Politics 355: Gender and Politics

Fall 2008

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10:10 – 11:05 OR 11:15 – 12:10

Huntley 324

Professor Robin M. LeBlanc	Office Hours
Holekamp 107, Ext. 8612	Mondays and Wednesdays 2 – 3:30
Email: leblancr@wlu.edu	Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:30 – 12
	Also available by appointment. Office hours may be canceled when conflicting university business is scheduled.

Course Description

Link to Assignments

Useful Links

We recently concluded a presidential candidate nominating season in which the gender of candidates has been perceived a major influence on many voters, and in which a woman has been selected as a vice presidential candidate for only the second time in American history. Moreover, although both presidential candidates, Barak Obama and John McCain, are male, gender identity persists as a factor in the contest between them. Obama has been linked (both positively and negatively) with feminine imagery while McCain’s campaign has worked hard to make use of his “manly” past as a war hero. For many observers, the races of the two men will also be quickly linked with stereotypes about the varying capacities and threats embodied by white and black men. This fall, it is easy for Americans to see that gender counts in politics, but, in truth, gender has always counted in politics—in America and nearly everywhere else.

In every country in the world for which the Inter-Parliamentary Union keeps statistics (188 nations), men are better represented in public office than women. Few characteristics of political life are as pronounced or as regular across national borders as this one of men’s numerical advantage over women in the halls of power. Nonetheless, this surprisingly obvious and persistent trait of political organization has received remarkably little scholarly attention. Despite the fact that political science has been an academic discipline in the United States for more than 100 years, it is only in the past two decades that the study of gender in politics has become recognized as a subfield of intellectual importance. Even today, most political science majors can graduate from college without ever having addressed themselves to an orderly consideration of the gendered nature of political life. Sure, we all know that no American president has ever been a woman and that most of us are represented in Congress and in our state legislatures by men, but few of us think systematically about the sources of such a phenomenon. Many professional political scientists spend little or no time examining the issue. One can get a doctorate in the field of politics without ever engaging in explicit study of the relationship between gender and access to political power. That is a pretty astonishing truth considering that most political scientists in the world are born, educated, and work in democracies. It is probably even fair to say a majority of political scientists specialize, in one way or another, in the study of democracy—the regime that promises equality. We come from and study regimes that begin on a premise of equality and yet frequently ignore one of the most predictable political inequalities there is.

In this class, we will seek to remedy that ignorance. Through a careful investigation of theoretical and empirical literature and systematic observations of our own, we will try to understand why politics is frequently experienced differently for men and women. We will investigate why masculine gender is often an attribute of those in power, why female gender correlates with a reduced likelihood to convert advantages of affluence and education into political activism. We will ask how other factors (such as class and race identities) mix with gender identity to alter the general effects of gender on any individual’s encounter with the political world. For example, we will ask why only some men benefit from male dominance over political institutions and investigate the possibility that women can sometimes avail themselves of political strategies men cannot use. We will think about what the effects gendered institutions might have a political system’s policy production. And together we will try to determine what changes in the conditions of men’s and women’s lives might change the gender dynamics of politics. We will address ourselves to the case closest to home, politics in the United States. But we will also step away to other countries in order to gain a perspective on the American experience. Throughout the term, we will pay careful attention to the ways political science concepts and methodologies can help our hinder us as we investigate the place of gender in political life.

Finally, using our substantive and methodological investigations as a launch pad, you will undertake your own research into one aspect of the connection between gender and politics. This research will become the basis for a term paper in which you demonstrate your understandings of the scholarly findings in the area of your study and your ability to think and write critically about persistent issues in the field.

My hope is that the class will be rewarding for both men and women who seek a fuller understanding of how political power operates and what we can do to shape it in the direction of our ideals.

Course Objectives in “Assessment Language”* for Politics Department

Course Objectives in “Assessment Language” for the Program in Women’s Studies

1. You will understand the main ways in which American political institutions and citizenship are gendered, developing a general sense of how gender in American politics compares to gender in other nations.

2. You will be able to articulate several conceptual and methodological challenges to investigating how gender works in political life.

3. You will be able to conduct research and write in effective prose on gender and politics using appropriate scholarly sources.

1. You will learn to use gender as a tool of analysis.

2. You will develop a facility with several key concepts (including social construction, structural oppression, and intersectionality) that have been central to Women's Studies and feminist theory.

3. You will increase knowledge about both the particularity and the diversity of women's experiences.

Required Reading

The top four items are books available for purchase at the Washington and Lee University Store. The other listed items are either available online (through journal subscriptions purchased for us by Leyburn Library) or as reserve items through Leyburn Library. When possible, reserve items will be made available to you electronically. Please note that I expect you to attend class with the reading for the day in hand, even if you had to make a copy of it yourself.

McGlen, Nancy E., Karen O’Connor, Laura van Assendelft, Wendy Gunther-Canada. Women, Politics, and American Society. 4^th Edition. Pearson, 2005.

Thomas, Sue, and Clyde Wilcox, eds. Women and Elective Office: Past, Present, and Future. 2^nd Edition. Oxford University Press, 2005.

Shanley, Mary Lyndon, ed. Just Marriage. Oxford University Press, 2004.

Barndt, Deborah. Tangled Routes: Women, Work, and Globalization on the Tomato Trail. 2^nd Edition. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2008.

Articles available online or through library reserve: {Hint: This will be much easier when you are logged into the campus network. Opening the library page before beginning may help.}

Begné, Patricia. "Women and the Struggle for Democracy in Mexico." Women, Democracy, and Globalization in North America: A Comparative Study. Ed. Jane Bayes, et al. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2006. 29-50. (On library reserve)

Brandzel, Amy. "Queering Citizenship? Same-Sex Marriage and the State." GLQ: A Journal of Gay and Lesbian Studies 11.2 (2005): 171-204. (Online: http://glq.dukejournals.org/cgi/reprint/11/2/171?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=1&title=Queering+Citizenship%3F+Same-Sex+Marriage+and+the+State&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=and&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT )

Campbell, Howard. “Female Drug Smugglers on the U.S.-Mexico Border: Gender, Crime, and Empowerment.” Anthropological Quarterly 81:1 (2008), 233-267. (Online: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=7&sid=38553fe2-8c95-4054-a6f6-692e80c0db8e%40sessionmgr8&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=31280292 )

Connell, R.W. "Change Among the Gatekeepers: Men, Masculinities, and Gender Equality in the Global Arena." Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 30.31 (2005): 1801-1825. (Online: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/resultsadvanced?vid=3&hid=15&sid=f1411dc0-ac01-4069-9a4b-b8d43f1983aa%40sessionmgr2&bquery=(TI+(+(+Change+Among+the+Gatekeepers+Men+Masculinities+AND+Gender+Equality+in+the+Global+Arena+)+))&bdata=JmRiPWhsaCZ0eXBlPTEmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl )

Dean, Robert D. “Masculinity as Ideology: John F. Kennedy and the Domestic Politics of Foreign Policy,” Diplomatic History 22: 1, 29-62. (Online: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=17&sid=f25df3e4-7636-4cdd-8e09-4a82be675b0a%40sessionmgr9&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=115636 )

Dennis, Jeffery P. “Women Are Victims, Men Make Choices: The Invisibility of Men and Boys in the Global Sex Trade.” Gender Issues 25 (2008), 11-25. (On library reserve)

Duerst-Lahti, Georgia. "Knowing Congress as a Gendered Institution: Manliness and the Implications for Women in Congress." Women Transforming Congress. Ed. Cindy Simon Rosenthal. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2002. 20-49. (On library reserve)

Duerst-Lahti, Georgia. "Masculinity on the Campaign Trail." Rethinking Madam President: Are We Ready for a Woman in the White House. Ed. Lori Cox Han and Caroline Heldman. Boulder: Lynne Reinner, 2007. 87-112. (On library reserve

Faludi, Susan. "Think the Gender War Is Over? Think Again." The New York Times 15 June 2008: 14. (Online:

http://www.lexisnexis.com:80/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T4484944579&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T4484944582&cisb=22_T4484944581&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=6742&docNo=4 )

Inglehart, Ronald, Pippa Norris and Christian Welzel. "Gender Equality and Democracy." Comparative Sociology 1.3-4 (2002): 321-345. (On library reserve.)

Opello, Katherine A. R. Gender Quotas, Parity Reform, and Political Parties in France. New York: Lexington Books, 2006. 65-92. (On library reserve.)

Pinderhughes, Dianne M. "Intersectionality: Race and Gender in the 2008 Presidential Nomination Campaign." The Black Scholar 38.1 (2008): 47-54. (Online:

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=33336986&site=ehost-live)

Scott, Joan Wallach. Parite! Sexual Equality and the Crisis of French Universalism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005. 52-74, 124-146. (On library reserve.)

Young, Iris Marion. Mothers, Citizenship, and Independence: A Critique of Pure Family Values (in Symposium on Citizenship, Democracy, and Education) Ethics, Vol. 105, No. 3. (Apr., 1995), pp. 535-556. JSTOR Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2382141

Course Policies

This is not a lecture course. Gender roles are something deeply embedded in each of our lives. In fact, one of the reasons that political science has historically done a poor job of observing and explaining gender difference in political life may be that few of us are very self-conscious about how our gendered habits of behavior alter our chances of engaging in public life in a given fashion. Most of the time, one’s gendered behaviors are a matter of course. For precisely that reason, it would be irresponsible of me to simply lecture my way through the term. In order to make this investigation of gender and politics meaningful, we must be more than usually observant—and observant about the very attitudes and experiences that we take for granted in our own lives. Unless you are actively committed to making the issues we read about your own, I’m afraid you may be less than satisfied by our common explorations. There is no better way to help you embrace and challenge the course material than to ask you to take an active part in creating the learning community in which it will be addressed. This is a seminar course, and your careful preparation for and thoughtful participation in regular class discussion is essential to your success.

This is going to be a course about thorny issues close to the hearts of each and every person in the room. I do not think we should shirk controversy. On the contrary, to spend a semester investigating a source of inequalities in democratic regimes necessitates that we wade bravely into areas of potential conflict. However, we must all work to cultivate a practice of civility toward each other as we struggle with difficult issues. Please remember that understanding why people (students, teachers, authors) who disagree with you have come to the position they hold is a very valuable means of understanding political phenomena. When you find another’s opinion distressing, remind yourself that the opinion is also rich data in your quest to better understand the political world. In this class understanding your opponent is more important than besting him or her. Feel free to address yourself openly and honestly to any argument, so long as you do so in a spirit that encourages the equally honest and open participation of your best adversary.

Everything you do in this course should be undertaken in conformity with the spirit of the Washington and Lee University Honor system. Please pledge all of your written work. Should you ever have any question regarding whether your work meets my standards for work that may be fairly pledged, please feel free to consult me. I will do my best to answer questions completely and frankly.

Course attendance is required, and I expect that when you attend you will be fully prepared to conduct discussion on any part of the assigned work. I realize that, on rare occasion, an absence from class may be unavoidable, but I do reserve the right to penalize you for more than three unexcused absences by making a deduction in your final course grade at my discretion. This penalty may include failure of the course. Late work will be accepted only if I choose to accept it and may be penalized up to a whole letter grade per day late. Pop quizzes are part of your participation grade and, as such, may never be made up.

If some unexpected difficulty befalls you, and you believe you are deserving of an exception from any of the above policies, please let me know about your situation as soon as possible. I will try to be as accommodating as fairness allows

Course Assignments

Assignment	Percentage of Final Grade
Good Citizenship: Attendance, Preparedness, Participation, Pop Quizzes	10 %
One-Hour Writing Assignment Please return electronically. Typed response to question about early reading assignments. Due September 10.	5 %
Current Event Synopses, 2 pages, due Friday, Sept. 19, Friday, Oct. 24, and Monday, Dec. 1	Average of three grades is 5 %
Midterm Examination Wednesday, October 15	10 %
Group Project (Gender in W&L Student Government [due Oct. 22] OR Election Analysis [due Nov. 5])	10 %
Research Question Description (3 pages) and Annotated Bibliography (10 sources) Wednesday, Oct. 1	15 %
Paper Project Draft I and Participation in Peer Critique Friday, Oct. 31	10 %
Paper Project Final Draft Wednesday, Nov. 19	25 %
Final Exam	10 %

Reading and Assignment Schedule

Date

Reading or Assignment Due

Friday, Sept. 5

First Day of Class

Monday, Sept. 8

Readings on Intersectionality and the 2008 Presidential Race

Faludi and Pinderhuges articles

Wednesday, Sept. 10

One-Hour Writing assignment due

No reading

Friday, Sept. 12

McGlen, Introduction and Chapter 1

Monday, Sept. 15

McGlen, Chapter 2

Wednesday, Sept. 17

Thomas, Introduction, Chapters 1 & 2

Friday, Sept. 19

Current Events Synopses Due

Thomas, Chapters 3 & 4

Monday, Sept. 22

Thomas, Chapters 5 & 6

Wednesday, Sept. 24

Thomas, Chapter 7

Friday, Sept. 26

Thomas, Chapter 8

Monday, Sept. 29

Thomas, Chapter 12 and Duerst-Lahti, “Knowing Congress as a Gendered Institution”

Wednesday, Oct. 1

Research question description and annotated bibliography due.

Group discussions

Friday, Oct. 3

(Homecoming Weekend)

Duerst-Lahti, “Masculinity on the Campaign Trail” and Dean, “Masculinity as Ideology”

Monday, Oct. 6

Opello and Scott chapters on parité

Wednesday, Oct. 8

McGlen, Chapter 3

Thursday, Oct. 9 and Friday, Oct. 10

Reading Days, No Class

Monday, Oct. 13

McGlen, Chapter 4

Wednesday, Oct. 15

Midterm Examination

(no reading assignment)

Friday, Oct. 17

McGlen, Chapter 5

Monday, Oct. 20

Young article on mothering

Wednesday, Oct. 22

Gender in W&L Student Government Analysis

Led by Student Government Group

Friday, Oct. 24

(Parents and Family Weekend)

Current Events Synopses due

Shanley, 3-51

Monday, Oct. 27

Shanley, 52-end

Wednesday, Oct. 29

Brandzel article

Friday, Oct. 31

(Happy Halloween! Be safe!)

Paper project draft and in-class critique due.

(No reading assignment.)

Monday, Nov. 3

Begné article

Wednesday, Nov. 5

Post-Election Analysis

Led by Election Group

Friday, Nov. 7

Barndt, Chapter 1

Monday, Nov. 10

Barndt, Chapters 2 & 3

Wednesday, Nov. 12

Barndt, Chapter 4

Friday, Nov. 14

Barndt, Chapters 6 & 8

Monday, Nov. 17

Campbell and Dennis articles

Wednesday, Nov. 19

Yumiko Mikanagi visit

Gender and the Study of International Relations

Final Paper due.

Friday, Nov. 21

Connell article

Monday, Nov. 22 – Friday, Nov. 28

Thanksgiving Break – No Classes

Monday, Dec. 1

Current Event Synopses due.

Thomas, Chapter 13

Wednesday, Dec. 3

Inglehart, Norris, Welzel article

Friday, Dec. 5

Last Day of Class

Review for final

Saturday, Dec. 6

Finals Begin