Government 166: Women and Politics in Contemporary America

California State University, Sacramento

Fall 2005

 

 

Professor:              Dr. Kimberly Nalder

e-mail:                     klnalder@csus.edu

Office:                    3121 Tahoe Hall

Phone:                    916-278-6693

Office Hours:        Tuesdays 2-5, or by appointment

Website:                                http://www.csus.edu/indiv/n/nalderk

 

Course Overview

 

Govt 166 is an upper-division government course which is cross-listed with Women’s Studies.  The course examines the role of women in political life in the United States, beginning with historical context and feminist theory, and then focusing on women’s roles as voters, party activists, candidates, and officeholders.  The course will also explore “women’s issues”, the patterns and explanations for the gender gap, and women’s political attitudes.  Throughout the semester, current events will be used to inform the discussion of all topics.

 

Texts

 

Klosko, George and Margaret G. The Struggle for Women’s Rights, Prentice Hall, 1999.

Baumgardner, Jennifer and Amy Richards. Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future. 2000.

Carroll, Susan J, ed. Women and American Politics. Oxford. 2003.

Conway, Margared M., et. al. Women and Political Participation. Second Edition, CQ. 2005.

Inglehard, Ronald, and Pippa Norris. Rising Tide. Cambridge. 2003. [RECOMMENDED]

 

I also strongly recommend subscribing to a daily newspaper and/or weekly/ monthly political magazines.  The course will include a strong current events component, so keeping informed will be essential.  I can get you a bargain classroom rate for the New York Times (the national newspaper of record), and will post links to other suggested sources on the website.

 

Class Policies

 

Attendance: Mandatory.  Should you miss an in-class activity or be absent more than twice, your grade will suffer.  Being in class is vital to your learning.

 

No Make-Up Quizzes: There will be no make-up quizzes offered unless you bring documentation of severe illness or a death in the family.  The same is true of assignments.

 

Turn off Beeping Things.  Please remember to turn off your cell phones, laptop sounds, etc.  Do not text/ e-mail during class – it’s disrespectful.  If your phone rings during class, my policy is that I get to answer it.

 

Courtesy.  Please be respectful of other’s opinions during discussions.  Rest assured that everyone will get a chance to express themselves.  Please sit near the door if you have to leave early for any reason.  In short, please show respect and courtesy for everyone in the classroom.  Your participation score can be negatively affected if there are any problems in this area.

 

Class Disruptions:  It is important that the learning environment be free of distractions and disruptions. Any student who creates a disturbance or otherwise prohibits the class from proceeding smoothly will be ejected from the class.  Further penalties will be imposed if the behavior recurs. The University policy can be viewed here: http://www.csus.edu/admbus/umanual/UMD03250.htm

 

Cheating and/or plagiarism: At the risk of being clichéd, you only cheat yourself when you cheat in class.  Just do the work.  The penalties will adhere to University Policy, but at the minimum will result in an F for the exam or assignment in question.  The relevant university policy can be accessed at: http://www.csus.edu/admbus/umanual/UMA00150.htm

 

Course Requirements

 

This course relies a great deal on discussion and in-class skill development.  As such, attendance is mandatory.  I will take roll every day.  After two recorded absences, your participation grade will begin to suffer.  Plus, we’ll miss you if you’re gone.

 

The weekly assigned reading should be completed before class each Wednesday.  I suggest spreading it out over the week.  The discussion format makes this essential – if you arrive informed, you will get much more out of the class experience.  (And after all, learning as much as possible is the whole point, right?)

 

Assignments

 

Projects: Instead of the usual exam-and-research-paper requirements, in this course we will be working on a series of projects, spaced throughout the semester.  The first project involves looking at changes over time in the role of women in politics.  The second project will be an analysis of current political media coverage and how women are covered, how they do the coverage, etc.  The third project will require you to interview a woman involved in politics and do a report on the insight she provides.  The details of all three projects will be thoroughly discussed in class and posted on my website.

 

Quizzes: There will be quizzes every other week  (on Wednesdays) on the readings, and the lecture content for the prior 2 weeks.  These will encourage you to read carefully and keep up (no cramming.)  Trust me, you’ll thank me for pushing you to keep current.  Our class discussions will also be enhanced.  I do not give make-up quizzes unless you have documentation of a serious illness or a death in the family.

The quizzes are worth 30% of your total grade, so do take them quite seriously.

 

Exam:  There will be one final covering the readings, lecture, discussion and any other course content, such as videos, speakers, etc. The final exam will be OPEN NOTE, which means that you should be keeping careful notes throughout the semester.

 

In-class participation/ attendance: A portion of your grade will be assigned according to the extent of your class participation and attendance.  We will often do in-class exercises, which will contribute to this grade.

 

Participation/ attendance                    10%        Every class period

Projects                                                 15% each, for a total of 45%                              

Quizzes                                                  30%        Every other Wednesday

Final                                                       15%        Dec. 12, 5:15-7:15

 

***You must complete ALL assignments and exams to receive a grade.***

 

 

Tentative Reading Schedule

 

Aug 29, 31            Course Introduction – Philosophical Background

                                Klosko, Introduction

                                Klosko,  Rousseau 19-31

 

Sept.  7                   Women in political philosophy

                                Klosko, Wollstonecraft 32-51

                                Klosko, Mill 57-58

                                Klosko, Taylor 75-83

       

        Suffrage Timeline  http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/naw/nawstime.html

 

Sept. 12, 14           Women’s Suffrage

                                Klosko, Seneca Falls 99-103

                                Klosko, Truth, 107-111

                                Klosko, Adams 147-155

                                Klosko, Cleveland, 213-222

                                Conway, Chapter 1

 

Sept. 19, 21           Frameworks: Feminism, Activism and Women’s Political Roles - History

        Baumgardner and Richards, Chapter 2

Whitaker 1-16 (on reserve at the library)

 

Sept. 26, 28           Feminism Today: 3rd wave, post-feminist, what?

                                Whitaker, pp. 99-118 (on reserve at the library)

                                Baumgardner and Richards, p. 3-9; p. 219 (3rd paragraph)-234;  315-321

 

***Her(his)tory Project Due Wed.***

 

Oct. 3, 5 Political Socialization and Attitudes

                                Conway, Ch. 2

        Article on Larry Summers controversy

 

Oct. 10, 12            Voting Behavior and Participation

                                Conway, Ch. 3,5

 

Oct. 17, 19            Women and American Political Parties

        Conway, Ch. 4

        Carroll 127-139

                              Article on Harriet Miers and sexism

Oct. 24, 26            Women as Candidates       

“Family Structure, Sex-Role Socialization, and the Decision to Run for Office” Richard Fox and Jennifer Lawless, 2003. W&P – online

                                Carroll, Chapter 2

 

Oct 31/ Nov 1       Media and Campaigns

“The Distorted Mirror: Press Coverage of Women Candidates for Statewide Office”, Kim Fridkin Kahn, 1994 JOP (online)

 

“The ‘Un-Candidates’: Gender and Outsider Signals in Women’s Political Advertisements”, Shames,  2003, W&P (Online)

                               

 

Nov. 7, 11              Media, Stereotypes and Culture

        Baumgardner and Richards, Ch. 3

                                 Who's talking? sunday morning talk shows study by the White House Project

  							“Gender Differences in Print Media Coverage…..” http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/Research/Reports/dole.pdf

                                   Here is a test of your subconscious gender stereotyping. This is for interest, not assigned. Try it!

***Media Project Due Wed.***

 

Nov. 14, 16            Governing: Women in Legislatures

        Carroll, Chapter 4

“Does Women’s Representation in Elected Office Lead to Woman-Friendly Policy?”, Ciaizza, W&P (online)

 

Nov. 21, 23            Women in Executive Branch Positions – Why no Woman President Yet?

        Conway et al., Chapter 6

        Article on Clinton vs. Rice potential match-up here

         Study on women running for executive branch positions - read just through page 21

 

Nov.  28, 30           Women’s issues: U.S. and International

        Women in African politics here      

       Article on severe women's health issue here          

                                read lists of women's issues according to NOW and       Eagle Forum women's issues (scroll to bottom)

Dec.  5, 7               Looking Forward: What does the future hold?

                                Retired Husband Syndrome

                               Housewife Wars

***Interview Project Due Wed.***

 

 

 

Final Monday, December 12, 5:15- 7:15