US Political Culture

(a)What values do Americans share and how can we explain these cultural
traditions?

(b)?Given a general consensus on the value of protecting and promoting liberty
and freedom in the United States, How do we explain the vehement national
debate surrounding the role of government?

?c?What are the similarities and differences between US and Australian political
culture?

The Presidency
Tutorial Questions:
(a)How has the role and authority of the President evolved over the past 200
years?

(b)What is the President’s role in contemporary US policy making? Do you think
the President should have more power relative to the Congress?

?c)?Describe the impeachment process. Do you think it has been abused in recent
years?

Topic: Political Parties and the 2012 Presidential Election

Tutorial Questions:

(a) What are the key features of House, Senate and Presidential Elections?

(b) How does the role US political parties differ from the Australian experience?

?c) What is the electoral college and what role does it serve?

Bush and Obama

?a) George Bush Jnr has been described as an unusual but effective President. Do
you agree with this assessment?

?b) ?What are the main factors that contributed to Obama’s success in the 2008
Primary and Presidential campaigns?

?c) Obama promised great change. To what extent has he been successful in delivering
this change? What obstacles has he faced?

Essential Readings:

Fred Greenstein, The Leadership Style of Barack Obama: An Early Assessment, The
Forum, Vol 7 Issue 1, 2009. (eReading list)
Theda Skocpol and Lawrence R. Jacobs, ‘Accomplished and Embattled: Understanding
Obama’s Presidency’, Political Science Quarterly Vol 127 Number 1 Spring 2012 (eReading
list)
Brendon O’Connor, “Beyond the Cartoon: George W. Bush and his biographers”,
Political Studies, April, 2005 (eReading list)

Topic: Policy Making in the US

Tutorial Questions:

?a)?What is the President’s role in the federal policy process?

?b)?Why are Committee’s so important in the US legislative process?

?c)?Why has implementing major policy reform (such as Health Care) become so
difficult in the United States in recent years?