| Kommentar |
On June 16 1858 then candidate for the U.S. Senate Abraham Lincoln famously warned the American public against the dangers of radical partisanship. "A house divided against itself, cannot stand". While then referring to pro ant anti-slavery politics, the need to bridge political division is a feature of the political system of the United States intentionally drafted during the deliberations of the second American constitution. Described as setting up "checks and balances", the framers of the constitution believed in the necessity of having parties as well as separate but equally powerful institutions make compromises to "get things done". But this primary principle of the American political system seems to be functioning less and less in the current political/cultural climate in the United States; the deep division between liberals/progressives and conservatives is seemingly insurmountable. The political fights between the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as Congress as a whole and the Office of the President is an illustration of both the inentional design of the U.S. constitution and the problem of radical politicization, as not much "gets done" by either part of the U.S. government. This course will examine the historical design of the U.S. political system, the evolution of checks and balances, it's effect on policy and the American public and discuss strategies to diminish the effects of politicization. We will also take a close look on the congressional elections on November 8 2022.
The course will be held in block sessions. |
| Literatur |
Frost, Bryan-Paul / Sikkenga, Jeffrey (Hrsg.): History of American Political Thought, Lanham u. a. 2003
Singh, Robert: American government and politics. A concise introduction, London u.a. 2009
Lammert, Christian / Siewert, Markus B. /Vormann, Boris (Hrsg.): Handbuch Politik USA, Wiesbaden 2016
Rossiter, Clinton (Hrsg.): The Federalis Papers, New York u.a. 2003.
Ketcham, Ralph (Hrsg.): The Anti-Federalist Papers and the Constitutional Convention Debates, New York u.a. 2003. |
| Bemerkung |
Wer die erste Sitzung der Lehrveranstaltung versäumt, ohne sich vorher schriftlich oder persönlich zu entschuldigen, kann den Anspruch auf einen Platz in der LV verlieren, wenn es mehr Interessenten als Plätze gibt. Dies gilt ungeachtet der Platzzuweisung durch Friedolin und ist im Einklang mit der gruandsätzlichen Aufhebung der Anwesenheitspflicht. |
