PIR-40130 - Module Specification
School of Social, Political and Global Studies
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2020/21

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2020/21

The US Presidency is a phenomenally high-profile institution, yet its power is constrained in a range of ways. This module considers how a Clinton, Bush or Obama should be studied by researchers. How much attention is the role of the individual worth? Can the institution's behaviour be understood regardless of which individual occupies the Oval Office? What forces shape presidential behaviour - systemic, electoral, partisan, intellectual? Using a swathe of contemporary research, the module looks at different ways of understanding the office and its behaviour, particularly with reference to its policymaking powers. It provides a broad introduction to researching the presidency. The module also puts particular emphasis on the presidency's capacity to change public policy (adopting "the policy approach") by examining the role the presidency might play within different understandings of public policymaking.

The module is designed to:
Equip students to analyse presidential attempts to change public policy in the US;
Prepare students for research into the US presidency using policy approaches, by familiarising them with a series of methodologies deployed by researchers in the field.

Intended Learning Outcomes

analyse research methods used in presidential scholarship, demonstrating awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches; will be achieved by assessments: 1,2
analyse presidential strategies deployed in attempts to change US public policy. will be achieved by assessments: 2

Study hours

Seminars: 12 x 2 hours = 24 Hours
Seminar Preparation: 9 x 3 hours = 27 Hours
Assessment 1 Preparation (including preparation for in-class presentation) = 36 Hours
Assessment 2 Preparation = 63 Hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment