Prior to the 1960s research on women and politics focused on the women's suffrage movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Since this time, however, scholarly research has focused on all aspects of the relationship between gender and politics and there are numerous books, journals and journal articles devoted to the topic. In one sense, this course is intended to introduce students to this research, its findings and implications for the future of women in politics. In another sense, this course is also intended to allow students to explore an area of interest and conduct original research in the area of women and politics.
Through readings and class discussions we will explore the following questions: Why is a course on the relationship between gender and politics necessary? Are women still being discriminated against? Why are women underrepresented in public office, in Congress, in the executive branch and in state legislatures? If more women are elected to and serve in government, will public policy be affected? What are women's policy concerns and why? Why are issues of concern to women not addressed in current public policy debates? In examining these questions we will cover such issues as feminist theory, gender socialization, the women's movement, gender differences in political attitudes and voting, and gender differences in political ambition. We will also cover specific public policies such as family leave, affirmative action, abortion and comparable worth. Given the current Republican efforts to cut spending on social programs, we will spend time discussing how these proposed cuts will affect women. While the focus will mainly be on the United States, we will occasionally make comparisons to other countries.
Evaluation:
The course is designed as a seminar; class meetings will consist primarily of discussions about the readings. Therefore, it is important to complete the reading on the assigned day. Students will be evaluated on the basis of class participation, unannounced quizzes, a paper and a final exam.
Student Facilitators. The class participation portion of the evaluation includes acting as a discussion facilitator. Each student will be assigned at least one day (possibly more depending on the number of students) where he or she is responsible for providing questions based on the reading to stimulate and focus class discussion. On the assigned day, facilitators should come to class with type-written questions (5-7) to hand out to the class.
Unannounced quizzes. Occasionally an open-note, open-book quiz based on the readings will be administered in class. These quizzes are not only intended to measure comprehension of the material but also to stimulate class discussion.
Grade Distribution.
Class Participation 80 pts
Quizzes 60 pts
Paper 140 pts (Paper guidelines are at the end of the syllabus. Proposal = 20 pts)
Final 120 pts
Required Texts (available at the bookstore):
Anne N. Costain, Inviting Women's Rebellion: A Political Process Interpretation of the Women's Movement
R. Darcy, Susan Welch and Janet Clark, Women, Elections and Representation
Marianne Githens, Pippa Norris and Joni Lovenduski, eds. Different Roles, Different Voices: Women and Politics in the United States and Europe
Susan Gluck Mezey, In Pursuit of Equality: Women, Public Policy and the Federal Courts
Additional readings to be distributed in class.
Outline of Class Meetings (subject to change with notification)
Section Meeting Date of Assigned Reading Class I. Feminist Theory and Feminist Methodology March Introduction, No Assigned Readings 27 March Githens, pp. 201-208, 214-228, 229-265. 29 April 3 Githens, pp. 1-24, Mezey, pp. 1-8 Darcy, 1-25 II. Women's Movement April 5 Githens, pp. 172-199 Mezey, pp. 8-30 Costain, pp. 1-25 April Costain, pp. 26-78 10 April Costain, pp. 79-142 12 III. Mass Political Participation and Political Attitudes April Githens, pp. 25-46 17 Lansing, Marjorie. 1977. "The Voting Patterns of American Black Women" Submit proposal for research paper April Githens, pp. 47-83 with list of 5 sources. (20 pts) 19 Carnaghan, E. and D. Bahry. 1990. "Political Attitudes and the Gender Gap in the USSR." Comparative Politics 22:379-400. IV. Activists and Elected Women April Githens, pp. 85-120 24 Darcy, pp. 27-50 April Darcy, pp. 51-100 26 May 1 Darcy, pp. 101-137 Costantini, Edmund. 1990. "Political Women and Political Ambition: Closing the Gender Gap." American Journal of Political Science 34:741-770. May 3 Darcy, pp. 138-197 Rule, Wilma. 1990. "Why More Women Are State Legislators." Western Political Quarterly 43:436-448. May 8 Thomas, Sue. 1989. "Voting Patterns in the California Assembly: The Role of Gender." Women and Politics 9:43-56. Thomas, Sue and Susan Welch. 1991. "The Impact of Gender on Activities and Priorities of State Legislators." Western Political Quarterly 44:445-56. Welch, Susan. 1985. "Are Women More Liberal than Men in the U.S. Congress?" Legislative Studies Quarterly 10:125-34. V. Public Policy May 10 Women and Employment - Mezey, pp. 35-107 May 15 Reproductive Policy - Mezey, pp. 111-137, 210-264 May 17 Other Political Issues - Githens, pp. 122-170 May 22 Student Presentations May 24 Student Presentations May 29 Memorial Day, no class meeting May 31 Student Presentations, Paper Due FINAL EXAM See schedule of classes.
Paper Guidelines
Due May 31 - Late Papers Will Be Penalized
The object of the research paper is to explore an important question in the area of gender and politics. This is an opportunity for students to explore in greater detail a topic introduced in class by either analyzing a public policy question in-depth or conducting original quantitative research. In writing this paper it is crucial to get an early start because you will need to consult a significant number of outside sources or collect and analyze data.
Proper citation and bibliographic methods are required. Although it is not a required text, I suggest that you purchase Scott and Garrison's The Political Science Student Writer's Manual. This book will be useful for this class and any other class requiring written assignments.
Research Paper Topics:
1. Public Policy
Choose a policy for which you think gender is an important issue. Give a brief history of the policy, the actors involved in the development, adoption and/or implementation of the policy and the context of the political environment that allowed or did not allow for its adoption. You should pay particular attention to how women's participation played a role in the adoption of the policy. In essence, you will be telling the story of this policy. You will also evaluate the effectiveness of the policy, did it or does it achieve its goals. Based on your analysis, you will make recommendations about the continuation of the policy or changes to the policy. You will also want to draw conclusions about the role of women in the political process. For example, did women participate effectively and how does this case (or does it) illustrate that it is necessary that women become involved in the political process in order to affect the public policies adopted? Paper should be 20 pages long and must use at least 10 outside sources.
2. Political Behavior
If you have completed Political Science 300, are currently enrolled or have the necessary skills you may want to write a paper which allows you to use quantitative analysis. You can pick a particular hypothesis that has been suggested in our readings in regard to women's political attitudes or behavior and empirically test it with available data. Or you can explore a question not found in the readings but which you think is important to the study of gender and politics. Paper should be at least 15 pages long (without tables) and use at least 5 outside sources.
3. Topic of Your Choice - THIS REQUIRES INSTRUCTOR APPROVAL PRIOR TO SUBMITTING A WRITTEN PROPOSAL.