| Kommentar |
One of the primary features of the American political system, the so-called "checks and balances", seems to be funtioning less and less in the current political climate in the United States. The deep division between liberals/progressives and conservatives seems insurmountable. Since American political institutions are based on the ability of parties to find common ground, some commentators regard current politics in the US as endangering the politcial system as a whole. In this class we will look at the genesis of the American political system, explore its features (particularly division of power) and main institutions and focus on the current state of US politics in the age of polarization. |
| Literatur |
Hofstadter, Richard: The Paranoid Style in American Politics, New York 1967.
Bond, Jon R./Fleischer, Richard (Ed.): Polarized politics : Congress and the President in a partisan era, Washington, D.C. 2004.
Nugent, Walter: Progressivism. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2010.
Levinson, Sanford/Parker, Joel/Williams, Melissa S. (Ed.): American Conservatism, New York 2016.
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| 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.
Participants will be required to do a presentation during class and write a seminar paper. Since this is a Blockseminar, participation in the first session (organizational session) is required. This class will be held entirely in English.
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