Required Texts:

Whitaker, Women in Politics: Outsiders or Insiders? 3rd. ed. (Prentice-Hall, 1999)

Ryan, Feminism and the Women's Movement (Routledge, 1992)

Stetson, Women's Rights in the U.S.A. 2nd. ed. (Garland, 1997)

Course Description: The first part of the course consists of an examination of the role of women in all areas of the American political system as: voter, party activist, candidate, and public official. Female political socialization will be considered, as will be the political attitudes and public policy opinions of women. The second part of the course is devoted to the current feminist movement, its goals and participants, and its impact upon the direction of public policies on the status of women. Some attention will also be given to the current status of the women's rights movement and the rise of an anti-feminist movement.

Format of the Class: Classes will include mini-lectures by the instructor on materials not covered in the required readings. Because this is a small undergraduate seminar, emphasis is also placed on student participation in class discussions. Regular class attendance is expected. Absence and academic dishonesty policies will conform to University and College of Arts and Sciences policies as described in the current M.U. Undergraduate Bulletin. All students will be bound by Arts and Sciences rules.

Course Requirements and Grading Procedures:

Exams: The assigned work is as follows. There are the specific reading assignments drawn from the required texts. Each student is expected to read and digest this assigned material prior to the time when it is dealt with in class. Two essay exams will be based on these readings and lecture materials. One is scheduled for the mid-term exam period, the other (comprehensive) for the final exam period. They are worth 20% and 35%, respectively, of the final course grade. Make-up exams are given without penalty if needed due to serious personal emergencies. Those who miss an exam because of lack of preparation will be penalized on the make-up exam by a 10% reduction in grade.

Seminar Paper and Presentation: Each student must also prepare a paper on a women and politics topic of his/her choosing. Please clear your topic with the instructor as soon as you have chosen it. Because each paper will be presented to the class, two papers on the same or very similar topic will not be approved.

The following are the ground rules:

1. All papers are due on November 29, 1999. A late penalty of 10% of the grade will be assessed unless unusual research or personal problems justify an extension. The paper is worth 35% of the final course grade.

2. Papers must rely upon some scholarly sources (books, academic journals) rather than solely popular periodicals, newspapers, or WebPages. Do not rely heavily upon the textbooks for this class.

3. Appropriate scholarly form should be used in writing. Notes may be either at the end of the paper or at the bottom of the appropriate page. A bibliography is unnecessary; references are essential, however.

4. The paper should be typed, double spaced. Minimum length required: 10 pages, excluding end notes, title page, and any tables.

5. Each student will orally present his/her paper to the entire class during the last two weeks of class. Presentations will last 10-15 minutes and will be followed by general class discussion of the topic. Each student's presentation is worth 10% of the final course grade.

Course Outline

I. Introduction

II. Women as Political Actors

III. The New Feminist Movement

IV. Women and Public Policy