GOVT218 - Congress and the Presidency

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Academic Year 2004/2005

Congress and the Presidency
GOVT 218 SP

This course examines the interactions between two branches of our government and its impact on the politics of legislation to better understand relations between presidents and Congress in the formulation and implementation of public policy.

MAJOR READINGS

This course is a reading and writing intensive course. As such, we will read a variety of perspectives characterizing presidential-congressional interactions. Generally there will be four to five books and several scholarly articles interspersed throughout the semester.

Very tentative book list:
Bond, Jon and Richard Fleisher, ed. 2000. POLARIZED POLITICS: CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT IN A PARTISAN ERA. CQ Press.
Hamilton, Lee and Jordan Tama. 2002. A CREATIVE TENSION: THE FOREIGN POL ICY ROLES OF THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS. Woodrow Wilson Center Press
LeLoup, Lance T. and Steven Shull. 2003. THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS: COLLABORATION AND COMBAT IN NATIONAL POLICYMAKING. Longman Publishing.
Montgomery, Scott, ed. 2002. INSIDE CONG RESS, CQ Press.
Thurber, James, ed. 1996. RIVALS FOR POWER: PRESIDENTIAL AND CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONS. CQ Press.

Primary Journal of Interest: CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENCY: A JOURNAL OF CAPITAL STUDIES Publisher: American University Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies.

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

There will be two or three short papers, one book review, and a longer research paper. There will also be several single problem homework assignments.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

Students will be required to make use of the following research tools: government documents and journal sections of the library, government internet sites, as well as very basic quantitative methods.
This course is designed to provide the student with the detailed knowledge of how both the Presidency and the Congress work. We will examine the dynamics that affect each as an institution, and the relationship between the two, as well as the effects of other political actors (e.g. Supreme Court, political parties, interest groups, media) in the American political system. We will also be exposed to the various theoretical approaches to the study of the Executive and Legislative processes.
As this is an election year, we will spend time anal yzing the contemporary presidency of George W. Bush and the activities of the 108th Congress as well as the upcoming 2004 elections.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS GOVT Grading Mode: Student Option

Prerequisites: GOVT151

SECTION 01

Instructor(s): Donato,Gary R.

Times: .M.W... 02:40PM-04:00PM; Location: SCIE139;

Reserved Seats: (Total Limit: 25)

SR. major: 5 Jr. major: 10

SR. non-major: X Jr. non-major: 5 SO: 5 FR: X

Special Attributes:

Curricular Renewal: Writing

Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-21-2005