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HIST 2691: Barack Obama: Man and President

Instructor: Nicole Hemmer

The election of Barack Obama represented a dramatic change in U.S. politics: not only was he the first Black president, but he was the first Democratic president to win a majority of the popular vote in over 30 years. This course will explore the historical forces that forged the Obama presidency: the experiences that brought Obama to the White House, the party transformations that made his candidacy possible, the policies his administration enacted (and failed to enact), and the grassroots movements that shaped his eight years in office.

HIST 4960: Majors Seminar - The Presidency

Instructor: Nicole Hemmer

The Presidency will explore the history of the presidency as a key political institution in the United States, one that has been critical to everything from grassroots activism and pop culture to foreign relations and the economy. Students will choose a research topic on an aspect of the presidency, broadly defined, that explores the way the presidency has shaped politics and culture in the United States.  

PSCI 1150: U.S. Elections

Examination of the presidential and congressional elections. The recruitment of candidates, nomination processes, financing campaigns, media coverage, polling, predictive models, and implications of results (offered during presidential election years).

PSCI 2245: The American Presidency

Instructor: Sharece Thrower

Constitutional, historical, and political aspects. Attention to electing and nominating president, presidential leadership and personality, governing, and relations with Congress and the public. Prerequisite or corequisite: 1100, 1101, 1102, 1103, or 1150.