The American Presidency reflects and influences the way Americans think about themselves. We like to portray our presidents as idealized character types such as the father, the military hero, the farmer, the frontiersman, the self-made man, the aristocrat, the technocrat, and, more recently, the movie star and the athlete. We ask our presidents to represent a fairly consistent set of character traits such as courage, industry, honesty, integrity, humility, warmth, reverence, strength, patriotism, charisma, and optimism. Whether they succeed or fail, our presidents become symbols by which we judge the spirit of the age and the health of the body politic.
Which character traits are important for an American president? How do they relate to the realities of the office? Does presidential mythmaking threaten or sustain our democratic culture? Which character will be elected this year and why?
Focusing on Washington, Lincoln, TR, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and the contenders in "Campaign 2004," the course will examine both texts and images: presidential speeches, campaign materials, historical studies, cartoons, portraits, and literary tributes, as well as feature films and documentaries. Topics will include the office, presidential personality and character, historical mythology, images and the media, political oratory, the "First Couple," abuse of power and impeachment, and predictions about the future of American political culture.
Instructor: Dr. Pannapacker
Class Meetings: WILL BE TAUGHT AGAIN IN 2004-05.
Location:
All of the above are available at the Hope-Geneva Bookstore.
Academic Honesty
As defined in The New St. Martin's Handbook, Plagiarism is "the use of someone else's words or ideas as your own without crediting the other person" (494). In this course you will learn how to document your sources properly and avoid unintended plagiarism. Any submission that is demonstrably plagiarized will result in a permanent failure for the assignment and, in some cases, disciplinary action by the college. For more information on using sources, see The New St. Martin's Handbook, pages 476-498.
Attendance
If you need to miss a class for a good reason, please let me know in advance. Unexcused absences and lateness will significantly lower your grade for participation.
Deadlines
As in the workplace, assignments must be completed on an appropriate timetable. Assignments are due in class on the day of the deadline. Late submissions will be penalized by one letter grade per day. Lateness penalties cannot be removed in the Bonus Revision.
Mutual Respect
Participants must be free to speak their minds within the bounds of appropriate behavior. Everyone should treat each other with respect, regardless of differences of opinion or background. Everyone is free to disagree. Of course, I do not expect this will be a problem, but disorderly behavior, discriminatory language, personal attacks, and other forms of verbal abuse are not permitted. Violators will be asked to leave the class.
NOTE: This schedule may be changed to adapt to the needs of the class and unexpected events affecting the presidency. New schedules may be issued periodically.
January 9 (Tuesday): Introduction and course overview.
January 10 (Wednesday): St. Martin's Handbook, Ch. 1, "Writing, Reading, and Research," and Ch. 2, "Considering Rhetorical Situations." Explore links on Course Website. Discussion of major issues concerning the American Presidency.
January 12 (Friday): St. Martin's Handbook, Ch. 3 "Exploring, Planning, and Drafting." The Image-Is-Everything Presidency, Ch 1, "Public Expectations and Presidential Image."
January 15 (Monday): Dallek, "Power and Limits of Presidential Personality" (Course Pack 1-15).
January 16 (Tuesday): Paper #1 Due. Writing workshop in class, including peer review of papers based on St. Martin's Reading. NOTE: Peer reviews will be graded along with papers. Sign-up for Individual Conferences.
January 17 (Wednesday): NO CLASS, Individual Conferences.
January 19 (Friday): NO CLASS, Individual Conferences.
January 22 (Monday): Revised Paper #1 Due, including original paper and peer review. Discussion of current events.
January 23 (Tuesday): Kernell and Jacobson, "The Presidency" (Course Pack 1-15).
January 24 (Wednesday): Kernell and Jacobson, "The Presidency" (Course Pack 15-37).
January 26 (Friday): St. Martin's Handbook, Ch. 4, "Revising and Editing," and Ch. 5, "Thinking Critically: Constructing and Analyzing Arguments."
January 29 (Monday): Paper #2 Due. Writing workshop in class, including peer review of papers based on St. Martin's Reading.
January 30 (Tuesday): NO CLASS, Individual Conferences.
January 31 (Wednesday): NO CLASS, Individual Conferences.
February 2 (Friday): Revised Paper # 2 Due, including original paper and peer review. Discussion of current events.
February 5 (Monday): The Image-Is-Everything Presidency, Ch. 2, "Historical Images."
February 6 (Tuesday): Boorstin, "Mythologizing George Washington" (Course Pack 86-105), and Weems, "Life of Washington" (Course Pack 106-111).
February 7 (Wednesday): NO CLASS, Screening of Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Granberg Room, Van Wylen, 7:00-9:30 PM.
February 9 (Friday): Whitman, "Memories of President Lincoln" and Selected Prose (Course Pack 145-154). Discussion of film.
February 12 (Monday): NO CLASS, WINTER RECESS
February 13 (Tuesday): NO CLASS, WINTER RECESS
February 14 (Wednesday): St. Martin's Handbook, Ch. 27, "Considering Diction," and Ch. 29, "Considering Others: Building Common Ground."
February 16 (Friday): Paper #3 Due. Writing workshop in class, including peer review of papers based on St. Martin's Reading.
February 19 (Monday): NO CLASS, Individual Conferences.
February 20 (Tuesday): NO CLASS, Individual Conferences.
February 21 (Wednesday): Revised Paper # 3 Due, including original paper and peer review. In-class screening: The Image-Makers with Bill Moyers.
February 23 (Friday): The Image-Is-Everything Presidency, Ch. 3, "Personal Images," and Washington, "Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior" (Course Pack 301-305).
February 26 (Monday): The Image-Is-Everything Presidency, Ch. 6, "Presidential Images and the Media."
February 27 (Tuesday): Boorstin, "From News Gathering to News Making: A Flood of Pseudo-Events" (Course Pack 155-174).
February 28 (Wednesday): St. Martin's Handbook, Ch. 21, "Creating and Maintaining Parallel Structures," Ch. 22, "Varying Sentence Structures," Ch. 23, "Creating Memorable Prose."
March 2 (Friday): Paper #4 Due. Writing workshop in class, including peer review of papers based on St. Martin's Reading.
March 5 (Monday): NO CLASS, Individual Conferences.
March 6 (Tuesday): NO CLASS, Individual Conferences.
March 7 (Wednesday): NO CLASS, Screening, Primary Colors, Granberg Room, Van Wylen, 7:00-10:00 PM.
March 9 (Friday): Revised Paper #4 Due, including original paper and peer review. In-class screening: Gore Vidal on the American Presidency.
March 12 (Monday): NO CLASS, Screening, The War Room, Granberg Room, Van Wylen, 7:00-9:30 PM.
March 13 (Tuesday): The Image-Is-Everything Presidency, Ch. 4, "The Constant Campaign."
March 14 (Wednesday): Paper #5 Due. Writing workshop in class, including peer review of papers based on cumulative St. Martin's Reading.
March 16 (Friday): NO CLASS, SPRING RECESS.
March 19 (Monday): NO CLASS, SPRING RECESS.
March 20 (Tuesday): NO CLASS, SPRING RECESS.
March 21 (Wednesday): NO CLASS, SPRING RECESS.
March 23 (Friday): NO CLASS, SPRING RECESS.
March 26 (Monday): NO CLASS, Individual Conferences.
March 27 (Tuesday): NO CLASS, Individual Conferences.
March 28 (Wednesday): Revised Paper #5 Due, including original paper and peer review. Discussion of research paper.
March 30 (Friday): St. Martin's Handbook, Ch. 40, "Becoming a Researcher," and Ch. 41, "Conducting Research." St. Martin's Handbook, Ch. 42, "Using Sources," and Ch. 44, "Documenting Sources: MLA Style."
April 2 (Monday): Workshop with Ms. De Bie, Teaching Lab, 2nd Floor, Van Wylen.
April 3 (Tuesday): Workshop with Ms. De Bie, Teaching Lab, 2nd Floor, Van Wylen.
April 4 (Wednesday): Workshop with Ms. De Bie, Teaching Lab, 2nd Floor, Van Wylen. Library Quiz.
April 6 (Friday): The Image-Is-Everything Presidency, Ch. 5, "Speaking More, Saying Less: The Pattern of Presidential Speechmaking."
April 9 (Monday): McPherson, "How Lincoln Won the War with Metaphors" (Course Pack 209-219), and Lincoln, "First Inaugural Address" and "Gettysburg Address" (Course Pack 311-319).
April 10 (Tuesday): Franklin Roosevelt, "First Inaugural Address" (Course Pack 323-326), John F. Kennedy, "First Inaugural Address" (Course Pack 329-331), Ronald Reagan, "First Inaugural Address" (Course Pack 338-341), and William Clinton, "First Inaugural Address" (Course Pack 342-344). Discussion of Presidential Speech Assignment.
April 11 (Wednesday): NO CLASS, Individual Conferences on Presidential Speeches.
April 13 (Friday): NO CLASS, Individual Conferences on Presidential Speeches.
April 16 (Monday): Presidential Speeches Begin (in alphabetical order).
April 17 (Tuesday): Presidential Speeches Continue.
April 18 (Wednesday): Presidential Speeches Continue.
April 20 (Friday): Presidential Speeches Continue.
April 23 (Monday): Presidential Election Day.
April 24 (Tuesday): Troy, "Searching for the Perfect Couple in the Shadow of FDR and ER" (Course Pack 238-247).
April 25 (Wednesday): Frum, "I Am Not a Crook" (Course Pack 248-251), "United States v. Nixon" and "The 'Smoking Gun' Watergate Tapes" (Course Pack 332-337); Posner, "The Kulturkampf" (Course Pack 252-263), and William Clinton, "Apology Address" (Course Pack 345-346).
April 27 (Friday): The Image-Is-Everything Presidency, Ch. 7, "Where Do We Go From Here?" and Landy and Milkis, "The Modern Presidency and the Absence of Greatness." Sign-up for individual conferences on Research Paper. Class Evaluations.
May 4 (Friday): Research Papers and Bonus Revisions due in English Department, 1PM.
Class Participation
Enthusiastic participation is essential to this course, which depends on group discussion, peer review, group presentations, and in-class writing exercises. It will be noticeable if you do not keep up with assignments, and missing class workshops (worth 2-3% each) will significantly affect on your grade (25%).
Library Workshops
There will be three sessions in Van Wylen Library's Teaching Lab (2, 3, and 4). Conducted by Ms. De Bie, these workshops will introduce you to college-level research techniques. There will be brief exercises each day and a quiz on the last day (7%).
Film Screenings
There will be three film screenings in the Granberg Room of Van Wylen Library. These will be at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, February 7 (Abe Lincoln in Illinois), Friday, March 9 (Primary Colors), and Monday, March 12 (The War Room).
On-line Discussion Board
From now until the end of the semester, you should monitor presidential events through various media outlets (newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and the Internet). Every week or so, I will place a new topic on the Discussion Board based on current events and the themes of the course. Sometimes these topics will allow you to brainstorm about paper ideas and get valuable feedback from your classmates. Submit ten substantial (more than 100-word) responses to the discussion board to receive full credit. You may submit more for additional participation credit (10%).
Paper #1
Presidential "Character," 2 pages, due Tuesday, January 16; revision due Monday, January 22. (4%).
Paper #2
Presidential Character and the Realities of the Office, 3-4 pages, due Monday, January 29; revision due Friday, February 2 (8%).
Paper #3
Myths of the Presidency, 3-4 pages, due Friday, February 16; revision due Wednesday, February 21 (8%).
Paper #4
Presidential Images, 3-4 pages, due Friday, March 2; revision due Wednesday, March 7 (8%).
Paper #5
Presidential Campaigns, 3-4 pages, due Wednesday, March 14; revision due Wednesday, March 28 (8%).
Paper #6
Presidential Speech, 7 minutes, delivered in class (in alphabetical order by last name) from Monday, April 16, to Friday, April 20. This will be graded by a combination of evaluation by the professor and popular vote (10%). On Monday, April 23, the two highest-ranking speakers will face each other in debate, and the class will select a "President," who will receive a 5% grade bonus and will be added to the Website's "Hall of Class Presidents."
Paper #7
Research Paper, 6-8 pages, due Friday, May 4, 1 PM. Topics include: the presidential couple, abuse of power and impeachment, fact-fiction analyses of Oliver Stone's Nixon and JFK; other topics are possible but require advance approval (12%).
NOTE: Detailed handouts for each of these assignments will be distributed.
Bonus Revision
You may, if you wish, also submit a revised version of any one essay (excluding #6 and #7) that will substitute for the previous grade.
Individual Conferences
You are welcome to confer with me during my office hours (and by appointment) at any point in the writing process. Meetings to discuss your papers will be required seven times during the semester. Sign-up sheets will be available during the class before these conferences. Please do not be late for these meetings; we will be working on a fairly tight schedule, and we may not be able to go overtime or reschedule. Past students have found this individualized consultation to be the most valuable part of the course.
Library Reserves
Numerous films, including the American Experience series on "The Presidents" (TR, Wilson, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Reagan), and the 10-part series The American President (covering the entire history of the office) are available for individual viewing at Van Wylen library. If you have not previously taken an interest in the Presidency, these entertaining films will enhance your knowledge and interest.
Academic Support Center (ASC)
Extra one-on-one and group assistance is available at no cost from private tutors at the ASC in Van Zoeren 261 (395-7830). You should set up an appointment in advance (Monday through Friday, 9:00-5:00). The ASC's services are not just for students having great difficulty; many "A"-students benefit from the insights of additional readers.
Political Party Self-Test
General Media Resources
Magazines and Newspapers
Polling Data
The White House
Presidential Libraries
Important Documents and References
Andrew Palmer '03
Running against Mr. Jason Kingma of the "Right" party, Mr. Palmer won by a vote of 9 to 8, becoming the second "English 113 American President" on April 24, 2001. Recruited by the "Left" party from the "Independents," Mr. Palmer's platform promoted the ideal of a "color-blind" society, equal opportunity for quality education, greater support for social security, and mandatory drug testing for members of Congress.
Matthew Teusink '03
Mr. Teusink's platform included the partial privatization of Social Security, across-the-board tax cuts, and performance-based funding increases for public education. After an 8-8 tie with rival, Ms. Erin Walsh '03, following their second--and theoretically final-- presentations, Teusink and Walsh faced off in a sequence of 5-minute rebuttal-Q&A sessions. A second vote was taken, and Teusink won by a 3-vote margin, becoming the first "English 113 American President" on November 21, 2000.