Department of Political Science University of Vermont POLS 124: THE PRESIDENCY FALL 2010 Professor John P. Burke Tel: 656-0865 Office: 517 Old Mill e-mail: jpburke@uvm.edu [please make sure the above email is exact, as there is another John Burke at UVM] I. Course Description For better or worse, whether intended or not, the American presidency has emerged as the central focus of our system of government. We expect much of our president: chief proposer of domestic policy, guardian of our economic well-being, commander in chief and architect of foreign affairs, national symbol and head of state, "great communicator," crisis manager, and, yes, even moral exemplar. We place great hopes in our newly elected leader, yet as a public we often become disappointed with their performance in office (witness Bill Clinton's ups-anddowns over his eight years in office or those of George W. Bush maybe even Obama since the start of his presidency). Why this seeming cycle of expectation and frustration? This is the key question that will structure our study of the presidency. We will spend the first several weeks of the course looking at the kind of presidency the founding fathers thought they constructed. As we shall see, the Constitution does place some constraints and establishes some expectations on the presidency but it is not very useful in helping us understand how the presidency currently operates. We will move on to examine what else affects the presidency in our contemporary political order. We will do this by looking at other alternative explanations proposed by political scientists--the effects of: the electoral process on the presidency, the president's mode of dealing with Congress, personality, and how the president deals with the White House staff and makes policy decisions. Throughout the semester, we will also focus on particular presidencies so that we can examine some of the above factors as they affect individual presidents, as well as acquiring a thorough familiarity with recent presidential history. Fred I. Greenstein's book, The Presidential Difference will provide some background for this part of the course, as well as looking at particular administrations through the lens of personality and character-- an approach that is certainly not without some relevance today. II. Office Hours Office Hours: 10:30-11:30 MWF; 12:45-2:00 MWF; and by appointment. Note: I have another class from 11:45-12:35 MWF I don t mind you dropping by at other times but I can't guarantee I will be there, so email for an appointment.
III. Course Requirements and Grading PLEASE NOTE THE DATES OF THESE EXAMS NOW 1. Exam I [25% of grade] DATE: Wed. Sept. 29 2. Exam II [30% of grade] DATE: Fri,, Oct. 29 3. Final Exam [40% of final grade] DATE: 8:30am-10:00am, Fri., Dec. 17 [90 mins] [note: we will begin an hour later than scheduled time of 7:30am] 4. Quizzes [5% of final grade] I will have six of these, each counting one point [out of 100 total for the course]; thus you can "miss" one without hurting your grade [passing all six gives you an extra bonus point!]. They will be unannounced, hence acting as an attendance check. Questions will be brief multiple choice, covering material from the previous class [or so]; if you are late you lose. If you are not in class on the date a quiz is given, you will receive credit only for a legitimate excuse [illness, athletic competition, etc] and you must notify me before class begins with an email or phone message Note: I am a firm non-believer in "extra credit" [do not ask]. However, the quizzes will help your grade in its stead: passing all five is equivalent to an A; passing all six gives you one bonus point [out of 100], which can make a big difference in your final grade PLEASE NOTE THE DATE OF ALL EXAMS, ESP. FINAL EXAM. I CANNOT AND WILL NOT RESCHEDULE THE FINAL, SO PLAN AHEAD ACCORDINGLY. A word of advice: Take the lectures seriously and do not miss class even if you think you can get the notes from someone else. IV. Required Texts The following texts are required for the course and may be purchased at the UVM store or online: 1. Michael Nelson, ed., The Presidency and the Political System 9th edition, CQ Press 2. Joseph A. Pika and John.A. Maltese[hereafter Pika], The Politics of the Presidency, 7th ed. revised, CQ Press 3. Fred I Greenstein, The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style from FDR to Barack Obama 3rd. Ed., Princeton Univ. Press 4. Gary L. Gregg II [hereafter Gregg], Thinking About the Presidency, Rowman and Littlefield V. ACCESS letters Students with ACCESS letters requesting disability accommodations should see me during office hours. Do not hand me the letter before/after class. Students taking exams at Exam Proctoring MUST schedule them at times class is taking exam.
VI. Religious Holiday Conflicts According to UVM policy: Each semester students should submit in writing to their instructors by the end of the second full week of classes their documented religious holiday schedule for the semester if there is a potential conflict with class assignments, quizzes, and tests. VII: Attendance Policy A. Students are expected to attend class B. Enforcement/Penalties: see quizzes, III.4 (above) SCHEDULE OF READINGS FOR LECTURES Introduction: Studying the Presidency Presidency and the Constitution: The Perspective of the Founders/Framers Pika, pp. 1-31 Gregg, pp 1-11 Reading #3 in Gregg, Federalist Papers 69 and 70 (Hamilton) Reading #2 in Gregg, Cato the Anti-Federalist Reading #4 in Gregg, Rozell, "Filling in the Blanks George Washington and the Origins of Presidential Power Presidency and the Constitution: Later Evolutions Tulis, "The Two Constitutional Presidencies," in Nelson, pp. 1-33 Landy and Milkis, The Presidency in the Eye of the Storm, in Nelson, 68-107 Reading #16 in Gregg, Spitzer, "Veto" The Constitution and Presidential Powers: The Presidential View of "Prerogative" Gregg, pp. 54-60 Reading #5 in Gregg, Lincoln "Presidential Power and the Oath of Office" Reading #6 in Gregg, T. Roosevelt, "The President as Steward" Reading #7 in Gregg, Taft, "The President Constrained by Constitution" Reading #18 in Gregg, Pacificus (Hamilton) and Helvidius (Madison) Reading #19 in Gregg, United States v. Curtiss-Wright (1936) Reading #20 in Gregg, Youngstown Sheet and Tube v. Sawyer (1952) The Constitution and Presidential Powers: War Powers? Gregg, 209-220 Reading #22 in Gregg, Nixon Veto Message on War Powers Resolution, Sen. Javits's Reply Polsky, "The Presidency at War," in Nelson, 489-508 Pika, pp. 431-446 The Constitution and Presidential Powers: The Impact of the Supreme Court Pika, pp. 298-328
Yalof, "The Presidency and the Judiciary," in Nelson, pp. 435-462 Presidential Focus I: Harry Truman and Franklin Roosevelt Greenstein, pp. 1-41 Reading #17 in Gregg, FDR's Court Packing Address Presidential Focus II: Dwight D. Eisenhower Greenstein, pp. 42-57 Presidency and the Nomination Process Pika, pp. 36-59 Pious, The Presidency and the Nominating Process, in Nelson, 167-191 Milkis, "Presidency and Political Parties," in Nelson, pp. 295-340 Presidency and the General Election Pika, pp. 59-83 The Electoral College Reading #24 in Gregg, Federalist #68 (Hamilton) Reading #25 in Gregg, Barone, "Electoral College and the Future of American Political Parties" Edwards, The Faulty Premises of the Electoral College, in Nelson, 192-209 Presidential Focus III: John F. Kennedy Greenstein, pp. 59-73 From Campaign to Governing: Presidential Transitions Reading #10 in Gregg, Burke, "Why Presidential Transitions Matter" Reading #14 in Gregg, Neustadt, "The Presidential One Hundred Days" Pika, pp. 461-477 President and the Cabinet Reading #11 in Gregg, Warshaw, "The President's Cabinet" Reading #12 in Gregg, Reich "Life in the Cabinet" Pika, 245-289 President and Presidency: The White House Staff Reading #8 in Gregg, Brownlow Comm., "The President Needs Help" Burke, "The Institutional Presidency," in Nelson, pp. 341-366 Reading #9 in Gregg, Patterson, "The White House Staff" Pika, pp. 166-171 (management) Pika, pp. 446-453 (national security), pp. 393-407 (economic policy), pp. 353-364 (domestic policy
President and the New Vice Presidency Reading #13 in Gregg, Kengor, "Beyond Wreath Laying" Pika, The Vice Presidency, in Nelson, 509-534 Presidential Focus IV: Lyndon Baines Johnson Greenstein, pp. 75-89 Dealing with Congress I: Presidential Power Pika, pp. 200-237, 345-349 Presidential Focus V: Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford Greenstein, pp. 91-125 Dealing with Congress II: The Public Presidency Pika, pp. 92-134 Presidential Focus VI: Jimmy Carter Greenstein, pp. 127-143 Presidential Focus VII: Reagan and Bush Sr. Greenstein, pp. 145-171 The Impact of Presidential Personality Pika, pp. 143-166, 189-190 Nelson, "The Psychological Presidency," in Nelson, pp. 142-166 Reading #39 in Gregg, Glad and Lechelt, "The Psychological Presidency" Greenstein, pp. 219-231 [Note: we simply won t have time to get to the Greenstein chapters on Clinton, G. W. Bush, or Obama; but I think they are interesting and recommend reading them if you have a chance] CLASSROOM PROTOCOL The following protocol has been adopted by the faculty of the Department of Political Science: 1. Students are expected to attend and be prepared for all regularly scheduled classes 2. Students are expected to arrive on time and stay in class until the class period ends. 3. Students are expected to treat faculty and fellow students with respect. For example, students must not disrupt class by leaving and reentering class, must not distract class by making noise, must not eat in class, and must be attentive to comments being made by instructors and by fellow students. 4. Instructor will inform student of any special additions Disclaimer: This syllabus is not intended as a contrast between professor and student. Professor reserves the right to make any changes or alterations in light of pedagogical needs and effectiveness.