PSCI 410(F) Senior Seminar in American Politics: Women, Men, and the American Political System

Political scientists constantly debate about whether the American political system is open to including disadvantaged groups as full participants and their issues and problems as central concerns for the political community as a whole. The relationship of women and men to political institutions, political action, and political outcomes in the United States is an interesting case in point. After all, women were largely (and literally) disenfranchised until the early twentieth century; and even today, men vastly outnumber women in governmental hierarchies. Yet we also know that women's movements have been successful in organizing and "women's issues" have become increasingly prominent on the political agenda. This capstone course will examine the American political system through the lens of gender. Questions we ask include: How different are the political values, beliefs, and activities of women and men? Why are there fewer women as one goes up in the governmental hierarchy? Do those women in power accommodate themselves to working with male-dominated political elites? How do we explain the evolution of the women's movement? How has it affected, and been affected by, the public's response and the political climate? What does it mean to call something a "women's issue" - especially when women are on both sides? And how does our understanding of women, men and American politics shift once we examine communities defined by race and/or class? Requirements: short thought paper about approaches to studying women, men, and political action; term paper based on original research; take-home final exam. Prerequisites: three previous courses in American politics, or permission of the instructor. If space is available, the course is open to qualified juniors and qualified non-political science majors. Enrollment limited to 15.

Hour: COOK