday, November 29. Details of the
bibliography assignment will be handed out separately.
Students are expected to contribute actively to class discussions, and should feel free to raise questions or
points during class at any time. Graduate students are expected to participate more actively in class.
Course grades will be determined as follows:
Undergraduate students:
Graduate students:
Midterm exam: 20%
Article review: 15%
Paper 1: 15%
Paper 2: 15%
Attendance and participation: 10%
Final exam: 25%
Midterm exam: 15%
Book review: 15%
Paper 1: 10%
Paper 2: 10%
Bibliography: 20%
Attendance and participation: 10%
Final exam: 20%
Grades will not be curved, meaning that you will not be competing against your classmates for a limited
number of A’s, B’s and so on. The grading scale is a straight scale, as follows:
A: 90%-100%
B: 80%-89.9%
C: 70%-79.9%
D: 60%-69.9%
F: 59.9% or less
Students whose point totals place them very near the cut point for the next higher letter grade will be
evaluated on an individual basis for promotion to the higher grade. In this evaluation, I will consider
factors such as class participation, attitude and improvement over the term.
Students with Disabilities:
I would like to hear (early in the semester is much preferred) from students with a documented learning or
other disability that might require some modification of seating, testing, or other class arrangements. I will
make every effort to accommodate students with these needs. If you have any questions, please see me or
contact Julie Snow in the Disability Services Office (132 Memorial Library, 389-1819).
Policy on Attendance:
I will note attendance frequently if not daily. All students should plan to attend class regularly and
contribute to class discussions. Students are responsible for obtaining notes for any missed session.
Excused absences may be considered on a case-by-case basis for valid reasons (such as for certain medical
reasons), or for significant opportunities, such as attending a professional conference. Whenever possible,
please notify me in advance of an absence, giving a valid reason.
Policy on Make-Up Examinations and Incomplete Grades:
Examinations cannot be made up unless the student provides acceptable, documented reason for missing the
exam. Makeup exam requests have merit to the extent that (1) the circumstance is unavoidable, (2) the
reason for missing the exam can be documented, and (3) the instructor is notified well in advance of the
exam. Makeup exams will not necessarily be identical to, and may be more difficult than, the exam given in
class. Early exams will not be given.
The Undergraduate Bulletin outlines University policy on incomplete grades as follows. “The grade of
‘incomplete’ is reserved for special cases and means that, because of extenuating circumstances, the student
failed to meet a specific need and an important requirement of the course, but has in other respects done
passing work for the semester. The incomplete must be made up in the next semester in which the student
has enrolled, unless other arrangements have been made between the student and instructor who assigned
the grade . . . If the deficiency is not made up within the specified time, the grade automatically becomes an
F or NC.” I will support and enforce this policy fully.
Policy on Late Assignments:
Barring extenuating circumstances (which I must be notified of and approve in advance), late papers will be
downgraded one full letter grade (10 points) for each calendar day late (20 points over a weekend), and no
papers will be accepted more than three days late, unless other arrangements are made with the instructor.
These must be for valid reasons, similar to, but more compelling than, those justifying a makeup exam.
Computer-related problems (i.e. printer malfunctions, hard drive or disk crashes) are not an acceptable
reason for late papers or extensions.
Academic Dishonesty:
A number of activities may be construed as academic dishonesty (cheating). These include, but are not
limited to: copying material from another source (book, manuscript or another student) without proper
acknowledgment, using crib sheets during an exam, talking during an exam, or looking at another student’s
exam. Any cheating will result in an automatic F in the course and possible further disciplinary action. In
papers, if you either quote a source or paraphrase (express an idea drawn from another source in your own
words), you must acknowledge your use of that source in an approved citation form (i.e. APA, MLA,
Chicago citation style). Come see me if you have any questions.
Textbooks:
There are two required texts for this class. Although we will not read all of each book, we will read
substantial portions of each. To lower your costs, students may want to arrange to share books



George C. Edwards III and Stephen J. Wayne, Presidential Leadership: Politics and Policy Making, 8th
edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth Publishers, 2010.
Fred I. Greenstein, The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style From FDR to Obama, 3rd edition.
Princeton University Press, 2010.
Recommended reading: The New York Times or Washington Post (available in Memorial Library, and
also on the Web at http://www.nytimes.com or http://www/washingtonpost.com).
There may be an occasional reading assignment outside the two main course texts. These assignments will
be distributed in class.
Course Calendar and Assignments:
I will make reasonable efforts to follow the schedule of topics below. However, as time and circumstances
dictate, the dates may change somewhat. Thus, the dates given below should be considered approximate. I
will announce any changes to the schedule below in class. Abbreviations used below are as follows: E&W
(Edwards and Wayne); G (Greenstein).
Part I: History and Evolution of the Presidency.
Week 1 – August 23-25: Introductions; constitutional origins and provisions; the premodern vs.
modern presidency. E&W, Ch. 1.
Part II: The Presidential Election Process.
Week 2 – August 30-Sept. 1: The nomination process; frontloading; party conventions. E&W, Ch. 2.
Week 3 – September 6-8: The general election; influences on individual and aggregate presidential
voting. E&W, Ch. 3.
Week 4 – September 13-15: The Electoral College; the 2004 and 2008 elections. Class handouts.
Part III: Structures and Operation of the Presidency.
Week 5 – September 20-22: Organizing the presidential office. E&W, Ch. 6.
(Thursday, September 22: Graduate students – bibliography topics due)
Week 6 – September 27-29: Student presentations. Presidential decision-making. E&W, Ch. 7.
(Tuesday, September 27: First paper due)
Week 7 – October 4-6: Presidential psychology and character. E&W, Ch. 8; G, Ch. 1.
Week 8 – October 11: The unilateral presidency; presidential ‘opportunity level.’ E&W, Ch. 15.
(Thursday, October 13: Midterm exam)
Part IV: Presidential Relations with Other Political Actors.
Week 9 – October 18-20: The public: the president’s public approval. E&W, Ch. 4; G, Ch. 2.
Week 10 – October 25-27: Student presentations. The media. E&W, Ch. 5; G, Ch. 10.
(Tuesday, October 25: Second paper due)
Week 11 – November 1-3: Congress: separated institutions, sharing power. E&W, Ch. 10; G, Chs. 6, 9.
Week 12 – November 8-10: Student presentations. The judiciary. E&W, Ch. 11.
(Tuesday, November 8: Third paper due)
Week 13 – November 15-17: The bureaucracy. E&W, Ch. 9. Student presentations.
(Tuesday, November 17: Article reviews due)
Part V. Leadership Styles of Recent Presidents.
Week 14 – November 22: Bill Clinton. G, Ch. 12.
(Thursday, November 24: Thanksgiving holiday – NO CLASS)
Week 15 – November 29-December 1: George W. Bush; Barack Obama. G, Chs. 13 and 14.
(Tuesday, November 29: Bibliographies (graduates) due)
(Tuesday, December 6, 8:00 AM: Final exam)