American Presidential Power at Home and Abroad: From George Washington to Barack Obama

"In-class discussion with an extremely knowledgeable instructor helped further my knowledge in the subject as well as improve my writing skills."

- Nathaniel Benzaquen, 2012

Course Description

A research, writing, and discussion seminar.

Beginning with the American creation of a new kind of chief executive after the defeat of George III and the British in the Revolutionary War, this research, writing, and discussion seminar looks at the development and transformation of presidential power in the U. S. constitutional and political system. To understand how American presidential power has developed, operates, and is perceived in peace and war, in domestic and international contexts, students read and analyze legal cases, government documents, historical and contemporary newspapers, biographies, and commentaries of historians and political scientists. In the Columbia University libraries, working with up-to-the-minute research tools and using historical and contemporary materials, students write substantial, college-level research papers. The instructor guides students as they select individual topics for research, prepare research designs and bibliographies, and write their papers. In a classroom seminar, students discuss common readings and their individual research and papers. The seminar is dynamic, with students taking substantial responsibility for leadership and discussion. The instructor works with students closely and on an individual basis. At the end of the seminar, students submit their research papers for the instructor's comments and evaluation. Students complete the seminar having learned college-level social science and humanities research and writing techniques.

Instructor(s)