How Presidents Deal with the Unexpected (Virtual Sample Class)

Every person who runs for president has an agenda for what they intend to do, and citizens learn about this through party platforms, speeches, political advertisements, and other media. But every person who has become president in the modern era also has had to deal with the unexpected—whether it is a war or other global emergency, a pandemic, an economic crisis, or social upheaval. So it can be argued that citizens need to think not only about what candidates say that they want to accomplish, but also about how we think they might respond to what they, and we, cannot possibly anticipate. Join Professor Margaret Susan Thompson for a class focused on what to look for when assessing presidential candidates, particularly in advance of this November’s election. This class will also be a useful preview of what classes for undergraduate students in the History Department and Political Science Department are like. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion.