|
Professor Russell Renka
rdrenka@semo.edu
This
course addresses the modern American presidency from an interdisciplinary
standpoint. Using chronological coverage of the 13 modern presidents from
Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 to the new 2009 Barack Obama Administration,
the class combines history, political science and speech communication to gain insight into the great power and impact of this
institution. In many respects presidential history is modern American history.
We cover the New Deal, World War II, the Cold War, the postwar American economic boom, the
civil rights upheaval and Vietnam in the 1960's, Nixon and Watergate, the dip and
restoration of presidential power with Reagan, the divided government era of
Bush and Clinton, the bizarre election of 2000, and George W. Bush in
the post-Cold War terrorism/wartime climate since 9/11/2001. The presidency
is also a preeminent rhetorical office, a major
contributor to the brief list of memorable and enduring American speeches. Changes
in the rhetorical presidency are quite direct reflections of the communications
revolution. And not least, the president is a politician at the
heart of a democratic political system. The office's political standing is a window to understanding the
fundamental character of American public life.
(University Studies course)
Prerequisite: Sophomore
level or higher standing at Southeast
Course Requirements:
Of course you'll need a PC with internet access and capacity to run recent browsers capable of
multimedia applications. You'll also need to use your Southeast e-mail address and
electronic access to Kent Library.
Can you identify all of the famous
people, events and icons featured on this page?
Click here to see this page without text or fading and then check
the answers!!
|
