Classic U.S. Presidential Election Campaigns

Fall Quarter, 2014

Tuesday mornings, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Politics, rhetoric, and the media all converge in a U.S. presidential election campaign. Candidates and voters communicate, sometimes indirectly, about the impending choice. Elections determine not only who will lead the country but also, at least in a general way, the direction it will take. Of the 55 presidential campaigns since 1796, this class will focus on ten that are "classic" because of their dynamics, messages, clash, consequences, or meaning. We will examine how campaigning has evolved in the United States and how the outcome of an election affects the subsequent course of history.

David Zarefsky, Owen L. Coon Professor Emeritus of Argumentation and Debate, School of Communication