America First. Donald Trump: political leadership in the social and institutional context 1600-SZD-SPEC-AF-SOC
President Donald Trump is, to supporters, a harbinger of a new era in American history - Make America Great Again - to opponents he is an agent of destruction and chaos. In journalistic messages, opponents do not spare him epithets: misogynist, xenophobe, notorious liar, threat to democracy and its institutions, loves the language of hatred and contempt, unstable, etc. Supporters declare loyalty and faith in the rightness and effectiveness of his policies. There is also a third reaction summarized in the phrase “I hate his character, but I love his policies.” And although D. Trump entered politics by surprise when he announced his candidacy for the presidential election in June 2015, his electoral success was no coincidence. A politician's personality may be more or less important in the political process, but the essence of politics is recognizing challenges, determining responses to them and making decisions. And in this political perspective, the political leadership of D. Trump will be analyzed. I am writing this syllabus a few months after the inauguration of the second term of D. Trump as President of the United States, so the question of the relevance and effectiveness of his policies will be reviewed in the months and years to come. The essential theoretical and institutional context for analysis will be the theories of populism (Schmitter, Kitschelt, Meny, Surel, Inglehart, Norris); charismatic rule (Weber); the differences between political leadership and bureaucratic power (deep state); the position of the executive in relation to the legislature and judiciary: how far can the executive go in relation to the courts and Congress? (Schmitt) The social context will analyze the problem of immigration in the US social and political system; the attitudes and problems of the US middle class (the role of inflation in 2021-24, the cost of medical insurance, credit, child care and child education); the public perception and importance of DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) policies in the federal government, corporations and universities; the impact of technology on democratic institutions and the political process.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge | The graduate knows and understands:
WG_01 - to the extent necessary for existing paradigms to be revised - a worldwide body of work, covering theoretical foundations as well as general and selected specific issues - relevant to a particular discipline
within the social sciences
WG_02 - the main development trends in the disciplines of the social sciences in which the education is provided
WG_03 - scientific research methodology in the field of the social sciences
WK_01 - fundamental dilemmas of modern civilisation from the perspective of the social sciences
Skills | The graduate is able to:
UK_05 - speaking a foreign language at B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages using the professional terminology specific to the discipline within the social sciences, to the extent enabling participation in an international scientific and professional environment
Social competences | The graduate is ready to
KO_01 - fulfilling the social obligations of researchers and creators
KO_02 - fulfilling social obligations and taking actions in the public interest, in particular in initiating actions in the public interest
KO_03 - think and acting in an entrepreneurial manner
Assessment criteria
Description of requirements related to participation in classes, including the permitted number of explained absences: Prerequisites include a basic understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) concepts and general familiarity with digital and technological tools, as well as proficiency in computer use, including basic experience with web applications and working in online environments. Participant responsibilities involve active participation in classes, including practical workshops and individual exercises, systematic completion of tasks such as homework related to creating and testing prompts, and engagement in discussions and teamwork. Assessment and completion require attendance at a minimum of 75% of practical sessions, with mandatory submission of a final project consisting of a set of designed and tested prompts. Participants are allowed a maximum of two excused absences, which must be justified with a medical certificate or other formal document. In the case of more than two absences, participants are required to make up for missed material within an agreed timeframe and complete additional tasks to address any deficiencies.
Principles for passing the classes and the subject (including resit session): The course is passed upon meeting all requirements specified in the syllabus: active participation in at least 75% of classes, completion of all ongoing assignments, and preparation of a final project consisting of a set of designed and tested prompts for a selected AI application (e.g. education, marketing, coding). The project must include documentation describing the assumptions, results analysis and proposed optimisations. A resit assessment is carried out in the form of completing or revising the final project within the assigned deadline.
Methods for the verification of learning outcomes: Practical workshops: Participants' activity and the quality of their work during workshops are assessed. Tasks involve creating prompts for various applications (educational, creative, business-related) and testing them in environments such as OpenAI Playground or ChatBot. Final project: Each participant prepares a set of prompts for a selected application. The project must be supported by documentation that includes the objectives and assumptions of the prompts, an analysis of the results generated by AI, and optimization proposals based on the obtained outcomes.
Evaluation criteria: No graded scale is used in this course; the only form of assessment is “PASS” (ZAL). The pass is awarded on the basis of preparing a short final project (a set of prompts and a simple workflow), as well as attendance and active participation in exercises, in accordance with the regulations of the Doctoral School.
Bibliography
Halpern, Sue. 2024. The Coming Tech Autocracy, w: New York Review of Books, November 7, 2024.
Many, Yves and Yves Surel. Wyd. 2007, Demokracja w obliczu populizmu. Tłum. Anna Gąsior-Niemiec, Warszawa: Oficyna Naukowa 2007.
Norris, Pippa and Ronald Inglehart, Trump's America, w: Norris, Pippa and Ronald Inglehart. 2019. Cultural Backlash. Trump, Brexit, and Authoritarian Populism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, s. 331-367.
Przeworski, Adam. 2019. Crises of Democracy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Przeworski, Adam. 2017. A Conceptual History of Political Regimes: Democracy, Dictatorship, and Authoritarianism. "Studia Socjologiczno-Polityczne. Seria Nowa. Nr 2/2017, s. 9-29.
Schmitter, Philippe C. 2006. A Balance Sheet of the Vices and Virtues of 'Populisms'. European University Institute (manuscript).
Schmitt, Carl. 2012, Problem suwerenności jako kwestia formy prawnej i decyzji, w: Schmitt, Carl, Teologia polityczna i inne pisma, tłum. M. Cichocki, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Aletheia, s. 55-77.
Weber, Max. 1999. Panowanie urzędników a przywództwo polityczne, tłum. J. Sidorek, w: Z. Krasnodębski, M. Weber, Warszawa: Wiedza Powszechna, s. 178-198.
Weber, Max. 2002. Panowanie charyzmatyczne i jego przekształcenia, w: M. Weber, Gospodarka i społeczeństwo, tłum. Dorota Lachowska, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, s. 817-848.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: