This course will center around breaking down systemic barriers that women face in politics, concentrating on American culture and institutions, and considering potential solutions to garner success. We will first address the barriers within American politics to establish a baseline of knowledge, and then focus on analyzing literature that proposes solutions. Following, we will examine successful female political figures via in-depth case studies, and consider how they have overcome adversity and shaped intersectional “women’s rights” policies. In this sense, we hope to look at the essential question of how women’s rights narratives have shaped consciousness in the public sphere over time, and how they are still evolving. The class will conclude by looking to the future and addressing the “big picture” question of how to move forward, and utilize experience and history to influence their personal and civic lives, as well as the communities around them.

3 half-page reading responses (100% if complete and turned in on time), 1 midterm paper (3-4 pages), 1 final presentation