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Congress and the Presidency

 


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Graduate School of American Studies
Doshisha University
Fall 1998

CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENCY IN AN ERA OF
GRIDLOCK


This course will examine the workings of the U.S. Congress and the U.S. presidency, and analyze the relationship between these two institutions. Among the questions we shall consider: How does Congress actually work? Why do members of Congress behave as they do? What is the role of the political parties? What is the relationship between the presidency and Congress? How much power does the president actually have? Should he have more? Or less? How much does presidential personality matter in producing success or failure? Does either branch really control the federal bureaucracy effectively? Does the American system of "separated institutions sharing powers" really work very well anymore?

We will mainly read short essays and selections from classic texts on the Congress. The emphasis of the course will be on comparing different analysis rather than memorizing every detail of congressional procedure or presidential power. Students will be required on a regular basis to make class presentations about the readings. To make the course more interesting, we may also view some movies that offer interesting portrayals of presidents and members of Congress. The course should be especially useful for any student contemplating doing research on the policymaking process in the United States.

Course Requirements: All students must keep up with the assigned readings, and attend all class meetings. Grades will be based on a 15-page paper on congressional-presidential relations during the Clinton presidency. This paper will be due at the end of the semester, and instructions on how to complete the assignment will be provided at the first class. Participation in class discussion will also have a positive impact on the final evaluation.

Readings: The required readings will be chosen as the course proceeds, depending on the interests and capabilities of the students. We will mainly read selected articles, and chapters from various books, including some of the following (I will give you instructions on which parts to read):

Congress

R. Douglas Arnold, The Logic of Congressional Action (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1990).

David Brady and Craig Volden, Revolving Gridlock (Boulder: Westview Press, 1998).

Morris Fiorina, Congress: Keystone of the Washington Establishment, 2nd Ed. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1989).

Lawrence C. Dodd and Bruce Oppenheimer, Congress Reconsidered, 6th ed. (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1997).

Gary Jacobson, The Politics of Congressional Elections, 4th ed. (New York: Longman, 1996).

Matthew McCubbins and Terry Sullivan, Congress: Structure and Policy (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987).

Walter J. Oleszek, Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process, 4th Ed. (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1996).

David Price, The Congressional Experience (Boulder: Westview Press, 1992)

Leroy Rieselbach, Congressional Politics: The Evolving Legislative System, 2nd. Ed. (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1995)

Randall Ripley, Congress (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1988).

The Presidency

James David Barber, The Presidential Character, 4th ed. (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1992).

Theodore J. Lowi, The Personal President (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1985).

Michael Nelson, ed. The Presidency and the Political System, 4th ed. (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1995).

Richard Neustadt, Presidential Power (New York: The Free Press, 1990).

James Pfiffner, The Managerial Presidency (Pacific Grove: Brooks Cole, 1991).

Lynn Ragsdale, Presidential Politics (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993).

Richard Rose, The Postmodern Presidency (Chatham: Chatham House, 1991).

Stephen Skowronek, The Politics Presidents Make (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1993).

COURSE SCHEDULE

Weeks 1 - 5:  Theories about Congress

Weeks 6 - 10:  Theories about the Presidency

Weeks 11 - 13:  Ideas about Reforming the System