Women, Government, and Public Policy

Women, Government, and Public Policy

Women’s Studies 4513/Political Science 4175

Enarson Classroom Bldg 0222

T/TH 2:20-3:40

Autumn 2014

Professor:Dr. Wendy G. Smooth

Office Location:286E University Hall

Email:

Office Phone:(614) 247-8449

Office Hours:Tuesdays 1-2, or by appointment

University Documented Disabilities

Students with a university- documented disability certified by the Office of Disability Services should discuss with me any special accommodations needed for the course. Please make me aware of your needs as soon as possible. The Office for Disability Services, located in 150 Pomerene Hall, offers services for students with documented disabilities. Contact the ODS at 2-3307292-3307, TDD 292-0901;

Course Description: This course focuses on the gendered nature of public policy.Men and women experience public policies differently. Throughout the course, we will explore the gendered aspects of public policymaking from the formulation to the implementation and enforcement stages of the policymaking process. We will explore how men and women participate differently in the policymaking process. How do women participate in the policy making process as elected and appointed officials, and concerned citizens in the public policymaking process? What difference does it make to have women involved in the construction and implementation of public policy? A major focus of this course will be analyzing public policy and the ways women contribute to constructing different roles for men and women in society. To this end, we will explore a range of policies from education and social welfare policies to reproductive and workplace policies. Throughout the course, we will be attentive to how race, class, and sexual orientation structure women’s experiences with public policies.

Required Texts

Book is available at SBX (Student Book Exchange). Also many used copies are available, but be sure to get the 4th edition.

Dorothy McBride and Janine Perry.Women’s Rights In the USA Policy Debates and Gender Roles Fourth Edition (2010) Routledge Press : New York.

Carmen Readings

To log in, use the same username and password you use to check your OSU email. Once you’ve successfully logged in, you will see our course listed. To enter it, click on its name.

Given constant new developments in public policy and current issues, I will occasionally post new required readings on Carmen. Any additional postings will be announced in class. Students are responsible for these readings.

Course Requirements and Grading

This is an upper level undergraduate course. Students are expected to come to come to class prepared having not only completed the readings, but also reflected critically on the readings. Please allow yourself enough time to critically think about the course readings before class. This will enhance your contributions to our collective learning. Your course grade will be determined as follows:

Midterm Exam 25%Distributed Oct 14th & Due Oct 16th

Final Exam25%December 15th

Policy Project30%December 9th

- Proposal MemoOctober 23rd

- In Class PresentationDecember 2nd-4th

Class Participation20%

Exams:

There will be two exams in this class. Each exam will be worth 30% of your total grade

Policy Project

The policy project for this course is a 6-8 double spaced page policy brief on a policy area impacting women’s lives. You will select your topic in consultation with me. You will prepare the policy brief as if you are working for a member of Congress or the Ohio Assembly. The task is to prepare your boss so that she may deliver a speech on the floor of the legislature on your policy area. The first task is to introduce why this policy is of interest, particularly why your legislator needs to act (i.e. deliver this speech on the floor).You will need to present a full analysis including the arguments both for and against the policy. In addition, you will need to make a policy recommendation to your legislator.

The paper must include a chronology of the policy under investigation, including if applicable, major national legislation, Supreme Court decisions or Executive Orders. Also, the paper must include an overview and current status of the policy (pending legislation, current discussion or debate, major actors for and against policy). As you need to convince your legislator with the strongest evidence possible, you will need to use both scholarly academic sources and policy organizations’ analyses. The policy brief should reflect the themes of the course. The policy brief is due in class on December 9th

To have your topic approved, you will need to submit at 2 page typed double spaced overview memo of your topic. In this overview memo, you will describe the policy area you will research and why your member should allow you to introduce this topic as a policy priority for the legislative session. Your overview memo is due in class on October 23rd.

Class ParticipationAttendance

Class participation is required in this course. Being present and on time for class is a precondition for participation; therefore, I will note attendance. Tardiness is unacceptable.

Laptops & Electronic Devices

Laptops and personal electronic devices should not be used during class.

WritingCenter

Your professor and TAs are available to assist you with assignments and help you improve your work. The university also provides an incredible writing resource with the UniversityWritingCenter. The WritingCenter allows you to make appointments to get assistance from trained writing tutors! To utilize this university sponsored service, contact the WritingCenter at (614) 680-4291 or visit their website at <

Academic Integrity/Plagiarism

Students are expected to maintain complete academic integrity. Please become familiar with the departmental statement on plagiarism:

As defined by University Rule 3335-31-02, plagiarism is “the representation of another’s works or ideas as one’s own; it includes the unacknowledged word for word use and/or paraphrasing of another person’s work, and/or the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person’s ideas.” Plagiarism is one of the most serious offenses that can be committed in an academic community; as such, it is the obligation of this department and its instructors to report all cases of suspected plagiarism to the Committee on Academic Misconduct. After the report is filed, a hearing takes place and if the student is found guilty, the possible punishment ranges from failing the class to suspension or expulsion from the university. Although the existence of the Internet makes it relatively easy to plagiarize, it also makes it even easier for instructors to find evidence of plagiarism. It is obvious to most teachers when a student turns in works that is not his or her own and plagiarism search engines make documenting the offense very simple. You should always cite your sources (I can help you with this if you are unfamiliar with proper styles of documentation). Always ask questions before you turn in an assignment if you are uncertain about what constitutes plagiarism. Always see your TA or professor if you are having difficulty with an assignment. To preserve the integrity of OSU as an institution of higher learning, to maintain your own integrity, and to avoid jeopardizing your future, DO NOT PLAGIARIZE!

Class Schedule

Week I Introduction & Overview

Thursday, August 28th Introduction & Overview of the Course

Assignment for Next Class: Due In Class

Select an issue in contemporary public policy that is currently in the news. In 2 pages, discuss the moral and political values implicated by the coverage of the issue and the various ways that proponents and opponents have defined the problem and its causes. How is the issue framed? How are actors portrayed? How do you see race, gender, sexuality, class and other identities informing the political framing? Use specific examples to support your discussion and cite your sources.

Week IIThe Public Policy Making Process & The Structures of Policymaking

Tues, Sept 2nd

(WR) Chapter 1 “Introduction” & Chapter 2 “U.S. Constitution”

Thurs Sept 4th

(WR) Chapter 3 “Political Resources”

B. Guy Peters (2004) “The Structure of Policymaking in American Government” in American Public Policy Promise and Performance Washington, D.C. : Congressional Quarterly Press

Week IIIHow a Problem Becomes “A Problem”

Problem Definition and Agenda Setting

Tues, Sept 9th

B. Guy Peters (2004) “Agenda Setting and Public Policy” in American Public Policy Promise and Performance Washington, D.C. : Congressional Quarterly Press

David A. Rochefort and Roger W. Cobb “Problem Definition: An Emerging Perspective

Thurs, Sept 11th

Caitlin Dewey, “#Bringbackourgirls, #Kony2012, and the complete, divisivehistory of ‘hashtag activism’”

Ben Scott, “Why the #bringbackourgirls campaign matters: In defense of hashtag activism”

ErhardtGraeff, Matt Stempeck, and Ethan Zuckerman, “The Battle for ‘Trayvon Martin’: Mapping a Media Controversy On- and Offline”

Week IVSocially Constructing Problems & Policies

Tues, Sept 16th

Anne E. Schneider and Helen Ingram, “Social Construction of Target Populations: Implications for Politics and Policy” American Political Science Review, v87 (2)334-34

Thurs Sept 18th

Sean Nicholas-Crotty and Kenneth J. Meier “From Perception to Public Policy: Translating Social Constructions into Policy Designs”

Week V Constructing Public Problems in Gendered Terms

Tues Sept 23rd

Sally J. Kenney “Where is Gender in Agenda Setting?” Women Politics 25 (1/2, 2003): 179-207.

Thurs Sept 25

In Class Viewing: “Lioness” PBS Independent Lens Documentary

Week VIWomen as Policymakers: Do Women Make A Difference?

Tues. Sept 30th

Michelle L. Swers (1998) “Are Women More Likely to Vote for Women’s Issue Bills Than Their Male Colleagues?” Legislative Studies Quarterly 23:3:435-448.

Sue Carroll “Representing Women Congresswomen’s Perceptions of Their Representational Roles” in Women Transforming Congressed Cindy Simon Rosenthal Norman: University of Oklahoma Press

Thurs, Oct 2nd

Noelle Norton (2002) “Transforming Policy from the Inside Participation in Committee in Women Transforming Congressed Cindy Simon Rosenthal Norman: University of Oklahoma Press

Week VII Which Women’s Interests are Represented?

Tues Oct 7th

Michele L. Swers “Representing Women’s Interests in a Polarized Congress” in Women in Elective Office ( 2014) Sue Thomas & Clyd Wilcox

Wendy Smooth (2011). Standing for Women? Which Women? The Substantive Representation of Women's Interests and the Research Imperative of Intersectionality. Politics & Gender, 7, pp 436-441.

Hanna Rosin“Is the Tea Party a Feminist Movement?It's becoming an insta-network for aspiring female candidates.”

Kenneth Vogel “Face of the tea party is female”

Thurs Oct 9th

In Class Viewing “14 Women”

Week VIIIExam Week and Policy Brief Prep

Tuesday, Oct. 14th

Exam Distributed & Policy Brief Discussion

Thurs Oct 16th

Midterm Exam Due ( NoClass)

Gendering Current Public Policy Debates & Discussions

** As these are evolving policy debates that are taking shape day to day, anticipate possible changes in the readings and course activities. We want to remain flexible enough to appreciate the policy process in action.

Week IXGender and Welfare Policy Temporary Aid to Needy Families

Tues. Oct 21st

Ch 11 Economic Status

Thurs Oct 23rd

Marieka M. Klawitter (1994) “Who gains, who loses from changing U.S. child support policies?” in Policy Sciences 27:197

Film Viewing “Take It From Me”

Week XContemporary Marriage & Citizenship

Tues Oct 28th

Chapter 6 Family

Gregory B. Lewis & Johnathan L. Edelson (2000) “DOMA and ENDA: Congress Votes on Gay Rights” in The Politics of Gay Rights Craig A. Rimmerman, Kenneth Wald, Clyde Wilcox Chicago: University of Chicago

Thurs Oct 30th

TBA

Week XI Re-Emergence of Title IX Debates-More than Just Women& Sports; Sexual Harassment & Assault on College Campuses

Tues Nov.4th

Chapter 5 Education

Chapter 10 Sexuality Intimidation

Thurs Nov 6thScreening of Freida Lee Mock's ANITA: Speaking Truth to Power and Q&A

Thursday, November 6, 2014 - 7:00pm

Wexner Center's Mershon Auditorium

Friday, November 7th 11:00am Special panel addressing policy developments on sexual assault and college campuses Anita Hill Panel Discussion, "Responding to Gendered Violence in Society, Law and on College Campuses"

Saxbe Auditorium at the Mortiz College of Law

Assignment: You are required to attend at least one of these events--Thursday film or Friday panel discussion. You will are required to submit a 2 page reflection paper that counts toward class participation.

Week XIIGendering The Affordable Care Act &Technological Reproductive Debates

Tues Nov. 11th

Chapter 4 Reproduction

Dorothy Roberts (2005) “Privatization and Punishments in the New Age ofReprogenetics” Emory Law Journal Vol. 54 Issue 3, p1343-1360.

Thurs Nov. 13th

Viewing: Kaiser Family Foundation Webinar Panel: “An Early Look at the Affordable Care Act and Women: Briefing and Panel Discussion”

Center for American Progress LGBT Issues & the Affordable Care Act National Survey Findings

Week XIIIWomen, Work & The Economic Crisis

Tues Nov 18th

Chapter 7 Work and Pay

Barbara Ehrenreich (1999) “Nickel and Dimed On (not) Getting by in America” Harper’s Magazine.

Deborah H. Figart “Raising the Minimum Wage and Living Wage Campaigns” in Squaring Up Policy Strategies to Raise Women’s Incomes in the United States. ed. Mary C. King Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

Thurs Nov 20th

Chapter 8 Work and Family

Barbara Bergmann (2001) “What Would We Gain by Subsidizing Child Care?” in Squaring Up Policy Strategies to Raise Women’s Incomes in the nited States. ed.Mary C. King Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

**Additional Reading TBA

Week XIV Project Week

Tues Nov 25thPolicy Brief Work

Thurs Nov 27thNO CLASS THANKSGIVING BREAK

Week XVTuesday, Dec. 2nd –Thurs Dec 4th Class Presentations

Week XVI

Dec. 9th Course Wrap Up

Policy Brief Due

Final Exam Due Monday December 15th 2:00- 3:45

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