POLS 340-01, The American Presidency, Fall 2004

Abstract

There are few better times to study the American Presidency than this semester. We have seen one of the most contentious presidential elections in American history only to find another close election brewing. The horrific events in New York, 2001 and the subsequent military endeavors undertaken by President Bush in Afghanistan and Iraq have reenergized a debate on the proper boundaries of presidential power. The administration finds itself embroiled in battles over domestic and foreign policy, executive privilege, and the legal status of terrorists held in military prisons. All of these events enable us to consider an important paradox. The President is commonly considered the single most powerful political figure in the world, yet many observers argue that he is often at the whim of public opinion, Congress, the Courts, historical and economic forces, or even his own psychology. We will study the presidency with these central questions in mind: how powerful is the President? What are the sources of presidential power? How have we come from a figure some Founders derided as the ��Chief Clerk�� to one sometimes referred to as the ��Leader of the Free World��? Through a study of history, institutional development, personalities, and current events, we will seek to formulate a better understanding of such questions, if not necessarily definitive answers to them.