Syllabi: 

• Fall 2021

• Fall 2020

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Course Description

This class explores women’s political participation and representation in the United States. The course is intended to be an introduction to the study of gender and U.S. politics, focusing on the current questions, concepts, and debates in the subfield. We will analyze women’s status and influence in American politics; explore how partisanship and ideology shape women’s political behavior; and delve deeper into the ways gender intersects with other identities like race, class, religion, sexuality, etc. This course touches on several areas within the field of American politics, including social movements, public opinion, voting behavior, campaigns and elections, and political institutions. We will learn how to interrogate common political narratives – as well as our own assumptions and beliefs – by examining American politics through a gender lens.

 

Course Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Articulate basic facts about women’s (under)representation in American politics;

• Understand and engage with core concepts in the subfield of gender politics, including feminism, intersectionality, and representation;

• Apply a gender lens to current events in American politics;

• Construct and evaluate analytical arguments related to gender politics;

• See improvement in their written and oral communication skills.