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Identical coursesAmerican Government and Politics (B-KUL-S0K55A)
Cannot be taken as part of an examination contractPOC Politieke wetenschappen
Aims
Upon completion of this course the student has:
- Sufficient knowledge about the current federal institutional set-up in the United States so as to enable them to easily find their way in a possibly changed set-up in the future;
- The ability to easily find and understand sources and statistics about the federal institutional set-up of the United States;
- A fundamental understanding of the internal and external factors that affect the internal operation (or lack thereof) of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches at the federal level in the United States;
- A fundamental understanding of the internal and external factors that affect the interaction (or lack thereof) between the legislative and executive branches at the federal level in the United States;
- A fundamental understanding of the way in which the judicial branch – both at the state and the federal level – is being used to affect the interaction (or lack thereof) between the legislative and executive branches at the federal level in the United States, especially by interest groups, NGOs, and lobbyists;
- A specific deeply-grained understanding of the factors that play a role in the impact of the U.S. party system and the campaign finance system on all of the above.
These aims are communicated to the students at the beginning of the course.
Previous knowledge
The student is expected to have a keen interest in the dynamics of American government and politics.
Is included in these courses of study
- Master in de vergelijkende en internationale politiek (programma voor studenten gestart vóór 2024-2025) (Leuven) 60 ects.
- Master in de vergelijkende en internationale politiek (programma voor studenten gestart vóór 2024-2025) (Leuven) (Internationale politiek) 60 ects.
- Master of Advanced Studies in European Policies and Public Administration (Leuven et al) 60 ects.
- Courses for Exchange Students Faculty of Social Sciences (Leuven)
- Master of International Politics (Leuven) 60 ects.
- Master of European Studies: Transnational and Global Perspectives (Programme for students started before 2024-2025) (Leuven) (Comparative American-European Studies) 60 ects.
- Master in de vergelijkende en internationale politiek (programma voor studenten gestart in 2024-2025 of later) (Leuven) 60 ects.
- Master of European Studies: Transnational and Global Perspectives (Programme for students started in 2024-2025) (Leuven) 60 ects.
Activities
4 ects. American Government and Politics (B-KUL-S0K55a)
Content
The course consists of the following parts:
- The current federal institutional set-up of the United States: introduction and description;
- Sources and statistics about the federal institutional set-up of the United States;
- The internal and external factors that affect the internal operation (or lack thereof) of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches at the federal level in the United States;
- The internal and external factors that affect the interaction (or lack thereof) between the legislative and executive branches at the federal level in the United States;
- The judicial branch – mainly at the federal level – and its use with the purpose of affecting the interaction (or lack thereof) between the legislative and executive branches at the federal level in the United States, especially by interest groups, NGOs, and lobbyists;
- A deep dig into the factors that play a role in the impact of the U.S. party system and the campaign finance system on the interactions (or lack thereof) in the U.S. federal system.
Course material
The course will use the following (mandatory) course material:
- Book: William G. Howell (2023), The American Presidency. An Institutional Approach to Executive Politics, Princeton NJ, Princeton University Press.
- Additional scientific articles and reports made available on Toledo.
- PowerPoint presentations used in class, made available on Toledo.
Format: more information
The course consists alternatively of lectures and discussion sessions. They take place on campus.
The discussion sessions are based on specific scientific articles, the Howell book, and on questionnaires about these distributed to the students through Toledo in advance.
Evaluation
Evaluation: American Government and Politics (B-KUL-S2K55a)
Type : Exam during the examination period
Description of evaluation : Written
Type of questions : Open questions
Learning material : None
Explanation
Characteristics of the evaluation
The written, closed book exam will consist of three parts:
- Knowledge about the U.S. federal institutions and policy-making processes.
- Understanding of statistics on U.S. government and politics.
- Questions that test a student’s understanding – and the depth of that understanding – about factors that affect the operation and politics of the U.S. federal system, including factors that may matter at the state level. These questions will typically be set-up as “If you were a legislator from Illinois, district 4”, or “If you were a lobbyist for the National Organization of Women (NOW)”, or “If you were a bundler for Candidate X in a Senatorial election”, what would you do in case z, and why? If you were on the opposing side, what would you do, and why?
Determination of the end result
The evaluation is conducted by the didactic team, as communicated on Toledo and the exam schedule. The result is calculated and expressed as an integer number on 20.
Retaking exams
Students who do not pass for this course at their first attempt, can do a resit. The evaluation format and modalities will be the same as those of the first opportunity, as outlined above.
Information about retaking exams
See explanation 'retaking exams'.