The 21st-Century Presidency: Expanding Powers, New Challenges

Course Number: 84-366

The president is undisputedly at the center of the US government: the most powerful and prominent person in the country (and quite possibly the world), endowed with vast policymaking authority and broad latitude to set the national agenda. When creating the Constitution, however, the Framers devised an institutional arrangement that prioritized Congress and restricted an empowered chief executive with legal and practical constraints to prevent the president from becoming an autocrat. How did we get from there to here, and is the contemporary presidency truly as omnipotent as it appears? This course engages these questions by examining the presidency’s place in the broader political system. Specifically, we will explore the president’s interactions with the other branches of government, the parties, interest groups, and the public, analyzing the tools available to presidents to achieve their goals as well as the resources other actors possess to influence the chief executive and protect their own prerogatives. We will also investigate the structure and historical development of the executive branch along with the dynamics of presidential elections to assess their impact on the modern presidency. Throughout the semester, the class will incorporate case studies of presidential decision-making in critical moments to understand more fully both these individuals and the office they occupy.

Academic Year: 2025-2026
Semester(s): Spring
Units: 9
Location(s): Pittsburgh