American Politics

After completing this course, you:

• have insight into the institutional arrangements of the American political system;
• can analyze the content of contemporary American ideologies;
• can identify the changing character of media coverage;
• can analyze politics from the standpoints of ideology and policy.
• can assess, analyze and synthesize the current academic debate over identity politics and political systems

Students are expected to be familiar with American political institutions - the presidency, elections, political parties, Congress, and the courts - or to acquire such knowledge during the course of the semester through background reading.

Good reading skills in English and a foundation in one or more of the following disciplines: history, political science, sociology or history of ideas.

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

This course is for students admitted to the master programmes European Languages (master) and Lektorprogrammet (masterspesialisering i engelsk).

Students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Seminars, 2 hours per week for 10 weeks. 20 hours in all.

Obligatory activities:

• Students will be required to contribute 1-2 in-class "performances" which may be tackled individually, in pairs and/or in small groups.
• Students will submit one preliminary written assignment—the first draft of their term paper—in the course of the teaching semester by stated deadlines. Read more here about rules concerning valid excuses and how to apply for postponements.Information about guidelines for obligatory activities.
• It is obligatory to show up for a minimum of 60% of the teaching. In this course you have to attend 6 of 10 seminars. The requirement is absolute.

The allowed absence limit will cover all absences, including illness. You will not be granted valid absences with documentation, even when the absence is due to something beyond your control.

If the course has in-person teaching, and you are signed up for an in-person seminar group, you are to attend the teaching in the location found in the schedule.

If the course has digital teaching, and you are signed up for a digital seminar group, you must attend via Zoom with your camera on.

In certain circumstances, i.e. serious or chronic illness, you could apply for special needs accommodations.

All obligatory activities must be approved for you to sit the exam. Approved obligatory activities are only valid the semester you attend the course.

The exam form is a term paper of 15 pages (+/- 10%; note: a standard page consists of 2,300 characters). References and bibliography come in addition.

You choose the topic of the term paper from a list provided by the lecturer.

The term paper should demonstrate an understanding of the relation between the specific issue discussed in the paper and one or more of the course’s themes (synthesis). It should consider opposing perspectives on the issue. Ideally, analysis of both the emotional force and strategic significance of the issue should be considered.