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This course aims to provide the students with in-depth knowledge and understanding of the U.S. government. It focuses on the the theory, organization, functions, politics, and problems of the United States political system. The course primarily focuses on the federal level of government, however, attention is also paid the state-level government and the interaction between the state and the federal level. The course examines the mechanics of the government, the division of powers, checks and balances. It is mostly analytical, however, it tries to provide the historical context and follows the chronological evolution of the U.S. government. The major topics include the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government; political parties, campaigns, elections; bureaucracy; opinion and the formulation of public policy. Issues of political culture will also be debated. The course uses a variety of textual as well as audiovisual material.
Poslední úprava: Sehnálková Jana, Mgr., Ph.D. (02.09.2024)
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Upon successful completion of this course the student will be familiar with the structure of the U.S. government and the basic mechanisms of its operation. They will also identify the key players and institutions and their mutual overlap. Poslední úprava: Sehnálková Jana, Mgr., Ph.D. (02.09.2024)
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Grading is based on the Dean's Measure no. 20/2019: https://fsv.cuni.cz/deans-measure-no-20/2019
Poslední úprava: Sehnálková Jana, Mgr., Ph.D. (02.09.2024)
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Ø Declaration of Independence
Ø The U.S. Constitution
Ø 1789 Judicial Act
Ø James Q. Wilson, John J. DiIulio, American Government: Institutions and Policies (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005).
Ø Lowi, Theodore, Ginsberg, Benjamin & Shepsle, Kenneth. American Government: Power and Purpose, New York: W.W. Norton & Co.,
Ø Selected articles on various aspects of U.S. government (will be provided throughout the class) Poslední úprava: Sehnálková Jana, Mgr., Ph.D. (02.09.2024)
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Since this class is partly a lecture and partly a seminar, lecture will provide main guidance by means of two-way communication; The participants are expected to read assigned material, raise questions about the claims in the article, and discuss their findings in the class. All the course material can be found in Moodle: https://dl2.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=5635 Poslední úprava: Sehnálková Jana, Mgr., Ph.D. (02.09.2024)
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EXAM: Please notet that the final written exam will be administer via Moodle. Instructions will be sent via email and will be available in the individual terms for the exam. Signup for exam will take place traditionally via SIS where dates for the exam will be available.
GRADING SCALE: GRADING SCALE, based on Dean's Measure no. 17/2023 (SMĚRNICE S_SO_002):
Poslední úprava: Sehnálková Jana, Mgr., Ph.D. (02.09.2024)
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The key areas that will be covered in Winter Semester 2024-2025
The basic settings, basic principles The United States Constitution and its origin, federalism, checks and balances, division of powers, legitimacy of the government, political culture, flexible/inflexible constitution?, civil liberties, constitutionalism
Outline of the Structure of the Government – Key players
- basic structure, who does what, basic requirements for elections into the office. - explain structure of departments, White House Office
Elections
The Executive Branch · electing the president · the president and his powers (appointment, removal, legislative, vetoes – presidential and legislative, the power of the purse, executive agreement and treaties, the war power, the power to persuade) · tensions between the legislative and the executive powers · the White House Office · the Cabinet, the Departments · other institutions of the executive branch · foreign and domestic policy-making
The Judiciary
Congress
Party Politics
Public Opinion and Frames of Reference Poslední úprava: Sehnálková Jana, Mgr., Ph.D. (02.09.2024)
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Sufficient knowledge of English language, interest in the subject matter. Poslední úprava: Sehnálková Jana, Mgr., Ph.D. (02.09.2024)
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