The American Presidents

本课程将探讨美国总统办公室从成立到现代的整个历史，以及每个总统任期的关键形成性（儿童友好）事件。我们将分析和研究不同的领导风格、政治哲学以及两党制对美国政治的不断变化的影响。我们还将了解总统办公室的结构、大众媒体的影响、制衡机制以及美国过去面临挑战和动荡的关键时刻。此外，我们将以批判的眼光探索历史上总统在国内、经济和外交政策中是如何进行谈判和施加权力的，并将分析每位总统领导风格的优缺点。

Course Description: This course explores the entire history of the US office of President from inception to modern day alongside key formative (child-friendly) events of each presidential term. We will analyze and examine different styles of leadership, political philosophies and the changing influence of the two-party system on American politics. We will also learn how the office of the President is structured, the influence of the mass media, how checks and balances work, and key moments of challenge and unrest in America’s past. Additionally, we will explore with a critical lens how presidents have negotiated and exerted power in navigating domestic, economic and foreign policies throughout history, and will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each President’s leadership style.

By the end of the course, students will be able to recite all presidents in order and will know key details of American presidential history. Students will also be developed in historical research, writing and critical inquiry.

Textbook: Presidents of the United States of America: A History of America’s Leaders

[Students will need to obtain a copy of this book; it is $4.99 for a digital copy on Amazon or free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription]

Assignments: Students will have weekly graded assignments including short research projects, history papers, class speeches/presentations, primary and secondary text readings and reading comprehension. Supplementary books, multimedia and interactive assignments will also be provided.

1 Introduction to US Presidents

2 George Washington

3 John Adams

4 Thomas Jefferson

5 James Madison

6 John Quincy Adams

7 Andrew Jackson

8 Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, and John Tyler

9 James K Polk, Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore

10 Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan

11 Abraham Lincoln

12 Andrew Johnson

13 Ulysses S Grant

14 Rutherford Birchard Hayes, James Garfield and Chester Arthur

15 Grover Cleveland and William McKinley

16 Theodore Roosevelt

17 William Taft, Woodrow Wilson

18 Warren G Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover

19 Franklin D Roosevelt

20 Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower

21 John F Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson

22 Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford

23 Jimmy Carter and Ronald Regan

24 George Bush, George W Bush and Donald Trump

25 Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joseph Biden