The American Presidency This course examines the development and modern practice of presidential leadership. Focus is on presidential decision-making, changes in the structure of the presidency as an institution, differences among individual presidents, and the interaction of the president with other major actors, including national governing institutions (executive branch, Congress, courts), interest groups, media, and the public. The course includes an historical overview of the evolution of the presidency, and examines changes in the electoral process.

U. S. National Elections In this course we will analyze national elections in the United States. Topics covered will include party systems, electoral realignment, voting behavior and turnout, candidate strategy, the nomination process, the legal framework for elections, the Electoral College, gender, race and ethnicity, the media, the Internet, and U.S. elections in comparative perspective. Although the focus will be on the upcoming congressional and presidential contests, earlier elections will be studied for insight into continuity and change in American electoral politics.

The Politics of the U.S. Congress Introduces students to the analysis of Congress and congressional policy-making. Considers how congressional elections, institutions, and policy hang together roughly in equilibrium. Focuses on the internal organization of Congress-committees, parties, House and Senate leadership, rules and norms, and congressional staff. Analyzes the power of Congress relative to the president, the bureaucracy, and the courts, specifically in the policy process. Investigates how unified and divided party control of the government affects legislation in the House and Senate. Finally, applies congressional theories to determine the fates of specific policy proposals in Congress.

Bureaucracy How did 9-11 happen?  Why did the U.S. believe Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction?  What went wrong with relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?  Answering these questions requires an understanding of bureaucracies in the American political context -- the subject of this course.   It begins with an overview of the nature of bureaucracies and theories for their formation, followed by an examination of bureaucratic actors (managers, operators, and executives) and the context within which they work. It concludes with an attempt to assess bureaucratic effectiveness. Case studies of particular bureaucracies, including those involved in the War on Terror, Iraq and Hurricane Katrina, are included to sharpen analyses.

Introduction to American Politics This course introduces the institutions and practices of American government and politics. The aim is to give students a firm understanding of the workings of and the balance of power among the American Congress, President, bureaucracy, and court system. We begin with the Constitution, which provides the set of founding principles upon which the American government is based. We then look at how American citizens make decisions about politics. Finally, we examine how political institutions, interest groups, parties, elections, and legislative bodies and rules aggregate diverse, often conflicting preferences and how they resolve or exacerbate problems.

The American Presidency In-depth examination of the exercise of presidential leadership from a normative and empirical perspective. What are the sources of presidential power, the constraints on its use, and the implications for the American political system? The focus is on the leadership strategies of the modern presidents (FDR through Obama).

Seminar on the U.S. Congress The U.S. Congress is the most powerful political institution in the nation, and one of the least popular.  To understand why, this course examines theories of representation and how they relate to the contemporary Congress; the historical development and institutionalization of the Congress; the roles of parties, candidates, media, and money in Congressional elections; the legislative process, including roles of committees, interest groups, parties, congressional leaders, and presidents; the impact of representational and policy-making processes on the nature of legislation enacted by Congress; and Congress in comparative perspective.

American President Biography In this course we will examine biographies, both written and filmed, of several American presidents, including those who are well known – Madison, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt – and those who are less well known – Cleveland, Polk, Van Buren, John Quincy Adams, and McKinley. What, if anything, prepared these men for the nation’s highest office? What explains their successes? Their failures? Why do we consider some great, and others not so great? What do these biographies reveal about how Americans evaluate their leaders? 3 hr. sem. AMR, CW, HIS

Frontiers in Political Science Research Nothing is more controversial among political scientists than the topic of how to study politics. In this course, we consider a variety of advanced techniques for studying political phenomena, including statistical methods, game theory, institutional analysis, case study techniques, experiments, and agent-based modeling. We will work with concrete examples (drawn from major political science journals) of how scholars have used these techniques, and consider the ongoing philosophical controversies associated with each approach. Students will have the opportunity to conduct original research using a method and subject of their choosing.

Matthew Dickinson

Reviews and ratings for Matthew Dickinson at Middlebury College.Matthew Dickinson teaches American Presidency, U.S. National Elections, Politics of US Congress and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Matthew Dickinson good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

I enjoyed Professor Dickinson's course. I found the readings very interesting and I learned a lot about Congress through those. Some of my friends in this class said there was a lot of overlap between this course and his Intro to American Politics course, so I wouldn't recommend taking this if you've already taken that course. I think he is a fair grader and incredibly knowledgable about everything going on in US politics. Some of his lectures were better than others, but overall, I enjoyed this course.

Dickinson is an excellent professor and such an engaging lecturer. However, nothing could beat the dullness of the assigned readings and the topic of bureaucracy in general. Dickinson realized that and also tried his best with students in the class. 

This course was very interesting and not super hard. One paper, one midterm, and one final exam were the only opportunities for evaluation, and each were worth a lot of your final grade. Be prepared to not get the assessments back. This is a lecture-based course where you will learn a lot about how Congress functions, and it is ok if you fall behind on readings because there is no assessment on homeworks, but you will need to do them for the midterm and exam. 