PSC 311, 312 - The American Presidency

Course unit(s): 1
Meets GAR: Meets general academic requirement SL (and W when offered as 312).
Prerequisite(s): PSC 101 Introduction to American National Government or permission of instructor.
The presidency is an institution shaped by historical, systemic, and contextual factors. This course examines the intellectual and historical roots of the American presidency, its possibilities and limitations in relation to other political institutions, and its relation to the citizenry. It examines the creation of the presidency, its development as a democratic institution, the emergence of “presidential greatness” in the twentieth century, and the expansion of national administrative power. A main focus is placed on understanding changes in executive power over time, placing recent contemporary events in historical context.