MODERN AMERICAN PRESIDENCY

Credit Hours: 3 · Undergraduate Upper-Level

The course examines the modern presidency since World War II with a focus on the extent to which the Trump presidency has influenced the office and been influenced by it. It specifically studies the ways in which a single president can change the office and the government. The examination considers the expansion of presidential power especially during war and its relation to the Constitution. It assesses the public presidency through television, the internet and social media. It investigates the organization of the White House and the nature of presidential decision-making. The central question is how much of a difference do individual presidents make to the office they hold.