COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The 2004 race for the presidency is the most important issue on the political landscape because the president is the focal point of American government. Americans look to the President to find the answers to our economic and social problems. However, are our expectations for the chief executive unrealistic? Over the course of this semester, we examine the political science literature to find an answer to this question. We will explore the gap between the President’s constitutional powers and the powers necessary to effectively govern; the President’s relationship with Congress, the judiciary, interest groups, and the public; and the role that individual personality plays in being an effective president. Overall, we should emerge from the course with an understanding that each president faces certain constraints, but has an opportunity to effectively govern if informal powers are used astutely.

TEXTS:

There are four required texts for this course:

Fred Greenstein, The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style from FDR to George W. Bush, 2nd Edition (2004), Princeton University Press, ISBN: 0-691-11909-0

Jean Baker, James Buchanan: 1857-1861 (2004) Henry Holt and Company, ISBN: 0-805-06946-1

Bob Woodward, Plan of Attack (2004) Simon and Schuster, ISBN: 0-743-25547-x

Bruce Buchanan, Presidential Campaign Quality: Incentives and Reform (2004) Pearson Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0-13-184140-8

The texts are available at Main Campus Barnes and Noble Bookstore located in SAC.
 

ARTICLES:

Several articles and book chapters are on the syllabus throughout the semester. Those marked with a (w) are available by accessing the class website. Articles marked with a (L) are available through e-reserve at Paley Library. Students are advised to procure the articles well in advance of the assigned class date in order to avoid “computer crashes”, “network unavailability”, etc. If you have difficulty accessing the e-reserve articles, please ask for assistance at the reference desk in Paley. The articles are also available in the stacks at Paley.

WEBSITE and LISTSERV:

Please sign up for the mandatory course listserv (or you can sign up directly at http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/the-presidency.html).  Through the listserv, students will periodically receive timely newspaper articles for class discussion, and will be notified of any changes in the class schedule. Students will be responsible for reading the supplementary material even if we do not cover them in class due to time constraints.

EXAMS and QUIZZES:

Two examinations will be administered during the semester. Both tests will be composed of short answer and essay questions and will require knowledge of lecture notes, readings and class discussion. There will be no make-up tests unless you present a documented medical excuse.  Failure to take a test will result in a zero for each missed. A number of “pop” or take home quizzes will be given on assigned readings. All material from articles, book chapters, or documents from the listserv is fair game on these short essay quizzes.
 

PAPERS:

Two papers are assigned for the course. The first relates the presidency of James Buchanan to the presidency literature. This 5-6 page paper is due at the beginning of class on October 21. The second paper is on Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward. We will discuss this single case study of presidential decisionmaking in light of the theories and facts that we have examined throughout the semester. This 5-6 page paper will be due at the beginning of class on December 2. Requirements for this paper will be distributed later in the semester.

CLASS PARTICIPATION:

Discussion is an integral part of this upper level political science course. Students are expected to come to class having completed all readings, and having prepared to discuss the articles or book chapters. Regular class attendance is an important component in determining the class participation grade.

INCOMPLETES AND FAILURE TO TURN IN ASSIGNMENTS:

The University requires a formal, written plan signed by the course instructor and a student in order for an incomplete to be assigned in a class. Consequently, a written and signed timetable outlining the completion date of the course must be agreed to prior to the end of the semester. Students will receive a 0 for any uncompleted assignment if a formal, written agreement is not completed prior to the end of the semester.

STUDENT DISABILITY:

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the situation as soon as possible. In such a case we can work with Disability Resources and Services at 215-204-1280 in Ritter Annex to ensure that your needs are met.
 
 

“Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another person's labor, another person's ideas, another person's words, another person's assistance. Normally, all work done for courses… is expected to be the individual effort of the student presenting the work. Any assistance must be reported to the instructor. If the work has entailed consulting other resources -- journals, books, or other media -- these resources must be cited in a manner appropriate to the course.... Everything used from other sources -- suggestions for organization of ideas, ideas themselves, or actual language -- must be cited. Failure to cite borrowed material constitutes plagiarism. Undocumented use of materials from the World Wide Web is plagiarism.”

"Academic cheating is, generally, the thwarting or breaking of the general rules of academic work or the specific rules of individual courses. It includes falsifying data; submitting, without the instructor's approval, work in one course which was done for another; helping others to plagiarize or cheat from one's own or another's work; or actually doing the work of another person."

"The penalty for plagiarism or cheating as a first offense is normally and F in the course in which the offense is committed and a report to the Dean. A subsequent offense may in addition be referred to the University Discipline Committee."

Plagiarism in this course will result in an instant failure for the semester. This applies to any work submitted for the course, including, but not limited to take home tests/quizzes and papers. If you have any questions on plagiarism, please see me.

SCHEDULE:

(L) Signifies reading is on e-reserve at Paley Library
(W) Signifies that reading is available via a link on this website.

August 31: Overview of Course

September 2: No Class

September 7: The Presidency and Political Science: An Introduction to Theories of the American Presidency and the American President in Comparative Perspective

September 9, 14: Founders Vision of the President: A View from the Federalist Papers
Readings: The Declaration of Independence; Article II of the United States Constitution;  Federalist Papers # 51, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, 75 (W).

Click for Discussion Questions for the President and Foundational Documents

September 16: Presidential Elections: Design and Function
Readings: Bruce Buchanan, Preface and Chapter 1.

September 21: Presidential Elections: Case Studies in Success and Failure
Readings: Dick Morris, Power Plays: Chapters 1 and 2, pp. 7-25 (L); Buchanan, Chapters 2, 3, 4

Morris:
How do successful candidates employ their ideology to win elections? Is it possible to be highly ideological and still compromise to accomplish broad policy goals?
Why did conservatism work for Reagan while it failed for Goldwater? How did each presidential candidates’ approach to their ideology help or hinder their chances of success?

September 23: Presidential Elections: Are Reforms Necessary?
Readings: Buchanan, Chapters 5 and 7.

September 28:Presidential Personality: Freud Meets Political Science and Neustadt’s Power Argument
Reading: Richard Neustadt, "The Power to Persuade", Chapter 3 in, Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents (L).

Click for Discussion Questions for Richard Neustadt’s "The Power to Persuade".

September 30: Class Discussion of Fred I. Greenstein, The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style from FDR to George W. Bush
Reading: Chapters 1 (Intro), 2 (FDR), 7 (Nixon), 10 (Reagan), 12 (Clinton), 14 (Conclusion). You will also be assigned one other president during class (We will read the chapter on George W. Bush during our discussion of the Woodward book).

October 5: Skowronek’s Politics Presidents Make
Reading: Stephen Skowronek, Politics Presidents Make, Chapters 2-3 (L).

Note: Students are not responsible for reading Chapter 1, however, I have written a short summary of the chapter that may be useful (click for summary).

Click for Discussion Questions for Chapters 2-3 of Skowronek’s Politics Presidents Make

October 7: Placing George W. Bush in Skowronek’s Scheme
Reading: Bill Keller, “Reagan’s Son”, New York Times Magazine, January 26, 2003 (W).

Click for Discussion Questions on Keller's "Reagan's Son"

October 12: The Personal, and Post-Modern Presidencies

October 14: Class Discussion on James Buchanan: 1857-1861
Paper Due at Beginning of Class.

October 19: Test #1

October 21: Presidential-Congressional Relations
Reading: Victoria Allred, “Versatility With the Veto”, CQ Weekly, January 20, 2001 (W).

How did Clinton’s use of the veto change over the course of his presidency?
How was his use of the veto innovative?
Throughout American history, how have the president’s individual and institutional circumstances affected his use of the veto?

October 26: Presidential-Congressional Relations

October 28: Creating Winning Coalitions by Going Public
Reading: Corey Cook, “The Permanence of the Permanent Campaign: George W. Bush’s Public Presidency”, Presidential Studies Quarterly, December 2002.

November 2: The Presidency and the Executive Branch

November 4: Discussion of 2004 Presidential Election

November 9: The Presidency and the Executive Branch (cont.)

November 11: Presidential Decisionmaking
Reading: Robert E. DiClerico, “Five Cases in Presidential Decision Making”, from The American President, 5th Edition, 243-279 (L).

November 16: Video: The President vs. Congress Executive Privilege and the Delegation of Powers

November 18: The Presidency and the Judiciary; Policymaking: Domestic Policy
Reading: Federalist 76(W).

Why was the President given the power to nominate officials rather than investing it in Congress, or a council? What role does Hamilton see the Senate having in the confirmation process of federal officials?

November 23: Policymaking: Domestic Policy
Reading: Jonathan Rauch, “The Accidental Radical”, National Journal, July 26, 2003, pp. 2404-2410 (W).

Why does Rauch compare Bush to Franklin Roosevelt?
According to Rauch, what is the ultimate aim of Bush’s agenda? How does his agenda differ from a traditional conservative such as Ronald Reagan?
What are the potential consequences if Bush’s agenda fails?

November 25: Thanksgiving Holiday, No Class

November 30: Returning to Civilian Life: Patterns of Post-Presidential Activity
Reading: Jonathan Alter, “Citizen Clinton Up Close”, Newsweek, April 8, 2002, pp. 34-42 (W).

What problems does an ex-president face as they give up power? What problems does Clinton specifically face?
What are Clinton’s objectives for his ex-presidency?
In retrospect, how does Clinton view his presidency?
What is his attitude toward those that he views as his political enemies during his presidency?

December 2, 7: Discussion of Woodward’s Plan of Attack
Also read Greenstein, Chapter 13: George W. Bush
Paper due at the beginning of class on December 2.

December 9: University Study Day, No Class

Tuesday December 14, 8:30-10:30: FINAL EXAMINATION