Gender and Politics

Catalog description

Gender in politics in the United States and around the world; major areas of women and politics research. PL SC (WMNST) 428 Gender and Politics (3) (US;IL)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. This course is designed as an overview to the field of women and politics. It examines the role that women play in politics in the United States and around the world. Students will begin by examining how women are socialized differently from men and how that socialization effects women's political attitudes and participation. Then students will focus on women in different political offices and how their behavior compares to that of their male counterparts. Students will then analyze the women's movement in the United States. Finally, students will turn to different theories of the ideal position of women and men in politics and use those theories to explore the issue of pornography. Students will be evaluated on a final exam, short essays ( 4 3-5 page essays), class participation, and a research paper (15 pages). This is an advanced course with 6 credits prerequisite in Women's Studies or Political Science. This course fulfills the American Politics and Comparative Politics distribution as well as the advanced course requirement for the Political Science major. It is an elective for a Women's Studies major. It also fulfills an International/Intercultural competency requirement. This course will be offered once a year with 35 seats per offering.