Corwin, Meg

English

University of Montana

University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Syllabi Course Syllabi Fall 9-1-2002 PSC 366.01: American Presidency Meg Corwin The University Of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi Let us know how access to this document benefits you. Recommended Citation Corwin, Meg, "PSC 366.01: American Presidency" (2002). Syllabi. 6824. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi/6824 This Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Course Syllabi at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Syllabi by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact scholarworks@mso.umt.edu. ',\ '.t \ PSC 366-The American Presidency Fall 2002, LA 337 10:10-11:00 MWF Instructor: Meg Corwin Office: LA354 Office Hours: MW, 11:15-12:30, Phone: 243-4418 4:15-5:00, or by appointment Email: mcorwin@selway.umt.edu Most of us see the president as the center of American politics, and we expect a lot. We want a strong leader who can fix everything, but are wary of allowing one person to have too much power. We want a leader who is self-confident, without being arrogant; bright, but not too bright. We want our presidents to provide charismatic leadership, rise above 'politics' and have the . vision to govern in the best interests of everyone, yet we also demand they be responsive to the popular 'will of the people'. Given these high and often contradictory expectations, how can aey President practice successful leadership? This is the underlying theme of this course. During this semester, we will examine the institutional context ofpresidential leadership, and the ways in which presidents' personalities and political conditions combine to both expand and constrain the parameters for executive leadership and governance. During the second half of the term, we will explore the dynamics of the interaction between the president and his various constituencies found in Congress, the executive bureaucracy, and the public. Our goal is to identify the elements of presidential leadership discussed earlier in the semester to see what works and what doesn't. Required texts: Edwards, George C. and Stephen J. Wayne. 2003. Presidential Leadership: Politics and Policy Making, 6th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press. Lowi, Theodore. 1985. The Personal President: Power Invested, Promise Unfulfilled. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Pfiffner, James P. and Roger H. Davidson, eds. 1997. Understanding the Presidency. New York: Longman Press. Required Readings on Reserve in Mansfield Library· Neusdadt, Richard. 1990. Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents.chs. 1-5. CI ,ASS POI JCIES · This class will require a lot of reading and preparation. You will be 1 expected to attend class and be able to participate in class discussion. To that end, my attendance policy is as follows: You will be allowed 3. unexcused absences. Every absence after that will result in the lowering of your final grade by lQ points. I will not accept late assignments. You will have ample notice of due dates. Plan ahead. Ifyour hard drive dies at midnight the day before the assignment is due, that is no excuse. Do your assignments far enough in advance to give yourself room to maneuver. Your grade will be based on the following· Two short (5-7 page) take-home midterm exams 20% each 12-15 page research paper 25% Notebook of reading summaries 15% Take-home final exam (5-7 pages) 20% Grades will be assigned according to the standard+/- grading system. Important Dates: 9/18 - Paper proposals due, end of class period. 10/7 - First midterm exam distributed - due 10/11, 11 am. 11/8 - Second midterm exam distributed - due 11/13, 11 am. 11/11 - Veterans' Day Holiday - no classes. 11/27-11/29-Thanksgiving Holiday- no classes. 12/2 - Research papers due. 12/13 - Final exam distributed- due 12/18, no later than 11:00 am. TOPIC AI. OT III ,INE I. Defining the Presidency- Constitutional and Historical Roots (9/4-9/20) Assigned: 	 E&W-Ch. 1 P&D - Readings 1,3,4,5,10 P&D-Readings 6,7,8,9 II. Sources of Power and Opportunities for I.eadership (9/23-10/18) The Institutional Presidency - Constraint and Opportunity Assigned: Lowi - All The Personal Presidency- Scaling the Institutional Walls 2 •• .. '. Assigned: 	 Neusdadt - Chs. 1-5 (on reserve) E&W-Ch. 8 P &D - Reading 45 III. Presidential Success· Getting Elected (10/21-11/4) The President and the Public - Image and Substance, Part I Assigned: E& W - Chs. 4&5 P&D-Readings 15&19 Presidential Campaigns - Image and Substance, Part II Assigned: E&W -Chs. 2&3 P&D-Readings 11,13,14 IV. The President in Government· Role and Strategy (11/6-12/13) The Executive Office and the Bureaucracy - Evolution and Change Assigned: E& W - Chs. 6,7&9 P&D-Readings 20-24 The President and Congress - Conflict and Cooperation Assigned: E& W - Ch. 10 P&D-Readings 35, 37 & 38 The President and Domestic Policy- Roping a Herd of Elephants Assigned: E& W - Ch. 12& 13 P&D-Readings 25, 26 & 28 Evaluating Presidents -Leadership, Followership and Abuse of Power Assigned: P&D-Readings 40, 41, 43 & 44 3 

PSC 366.01: American Presidency

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PSC 366.01: American Presidency

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