PO3GAP-Gender and Politics

Module Provider: School of Politics, Economics and International Relations
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2022/3

Module Convenor: Dr Rose De Geus
Email: r.a.degeus@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

Why do women remain under-represented in politics? Are voters sexist? And do women make for better political leaders? These are examples of the types of questions that we will consider in this module. Over the course of ten two-hour seminars we will explore how gender shapes politics. Throughout this we will also consider how gender intersects with other identities of race, ethnicity and sexuality. In the module we will look at many real-world examples and students are encouraged to bring their own examples for discussion. The module also exposes students to a variety of different research methods that are used in the field of gender and politics. The course is taught through ten two-hour seminars which require active participation and preparatory work from students.Ìý

Aims:

By the end of the module students will:

• understand how gender shapes political behaviour, political institutions, and political processesÌý


• have an understanding of key concepts and theories related to the role of gender in politics


• have developed knowledge of key findings in the study of gender and politics


• be familiar with the various methods through which to study gender and politics


• developed critical skills allowing them to evaluate theories and empirical findingsÌý

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the module students are expected to:

• critically evaluate various theories on gender and political representation and participation


• be able to assess empirical evidence that either supports or disproves theories or claims about the role of gender, femininity and masculinity in politics


• develop and clearly articulate their own written and oral arguments


• be able to identify important research questions in the field of gender and politics


• apply theories from the literature on gender and politics to their own case study of choice

Additional outcomes:

The module will further allow students to develop the following skills:

• Academic writing


• Processing and synthesizing information


• Interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data Ìý


• Oral presentation skills (through class presentation and participation)


• Independent research skillsÌý

Outline content:

An indication of topics that will be discussed (note these are examples and exact content may vary):

• Women’s (under)-representation in politics


• Gender and voter attitudes: stereotypes and sexism


• The role of masculinity and femininity in politics


• Male and female politicians in the media


• Gender and political campaigns


• Gender and political leadership

Global context:

The course will focus mostly on the British and U.S. context, but comparisons will be made with other Anglo-Saxon and Western European democracies (for example Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Northern and Western Europe).

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Teaching will be conducted through ten weekly two-hour seminars. Students are asked to conduct preparatory readings and will sometimes be asked to conduct short assignments prior to the seminar. The seminars will requires students to participate actively in various types of exercises such as class presentations, reading exercises, review of articles, analysis of case studies, group work and class discussion. In reading week of Spring term there will be a two-hour tutorial session in which stu dents present their ideas for their case study and receive feedback from the instructor and fellow classmates. In early summer term there will be two drop-in sessions (2x 2 hours) to provide individ