Running As a Woman

Running As A Woman

Trustee: Annette Strauss Subject: Civic Education, Government Topic: Campaigns & Elections Grade Level: 10-12 Time: 65-75 minutes View how this plan fits state standards View Annette Strauss' video or read the transcript Materials:  Computer with internet access, external speakers, and a LCD projector OR access to a computer lab with Internet access and headphones for each student  Updated Media Player recommended. Download QuickTime. Problems playing? Check our Media H elp page.  Chalkboard  Student Worksheet (MS Word, PDF)  Download Lesson Plans: (MS Word, PDF) Learning Objectives: Students will: 1. evaluate effectiveness of campaign materials; 2. appraise women’s presence in politics; and 3. practice debate skills.

PRE-VIEWING (15-20 minutes) 1. By show of hands, ask the students if their typical politician is a man or a woman. Take a tally to see which gender prevailed. 2. Discuss why somebody of the opposite gender was less likely to come to mind. As a class, discuss the consequences of associating politics with a single gender. Ask students about their perception of female presence in politics.  Do women go into politics?  At what level, do women enter politics? 3. Tell the class that they are going to check their perceptions shortly. Distribute the WORKSHEET and ask the students to work individually. After 2-3 minutes, read the correct answers aloud. See if anybody answered all of the questions correctly. Answers: 1A (1933, Frances Perkins); 2C; 3B (Nancy Pelosi); 4B; 5B (Washington), 6A. 4. Put the following questions on the board for the class to discuss:  Does female participation in politics matter? Why or why not?  What might women bring to politics that differs from men?  What prevents women from being more visible in politics? 5. After a brief discussion, introduce the short documentary about Annette Strauss, the first female mayor of Dallas. Instruct students to think about additional answer to the questions above as they watch the video.

VIEWING & DISCUSSION (15 minutes) 1. As a class, watch the brief Annette Strauss video, which can be accessed online at www.americantrusteesproject.org. Debrief by discussing the questions on the chalkboard. 2. Ask students if they were able to identify Annette Strauss’ campaign ads. If they were unable to identify them you may show them the commercials again. You can fast forward or click ahead to 1:59 to view the first commercial and 2:37 to view the second. Ask the students if they find the ads effective and why or why not? NOTE: Since Annette won the race, the commercials obviously worked. 3. Are the themes of the advertisements from 1987 still of concern today? Encourage students to think about whether or not the concerns the ads are still present? Would those ads work today? Would young people respond to such ads today? Why or why not?

APPLICATION (35-40 minutes) 1. Ask students to think of a campaign ad that stands out in their memory. Do they remember the candidate that used it in his/her campaign? Did s/he win? Invite students to share their memories and impressions. If students are having a hard time thinking of campaign ads, allow them to use the internet to find ads to share with the class. 2. Write the following question on the board:  Should a female political candidate use her gender to help her political campaign? 3. Divide students into two teams FOR & AGAINST. Give each team 10-15 minutes to prepare their argument and facilitate the debate. NOTE: Depending on a number of students in class, it may be reasonable to have several teams working on supporting arguments and several others on opposing ones.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY 1. Ask students to identify a current campaign in which one of the candidates is a woman. You may instruct them to look at http://www.emilyslist.org/index.html and http://www.thewishlist.org/ as a simple way to identify political races with female candidates. 2. Divide the class in small groups of 3-4 to locate the campaign materials and evaluate their effectiveness. Do they think the advertisement, TV spots, etc. are compelling enough for voters to support a female candidate? How can the campaign be improved? 3. Ask students to bring their materials to class and a) demonstrate why the commercial is or is not effective and b) how it could be improved.

ASSESSMENT Students may be assessed on: 1. identifying and analyzing campaign materials; and 2. argumentation and debate skills.