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Seminar: (BA-EM) Elephants and Donkeys - Presidential Elections and Party Systems in the United States - Details
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General information

Course name Seminar: (BA-EM) Elephants and Donkeys - Presidential Elections and Party Systems in the United States
Semester WS 2019/20
Current number of participants 4
maximum number of participants 30
Home institute Institut für Geschichte
Courses type Seminar in category Offizielle Lehrveranstaltungen
First date Tuesday, 15.10.2019 12:00 - 14:00, Room: Hörsaal F [Mel]

Module assignments

Comment/Description

One year before the upcoming presidential election of 2020 the pre-election campaigns gain pace. While the president-in-office Donald Trump will most likely run on the Republican ticket, a considerable number of candidates have mounted claims to compete against him on behalf of the Democratic Party. Several third party candidates complete the field of choices.

While Europeans are watching the unfolding election race closely, distinctions in the political systems and especially in the political cultures on either side of the Atlantic, make it sometimes hard to follow the arguments of the candidates. Yet the undeniable influence of the United States on global politics and the elevated position of “the most powerful office” render the election an important event not only for US citizens, but for Europeans as well.

Participants of this course will look into the history of presidential elections in the United States of America through more than 200 years of history. The core objective is to explore how the election process, the party system and the office in question itself have changed over this time. Furthermore, decisive issues that caused major realignments or had a lasting impact on the politics in the USA will be examined from Washington through Obama. Upon completion, the participants will also be familiar with the history of the constitutional system on the federal level in general as well as with the historical background of today’s political culture.

The primary language of this course is English. Every participant should feel comfortable to read and present in English as well as to engage in discussions with other non-native speakers (language level B is recommended). Term papers can be authored in either German or English.

Literature (work in progress):
http://www.americanyawp.com/
https://www.presidentprofiles.com/
Badger, Anthony J., and Byron Edwin Shafer. Contesting Democracy : Substance and Structure in American Political History, 1775-2000. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2001.
Breen, Timothy H. The Power of Words : Documents in American History. 1, 1. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2001.
———. The Power of Words : Documents in American History. 2, 2. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1999.
Hall, Kermit. Major Problems in American Constitutional History : Documents and Essays. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010.
Schlesinger, Arthur M. History of U.S. Political Parties. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1980.
Schlesinger, Arthur M., Fred L. Israel, and William P. Hansen. History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2001. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2002.
Shade, William G., Ballard C. Campbell, and Craig R. Coenen. American Presidential Campaigns and Elections. Armonk, NY: Sharpe Reference, 2003.
Wilentz, Sean. Major Problems in the Early Republic : 1787-1848 ; Documents and Essays. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008.
t.b.c.

Admission settings

The course is part of admission "Beschränkte Teilnehmendenanzahl: (BA-EM) Of Elephants and Donkeys – Presidential Elections and Party Systems in the United States".
The following rules apply for the admission:
  • A defined number of seats will be assigned to these courses.
    The seats will be assigned in order of enrolment.
  • The enrolment is possible from 10.10.2019, 16:30 to 18.10.2019, 23:59.