Course Syllabus

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Welcome to PLSC 480W: Congress and the Presidency

Overview

CATEGORY INFORMATION
Credits 3
Prerequisites PL SC 001 (see note in description)
Delivery Web (Canvas, https://psu.instructure.com)
Dates See the Calendar.
Instructor See the Orientation module under the Modules tab.

Description

This is an upper division, Writing designated course on the histories, functions, and politics of the United States Congress and the American Presidency.  The course is divided into three distinct sections.  First, we will cover Congress; then move to the Presidency; and finally, an exploration of the institutional interactions with one another, the courts, the bureaucracy, and extra-constitutional entities such as interest groups.

In the 20th century, Congress has oscillated between dominance and subservience relative to other institutions of American government, especially the presidency.  This is a bit paradoxical given that the intent of the framers was to design the structure of government with the legislature as the strongest of the three branches.  The paradox of the modern presidency is that the office is at once both a stronger and weaker institution than conventional wisdom suggests.  It is weak in that the public often holds the president accountable for circumstances or events outside of his control.  It is strong in that the constitutional powers of the office have been remained more or less untouched since the founding of the nation.  However, the exercise of presidential power and leadership has been greatly expanded in the modern era, especially in the areas of war powers and executive branch leadership. It is, of course, an exciting time to be studying the presidency.

Another objective of this course is to examine the Congress and Presidency as leadership projects regarding both institutions qua institutions, and as individual Members of Congress (MCs) and presidents so as to forge a deeper understanding of the limits and possibilities of both. The reading is relatively intense, but nothing draconian, averaging about 1 to 2 chapters per week.

Watching Congress and the Presidency, even in isolation, it is impossible to escape the perception that they are embedded in a system of separation of powers.  As one congressional scholar puts it, “You can’t study Congress without studying the presidency.”  The converse is surely true.  We will attend to the philosophical (normative and positive) justifications for legislatures and executives, as well as the empirical and formal properties of their study.

Note on Prerequisites: There is one formal prerequisite for this course. However, it is also assumed that the student has a working knowledge of American government and politics.  Usually, this simply means having taken and passed Introduction to American Government. If you have not, or feel deficient in certain areas, do not despair. Let me know and I will recommend general textbook or appropriate readings to alleviate the problem.

Objectives

CONGRESS

  1. Describe Congress’s place in the American political system, including general information about its development.
  2. Explain basic features of Congress.
  3. Apply political science concepts such as representation, power, institutions, to the study of Congress.
  4. Apply critical thinking, analytic, and writing skills to the study of Congress.

PRESIDENCY

  1. Analyze the major theories, historical trends, and data available to students of the presidency.
  2. Explain the major components of the presidency (White House staff, Executive Office of the President, departments, etc.).
  3. Apply political science concepts such as regime types, the debate between the presidency as individual or institution, and the like.
  4. Apply critical thinking, analytic, and writing skills to the study of the presidency.

SEPARATION OF POWERS

  1. Describe the history, theory, and politics of these two institutions as they co-exist in the American separation of powers system.
  2. Explain some of the prevailing theories, concepts, and methods used to study each of these branches of government, both on their own and together.

Organization

This course is comprised of 11 lessons divided into three parts:

  1. Part I: The Congress
  2. Part II: The Presidency
  3. Part III: The Separation of Powers

The format of the course is reading and written lectures.  From time to time, I may post a video or something else that you may be asked to watch or otherwise look at.  As noted above, this is a W course, so-designated as “w”riting intensive.  There will be 2 short (4-6 page) papers, followed by a longer research paper (6-8 pages). ALL of the papers are research based, with the final one being a bit more intensive.

The evaluative components are made up of 3 cumulative papers, with one due at the end of each of three sections in the course.  Additionally, there is a Separation of Powers Journal that is due at the end of each week, which is to be no more than two pages long.  Finally, you will be assigned to a group and address a question or questions posted at the end of each module.  There are a total of 6 discussions throughout the course.
In summary, your coursework will include:
•    Reviewing the online lectures for each lesson.
•    Reading the assigned chapters from the textbook
•    Completing the weekly assignments (Journals, Discussions) by the due dates listed on the course calendar.
•    Completing the assigned papers by the due dates listed on the course calendar.

Online Learning and Attendance

This course has been developed to promote asynchronous learning. The instructor and students do NOT meet on a designated day and time each week. For each lesson, there is a timeframe to complete all activities and assignments, and you may work at your own pace within that timeframe. However, you must adhere to the due dates outlined on the Calendar. (Due dates can also be viewed under the Syllabus tab.) You should log into the course daily to check for updates, review lessons, and participate in activities.

Materials

Texts

There are two required texts. (The instructor reserves the right to assign a short reading in addition to what is listed in the syllabus to enhance and deepen the learning of the content.)

  1. Davidson, Roger, Walter J. Oleszek, and Frances E. Lee. Congress and Its Members. 17th edition.  CQ Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-5443-2295-7.
  2. Ellis, Richard. The Development of the American Presidency. 4th edition. Routledge Press, 2022.  ISBN: 9781032070018.

Library Services

Penn State Libraries provides a wide variety of services and resources. To learn how to take advantage, refer to the Online Student Library Guide at http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/onlinestudentlibraryguide. This guide serves as your starting point for access to all that Penn State Libraries can offer you as an online student. Use this guide if you have questions on library services offered to you, how the library can help you, how to use the library, or what resources you can access via the library! The guide will connect you to important pages and resources within Penn State Libraries and save time from you searching for the information you need.

Access to New York Times

As a Penn State student, you have digital access to a variety of local, national, and global newspapers at no cost.  This course may reference New York Times articles, please use the instructions provided on the Student News Readership Program website to activate your complimentary access. 

Grading

Final letter grades will be assigned based on the scale below.

Scale

LETTER
GRADE		 MINIMUM % MAXIMUM %
A 93 100
A- 90 92.9
B+ 87 89.9
B 83 86.9
B- 80 82.9
C+ 77 79.9
C 70 76.9
D 60 69.9
F 0 59.9

Due Dates

All assignments are due by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the date indicated on the Calendar. (Due dates can be also be viewed under the Syllabus tab.) Please be aware that Canvas follows the Eastern Time (ET) time zone. Assignment due dates adhere to this time zone, and it is your responsibility to submit assignments accordingly. If you are outside of the ET time zone, you can set your Canvas account to sync to it. Refer to the Set a Time Zone article in the Canvas Guide at https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10622.

As a general rule, you will NOT be able to go back and make up missed assignments. It is your responsibility to keep up with your assignments. Students with an excused absence (e.g. hospitalization, jury duty, family emergency, or military service) may be asked to produce proper documentation in order to make up graded work. All make-up work is at the discretion of the instructor.

Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or spouses with unique circumstances (e.g. upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, disabilities, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.

Notes

  • To Do List: Some assignments may not appear in the To Do list under the Home tab. Use the Calendar or Syllabus to ensure that you are fully aware of assignment due dates.

Assignments

Basic information about each assignment group is provided below. For detailed directions about an individual assignment, see the assignment information under the Modules tab.

You can expect meaningful feedback on assignments within seven days of their due date.

ASSIGNMENT
GROUP		 POINTS
Journals 200
Discussions 125
Congress Paper 100
Presidency Paper 100
Final Paper (Separation of Powers) 100
Total 625

Research Resources

Please see the Research Resources page for a list of commonly used research sites for doing research on Congress and the Presidency.

Journals

Value: 8 x 25 points; 200 points total
Lessons 1-3, 5, 7-10

You will keep a Separation of Powers journal during the semester (total of 10—see course schedule).  You’ll read a magazine or newspaper article on the Congress, the presidency, or the interactions of these institutions about per week. During Section I, the articles MUST cover the Congress (though the presidency can be implicated in the article as well); in Section II, the articles MUST be on the presidency or an individual president (though Congress can be implicated as well); during the Section II, the articles MUST be on the interactions of Congress and the presidency, either with one another or with interest groups, political parties, the courts, or constituencies.

The articles will come from popular magazines, newspapers, or their websites, such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, etc.  DO NOT USE FOX NEWS OR MSNBC!

The objective of this journal is to develop your critical thinking skills in at least three areas: First, you will hone your ability to summarize in a succinct manner what the article says. Second, it will develop your ability to connect outside themes (the article) to course material (lectures, reading, and discussions).  THIS IS CRUCIAL—your analysis must NOT proceed in a vacuum, but rather by applying course materials to your writing.  Finally, to provide a measured, reasoned response to what you read.

  • Each entry will be NO MORE than two pages, double-spaced (or one page, single-spaced). The first paragraph should summarize the main points of the article. The rest of the entry will apply course material (insights from reading, discussions, and lecture) to understand what the article means for the institutions under consideration (i.e. not just the specific member or members of Congress and/or the presidency generally, beyond the vagaries of the immediate circumstances discussed in the article).

 

Discussions

Value: 5 x 25 points; 125 points total (highest 5 scores counted of 10)
Lessons 1-10

There will be two groups; the group in charge of posting the initial post is identified in the course calendar.  Each member of “the group in charge” will be responsible for making an initial post that relates to the material and to current events.  You must make explicit use of course material to inform your insights.  This must be posted no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the Thursday of the lesson. Then members in the other group must respond between Friday and Sunday to one person in the group that made the initial post. This response should be a reasoned, reasonably lengthy response (at least one paragraph) and must be completed by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Note: please use the General Questions message forum to post any questions you have about the administration of the class – grading, class schedule, how to access the readings, etc. – or if you are having any problems that are not related to the actual substance of the material for that week.  Do not post items like, “When is our final exam?” or “A link does not work” to the discussion boards.  Use General Questions instead.

For technical issues in the course, the Technical Support message board should be the first recourse for communicating specific questions or problems. Students are encouraged to respond to the problems and questions posted there by their peers. To access the World Campus HelpDesk, Persons needing General Canvas assistance may call (800) 252-3592, option 4 between 8:00 a.m. and midnight (ET), Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekends. Please use the forms available on the Help website whenever possible and an support expert will assist you (http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/technical-support/contact-us). Turnaround time is generally less than one business day.

Congress Paper

Value: 100 points
Lesson 4

You will write a 4-6 page research paper on a chosen prompt. See the Congress Paper assignment for more information.

Presidency Paper

Value: 100 points
Lesson 6

You will write a 4-6 page research paper on a chosen prompt. See the Presidency Paper assignment for more information.

Final Paper - Separation of Powers

Value: 100 points
Lesson 11

You will write a 6-8 page paper on the topic of your choice, but it must focus on the separation of powers with special reference to Congress and the presidency. See the Final Paper assignment for more information.

Discussion Policies

Written communication is different than oral communication. The policies and pointers listed below cover common issues that crop up in an online discussion forum. They are designed to enhance organization, help you convey your ideas more clearly, and prevent misunderstandings.

  1. Try to think of discussion forums as an extension of your real-life classroom.
    1. Endeavor to share ideas among your classmates, not to prove that you are right and they are wrong.
    2. Be aware that differences of opinion are going to occur in any forum. Multiple perspectives on a topic or problem are often valuable.
  2. Compose long messages in NotePad (or TextEdit) and then copy/paste into Canvas. Or add an attachment and provide a simple explanation of its contents.
  3. Keep closely related ideas organized under a single post.
    1. To respond to the original post, click in the Reply field, type your response, and click Post Reply. Title your post so that individuals know what your post is about. The title of your post should be a brief phrase that summarizes your post.
    2. To respond to another individual, click the Reply button just below the individual's original response. Type in your response and then click Post Reply.
    3. To express a new idea, click in the Reply field again, similar to adding your original post. Remember to add a title.
    4. Don’t feel obligated to make a reply to a post if you feel it does not warrant one. Numerous posts that contain no essential new ideas may create more work for everyone.
    5. Don’t be offended if no one replies to your message. Often people will read postings on a discussion forum but not make a reply.
  4. Act professionally and be considerate of others.
    1. Remember that not everyone comes from the same background, or shares the same values and ideals as you.
    2. Be mindful of your “tone.” If you are unsure of your tone, try reading your discussion forum post out loud before you submit it. When you read it out loud, does it sound the way you would speak to another student in the classroom?
    3. Remember that a message can easily be misunderstood. Making a joke or being ironic in a discussion forum is a great way to break the ice, but you have to let people know your intentions. If you wish to convey a humorous tone, try using emoticons or adding comments like “Just kidding!” Do not use slang.
  5. Alert your instructor as soon as possible if there is a message on the discussion forum that strikes you as inappropriate or offensive.
    1. Keep in mind that the author may not realize how the message “sounds” to you. Try to think of the situation as a growth opportunity facilitated by the instructor.
    2. Allow the instructor to handle the situation. Rest assured that your instructor is determined to prevent breakdown of group process.
    3. Be aware that the instructor has the right to remove any inappropriate or offensive messages.
    4. Be aware that any student who posts an inappropriate of offensive message will be blocked from participating in the discussion forum and will receive an F for that assignment. Students are also subject to relevant policies in the student code of conduct.

University Policies

Academic Integrity

According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity, an academic integrity violation is “an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically.” Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, you must complete all course work entirely on your own, using only sources that have been permitted by your instructor, and you may not assist other students with papers, quizzes, exams, or other assessments. If your instructor allows you to use ideas, images, or word phrases created by another person (e.g., from Course Hero or Chegg) or by generative technology, such as ChatGPT, you must identify their source. You may not submit false or fabricated information, use the same academic work for credit in multiple courses, or share instructional content. Students with questions about academic integrity should ask their instructor before submitting work.   

Students facing allegations of academic misconduct may not drop/withdraw from the affected course unless they are cleared of wrongdoing (see G-9: Academic Integrity). Attempted drops will be prevented or reversed, and students will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines. Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations face academic sanctions, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for other outcomes (see G-9: Academic Integrity).

Unless your instructor tells you otherwise:

  • Always include an in-text citation that includes the author(s) last name(s) and the year the source was published at the end of any sentence or below any image that includes words, images, or ideas you found in a source, always included quoted text within quotation marks, and always include a reference for any source at the end of your paper (ask your instructor about the format you should use).
  • All of your graded coursework must be created by you without help from anyone in the course or otherwise. If you have questions about this, you should ask your instructor before submitting work for evaluation.
  • All course materials you receive or access are protected by copyright laws. You may use course materials and make copies for your own use, but unauthorized distribution and/or uploading of materials without the instructor’s express permission is strictly prohibited. Students who engage in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials may be held in violation of the University’s Code of Conduct and/or liable under Federal and State laws.

Disability Access

Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources website provides contact information for every Penn State campus at https://equity.psu.edu/offices/student-disability-resources/campus-offices. For further information, please visit the Student Disability Resources website at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources.

In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation described at http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/applying-for-services. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.

Counseling and Psychological Services

Penn State's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) office offers residential and distance-based Penn State students non-emergency mental health services in the form of case management, community resource referrals, supportive listening, care giver support, and much more.

Students may request assistance from CAPS regarding a variety of common mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and stress. CAPS services are designed to enhance students' ability to fully benefit from the University environment and academic experience. Call CAPS at 814-863-0395 (8 am-5 pm, Monday-Friday EST) or submit an inquiry online at https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/form/caps-contact-form to schedule an appointment with a mental health advocate, who can help you address mental health concerns that may interfere with your academic progress or social development. This appointment will include a one-on-one session that can be conducted via telephone, teleconference (Skype, FaceTime, etc.), or locally at Penn State University Park. For more information on services provided through CAPS, please visit the Penn State CAPS website at http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/. Students enrolled at the World Campus are also encouraged to visit its Mental Health Services page at http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/student-services/mental-health-services.

Reminder: These services are for non-emergencies only. If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis situation, please call your local crisis center or 911.

Nondiscrimination

Penn State is committed to equal access to programs, facilities, admission and employment for all persons. It is the policy of the University to maintain an environment free of harassment and free of discrimination against any person because of age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived gender, gender identity, genetic information or political ideas. Discriminatory conduct and harassment, as well as sexual misconduct and relationship violence, violates the dignity of individuals, impedes the realization of the University's educational mission, and will not be tolerated. For further information, please visit the Affirmative Action Office website at https://affirmativeaction.psu.edu/.

Reporting a Bias Incident

Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage at http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias/.

TEACH Act

The materials on the course website are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course and may not be retained or further disseminated.

University Emergency Procedure

In the event of a University-wide emergency, the course may be subject to changes. Exigent circumstances may require alternative delivery methods, class materials, and interactions with the instructor and/or classmates. In addition, there may be revisions to grading policies and the Calendar, including assignments and their due dates.

In the event of a University-wide emergency, please refer to the Canvas website at https://psu.instructure.com for specific information related to the course. For more general information about the emergency situation, please refer to the Penn State website at https://www.psu.edu or Penn State News website at https://news.psu.edu.

To register with PSUAlert, a service designed to alert the Penn State community when situations arise that affect the ability of a campus to function normally, please go to the PSU Alert website at https://psualert.psu.edu/. Subscribers can receive alerts by text message to cell phones, and also can elect to have alerts sent to an email address.

Syllabus Subject to Change

The class will likely adhere to the information outlined in this Syllabus and the Calendar, but adjustments may be made based on what actually transpires during the semester. Remaining in the course after reading this Syllabus will signal that you accept the possibility of changes and responsibility for being aware of them.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due