Most Americans can name several presidents and even have opinions on “good” versus “bad” presidents. But how do we evaluate and measure what presidents do and our expectations for their leadership? This course will put the modern presidency in historical and theoretical context, drawing on a variety of readings and approaches over time to determine which framework best explains presidential (in)action. At its core, this class is about the question of executive power in democratic government. In addition to studying and reflecting on the theme of presidential power in theory and practice, we will also consider the limits to this power and how presidents achieve their goals. Ultimately, we aim to understand the work of the presidency and some of the different perspectives by which we might analyze or assess presidents and their administrations.
*Requirement for ALL semester students:
The first four weeks of this semester (August 28 to September 18) will be spent in a special topics module taught by Professor Jennifer Diascro on Wednesdays, 6:30-9:30 p.m. This module will account for 15% of the core seminar final course grade. Please contact Professor Diascro (jennifer.diascro.edu) with questions.
Professor Nunez will begin teaching the Presidency seminar on Tuesdays, beginning September 24, and he will officially be your instructor of record for the term, responsible for computing and submitting final course grades at the end of the term.
**NO additional registration required.