POS 201: Public Opinion

POS 333: Women & Politics/WST 211: Introduction to Women’s Studies Spring 2012 Georgetown College TR 9:30-10:45Elijah Wald Dr. Kali Wright-Smith [email protected] Office: Cooke Memorial Building 106 Phone: x8073 Office Hours: MW 10-11, TR 12-2, and by appointment

Course Description:

Women and Politics:

Examination of the connection between gender and politics in America; topics include the use and exercise of political power, historical and current social movements, political campaigns and elections, and public policy debates.

Introduction to Women’s Studies:

An interdisciplinary study of women and gender viewed through historical and contemporary readings. Emphasizes analysis of new and traditional representations and interpretations of women’s experiences.

Objectives: this class will provide the opportunity to:

 Understand essential concepts like “gender,” “development,” “equality,” and “women’s issues.”

 Think about how women’s involvement in politics is shaped by views of women’s roles and their status within society.

 Critically evaluate how gender affects social institutions, policies, and the ability to achieve broader social change within traditional power structures.

 Discuss women’s history in the political sphere, how women’s movements have affected public policy, how women have emerged as important participants in political life, and the current status of women around the world.

 Assess how gendered structures, institutions, policies, and problems affect your own life.  Engage current societal issues that affect women’s conditions and opportunities through individual research.

Required Texts: Henderson, Sarah, and Alana S. Jeydel. 2010. Women and Politics in a Global World. Oxford University Press.

Additional readings will be placed on Moodle.

Cultural Awareness at Home

As a Cultural Awareness at Home course (pending approval), this course will immerse you in a variety of minority (female) voices and perspectives. You will be exposed to the experiences of women in numerous aspects of political life, and you will also engage other minority perspectives, including different racial, ethnic, and religious groups. In addition to your main text, which centers on women’s roles and concerns in the political world, you will read selections from a variety of sources and disciplines, including:

Kesselman, Amy, et al, eds. Women Images and Realities Minas, Anne, ed. Gender Basics. Kilbourne, Jean. 1999, “The More You Subtract, the More You Add.” Pozner, Jennifer. Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV Wollstonecraft, Mary. 1792. A Vindication on the Rights of Women. Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls Conference, 1848. Moghadam, Valentine A., Globalizing Women. Abdellatif, Omaya, and Marina Ottaway. 2007. “Women in Islamist Movements: Toward an Islamist Model of Women’s Activism.” Carnegie Institute for Peace. Sen, Amartya. 2010. “More than 100 Million Women Missing.” New York Review of Books. 37 (20). Holt, Maria. 2003. “Palestinian Women, violence, and the peace process.” Development in Practice. Fleshman, Michael. 2010. “Even with Peace, Liberia’s Women Struggle.” Africa Renewal Online. Hughes, Donna. 2000. “The ‘Natasha’ Trade: The Transnational Shadow Market ofTrafficking in Women,” Journal of International Affairs, 53(2).

We will also watch a number of TV and film clips, in addition to 3 documentaries which center on issues of relevance to women (participation in political life, reproductive health, and constructions of gender in the media): 14 Women Google Baby Tough Guise

Assignments & Grading Grading Scale: 100-92.9 A, 92.8-88.9 AB, 88.8-82.9 B, 82.8-78.9 BC, 78.8-70.0 C, 69.9 and below D, 59.9 and below F.

Participation & Assignments (25%): This course presents us with ample opportunities for discussion and debate. You should reflect on the assigned reading and come to class prepared for lively discussion. Your participation grade will be based on my evaluation of the quality and extent of your class contributions and participation in class activities.

Attendance is a minimum requirement for participation. It goes without saying that if you are not in class you won’t be able to participate. As responsible college students, I expect you to be in class, and you will lose participation points if you exceed 3 unexcused absences. Each subsequent absence will drop this portion of the grade by 5%.

Throughout the semester we will also have periodic short reflection assignments, where you will further explore some particular aspect of women’s experiences in society or involvement in politics. You will be asked to respond to/analyze/critique a particular issue, reading, or documentary, or you may be asked to submit discussion questions based on a reading.

Presentation (25%): You will be asked to complete a short (10 minute) presentation that analyzes some role of women in politics and society. You can approach this in multiple ways: investigate a particular women’s movement or organization, focus on a single activist or political figure, or complete an interview. You could interview a woman who grew up in a different generation on her social and political experiences or interview an individual who has made a specific contribution to women’s rights or development. More specific instructions will be distributed later in the semester.

Research Paper (25%): For this 8-10 page paper, you will complete a research project on a problem, issue, or political policy of significance to women. Using the theories and concepts we have discussed in class you will provide background on the issue, analyze the history or sources of the issue, and assess the implications of the problem or policy for women and society at large. More specific instructions will be distributed later in the semester.

Final Exam (25%): You will have one exam (during finals week), which will be a combination of identification, short answer, and short essay questions.

Class Policies:

All late work will be penalized one letter grade for each day that it is late. Assignments turned in late on the day they are due will be docked half a letter grade. Excuses will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but extensions will only be granted in extraordinary circumstances. Written verification, such as a doctor's note, will be required. If you have an extenuating circumstance, let me know ASAP. I will be far less sympathetic to excuses received after an assignment is due.

Please be respectful and exercise decorum during our class sessions. This means, among other things, that cell phones must be turned off, iPods should be put away, there should be no side conversations, respect your classmates' opinions in class discussions, and please no reading of non-class materials during class. If you are going to sleep, stay home to do it! Use of laptops is restricted to note-taking for class. If I become aware of inappropriate usage (working on other classes, reading online, shopping, etc.), you will get a zero for your participation grade. Finally, please avoid consistent lateness to class. Any of the above behaviors will result in a much lower participation grade.

I am always available to answer questions or discuss any class-related issues. Please feel free to send me an email, stop by my office, or make an appointment whenever you need help with anything or simply want to chat about politics!

If you have a disability and need any special learning accommodations, please let me know ASAP so arrangements can be made.

Cheating and plagiarism will be punished with a failing grade and a report to the Dean of Students. Plagiarism is defined as “stealing and passing off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own or using (another's production) without crediting the source” (Merriam- Webster Online Dictionary). It is a serious act and will be treated as such. If you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask me.

Course Schedule: I reserve the right to make changes to this schedule, including the due dates of assignments. I will inform you of any changes in the due dates of tests or papers at least one week in advance.

Week 1 – Introduction: Discussion of Women’s Studies

Kesselman, Amy, et al. Women Images and Realities, Ch. 1

Week 2 – Women & the Media: Images, Representations, and Ideals

Kilbourne, Jean. 1999, “The More You Subtract, the More You Add.”

Pozner, Jennifer. Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV, Ch. 3.

Week 3 - Women & Institutional Politics: Political Participation & Public Office

Chapter 1 Wollstonecraft, Mary. 1792. A Vindication on the Rights of Women.

Center for American Women and Politics: “The Impact of Women in Public Office.”

Documentary: 14 Women

Week 4 - Women & Non-Institutional Politics: Social Organizations, Activism, & Transnational Feminist movements

Chapter 2

Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls Conference, 1848.

Roth, Benita. “The Making of the Vanguard Center: Black Feminist Emergence in the 1960s and 1970s,” in Women Images and Realities.

Garcia, Alma M. “The Development of Chicana Feminist Discourse,” in Women Images and Realities.

Abdellatif, Omaya, and Marina Ottaway. 2007. “Women in Islamist Movements: Toward an Islamist Model of Women’s Activism.” Carnegie Institute for Peace.

Week 5 - Women & Work: the Role of Women in the Workforce and Questions of Equality

Chapters 4

Lips, Hilary M. “Women and Politics in the Workplace,” in Gender Basics.

Sokoloff, Natalie J. “The Half-Empty Glass: Can It Ever Be Filled?” in Gender Basics.

Week 6 – Student Presentations

Week 7 - Gender, Development, & International Organizations: International Women’s Policies and Development Programs

Chapter 7

Sen, Amartya. 2010. “More than 100 Million Women Missing.” New York Review of Books. 37 (20).

Week 8 – Women & the Global Economy

Chapter 8

Moghadam, “Female Labor, Regional Crises, and Feminist Responses,” in Globalizing Women. Week 9 – Reproductive Policies- Abortion, Contraception, and Reproductive Policies

Chapter 6

Documentary: Google Baby

Week 10 – Women & Health

Chapter 9

Rivera, Lourdes A. “Uninsured, Exposed and at Risk—But not Powerless,” in Kesselman et al. Women: Images and Realities.

Week 11- Women & Education

Chapter 10

Research Day

Week 12 - Women & War: Women’s Roles in Conflict & Post-Conflict Settings, and Sexual Violence During War

Chapter 11

Holt, M. 2003. “Palestinian Women, violence, and the peace process.” Development in Practice.

Fleshman, Michael. 2010. “Even with Peace, Liberia’s Women Struggle.” Africa Renewal Online.

Research Paper Due

Week 13 - Women & Physical Autonomy- Violence against women

Chapter 12

Documentary: Tough Guise

Week 14 – Sexuality and Policy- Prostitution and Trafficking

Hughes, Donna. 2000. “The ‘Natasha’ Trade: The Transnational Shadow Market of Trafficking in Women,” Journal of International Affairs, 53(2).

Kristof, Nicholas. 2011. “The Face of Modern Slavery.” New York Times.

Week 15 – Wrapping Up Week 16 - Review Day & Final Exam

Appendix: Guidelines for Research Paper

Papers will be judged on the strength of your analysis, the clarity of your thesis and arguments, the use of evidence to support your thesis, the organization of the paper, writing proficiency, as well as originality.

Your final paper must have the following structure: an introduction which tells the reader about your topic and why it is important, identifies your thesis, and previews your findings; analysis of your specific topic or research question; conclusion which ties your findings back to the literature and summarizes what we have learned from your research; works cited page.

While you will not be penalized for every little typo, you need to proofread your work to avoid excessive spelling and grammar errors (fragments, run-on sentences, etc.) This will make your work easier to understand and far, far more convincing.

All papers must be in the following format: Times New Roman 12 pt. font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins. You must cite all information correctly using in-text citations and a works cited page. Quotes must be cited, as well as paraphrased material. A good rule of thumb is, when in doubt, cite! You must use at least 6 outside sources (which does not include Wikipedia! Proceed cautiously with other internet sources). Your grade will be penalized for insufficient length. That means that a 6-7 page assignment means that the paper must be a minimum of 6 FULL pages. If you have questions as you are writing, please feel free to come discuss them with me, but don’t wait until the last minute!

Good luck and happy writing!