Mar 28, 2024  
2020-21 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2020-21 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

PS 260 F.D.R. to Obama: US Politics and Reform


(also listed as HS 260 )

This course explores American politics and domestic policy reforms from Presidents Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama by focusing on the evolution of American liberalisms and conservatisms. With a particular eye on understanding the contemporary political scene and how and why it emerged, students examine a range of eras including the New Deal, the Great Society and the tumultuous 1960s, the so-called “Reagan Revolution” of the 1980s and its consolidation under George W. Bush, as well as the meaning of Barack Obama’s presidency. Emphasis is given to the importance of and interrelationship between the political leaders, ideas and institutions that shape what different groups of Americans have wanted from their government and what government has provided for whom.