Interpreting American Federalism 4219-RS288

It is a common knowledge that the United States of America is a federal state and the government whose seat is in Washington D.C. is a commonly called federal, yet the word “federal” does not appear even once in the US Constitution. What do the terms “federal” and “federalism” mean in the context of the American Republic, then? The purpose of this class is to explore and understand various aspects of the American federalism with the aim to give students resources to undertake their own research on topics related to American federalism. Over the course of the class, we will address the definitional, theoretical and conceptual, and empirical issues. We will explore the connection of US federalism to self-government, nullification and secession, race and racism, and mass democracy and equality. We will do so by looking simultaneously at relevant primary sources (the Articles of Confederation, the US Constitution, US Supreme Court cases, and speeches and pamphlets) together with the secondary ones (academic books and articles).

Type of course

elective courses
proseminars

Prerequisites (description)

There are no formal background requirements for this class. However, students will be better equipped to confront topics addressed during the class if they are familiar with the constitutional structure of the United States and the basic division of competences among the branches and levels of the government (separation of powers, checks and balances, division of powers between the federal and state governments).

Course coordinators

Jan Smoleński

Learning outcomes

Knowledge:
Student has the knowledge of fundamental conceptualization of federalism in general and in the US context
Student has the knowledge of main interpretative differences and disagreements regarding American federalism
Student has the knowledge of various methodological approaches to studying federalism and is able to identify them
Skills:
Student can read and analyze various types of primary sources regarding American federalism
Student can read and analyze various types of research on federalism
Student can apply various concepts regarding federalism to different contexts
Student can design their own research on the basis of acquired knowledge
Student is equipped to critically assess the applicability of the learned concepts outside the US context
Social competences:
Student participates in group work and can arrange it skillfully
Student develops one's political education to understand in an advanced manner information about political receive ads in a conscious way and gain awareness about their influence
Student is ready for critical reception of information about political developments in the US and elsewhere

Assessment criteria

Active participation in class discussions
Individual consultations with the organizational team
Research proposal
Annotated bibliography
Literature review
Detailed outline of the final paper
Final paper

Bibliography

Bibliography:
Reading list (incomplete):
“The Articles of Confederation”
“The US Constitution”
The Federalist (selection)
The Anti-Federalist (selection)
Larry Diamond, As Far as Republican Principles Will Admit (selections)
Sanford Levinson, ed., Nullification and Secession in Modern Constitutional Theory (selection)
Alan Levine, Thomas W. Merrill and James R. Stoner Jr., ed., The Political Thought of the Civil War (selection)
Hannah Arendt, On Revolution (selection)
Elvin Tim, The Lovers' Quarrel: The Two Foundings and American Political Development (selection)
Peter Radan, Creating a More Perfect Slaveholders’ Union: Slavery, the Constitution, and Secession in Antebellum America (selection)
Stephen Tierney, The Federal Contract (selection)

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 4219-RS288 in USOSweb