WOMEN & POLITICS
GOVT 482 & 682*
Mondays, 5:30 – 8:00 pm
Professor Barbara Palmer
Phone: 885-6263
Office: Ward 247
Email: bpalmer@american.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 3:30 – 5:00 and Thursdays 3:30 – 4:30
This course is intended to be a survey of women and the role of gender in politics. You are going to be
learning a little bit about a lot of different topics by participating in class discussions and simulations, doing
your own research on topics of your choice, and meeting with policy makers.
*GOVT 682 has an additional syllabus and course requirements.
SEMINAR GOALS: By the end of the semester, you will have accomplished the following:
1. You will read at least one thing that moves you in some way: inspires you, blows your mind, makes you
angry, or makes you cry.
2. You will learn practical information that you will use at some point in your life, in addition to developing
combine theory and practical politics to develop your analytical skills.
3. Former students call this fourth goal, “Noticing things.” You will see ordinary, everyday things from a
new perspective. Or you might notice something you took for granted and ask yourself why things are they
way they are. This is probably the most important thing you will learn.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Egalia’s Daughters, by Gerd Brantenberg
Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling, by Barbara Palmer
The assigned reading load for this class is relatively light, because I expect you to do it. The success of this
class depends on you doing the reading. Many of our classes will be based on a discussion of the assigned
readings.
A NOTE ON OFFICE HOURS: Please feel free to email me anytime. I usually respond within 24 hours.
I’m happy to make an appointment with you anytime if these office hours are not convenient for you.
GRADED ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Participation and Short Assignments. 10% of your grade. The key to success in the class is doing the
reading, showing up, and engaging in discussion. Attendance will be taken on the days we have speakers and
on a few other important days. On the days when attendance is required, if you are absent, 2% will be
deducted from your grade. In addition, at the beginning of the semester, there will be 2 “sign-up” days, when
you will be responsible for being discussion leaders. If attendance and participation starts slipping, I reserve
the right to start taking attendance everyday. Short assignments will include an essay on Egalia’s Daughters
(see later in the syllabus for instructions) and a few other exercises that will aid in our class discussions.
2. Women and the Media Analysis. 20% of your grade. You will watch 2.5 hours of news and write a
short paper on how gender plays out in the media.
3. Campaign Analysis. 25% of your grade. This will involve doing an analysis of how gender affects the
strategy, message, fund raising, and communication of 2 candidates of your choice who ran for House last year.
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4. Supreme Court case. 15% of your grade. You will be writing a Supreme Court majority and
dissenting opinion, deciding the constitutionality of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.
5. FINAL EXAM PAPER: POLICY MEMO (30% of your grade total)
Write an 8-page paper on an issue or policy of your choice. DUE DATE: Monday, May 7, 5:30 – 8:00.
Paper requirements:
1. You must have a clear thesis. Be sure to pick a topic that is relatively narrow.
YOU MUST HAVE A TOPIC AND THESIS BY MONDAY, FEB 19
2. You must interview at least one person on your topic.
YOUR INTERVIEW MUST BE COMPLETED BY MONDAY, APRIL 9
3. Your paper must include the following:
a. Relevant background information (2 pages)
b. Pick 3 different feminisms and provide an analysis of your issue for each; what would a
liberal/difference/radical/stand-point/or post-feminist say about your issue? Provide 1 – 2
pages of analysis for each feminism.
c. Which feminism do you think is the most informative for your issue or offers the best
solution? Or do you advocate a completely different approach to understanding or solving
your issue/policy? In other words, what do you think needs to be done, and how does
feminism inform your answer?
d. Reference List. In addition to your interview, you must cite at least 3 relevant assigned
readings, and at least 3 additional hard academic sources (i.e. not a website). You are then
free to have as many other sources as you need (i.e. websites, newspaper articles, etc…).
CLASS POLICIES
(OR HOW TO HAVE A SUCCUSSFUL SEMESTER)
What follows is a list of class rules and will help you avoid things that annoy me. Memorize this.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY CODE: Standards of academic conduct are set forth in the University=s
Academic Integrity Code. It is expected that all exams, tests, written papers, and other assignments will be
done in accordance to the standards set in this code. By registering with this university, you are
acknowledging your awareness of this Code and are obligated to become familiar with your rights and
responsibilities as defined by the Code. Students who violate the Code will be prosecuted to the fullest extend
allowed by the university. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. This course requires a great deal of writing. If
you borrow an author=s exact words or text from a case, you must use quotation marks and provide the proper
citation. If you paraphrase, you must provide proper citation. If you are summarizing, you must be sure to
attribute it to the proper source. I will not accept written assignments unless I see proper citations. The
bottom line is: if you are knowingly and directly borrowing somebody else’s words and ideas, you must give
them credit. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT GIVEN THAT YOU ARE EXPECTED TO CITE AND
DRAW FROM CASES. The penalty for plagiarism in this class is a failing grade. We will have a class
session on how to cite cases.
GRADE COMPLAINTS: I will provide you with as much assistance and I can BEFORE assignments are
due; I am happy to answer questions and look at drafts of assignments and papers, provided you give me
enough time to look at them before they are due. Be forewarned: the odds of your grade significantly changing
for the better after I have already finished grading are slim. If you do have a complaint specifically about a
grade you received, you must write a clear statement (a paragraph) explaining basis for your complaint. This
provides us a basis for discussion and gives you the best possible advantage in making your case. I am
especially irritated by people who complain about an A-. I cannot look at emailed drafts of assignments
or papers, especially those emailed as attachments. If you have a draft, please print it out and come see
me in my office – in fact, you are encouraged to do so. Feel free, however, to email me a paragraph, an
outline, or any questions you have at any time.
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PAPER FORMATS:
A. Everything you turn into me MUST BE STAPLED. A stapler is a good investment – it lasts a lifetime.
B. Everything you turn into me must have page numbers.
D. Everything you turn into me must be printed single-sided, 12 point font, with 1” margins.
LATE PAPER POLICY: Papers turned in late will be docked one full letter grade for each day
they are late. Papers or projects I do not have in my possession – i.e. a paper copy in my office by 5 pm -on the day they are due will be considered one day late. I do not accept emailed papers. If any exceptions
to this policy are to be considered, you must contact me 24 hours ahead of the due date, and the excuse
must involve some kind of hospitalization that will be verified. Mechanical malfunctions and computer
problems are not a valid excuse.
LAPTOPS: are not allowed under any circumstances.
CELL PHONES: If your cell phone rings during class, I get to answer it.
VIDEO/AUDIO TAPING: is not allowed.
INCOMPLETES: will not be given under any circumstances unless you contact me at least 2 weeks
before the final class meeting and you have at least a passing grade on at least half of the course
assignments. Do not assume I will just give you an incomplete.
GRADING DISTRIBUTION
I do not use “curves” in any of my classes. My classes are too small to get a “normal distribution,” and
students are typically doing some group work that also tends to skew the distribution. In addition, I do not
have a predetermined formula that dictates that only a certain number of students will get A=s or that a certain
number will get F=s, etc.
The following distribution is applied to all students on all written work, assignments, and exams:
94% & up = A = EXCELLENT. Did more than follow directions and provides clearly articulated,
90% - 93% = Alogical, and well-developed analysis
87% - 89% = B+
84% - 86% = B = VERY GOOD/ABOVE AVERAGE. Followed directions and has at least the
80% - 83% = Bbeginnings of some analysis.
77% - 79% = C+
74% - 76% = C = AVERAGE. Followed directions and minimally met expectations.
70% - 73% = C67% - 69% = D+
64% - 66% = D = BELOW AVERAGE. Did not follow directions. Has factual errors. No application
60% - 63% = Dor analysis. Parts of assignment are missing.
59% & below = F
When calculating final grades, I do Around-up@ if students are within .5% of the next highest grade. For
example, if a student receives a 76.5%, this would be rounded to 77%.
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CHECKLIST FOR DOING WELL ON WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
1. Do not procrastinate!!! These are not assignments that you can save until the night before and expect to do
well. PLAN AHEAD. AND READ THE DIRECTIONS!!
2. In almost every case, you are writing an argument. There is no right or wrong side, but it is possible to have
a bad argument. It is up to you to DEVELOP A LOGICAL ARGUMENT for your paper.
3. You must properly cite all sources in the body of your paper.
4. MY PET PEEVES: Always write out contractions (don’t = do not). The Supreme Court is always
capitalized. The Constitution is always capitalized, constitutional is not. Avoid first and second person
pronouns whenever possible (there are a few exceptions to this).
5. FOR ALL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: Include a title page with your name on it and the title of the
assignment and the date – this should be the only place your name appears. You must number your pages.
The body of your paper should have one inch margins at the top, bottom, left and right. Do not use anything
larger than a 12 point font. Trust me: I notice when you have made the font really big and have altered the
margins to make your paper look longer.
6. LENGTH: On shorter assignments, if you are over or under a paragraph or so, this is no big deal. On
longer assignments, over or under a page or so is no big deal. Note, however, that writing a substantially
longer paper than you are required does NOT get you extra credit or any sort of extra compensation – I do
not give A’s for effort. What this usually means, 9 times out of 10, is that you have lots of junk in your paper
that is irrelevant.
7. PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD AND PROOFREAD AGAIN. Read your paper aloud – no kidding!!
ALL PAPERS WILL BE GRADED BASED ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA
(in addition to other criteria specific to each topic and assignment):
1. Did you follow the directions? If you did not even follow the directions (this includes the length), a Cshould be seen as extraordinarily generous.
2. Is there a clear argument?
3. Is the argument backed up with appropriate evidence and analysis?
4. Does the overall organization contribute to the clarity of the argument? Is each paragraph organized?
SHORT ASSIGNMENT #1: EGALIA’S DAUGHTERS
NOTE: This book comes with at PG-13 rating. There is sexually explicit material and scenes of sexual
assault.
DUE: Monday, Feb 12
4% of your Short Assignment grade
Write a 4-page paper answering the following questions:
1. What do you think the author’s purpose was in writing about the mythical land of Egalia? What
is her most interesting or significant intention? Be sure to use examples from the text to back up
your thesis regarding the author’s purpose.
2. Discuss two elements of Egalian society and how they expose or uncover sex-role socialization
and gender roles in American society. Your two elements of Egalian society can be literally
anything, such as the political and economic systems, homosexuality, rape, expectations regarding
beauty, personal hygiene, language, or something narrower like the use of make-up, particular
articles of clothing, the relationships between specific family members, and particular social events
like parties or birthdays. In comparing and contrasting these two elements of Egalian society to these
two elements in American society, what can we learn about sex-role socialization and gender roles in
American society from this book?
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WARNING #1: AT SOME POINT IN OUR SEMINARS, YOU WILL BE READING AND
DISCUSSING MATERIAL ABOUT CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS AND PARTICIPATING IN
VERY POLITICAL AND HEATED DEBATES. You do not have to agree with these readings,
me, our speakers or anyone else in the class. In fact, I encourage you to disagree with the
readings, me or anyone else in the class. To foster this, it is everyone=s responsibility to create an
environment of respect and professionalism. Everyone, particularly speakers, is to be treated with
respect at all times – especially the people you most vehemently disagree with. The number one
rule is not to make personal attacks and not to take attacks personally.
The topics we will be covering include sexual harassment, domestic violence, and sexual assault.
If for any reason, you do not feel you can participate in these discussions, please let me know
ahead of time and we can make alternative arrangements.
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COURSE SCHEDULE
Please be aware that this schedule is subject to change. ALWAYS CHECK THE BLACKBOARD PAGE
TO CONFIRM WHAT WE ARE READING AND DOING.
We will be discussing the readings the day that they are listed on the syllabus, so the idea is you read them
before the day they are listed on the Blackboard page.
You should be prepared to bring the readings with you for most class meetings.
1. Mon, Jan 22
Introduction
A Bit of History
Readings: Syllabus (read it twice – I’m not kidding)
Blackboard: Letters of Abigail and John
Blackboard: Declaration of Sentiments
Blackboard: Gage’s account of Sojourner Truth’s speech
Blackboard: Trial of Susan B. Anthony
Blackboard, Minor v. Happersett
AN INTRODUCTION TO FEMINIST THEORY
2. Mon, Jan 29 – Sign-up Day
Liberal Feminism: Women are Equal
Difference Feminism: Women and Different
Radical Feminism: Equal or Different from What, or Who Made Up This Equation Anyway?
Readings: Egalia’s Daughters, pp. 9 - 90
Handout
Blackboard, e-reserves: “In a Different Voice,” Gilligan
Blackboard, e-reserves: “Politics of Reality,” Frye
Blackboard, e-reserves: “Feminist Discourse...” (focus on Gilligan and MacKinnon)
Short assignment: Write one paragraph on what feminism means to you.
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3. Monday, Feb 5 – Sign-up Day
The Intersection of Race, Class, and Gender
Post-Feminism: I’m not a feminist but…” Feminism & Young People in the 21 st Century
Nature v. Nurture?
Readings: Egalia’s Daughters, pp. 91 - 199
Handout with short articles
Blackboard: “We won’t be victims anymore,” Harnden
Blackboard, e-reserves: “Manifesta,” Baumgardner & Richards
Blackboard, e-reserves: “The Five Sexes,” Fausto-Sterling
Short Assignment: Write a one-page essay addressing the following. 1) Do you think generalizations can be
made about “women” as a group? 2) What do you think would happen if we recognized five sexes?
4. Monday, Feb 12
First Hour: Egalia’s Daughters (Short Assignment due)
We will base our discussion on your papers. Please bring your books.
Second Hour: The Gender Gap
Readings: Egalia’s Daughters, pp. 200 – 269
Additional readings on the Gender Gap on Blackboard
For the rest of the semester, please check Blackboard for assigned readings and assignments.
MEDIA AND ELECTIONS
5. Monday, Feb 19
Women and the Media
Women and Elections
482: Final Exam Paper topics/thesis due
6. Monday, Feb 26
First Hour: Discussion of 482’s Women and the Media Papers (482 Papers due).
Women and Elections
7. Monday, Mar 5
Women and Elections
No class on March 12 for Spring Break.
POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
8. Monday, Mar 19
Women and Elections
Women in Congress
9. Monday, Mar 26
First Hour: Discussion of your Women and Elections Paper (Papers due)
Second Hour: Women in the Judiciary
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10. Monday, Apr 2
Women in the Military
Women and Sports and the impact of Title IX
Short Assignment due
POLICY & LAW
11. Monday, Apr 9
The Right to Privacy
12. Monday, Apr 16
Domestic Violence and Rape
482: Final Exam Paper Interviews must be completed
13. Monday, Apr 23
First part of class: Women and Family Policy
Last 30 minutes: Supreme Court “Conference.” Supreme Court papers due.
14. Monday, Apr 30
Women and International Development
Final Exam Period: Monday, May 7, 5:30 – 8:00. Attendance Required.
482: Final Exam Papers due.
682: The graduate students will be presenting their Research Projects. Everyone is expected to be part of the
discussion of their work.
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