POSC 346 Women and Politics is being offered as a special departmental seminar this fall semester (2014). Limited to seventeen students, POSC346 focuses on women’s access to political representation and to equal political and economic rights, in international, comparative perspective. The course is particularly interested in how constitutions, political system structures, and election law shape gendered opportunities for men and women – of special interest in the context of new constitutional developments, such as the crowd-sourcing and social media aspects of the new Icelandic Constitution and the recently concluded Constitutional Convention in the Republic of Ireland.

In addition, this year POSC346 will be enhanced by an international conference on Women, Gender and Conservative Parties in the 21st Century, to be held October 9-11, in conjunction with the course. Political scientists doing research on women’s representation within conservative and right-of-center political parties in Britain, Germany, the US and elsewhere will present their current work, with commentary and discussion following paper presentations. The conference, funded by the Eaken Fund, the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women, the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, and the ACES Distinguished Lecturer Fund, will begin with a keynote talk by Professor Sarah Childs, University of Bristol (UK) on women in the Conservative Party in Great Britain. Students will be involved in conference participation, as well as in the regular coursework of a departmental seminar. POSC346 will meet TuTh 2:45PM – 4:00PM (location TBD). No prerequisites.