Presidents and the American Presidency by Cox Han, Lori; Heith, Diane;

Short description:

Fully updated to include the chaotic early days of the second Trump term, this book will appeal to students and scholars of American government, the presidency, leadership studies, and media studies—as well as general readers who quest for a deeper understanding of the politics of the White House.

Long description:

Presidents and the American Presidency, Fourth Edition, engages students in the study of the presidency through an exploration of both the political institution and those who have held the office.

Considering both the strengths and the weaknesses of the office, authors Lori Cox Han and Diane J. Heith move beyond purely theoretical analysis to examine the real-life, day-to-day responsibilities and challenges of the presidency. Drawing upon a foundation based on archival documents, historical and contemporary issues, and extensive coverage of methodology, this comprehensive text combines the presidency-centred and president-centred approach to chronicle the evolution of the office. Along with up-to-date presidency research (both qualitative and quantitative), each chapter includes several special sections. Then and Now looks at one key issue using a comparative two-case-study approach with a recent and historical example.  In Their Own Words uses archival documents to allow a president and/or members of their administration to articulate their positions and perspectives—in their own words. Researching the Presidency presents a scholarly debate within the subfield, and Diversifying the Presidency considers both recent progress and future challenges in bringing more diverse representation to the institution of the presidency.

New for the 4th Edition

• New chapter on the Nomination process in a presidential election cycle. 


• Fully updated through the 2024 election, including the post-presidency issues and second presidency of Donald Trump.


•  Each chapter includes suggested readings, related web pages, and updated feature boxes that provide additional examples and historical context to the topics discussed.

Fully updated to include the chaotic early days of the second Trump term, this book will appeal to students and scholars of American government, the presidency, leadership studies, and media studies—as well as general readers who quest for a deeper understanding of the politics of the White House.

Praise for Presidents and the American Presidency, 4th edition

“Presidents and the American Presidency is a comprehensive and accessible text for understanding the past, present, and future of the American presidency. Han and Heith capture the uniqueness and complexity of the office and its occupants by including an invaluable historical perspective, interesting archival material, and up-to-date examples that can be used to engage students in thoughtful discussions about the presidency and for assignment ideas. The text strikes a nice balance between covering the origins and changes in the office, the impact of the presidency on policy and the political system, along with an overview about how scholars study the presidency.  The inclusion of significant findings from research makes it ideal for teaching the presidency at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.” 

--Alison Howard, Dominican University 

“The American presidency is a complex institutional arrangement of the federal bureaucracy with the individual presidents, who serve as both head of government and head of state. The challenge of teaching the American presidency in our contemporary moment is helping students understand the constitutional foundations and how the scope, size, and role of the executive branch has changed over time, including how individual presidents shape change through challenging the status quo, and how the other branches have provided authority for that change. Lori Cox Han and Diane J. Heith have written a comprehensive book that does all of the above – they have structured the book around the central themes of the presidency, while giving valuable insight into constitutional structures, before discussing how the contemporary presidency has changed and why. Written to be accessible for anyone and using numerous real world examples for context, Han and Heith present a comprehensive book on the American presidency to help us understand continuity and change over time, thus make sense of the contemporary presidency regardless of who is president.” 

-- Kevin Baron, Siena College 

“Heith and Han offer valuable perspectives for undergraduates as they wrestle with evolving issues in the office of the presidency and the person of the president.  Of particular interest to students will be the attention given in each chapter to the use of primary documents and how scholars research the presidency.  As I have used earlier editions with students, I have found it not only provides great foundational knowledge, but also sparks meaningful classroom discussion.” 

-- Donna R. Hoffman, University of Northern Iowa 
 

Table of Contents:

Preface   Chapter 1. Introduction: Studying Presidents and the Presidency   Chapter 2.Presidents and the Constitution   Chapter 3. Presidential Selection: Nominations   Chapter 4 . Presidential Selection: General Elections   Chapter 5. The Public Presidency: Communication and Mass Media   Chapter 6. The Public Presidency: Public Opinion   Chapter 7.Presidents and the Legislative Branch   Chapter 8. Presidents and the Judicial Branch   Chapter 9.Presidents and the Executive Branch   Chapter 10. Presidents and Domestic/ Economic Policy   Chapter 11. Presidents and Foreign Policy