Things to worry about now

The literature review was due April 30.
The final draft is due at the end of the semester.
LLMs are great fun and are good at writing poems. But they are terrible at summarizing academic articles. Try it and see.
To meet me in my office over exam week - Rowley 1015 - please send an email. Here is how to find my office from outside Rowley Hall. To meet with me by videoconference, please send me an email to set up a time.
For those of you who are not right about to graduate - you should do a semester-long program at some point. The person to talk with in the study abroad office about starting to plan is named Korrin Harvey - you can use her calendar to make a videoconference or in-person appointment with her, here: https://calendly.com/korrinharvey.

Summary

Professor Chad Rector

Mondays and Wednesdays 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm
Rowley Hall, Room G211

Syllabus

An in-depth examination of the relationship between gender and political authority around the world, focusing on differences across countries in rights and representation, the role of gender in campaigns and elections in democracies, and the politics of related social policies across advanced democracies including those regulating abortion and marriage.

This course meets Marymount's "Social Sciences" and "Depth in the Sciences" requirements.

Note that this course covers a number of issues that are subject to heated debate in our culture. Two things students should understand when registering for this course:

This is an empirical social science course, rather than a course in philosophy or theology. Our aim is to understand how and why different political systems produce different outcomes (for example, about abortion access or same-sex marriage), and how and why those systems sometimes change; it is not to debate whether or not those outcomes (such as particular abortion or same-sex marriage laws) are “good” or “bad.”
As a class with an emphasis on student-led discussions of topics that some people find sensitive, the class will operate with several ground rules designed to promote open dialogue. Students will treat each other with respect as individuals, even if they disagree with each other at the level of ideas, and, within that constraint, students will feel free to express ideas in class without fear of sanction.

I strongly advise students to meet with me, individually, regularly throughout the semester. I have regular in-person meeting times set aside for students on every Monday and Wednesday that we have class. I also have meeting times by videoconference available, scheduled via my calendar at cal.chadrector.net. If none of those times work for you, please feel free to email me to suggest a different time. I am also available after class most days for as long as anyone wants to talk. Here is how to find my office from outside Rowley Hall.

Course Assignments and Grades

Course grades will be based on:

One article summary and presentation. 20%. Early in the semester, each student will be assigned to provide a short written summary of a published social science article, edit a Wikipedia entry to include a reference to that article, and present a summary of the article to the class. The written summaries are due by February 7, the Wikipedia edits by February 14, and the presentations will be spread throughout the semester.
Two group presentations. 15% each. (30% total.) Groups of 4-5 students will present on assigned topics that link course content to current events. Details will be posted in late January for the first project and early March for the second.
Final exam. 15%. A series of short answer questions and two essays, in-person on May 10.
Term paper. 35%. A series of assignments leading up to a 10-15 page analytic paper, written in several steps:

Annotated bibliography (5%).
Literature review (20%).
Complete draft (10%).

Extra credit:

Class participation. Students may earn up to 5% for constructive contributions to class discussions. There is no specific grade for "attendance," as this is a seminar-style course in which I expect regular class participation (although for university administrative purposes I will occasionally record attendance anyway). Students earn participation grades for sharing ideas with the class, not simply for showing up. Since there is no such thing as an "excused" absence there is no reason to give me an excuse or note if you are absent.
Current events project. Up to 5% for a high-quality interpretive project and presentation, following an assigned format.
DC event. 5% for a first event and 3% for a second. Attend an informative, professional lecture, seminar, or hearing in the DC area on the subject of public affairs and write a summary of your experience and give a brief summary presentation to the class. These must be submitted before the last meeting of the semester.

Assignments will be marked down for being late. Students will not be penalized for missing a class assignment for a recognized religious holiday.

I may, at my discretion, check any written assignments for plagiarism at any time during or after the semester, using electronic or other means. Students found violating the Marymount principles of Academic Integrity will fail the course and be formally charged through the University’s Academic Integrity process. I have failed students in prior semesters for cheating. By enrolling in the course you acknowledge that you have reviewed the University’s standards of academic integrity.

Readings

Two books are required for the course:

Bauer, Nichole M. The qualifications gap: Why women must be better than men to win political office. Cambridge University Press, 2020. 978-1108818896.
Htun, Mala, and S. Laurel Weldon. The logics of gender justice: State action on women's rights around the world. Cambridge University Press, 2018. 978-1108405461.

Course Schedule

The coursework during the semester is divided into three segments: structure, representation, and policy. I will add specific reading assignments under each topic closer to the start of the semester. Most class sessions in part 3 of the course ("policy") will also have time devoted to working on term papers.

Introduction

January 18 - Overview

Structure

January 23 - Patrilineal family structures and political institutions 1 (Slides)
Read: Eliot, Lise, et al. "Dump the “dimorphism”: Comprehensive synthesis of human brain studies reveals few male-female differences beyond size." Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 125 (2021): 667-697.

January 25 - Patrilineal family structures and political institutions 2
Read: Evans, Alice. "10,000 Years of Patriarchy," blog post (or listen to it as a podcast on Spotify)

January 30 - Democracy, culture, and religion (Slides)
Read: Park, Sanghee, and Jiaqi Liang. "A comparative study of gender representation and social outcomes: The effect of political and bureaucratic representation." Public Administration Review 81.2 (2021): 321-332.

February 1 - Security
Read: Webster, Kaitlyn, Chong Chen, and Kyle Beardsley. "Conflict, peace, and the evolution of women's empowerment." International Organization 73.2 (2019): 255-289.

February 6 - Urbanization, local political change, and gender equality 1 (Slides)
Read: Evans, Alice. "How cities erode gender inequality: A new theory and evidence from Cambodia." Gender & Society 33.6 (2019): 961-984.

February 8 - Urbanization, local political change, and gender equality 2 (Slides)

February 13 - Group presentations discussion of political change and preparation for Group presentations (Slides)

February 15 - Group presentations discussion of political change and preparation for Group presentations (Slides)

February 20 - term paper discussion and Group presentations

Representation

February 22 - Women as voters and Group presentations
Read: Cox, Daniel. The Political Gender Gap is Exploding (blog post)

February 27 - Female candidates, elections, and the media 1
Read: Bauer, chapters 1-2

March 1 - Female candidates, elections, and the media 2
Read: Bauer, chapters 3-5

March 6 - Gender presentation and elections
Read: Bauer, chapters 6-8

March 8 - Masculinity and political authority

(spring break)

March 20 - Gender identity and mass politics

March 22 - Group presentations Workshop in preparation for group presentations (slides)

March 27 - Group presentations (slides)

March 29 - term paper topic discussion Group presentations

Policy

April 3 - No regular class meeting; individual meetings about term paper around this time.
Special event: Student and Instructor Q&A with Rep. Maxwell Frost, Congress’s Youngest Member, 4pm on Monday April 3 by zoom - register at this link
Read: Start reading Htun and Weldon

April 5 - Special event - Russia-Ukraine war background, Reinsch Auditorium (during the regular class time)

(holiday)

April 12 - Marriage 1 Abortion (slides)
Read: Htun and Weldon, chapters 1-6

April 17 - Marriage 2 Marriage 1
Read: Htun and Weldon, chapter 7 and conclusion

April 19 - Marriage 3 Marriage 2
Read: Bishin, Benjamin G., Justin Freebourn, and Paul Teten. "The power of equality? Polarization and collective mis-representation on gay rights in Congress, 1989–2019." Political Research Quarterly 74.4 (2021): 1009-1023.

April 24 - Violence and status 1 (and more on marriage) (slides)

April 26 - Violence and status 2 No class today (University-wide event: Student Research Conference).

May 1 - Family policy 1
Read: Morgan, Kimberly. "Missed Opportunities, Partial Solutions: Why America Doesn't Have a System of Family Care."

May 3 - Family policy 2 (slides)
Read: Rovny, Allison E. "Welfare state policy determinants of fertility level: A comparative analysis." Journal of European Social Policy 21.4 (2011): 335-347.

May 10 (11 am to 1:30 pm) - Final exam