Last modified: 23 Jul 2024 11:07
The President of the United States of America is commonly seen as the ‘Leader of the Free World’, US elections routinely capture the imagination of the rest of the world and the outcome influences politics far beyond the borders of the USA. Only 45 men have held this position since 1789 – but who are they, what drove their ambition, what were their strengths and weaknesses, their achievements and failures? This course analyses the impact of the individuals in the office of the president.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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One or more of these courses have a limited number of places. Priority access will be given to students for whom this course is compulsory. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for more details on this process.
The President of the United States of America has significant influence beyond the territorial boundaries of the US. They are a head of state, chief executive, commander in chief of the armed forces, foreign policy director, agenda-setter for domestic policy and influencer of legislation. The US constitution envisioned a more limited role for the President, designing a separation of powers balanced between executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, but with the expectation that Congress, the legislative branch, would have primacy. The role of the president has evolved through the history of the US, and while the powers of the office are fixed by the constitution, each holder of the office has approached the office in a unique way.
As a result, each individual presidency is worthy of study. This course takes a chronological approach, dividing the 45 presidents across 9 weeks and applying theories of leadership, political campaigning, communication, international relations, and institutional design, seeks to analyse how and why each president operated the way they did, and the impact of their choices on politics at the domestic and international level.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 39 | Feedback Weeks | 42 | |
| Feedback |
Written feedback will be provided by the course coordinator via MyAberdeen. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Apply | Apply the theoretical frameworks of leadership, political campaigning, communication, international relations, and institutional design to individual case studies. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the theoretical framing of leadership, political campaigning, communication, international relations, and institutional design in the context of US presidents. |
| Factual | Remember | Recognise the historical circumstances within which each president operated. |
| Procedural | Create | Design a multi-media election campaign for a historical president based upon their ideological approach to their contemporary politics. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 31 | Feedback Weeks | 34 | |
| Feedback |
Written feedback will be provided by the course coordinator via MyAberdeen. |
Word Count | 3000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Apply | Apply the theoretical frameworks of leadership, political campaigning, communication, international relations, and institutional design to individual case studies. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the theoretical framing of leadership, political campaigning, communication, international relations, and institutional design in the context of US presidents. |
| Factual | Evaluate | Evaluate the characters, personalities and experiences of US Presidents based upon their record in office. |
| Factual | Remember | Recognise the historical circumstances within which each president operated. |
| Assessment Type | Formative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
In class feedback, peer feedback and short written feedback to assist with final summative assignment |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 39 | Feedback Weeks | 42 | |
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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|
||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Apply | Apply the theoretical frameworks of leadership, political campaigning, communication, international relations, and institutional design to individual case studies. |
| Factual | Remember | Recognise the historical circumstances within which each president operated. |
| Factual | Evaluate | Evaluate the characters, personalities and experiences of US Presidents based upon their record in office. |
| Procedural | Create | Design a multi-media election campaign for a historical president based upon their ideological approach to their contemporary politics. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the theoretical framing of leadership, political campaigning, communication, international relations, and institutional design in the context of US presidents. |
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