Teaching Presidents

Available Course:  3 & 35 - The Conservative Presidents Jefferson & Kennedy? — Available Course: 3 & 35 - The Conservative Presidents Jefferson & Kennedy?

Online & Classroom Instruction Through School of Government/Political Science and/or School of Liberal Arts

Undergraduate Course: The Presidencies of Thomas Jefferson & John F. Kennedy

3 Credit Hours and/or Certificate for Online Study

Summary: Had he lived, John F. Kennedy would probably have been accused of being a conservative by 21st century political standards. Like Thomas Jefferson, author of our Declaration of Independence, Kennedy encouraged a strong military, engaged diplomacy, balanced budgets, innovative science and exploration, freedom of religion, a contained federal government, empowered individuals, political participation and faithful interpretation of the United States Constitution. In many ways, our 35th president was much like our 3rd president – both men believed in American principles that make America uniquely American. This course will explore the similarities between the two presidents in context with our Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and American politics in the Obama age.

Grading: Grades for the semester will consist of five parts: Part I will be class participation for which 10% of your grade will be evaluated based on topics that will be covered in class but not through your assigned readings. Part II will be your mid-term exam for which 20% of your grade will be earned. Part III will be your term paper for which 20% of your grade will be earned. Part IV will be a case study for which 20% of your grade will be earned from this exercise. Part V will be your final exam for which the remaining 30% of your grade will be earned. A voluntary mid-term review and a final review will be offered two weeks before each exam. Midterms and finals will consist of both multiple choice and essay questions consisting of equal values. Recommended readings will be provided for each class session.

· Week 1

o The Declaration of Independence:

What We Fought Against

Topics To Be Explored:

· Founding Principles of the Declaration

· The Roots of Jefferson’s Ideals

· What Americans Fought Against

· What Jefferson Believed and Why

· Jefferson’s Opposition

Recommended Readings:

· Jon Meacham, Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Random House, New York, NY, 2012.

· Thomas Jefferson, The Constitution of the United States of America, with the Bill of Rights and all of the Amendments; the Declaration of Independence; and the Articles of Confederation, Feather Trail Press, 2009, chapters 1 and 3.

· Kevin J. Hayes, The Road to Monticello: The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2008, chapters 11 and 13.

· Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, Digireads.com Books, 2009.

· Week 2

o The U.S. Constitution:

What We Fight For

Topics To Be Explored:

· Powers of Congress

· Limits on Congress

· Powers Prohibited of States & Granted To

· The President

· Civilian Power over Military, Cabinet

· The States

· Republican Government

· Debts

· Freedom of Religion

· Powers of the People

Recommended Readings:

· Week 3

o A Political Primer:

The Parties & Their Philosophies

Topics To Be Explored:

· Federalists

· Anti-Federalists

· Whigs

· Democratic-Republicans

· Democrats

· Republicans

· Progressives

· Independents

· Conservatives

· Liberals

Recommended Readings:

· Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison, The Federalist Papers.

The Jefferson Presidency

· Week 4

o Thomas Jefferson

Topics To Be Explored:

· Martha & Monticello

· Jefferson’s Family & Friends

· Writing the Declaration/Philadelphia

· Paris/U.S. Secretary of State

· Virginia Governor

· Vice President

· President

o The Louisiana Purchase

o French War

· The Library of Congress

· The University of Virginia

· Jefferson’s Legacy

Recommended Readings:

· Kevin J. Hayes, The Road to Monticello: The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2008, read rest of book after chapters 11 and 13 in week 1.

· Noble E, Cunningham, Jr., In Pursuit of Reason: The Life of Thomas Jefferson, Random House Publishing, New York, NY, 1987, read all.

Supplemental:

· Ken Burns, Thomas Jefferson: A Film by Ken Burns, PBS Home Video, 1996.

The Kennedy Presidency

· Week 5

o John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Topics To Be Explored:

· Jackie & Massachusetts

· Kennedy’s Family & Friends

· PT-109 & the Pacific War

· Profiles in Courage

· Congressman

· Senator

· President

o The Bay of Pigs & The Cuban Missile Crisis

o The New Frontier

o Race to the Moon

o Vienna, Vietnam, France & Berlin

o The Alliance for Progress

o Civil Rights

· Dallas & Arlington

· Kennedy’s Legacy

Recommended Readings:

· Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc., New York, NY, 2005.

· Theodore Sorenson, Let the Word Go Forth: The Speeches, Statements and Writings of John F. Kennedy, 1947 – 1963, Dell Publishing, New York, NY, 1988.

Supplemental:

· John F. Kennedy - Years of Lightning, Day of Drums, DVD

Presidencies in Common

· Week 6

o Living Within Your Means

Topics To Be Explored:

· Balanced Federal Budgets

· Tax Reform Proposals

· Unfunded Mandates to the States

· Deficit & Stimulus Spending

Recommended Readings:

· Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, select pages

· Let the Word Go Forth, select pages

· Week 7

o A Strong Military

Topics To Be Explored:

· New Ships, New Planes

· Unmanned Platforms

· Ground Troops

· Reagan’s Star Wars

· Tactics & Ambitions

Recommended Readings:

· Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, select pages

· Let the Word Go Forth, select pages

· Week 8

o Midterm Review

o Midterm Exam

· Week 9

o Empowering the Individual & Free Faith

Topics To Be Explored:

· Civil Rights

· Non-Discrimination

· Bill of Rights

· After 9/11

· Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness

· Freedom of Religion

· Kennedy’s Catholic Question

· Empowering Churches in America

Recommended Readings:

· Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, select pages

· Let the Word Go Forth, select pages

· Week 10

o Innovation

Topics To Be Explored:

· The Monticello Laboratory

· The Space Race

· Research & Development

· Commercialization

Assigned Readings:

· Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, select pages

· Let the Word Go Forth, select pages

· Week 11

o Diplomacy & Statesmanship

Topics To Be Explored:

· Paris & The French Revolution

· Paris & Vienna

· The United Nations & NATO

· Validating or Invalidating the Bush Doctrine

Recommended Readings:

· Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, select pages

· Let the Word Go Forth, select pages

· Week 12

o Political Participation & Controlling Government

Topics To Be Explored:

· Qualifications to Vote

· The Voting Rights Act

· Freed Slaves Right to Vote

· Women’s Right to Vote

· Voting at 18

· A Strong Federal Government

· A Weaker Federal Government

· The Size of Government

· International Bodies

Recommended Readings:

· Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, select pages

· Let the Word Go Forth, select pages

· Week 13

o Strict Constitutional Interpretations

Topics To Be Explored:

· National Banks & Alexander Hamilton

· Constitutionalism

· Originalism

· Judicial Activism & Restraint

Recommended Readings:

· Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, select pages

· Let the Word Go Forth, select pages

· Week 14

o The Political Realities of Jefferson & Kennedy

Topics To Be Explored:

· Jefferson for America 2016

· Kennedy for America 2016

· Democrat v. Republican v. Independents

· Come the Next Augustus?

Recommended Readings:

· Select pages

· Week 15

o Holidays

· Week 16

o Course Review & Connecting the Dots

· Week 17

o Final Exam