|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Women
and Politics PS 479 TR:
CB 122 9:30 - 10:45a.m. Required Texts and Other Required Readings: 1. Lois Duke Whitaker,editor, Women in Politics: Outsiders or Insiders? 3rd ed. (Upper Saddle River,NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999). 2. Nancy E. McGlen and Karen O'Connor, Women, Politics, and American Society 2nd ed.(Upper Saddle River,NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998). 3. M. Margaret Conway, David W. Ahern, and Gertrude A. Steuernagel, Women and Public Policy 2nd ed. (Washington,D.C.: CQ Press, 1999). 4. Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center, The Future Well-Being of Women in Kentucky (Frankfort: KLTPRC, 1999). In addition to the assignments in the textbooks, students should also read state and national newspapers to stay current with developments in the role of women in American and international politics. Course Description PS 479 Women and Politics: This course approaches gender differences from a political science perspective and responds to the growing research on gender differences by political scientists. Students will study the role of women as political actors in the United States including the status of women in American society and the contribution of government policy to maintaining or changing that status. The political behavior of women at the mass and elite level will also be examined. Women are becoming more involved in American politics and political institutions. However, although women register and vote in greater numbers than men, women only constitute 12.1 percent of the 106th U.S. Congress and 22.3 percent of the state legislatures. And Kentucky women rank a dismal 49th among the 50 states in overall political elective representation and 48th in state legislative representation. There is an increasing need for educated men and women to have the opportunity to learn about gender differences as they relate to voting, policy, the law, office holding and power. The class will feature several guest speakers - female and male elected and appointed officeholders - throughout the semester. Attendance Policy Class attendance is strongly recommended since the exams will be based on the lectures and assigned readings. Also, 10% of your grade is based on class participation and required homework assignments. Students are expected to keep pace with the reading assignments, and be prepared to discuss these readings in class. If you miss class, contact someone who has attended. Announcements pertinent to the course will frequently be made in class, and students will be held responsible for knowing of these announcements. There will also be several guest speakers who are involved in local or state politics. Course Requirements The final grade will consist of four components weighted as follows:10% -- Class Participation and four Required Homework Assignments (graded P+, P, and F). The required written homework exercises are due at the beginning of each class. 50% -- There will be two midterm tests: Thursday, September 28, 2000 and Thursday, November 2, 2000. These exams will cover material presented in lectures and assigned readings. Each exam will be worth 25% of the final grade. * A make-up exam will be given for an exam, only if the student has a legitimate reason for missing it. University policy will be followed. A student must contact the professor the morning of the exam. 15% --There will be an oral project presentation, presented November 9th, 14th, 16th, or 21st. Oral project proposal is due Thursday, October 5, 2000. 25%--There will be a comprehensive exam on Thursday, December 14, 2000, 8:00a.m.?10:00a.m. The combination of exams and presentations is intended to avoid disadvantaging those who may be poor in tests but good in speaking or vise-a-versa. I encourage cooperation. However, the assignments and exams will be your own work. That especially goes for the issue of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, which will be severely punished -- possible "F" for the course. Plagiarism includes a person using (in oral or written form) another's sentence(s) (even if a word or two are changed) without giving the specific source of that content. You must indicate the source of persons you are paraphrasing. You are encouraged to see me for help when you don't understand material, before it is too late. But you do not need to be in academic trouble to see me during my office hours or when I am in my office -- please feel free to drop in to chat about the course or otherwise. Required Reading Assignments The following schedule lists the topics of each class meeting, including the dates of the different examinations. Since there will probably be some schedule revisions during the semester, you will be held responsible for knowing these changes as soon as they are announced in class. Do the readings listed for each topic and come to class with questions and comments. I. THE STUDY OF WOMEN: THE NEW FRAMEWORK (Aug. 24, 29, 31) Whitaker, TEXT: 1-29
No Class/Library Day : Thursday, August 31, 2000. There is a required library assignment to complete the identifications of current national, state, or local governmental positions held by specific female politicians. The required homework written exercise #1 is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, September 5, 2000. II. WOMEN'S MOVEMENTS IN AMERICA & THE STRUGGLE FOR POLITICAL RIGHTS (Sept. 5, 7) McGlen &
O'Connor, TEXT: 1-59 III. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN POLITICAL ATTITUDES AND VOTING (Sept. 12) IV. WOMEN, MEDIA, AND GROUP POLITICS (Sept. 14,
19) V. WOMEN AND ELECTIONS: THE UPHILL STRUGGLE (Sept. 21,
26) There is a required
written homework assignment on women running for the U.S. House or Senate
in fall 2000. Discuss a current congressional race in which a female is
competing. Using state or national newspapers and/or the Internet, document
your analysis. (250-300 words). The required homework exercise #2 is due
at the beginning of class on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2000. *** FIRST MIDTERM
EXAMINATION Thursday, September 28, 2000. *** ORAL PROJECT PROPOSAL DUE Thursday, October 5, 2000
There is a required written homework assignment on the politics of reproduction in fall 2000. Discuss some aspect of the current battle over reproductive rights (250-300 words). Using state or national newspapers and/or the Internet, document your analysis. The required homework written exercise #3 is due at the beginning of class on Thursday, October 19, 2000. IX. EMPLOYMENT AND
EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND REALITIES *** SECOND MIDTERM EXAMINATION Thursday, November 2, 2000 *** NO CLASS/ELECTION DAY Tuesday, November 7, 2000 VOTE! X. WOMEN AND HEALTH
CARE POLICY
XI. WOMEN AND FAMILY
LAW *****There is no class on Thursday, November 25th - HAPPY THANKSGIVING! XII. WOMEN AND THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM You have a required library/homework exercise #4 which is due at the beginning of class on Thursday, November 30th. Discuss a current example of the treatment of women in the criminal justice system. (250?300 words). Using state or national newspapers and/or the Internet, document your analysis.*****
XIV. THE FUTURE OF
THE MOVEMENT *** FINAL EXAMINATION:
Thursday, December 14, 2000, 8:00a.m.-10:00a.m.
Describe in writing the topic you have chosen to work on for your oral presentation (more than just a title!), how and where you will collect information, and provide full citation of some of the resources you will be using (be sure they are available). The purpose of the proposal is to start you on your way and prevent a student from doing work which is not suitable for the course. This proposal should be typed and proof-read. You may later change your topic, but this should be as an exception and justifiable. ORAL PROJECT PRESENTATION Just what your presentation will be, I am not sure. The purpose of this presentation assignment is to allow you the freedom to work on something interesting to you and relevant to the course in a form of your choosing. Creative ones go to it! It is expected that the final project will be presented orally to the class so they may also learn from your experience. There will be a maximum of 7 minutes available so practice your presentation in order for you to organize your material accordingly. You should organize and then re-organize to insure that it is comprehensible to a listener. You are to provide me and each student an abstract of your topic which also has your sources used. It is my expectation that you will gain from this assignment greater gender and politics knowledge and/or skills. This means that your content is to be new learning beyond the class assignments. For some, a topic may be wrestled with through criticizing professional, or otherwise, journals' treatment of a relevant issue. Your topic may be geared toward your major or personal experience, but be careful to keep the focus on the political. You may wish to continue learning about an aspect of one of our class topics. Be sure to avoid merely regurgitating class material or content the class cannot grasp within the time allotted. There may be some adventuresome ones who conduct their own research project. Give credit to the work of others with a full citation. DO NOT READ OTHERS' PUBLICATIONS TO US. Grading will be on the basis of: submitting an abtract with bibliography containing at least four sources which contain new material, evidence that you thought up a presentation that you meaningfully learned from, appropriateness to the course, and organization of material and accuracy. Extra value is earned by a topic which is more difficult to research than the typical topic. If you have doubts or questions, ask. I am very willing to listen to your ideas or help you to get your juices flowing. I will not assign or think up topics.
1. Kathleen Kennedy
Townsend -
|
|
vita
| research | syllabi | links
| home | polisci
dept | uk |