Approved by University Studies Sub-Committee March 31, 2004. A2C2 action pending.

Approved by Faculty Senate April 19, 2004

University Studies Flagged Course Proposal

  1. Department or Program: Political Science and Public Administration
  1. Course Number : 321
  1. Semester Hours: 3 (three)
  1. Frequency of Offering : Once every year
  1. Course Title: American Presidency
  1. Catalog Description:

A study of the institution of the presidency, the gradual growth of formal and informal tools of presidential power, the influence that different presidents have brought to the office, the significance of presidential style and character, recruitment patterns for the presidency, and various suggestions to reform the institution. Prerequisite: POLS 120

  1. This is an existing course previously approved by A2C2: Yes.
  1. This is a new course proposal: No.
  1. University Studies Requirement this course would satisfy: Writing Flag
  1. Department contact Person for this course:

Fredrick P. Lee

457-5657

  1. General Course Outcomes:

This course will introduce the major themes, theories, and techniques for studying the American Presidency, while helping students develop insights into the roles, development, and status of the presidency within American national politics. The themes, theories, and techniques of studying the Presidency will also introduce students to new and evolving methods employed by political scientists in their research on the presidency. A strong component of the course is the attempt to create a comparative framework for studying the presidency, a framework of using cross-cultural, cross-national, and interdisciplinary research and substantive literature. In this fashion students will be introduced to some of the controversies among political scientists about the presidency. Attention will be given to the enduring questions of the presidency within American national politics in regard to constitutional development and historical evolution of the office. Additionally, attention will be given to presidential relations with what we can conceptualize as presidential publics and/or constituencies; the mass media, voters, interest groups, parties, and public opinion. Another outcome is for students to understand the presidency as an institutional actor in our government, with an analysis of the organization of the White House and the relationships between the president and Congress, the judiciary, and the bureaucracy. Lastly, another outcome for students is for an appreciation for the presidency as a policymaking institution in regard to agenda setting, economic, and foreign policies of American national government. In order to better understand the course materials students are expected to write analysis papers. These assignments will utilize the tools found in political science research, namely the objective analysis of studying the presidency (Writing A-E).

  1. Course Outcomes:

(Please see attached syllabus. Each outcome is italicized and/or highlighted in the text of the syllabus):

A)Practice the processes and procedures for creating and completing successful writing in their fields:

The students are expected to write two analytical papers and then to rewrite one paper by incorporating my comments for a final term paper. The papers will require an abstract on the cover page, which is the norm in the field of political science. The criteria for my comments are presented on the syllabus and I will judge the final paper’s revision, new clarity and precision based on the inclusion of my commentary from the previous paper. The important theme or point here is that students learn to understand and to utilize feedback and commentary from me, as one who is trained and committed to the process, the methods, and the goals of evaluating manuscripts for scholarly submission in professional journals. In this process, students will learn how to address thematic, theoretical, and methodological concerns in regard to the presidency and politics in a professional manner.

B)Understand the main features of writing in their fields.

The papers will employ an analytical framework, which is the main type of writing in our field. This involves a process of developing working definitions, hypothesis, and the systematic testing of the hypothesis. The conventional method in developing hypotheses is through the use of theory, which is a cornerstone of the course. The exams also fulfill this requirement because each essay written will need to follow the basic expository essay format. This includes clear introductions, arguments, a reasonable noted body of evidence, and a summary conclusion.

C)Adapt their writing to the general expectations of readers in their fields:

The writing is in an analytical format, which is the general expectation in the field (see B, above). An additional component is the expectation of intellectual honesty and objectivity. Students will need to introduce and to explain the themes, the theories, and the methods of studying the presidency and politics in an unbiased manner so as to add credibility to their work. Students will note that narrow-mindedness or bias in their work may be counter to the “Criteria for Grade Assignment” (Please see “Criteria for Grade Assignment” in the syllabus).

D)Make use of the technologies commonly used in writing and for research in their fields:

Part of the value of analytical writing is finding pieces of evidence to support argument rather than resorting to pure assertion. I will instruct students who have statistical skills to employ them in these papers. This will involve computer software. However, I suspect that the majority will not have confidence in such skills or may lack the skills altogether. I will encourage through preparation and comments the use of primary news accounts of the issues they are investigating. One excellent tool that I often use is LexisNexis®. This method is superior to the internet search engines in finding such accounts both in the quality news articles and in the time conducting the research.

E)Learn the conventions of evidence, format, usage, and documentation in their fields.

The papers, and to some extent the exams, will require the proper use of citation of the evidence presented. The papers will need to be properly footnoted and include full citations in the bibliography. Exams will require the citation of the last names of individuals that developed theories and/or produced empirically substantiated hypotheses, as needed.

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