|
Course Schedule
Monday Jan 10. Getting Organized.
Get your text, read the syllabus (see
frame to the left) and make sure you can log onto Blackboard!
Friday Jan 14. Preface and Chapter 1.
Presidential Paradoxes
- Reading Mastery Questions Test 1—log onto
Backboard (link in frame on left). Then go to APLS 463 and click on the
"Assignments" button. Read the Preface and Chapter 1 and
answer the “reading mastery questions” on this chapter -- due midnight. The test will
not be available after midnight, so get it done on time or you get no
credit for it. This rule applies to all Blackboard assignments.
Wednesday
Jan 19. Discussion
- Discussion Question for the blog (I will also
post it there!): The chapter covers 9 major paradoxes. Of these, on which
paradox is President Obama doing best and on which one is he doing worst.
Explain why? Due midnight. To get credit, you must post a meaningful
comment by the due date!
Friday Jan 21. Discussion about
the News
A major debate
started yesterday in the House of Representatives where Republicans will
almost certainly vote to repeal the Health Care Reform Act. Read some of the
news stories in major newspapers about this debate, see the stories on
www.RealClearPolitics.com,
check the White House Website and the website bought by supporters of the
law (www.obamacarae.com), and
explain how this debate could help or hurt Obama in the Blackboard
discussion.
Tuesday Jan 25. The State of the
Union Speech--9 pm!
No assignment on this now, but everyone
needs to watch it or see it on U-Tube (where it should be available). In a
discussion real soon, I will ask you about the vision that Obama attempts
to present to the nation--a strong clear vision is essential for
presidential success. it will also be the opening short for his re-election
campaign that will no doubt capture several of the key ideas in the
paradoxes we have been studying.
Wednesday Jan 26. Chapter 2.
How We Judge
Presidents
- Reading Mastery Questions Test 2—on
Blackboard.
Friday Jan 28.
Discussion
- Discussion Question: Pretty clearly, Washington, Lincoln, and
Franklin Roosevelt are considered by most historians to be the top three
American Presidents. 1) Do you agree and why? 2) Who would you rank as #4
and why? (You should consider what criteria you use and whether your
criteria have the kinds of biases they authors discuss.)
Wednesday Feb 2.
How We Elect Presidents
- Reading Mastery Questions Test 3
Friday Feb
4. Discussion
- Discussion Question: The last part of the
chapter discusses alternatives to the electoral college. If you could
suddenly magically be able to amend the Constitution, what plan would you
put in place and why--be specific about whatever plan you choose. Or would
you keep the electoral college, and why of course!
Wednesday Feb 9. Chapter 4.
Presidential Power and Leadership
- Reading Mastery Questions Test 4
Friday
Feb 11. Discussion
- Find a news story that illustrates something about
the leadership of President Obama and discuss the story in relation to
the material in the text on leadership.
Wednesday Feb 16. Chapter 5. Presidents
in System of Shared Powers
- Reading Mastery Questions Test 5
Friday Feb 18. Discussion
- Web Assignment: Note the seven kinds of
activities in table 5.1 on p.132. Go to the White House Website
(www.whitehouse.gov), and find specific activities or speeches that
illustrate THREE of these activities. Describe in your own words how
each one illustrates the activity listed in the text. Do NOT just paste
something from the web page to your answer. It must be in your own words.
Wednesday Feb 23. Chapter 6.
Presidents and Congress
- Reading Mastery Questions Test 6
Friday Feb 25.
Discussion
- Discussion Assignment. I will borrow this one
from the suggested discussions at the end of the chapter. Much of the
chapter concerns the conflict between giving Congress the power to declare
war and the powers of the president to in effect start wars by acting as
commander-in-chief. The modern trend reverses the constitutional roles in
that presidents in effect can start wars and Congress follows along as the
population rallies around the troops, at least in the short run. So here are
the discussion questions. 1) Do you see this trend as dangerous in the
balance of power between the executive and legislative branches? 2) What do
you think can be done about this?
MIDTERM EXAM -- click here --
due midnight, Friday, March 4
Monday, Mar 7-Friday, Mar 11. SPRING BREAK! You deserve it!
Wednesday March 16. Chapter 7. Presidents
as Chief Executives
-
Reading Mastery Questions Test 7
Friday,
March 18. Discussion
- Discussion/Web assignment. I was very
disappointed that First Ladies were not given a chapter on their own and
just thrown in as an afterthought in this chapter--the last edition of the
text had a chapter on vp's and first Ladies--that made a little more sense.
First Ladies can be very important or they can be little more than
ceremonial. Visit First Lady
Michelle Obama’s homepage at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/firstlady
. Study Mrs Obama’s Web pages so you can compare her to previous First
Ladies. How would you classify her and her activies?
Wednesday March 23. Chapter 8. the
American Vice Presidency
- Reading Mastery Questions Test 8
Friday March 25. Discussion.
-
Go to Joe Biden's website and also do a web
search for stories on his activities. After examining what he does, describe
how his roles and activities compare with recent vice presidents.
Wednesday March 30. Chapter 9.
Presidents and the Court
- Reading Mastery Questions Test 9
Friday April 1.
Discussion
-
At the end of the chapter the text poses two
questions for discussion, both pertaining to how presidents choose judges.
Given the history of timidity in the Supreme Court challenging presidential
actions, especially in times of crisis, would it be better to have justices
appointed by a nonpartisan independent commission or by popular election
rather than how it is currently done: presidential nomination and Senate
confirmation? What would be your preference and why?
Wednesday April 6. Chapter 10.
Presidents and Political Parties
- Reading Mastery Questions Test 10
Friday April 8.
Discussion
- Discussion -- (Borrowing from the text's debate suggestions)
Should presidents be judged on how well they
enact their political party's platform? Why or why not?
Wednesday April 13. Chapter 11. The
Future of the American Presidency
·
Reading
Mastery Questions Test 11
Friday April 15. Discussion
- Discussion -- (Borrowing from the text
discussion suggestions) What change to the presidency would you most like to
see and why?
Wednesday April 20. Obama as
Commander-in-Chief: Why Obama Went to War in Libya
Friday April 22. Blackboard
Discussion: The Battle over Deficits and Visions of America.
On
Wednesday afternoon President Obama gave his budget proposals in a major
speech at GW University in Washington, contrasting them with those of
Republican House member Paul Ryan. They are very different budgets, but both
are aimed at reducing deficits. Where they differ most is in terms of how to
get there. The authors of your text say that presenting a compelling vision
of where the nation must go is an essential prerequisite for a successful
president. That is part of what they call a "strategic sense, Which brings
together ends (the broad vision) and means (the tactics on how to get to the
end) (p.103). And paradox #9 notes that this vision must be
grounded in traditional American values while it tries to bring about change
at the same time. So look at Obama's speech and discuss whether he is
successful in presenting a vision grounded in American values and the way to
get there. For comparison, you should look at Ryan's speech and some of
the many reviews/editorials of both as well.
The Obama
speech can be seen as a link on the White House website at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
A brief
synopsis of the GOP/Ryan approach with great graphics can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwv5EbxXSmE
Go to
Blackboard to post your comments.
On-Line Course Evaluation: Please go to:
http://fp.usca.edu/eval/ and
follow instructions to complete the evaluation for me and this course.
FINAL EXAM -- click
here -- due 12 noon , Friday morning, April 29. Email it to bobb@usca.edu. Late exams will not be accepted!!!
|