POL 323 Women and American Politics (3 credits)

This course is designed to provide students with a critical examination of women as political actors in the United States. We will analyze various forms of women's political participation, both in the traditional spheres of what is considered politics -- women as voters and politicians -- and also in more "non-traditional" spheres of political activism. We will examine how women are mobilized to participate in politics, focusing keenly on the differences among women in their political activism in an effort to understand how the intersection of gender, race, class, sexuality, age, and ability influence women's political activism. The primary goal of this course is to familiarize students with key issues, questions, and debates in the women and politics scholarship, mainly from a U.S. perspective. Students will become acquainted with many of the critical questions and concepts scholars have developed as tools for thinking about the gendered political experience. In this course you will learn to "read" and analyze gender politically, exploring how it impacts our understanding of the political world. Satisfies the Diversity overlay requirement.