Note: Syllabus, as of January 6, 2025

PS 3013
Political Leadership
Spring 2025 Semester
Time: 11 MWF
Classroom: 160 Bowen

Dr. Stephen D. Shaffer
Office 198 Bowen
Office Hours: 10 MWF
e-mail: kauai@pspa.msstate.edu
Website (now inactive): http://sds17.pspa.msstate.edu/classes/leadership/leadership.html

Learning Objectives:

This course provides an analysis of political leadership, emphasizing characteristics of successful leadership. It also provides suggestions to students for opportunities for leadership in the political arena.

The course begins with a general introduction into what leadership is, and how it can be refined and exerted. It also examines non-American leadership examples. The class then examines American federal executive branch leadership case studies. Both historic and modern presidencies are examined, as well as federal bureaucracy leadership, congressional leadership, and Supreme Court leadership. We then move to non-federal leadership with an examination of state governors and mayors of major American cities. A brief examination of leadership in non-profit organizations is included.

READINGS:

The textbook for this class is Doris Kearns Goodwin's Leadership in Turbulent Times, published in 2018 by Simon and Schuster. It is available in paperback, and its number is ISBN-13: 978-1476795935. You can do your written book report on this book, and there is no oral report for this book.

Some of you will find it more educationally beneficial for your career to select a different book to report on. If so, you must choose a book from the list at the end of this syllabus, and let me know what you choose as soon as possible. A few of you may wish to report on a book not on this list, and if so you must request that I add the book to this list so that I can decide whether it is fully appropriate for this course.

METHOD OF EVALUATION:

Your course grade will be based on three grading assignments, each of which will count equally. They are: the first essay exam; the second essay exam; the written book report.

You may miss an exam only under extraordinary circumstances that are beyond your control, such as personal illness or death in the family. In such a situation, you should contact me by e-mail before the test. The makeup will be more demanding in line with the greater amount of time you have to study the course material. There is no excuse for missing the written book report deadline, since that deadline is listed in the syllabus so it can be completed ahead of time.

Some suggestions for the written book reports. It should be no less than 5 but no more than 10 pages in length, typed double spaced. It should contain not just a discussion of the major findings and arguments of the book that are relevant to the subject of political leadership, but also an analysis and critique of the quality of the book, the validity of its arguments, and its value to a reader who is interested in learning about political leadership. The book report should be written in your own words, rather than copying directly from the book or any other source. Direct quotes should be few, and must include in parentheses after the closing quote the author's last name, year, and page number of the quote. You should also have an introductory paragraph, and a closing paragraph, which deal with the book as a whole. As such, the body of the report will deal with the specific chapters of the book (make sure you mention each chapter with specifics). Feel free to review the chapters out of order, such as by talking about each President all at the same time.

The course delivery method is a face-to-face class, so you are expected to attend class whenever possible. If you do have to miss for any reason, send me an e-mail indicating when you are missing, and why you have to miss. (Given the stress of our modern society, you may even desire to take a mental health day) Then, review the material we will be covering in class by going to your MSU e-mail account to read the e-mail that I sent you which will include the class notes. (My website is no longer active, so I am sending my classes the relevant class lectures before the material is covered in class.) To receive attendance credit for attending that class, send me another e-mail indicating that you have reviewed the class lecture, ask any question about the lecture that you wish, make any comment about it, or just say that you have read and understood the lecture. While class attendance does not officially affect your course grade, it is still important to attend class whenever you can, since unexcused absences harm a person’s reputation. However, universities today are placing a priority on the health and safety of their students and staff, so if you are feeling ill, coughing, sneezing, whatever, do not come to class.

UNIVERSITY POLICIES:

"The Mississippi State University Syllabus contains all policies and procedures that are applicable to every course on campus and online. The policies in the University Syllabus describe the official policies of the University and will take precedence over those found elsewhere. It is the student's responsibility to read and be familiar with every policy. The University Syllabus may be accessed at any time on the Provost website under Faculty and Student Resources and at https://www.provost.msstate.edu/faculty-student-resources/university-syllabus"

COURSE OUTLINE: (time periods are approximations only)

WEEKS 1-2: January 15-24 (4 classes)

Leadership: Its Definition, Nature, and Origin
(Lecture on leadership definitions, traits, Stacey Abrams book, Presidential Character and Groupthink books)

World Leadership: a Non-American context
(Lecture on ohurchill's Memoirs of Second World War, and on Churchill on Leadership business-oriented book; brief lectures on Gandhi and Mandela)

WEEKS 3-4: January 27-February 7 (6 classes)
Historic American Presidential Leadership
(Lectures on Presidential roles, historian top 10 Presidents; extensive lectures on top 10 Presidents from Washington thru Franklin Roosevelt)

WEEKS 5-6: February 10-21 (6 classes)
Modern American Presidential Leadership
(Lectures on the domestic and foreign policy accomplishments and events of every post-World War 2 President; leadership insights into most Presidents from Truman thru Obama)

WEEK 7: February 24
Review for midterm exam

MIDTERM ESSAY EXAM- FEBRUARY 26

WEEK 7 CONCLUSION: February 28

Discuss the book review

WEEK 8: March 3-7 (3 classes)
The Federal Bureaucratic Leadership
(Lectures on Emison and Morris' book True Green, FBI Director Comey's A Higher Loyalty; leadership lessons from Secretaries of State Colin Powell, Condi Rice, Hillary Clinton; First Lady Obama memoir insights)

WEEKS 9-10: March 17-28 (6 classes)
Congressional Leadership
(Lectures on congressional leadership structure and selection; book by Trent Lott and Tom Daschle, Crisis Point; Caro's Master of the Senate about LBJ)

WEEK 11: March 31-April 4 (3 classes)

Supreme Court Leadership
(Introduction to federal courts structure and selection, and Warren court; lecture on Newton book Justice for All about Earl Warren)

WEEK 12: April 7-11 (3 classes)

Governors of American States
(Lectures on Rosenthal's The Best Job in Politics, Haley Barbour's book America's Great Storm, and review of recent Misissippi governors)

WEEK 13: April 14-16 (2 classes)
Mayors of American Cities
(Lectures on Holli's The Amerian Mayor, and on Rudy Giuliani's Leadership book)

WRITTEN BOOK REPORTS DUE ON APRIL 23

WEEK 14: April 23-25 (2 classes)
Non-governmental Actors
(civil rights leaders, non-profits, university President)

WEEK 15: April 28-May 2

Student oral reports on the books that they read for this class

Professor’s report on his own leadership experiences

WEEK 16: May 5

Review for Final Exam

FINAL NON-CUMULATIVE ESAY EXAMINATION- Noon, Tuesday, May 13

APPROVED BOOKS FOR YOUR BOOK REPORT, if you don't use the course textbook, Goodwin's Leadership in Turbulent Times.

Non-Western Leaders Books:

Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy, by Henry Kissinger.
Caesar: Life of a Colossus, by Adrian Goldsworthy
I Am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai (Afghanistan Nobel Peace Prize winner)
Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War. By Leymah Gbowee (Liberian Nobel Peace Prize winner)

Presidential Books:

Washington's Circle: The Creation of the President, by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler. Random House.
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, by Jon Meacham.
American Lion by Jon Meacham. Random House. (about Andrew Jackson)
Team of Rivals by Doris Goodwin; deemphasize chapters 1-9, pages 1-278. Simon and Schuster publisher. (about Lincoln)
Truman, by David McCullough; deemphasize parts 1-2, chapters 1-8, pages 1-344. Simon and Schuster publisher.
Eisenhower: The President, by Stephen E. Ambrose.
Three Days in January: Dwight Eisenhower's Final Mission, by Bret Baier.
Reagan: The Life, by H.W. Brands. Doubleday.
Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader, by Dinesh D'Souza. The Free Press
Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, by Jon Meacham (Random House)
Decision Points, by George W. Bush. Crown Publishers; New York.
Dreams from my Father, by Barack Obama. Crown publishers.
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama.
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency by John Dickerson
Understanding Trump, by Newt Gingrich.

Federal Executive Bureaucracy books:

So Help Me God, by Mike Pence. Simon and Schuster. (Vice President)

Never Give an Inch, by Mike Pompeo (Secretary of State)
Hard Choices, by Hillary Rodham Clinton. Simon and Schuster. (Secretary of State)
No Higher Honor, by Condoleeza Rice. (Secretary of State)
Worthy Fights, by Leon Panetta. (Secretary of Defense)
A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, by James Comey. (FBI Director)
Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, by Michael Wolff. (White House staff)
Becoming. By Michelle Obama. (First Lady)
The Room Where It Happened, by John Bolton (National Security Advisor)
With All Due Respect, by Nikki Haley (UN Ambassador)
Breaking History: A White House Memoir, by Jared Kushner (Trump Advisor)
.

Congress books:

Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power, by Susan Page.
Crisis Point- Why We Must, and How We Can, Overcome our Broken Politics in Washington and across America, by Trent Lott and Tom Daschle.
Herding Cats, A Life in Politics, by Senator Trent Lott.
A Fighting Chance, by Elizabeth Warren.

The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro.
America, a Redemption Story: Choosing Hope, Creating Unity, by Senator Tim Scott

It Takes a Family, by Rick Santorum.
Stennis, Plowing a Straight Furrow, by Don H. Thompson

Supreme Court and Federal Courts books:

Without Precedent: Chief Justice John Marshall and His Times by Joel Richard Paul
Packing the Court: The Rise of Judicial Power and the Coming Crisis of the Supreme Court, by James MacGregor Burns.
Justice for All: Earl Warren and the Nation He Made. By Jim Newton.
The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. By Jeffrey Toobin.
Uncertain Justice: The Roberts Court and the Constitution. By Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz.
My Beloved World. By Sonia Sotomayor.

My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir. By Clarence Thomas.
Lovely One: A Memoir. By Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The Chief: The Life and Turbulent Times of Chief Justice John Roberts. By Joan Biskupic. 

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

Won Over: Reflections of a Federal Judge on His Journey from Jim Crow Mississippi. By William Alsup

.

Governors, Mayors, Civil Rights Leaders:

America's Great Storm: Leading through Hurricane Katrina, by Haley Barbour
Leadership, by Rudolph W. Giuliani.
William F. Winter and the New Mississippi: A Biography. By Charles C. Bolton.
For Us, the Living. By Myrlie Evers.
Aaron Henry of Mississippi- Inside Agitator, by Minion K.C. Morrison.
Lead from the Outside, by Stacey Abrams
Reflections for a New Generation, by John Lewis.