Dickinson College -- PolSci 247

Dickinson College
Political Science 247
The American Presidency
Fall 2006

Professor Andrew Rudalevige
Denny Hall 316 (245-1716; rudaleva@dickinson.edu)
Office Hours: Tuesday, 10:30-12; Wednesday, 9:30-11; or by appointment

This course analyzes the development and modern practice of presidential leadership in the United States. We will examine the creation and evolution of the presidential office, the process of presidential selection, and presidential decision making in various policy arenas. In doing so we will emphasize the interplay between individual presidents and the presidency as an ongoing institution, and presidents’ interaction with other parts of government, with organized interests, the press, and the public. Throughout, the stress is on the president’s need to maneuver within a system of “separated institutions sharing powers.”

The following readings (all in paperback) may be purchased at the Dickinson bookstore or via on-line booksellers:

· Michael Nelson, ed., The Presidency and the Political System, 8th ed. (CQ, 2005) [“P&PS”]
· Charles E. Jones, The Presidency in a Separated System, 2nd ed. (Brookings, 2005)
· Andrew Rudalevige, The New Imperial Presidency: Renewing Presidential Power after Watergate (Michigan, 2005)
· Richard Reeves, President Kennedy: Profile of Power (Simon & Schuster, 1993)
· semester-long subscription to New York Times through bookstore, or on-line

Other readings below (marked “#”) may be found via on-line reserve through the course’s Blackboard page. You are responsible for completing all assigned readings. Reading assignments and other due dates are subject to change, with notice.

· Paper on presidential elections topic (15% of your final grade): due September 28

· Policy case study, a small-group project which will result in a paper on a president’s decision making process and involvement in a legislative initiative of interest (20%); due December 1

· Course attendance and participation will also factor into your final grade (5%).

Note that a U [Unsatisfactory] grade will be assigned at midterm “roll-call” if your current grade in the course is a C- or below. Note too that in all written work, you must abide by the most stringent rules of citation. Plagiarism is grounds not only for a failing grade on a given assignment, but for the course – and, potentially, for dismissal from the College. Please refer to the student handbook to remind yourself how Dickinson defines plagiarism (strictly, is the short answer), and to the Writing Center (or my homepage) for aids to proper citation.

POLITICAL SCIENCE 247, Fall 2006
(#) indicates on-line reading via Blackboard

I. The Modern Presidency

· Introduction and course overview (August 29)

· Creating the Presidency (August 31, September 5)
(#) The Constitution of the United States of America, with amendments
Rudalevige, pp. 1-26
(#) Federalist Papers, #69-70
(#) Cato, letter #5
Jones, Ch. 1

· Becoming President: Nomination, Election, Transition (September 7, 12, 14, 19, 21)
(#) Federalist Papers, #68
(#) James Bryce, “Why Great Men Are Not Chosen President,” excerpt (1888)
(#) Loomis (pro) and Shaffer (con), “Resolved, the President Should Be Elected Directly By the People,” in Ellis and Nelson, eds., Debating the Presidency
Pious, “The Presidency and the Nominating Process,” P&PS
Aldrich et al., “The Presidency and the Election Campaign,” P&PS
(#) Harold Stanley and Richard Niemi, “Partisanship, Party Coalitions, and Group Support, 1952-2004,” Presidential Studies Quarterly 36 (June 2006): 172-88
Reeves, Ch. 1-2
Jones, Ch. 2, 5

Note: no class September 26 (AEI Conference); Short Paper due September 28

· Studying the President: Individuals and Institutions (September 28, October 3)
Reeves, Introduction, Ch. 4-5, 41
Nelson, “The Psychological Presidency,” P&PS

(#) Terry Moe, “Presidents, Institutions, and Theory,” in Edwards et. al., eds., Researching the Presidency, pp. 337-56 only
Skowronek, “Presidential Leadership in Political Time,” P&PS

· The Evolving Presidency, Here and Abroad (October 5, 10, 12)
Rudalevige, pp. 26-138
(#) Richard Neustadt, Presidential Power, Ch. 1
(#) “State of the Presidency: What Bush Inherits,” CQ Weekly (January 20, 2001)
Rockman, “The American Presidency in Comparative Perspective,” P&PS

October 17: “Fall Pause”

II. President and Public

· Presidential Communication (October 19, 24)
Tulis, “The Two Constitutional Presidencies,” P&PS
Jones, Ch. 4
(#) D.T. Max, “The Making of the Speech,” New York Times Magazine (October 7, 2001)
Jacobs, “The Presidency and the Press,” P&PS
Reeves, Ch. 10-11, 17

· Presidents and Public: Other Mediators (October 26)
Milkis, “The Presidency and Political Parties,” P&PS
Tichenor, “The Presidency and Interest Groups,” P&PS

MIDTERM EXAM: October 31

III. Separate Institutions Sharing Powers

· The Presidency and the Courts (November 2)
David Yalof, “The Presidency and the Judiciary,” P&PS
(#) U.S. v. Nixon (1974)
(#) Clinton v. Jones (1997)
(#) Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (2006), excerpts, including Thomas dissent

· Chief Executive – President and Bureaucracy (November 7) - Election Day!
Lewis, “Presidents and the Bureaucracy,” P&PS
Rudalevige, “The President and the Cabinet,” P&PS
Jones, pp. 73-80

· Advising the President: White House Organization and Decision-Making (November 9, 14, 16)

Organizing the Presidency
Jones, pp. 66-73
Burke, “The Institutional Presidency,” P&PS
(#) Roger Porter, Presidential Decision Making, Appendix (pp. 229-252)

Why does Organization Matter?
Jones, pp. 80-127
Reeves, Ch. 5 (review), 6-8, 33-36

· President and Congress: Policymaking and Oversight (November 21, 28, December 5)
Rudalevige, pp. 139-259
Dickinson, “The President and Congress,” P&PS
Jones, Ch. 6-7
(#) Peter Baker et. al., “The Train that Wouldn’t Stop,” Washington Post (February
14, 1999)
Reeves, Ch. 40, 42-46

Note: No class November 23 (Happy Thanksgiving) or November 30 (conference)
Papers due December 1, 5 p.m.

IV. Conclusions

· An Imperial, or Imperiled, Presidency? (December 7)
Jones, Ch. 8
Rudalevige, Ch. 8
Reeves, Ch. 51-56

Final exam: Monday, December 11 (2 p.m.)