Module SGIA3311: THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA3311: THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY

Prerequisites

• Any Level 2 SGIA module

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• This module aims to enable students to gain detailed and specific knowledge and understanding of the structure and operation of arguably the world's most powerful executive office, the Presidency of the United States. Students will be tasked with considering the key dynamics and developments in the Presidency, including the President’s relationship with other American political institutions and the role of specific Presidents.

Content

• The first half of the module will consider the political and historical origins of the Presidency and the office’s constitutional duties. In addition, it will cover the historical development of the office of the president and the president’s relationship with the legislative and judicial branches of government. The second half of the module will focus on the president’s relationship with the media, the American people, and presidential power in foreign policy.

Learning Outcomes

• Show detailed and systematic knowledge of the office of the Presidency and the record of specific Presidents.
• Be aware of the principal dynamics shaping the development of the US Presidency and how these relate to wider political developments.
• Have an appropriate understanding of key debates in the scholarly literature surrounding the Presidency, drawing on material at or close to the forefront of current scholarly work.

• Describe, analyse and evaluate the office of the Presidency and the record of individual Presidents.
• Utilise advanced scholarly resources effectively to support sound academic judgement on the Presidency and the record of Presidents.
• Show an understanding of the institutional, Constitutional and other appropriate political contexts surrounding the Presidency.

• Through the module students should further develop key skills including:
• Identification, selection and assessment of resources in support of their studies.
• Effective planning and delivery of assessed work within time and length constraints.
• Taking responsibility for their learning and work, balancing competing demands to complete a range of tasks.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching is through 13 two-hour seminars structured to ensure coverage of the full range of content of the module. These may use student presentations to provide a basis for subsequent discussion and debate, enabling students to survey key issues and present initial assessments of the competing positions in the literature. This encourages students to demonstrate their acquisition of knowledge and to develop and defend analytical assessments and judgements in a guided and supported teaching environment.
• Formative assessment will come in the form of pre-written essay questions. Assessment through essay gives students practice in advance of summative assessment in setting out their knowledge of the field in order to conduct academic analysis on their summative research project. Achieving this also tests their ability to independently identify, assess and organise resources in support of a consistent academic argument, by a deadline and to a word-limit, requiring students to take responsibility for their learning.
• Summative assessment will take the form of a research project by which the student will be asked to do a case study analysis of one presidential administration. The summative assessment will test a student’s analytical skills as well as require the student to incorporate the full range of material in the module, so that all aspects of subject specific knowledge must be addressed and skills displayed.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One essay of 1,500 words.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University