PSC 313 American Executive
Summer I, 2008

Professor:   Steve Borrelli
Office:  307 ten Hoor, 348-3802 (voicemail)

Office Hours:    Tuesday and Thursday 3 – 4 PM, Friday 11 AM – 12 noon

Email:  sborrell@bama.ua.edu

My personal Webpage:  bama.ua.edu/~sborrell 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This is an intermediate-level discussion of the U.S. Presidency:  its origins and development over the last 220 years, the politics of presidential nominations and general elections, the construction and current structure of the mini-bureaucracy of advisers and aides surrounding the president, the president’s role as CEO of the Federal Bureaucracy, and his relations with Congress, the Judiciary, and the general public.

 

COURSE PREREQUISITES

A basic familiarity with the US political system, best gained through a course like UA’s PSC 101, is expected, but there is no formal prerequisite. 

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon successful completion of the course students will

1.)     Understand the debates at the Constitutional Convention regarding the form the American Executive would take and the powers it would exercise, and the modern-day consequences of the decisions the Founders made;

2.)     Be able to put this year’s primaries, conventions, and race for Electoral College votes into a broader historical context, by knowing the origins and evolution of today’s nomination and general election procedures;

3.)     Know the key events and movements that shaped the modern presidency, and the contributions of key individual presidents;

4.)     Understand the roles of, and relationships between the President, the White House Office, the Executive Office of the President, the Cabinet agencies, and the rest of the Executive Branch, and how they help the president wield the “executive power” and relate to various subordinates and constituencies; 

5.)     Understand both the potential and limitations of the President’s role in the legislative process, how the president tries to construct and promote a legislative program and influence members of Congress;

6.)     Understand the Supreme Court’s continuous role in defining presidential power;

7.)     Be able to explain the emergence of rhetorical leadership as a major technique of presidential leadership, discuss how presidents produce and deliver public speeches, and understand the limitations of rhetorical leadership as identified by political scientists. 

 

REQUIRED BOOKS

 

James P. Pfiffner.  2008. The Modern Presidency (5th Edition).  Belmont, California:  Thomson Wadsworth Higher Education.  ISBN 0-495-18994-4

 

George Edwards,  2003.   On Deaf Ears:  The Limits of the Bully Pulpit (any edition is OK).  New Haven:  Yale University Press.

 

 

CLASS ASSIGNMENTS/EXAMS

 

(The format of both exams will be 50% multiple choice and 50% short essay)

 

Midterm Exam in class, Tuesday, June 17th (worth 35% of the course grade)

 

Final Exam, Wednesday, July 2nd  at 8 AM (worth 35% of the course grade)

 

Participation in Class Discussion (In-person or Online)  (worth 30% of course grade)

1.)      Every week, students will be required to propose one question for class discussion Friday and/or over the weekend online.  The questions must relate somehow to class discussion or the reading for the current week.  Students are encouraged to relate their questions  to current or historical events (and will be rewarded for doing so), but the core of the question must relate to material we read or discussed during the week.  These questions will be submitted through the e-mail function on E-Learning for this class.  The deadline for question submission each week is Thursday at 5 PM.   Questions will be graded on the level of thought and care that appeared to go into the formulation of the question, its relevance to topics covered in class that week, and the use of examples or illustrations from current events or history if appropriate.  The question grades will comprise 1/3 of the students’ participation grade for the course (i.e., 10% of the students’ overall course grade.) 

2.)    Thursday night, I will select my three favorite questions out of these student submissions for general class discussion on Friday and through the weekend.  Each student must participate TWICE in this discussion, either by speaking in class on Friday OR by posting comments online in the Discussion area of E-Learning for the class (the text of the three favorite questions will be posted in E-Learning after class on Friday for reference).  The deadline for submitting online comments will be 11:59 PM Monday night.  Students’ comments will be graded on the degree of thought and care that appeared to go into their composition or vocalization, demonstration of critical thinking and analytical skills, originality and creativity, their use of examples from current events or history, and/or the degree to which they reflect understanding and knowledge of points made by previous contributors to the discussion (especially if they are submitted late into the discussion) rather than just rehashing points already made by others.  The answer grades will comprise 2/3 of the students’  participation grade for the course (i.e. 20% of the students’ overall course grade).

 

DISABILITY POLICY

If you have a disability that requires special accommodations in this class you need to contact the Office of Disability Services, 133B Martha Parham East, 348-4285 (or ods@bama.edu).  The Office of Disability Services will work with you and me to come up with specific plan that will meet your needs.

 

ATTENDANCE AND MAKEUPS POLICY
Attendance will not be taken on a daily basis.  However, especially given the accelerated pace of the summer term,  daily attendance and effective, personal note-taking is effectively essential in order to perform adequately on exams and in discussion.

Makeups for the exams or for the discussions will be allowed only in cases of verified illness or family emergency covering the exact dates of the missed work.  It is entirely the student’s responsibility to produce adequate verification and to schedule makeup exams in a timely fashion.

 

ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY

The University of Alabama’s policy on academic dishonesty (which includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication) can be viewed at
http://www.ua.edu/catalogs/undergraduate/12600.html or

http://www.sa.ua.edu/campusactivities/Handbook9.htm#Codes

I will strictly adhere to and enforce this policy.  Penalties for academic dishonesty can be as severe as indefinite suspension from the University.

 

ORDER OF TOPICS AND READINGS

Note:  this schedule is approximate.  One of the many advantages of regular class attendance is that there will never be any doubt about what topic is being covered or what readings should be done one a day-to-day basis.  Remember on Fridays, at least 50 minutes of class time will be devoted to discussion of the three top student-submitted questions for that week.

 

WEEK I (June 3-6):  Constitutional Origins of the Presidency;  the 19th Century Presidency;  the Progressive Presidency

Reading:  Pfiffner Chapters 1, 7, and 8

Edwards Chapter 5 (on George Washington)

 

WEEK II (June 9-13):  The Modern and “Post-Modern” Presidencies, Presidential Nomination Politics, the Electoral College

Reading:  Pfiffner Chapter 2 (p. 20 – 44 only)

Edwards Chapter 4

 

WEEK III (June 16, 18-20):  The White House Office and the Executive Office of the President
Reading:  Pfiffner Chapters 3 and 4 

TEST on June 17th!

 

WEEK IV  (June 23 – 27):  Leading the Executive Branch, Congress, and the Public
Reading:  Pfiffner Chapters  5 and 6
Edwards Chapters 1-3

 

WEEK V (June 30 – July 1):  Presidential Rhetoric—Why it’s Done, How it’s Done, Does it Matter?
Reading:   Edwards Chapters 6-10
Pfiffner pp. 45-54