Global 

Gender Regimes

Module One:  Measuring the Impact of Gender Regimes

1.  Read over all elements of the course on the Course Website (Description, Texts, Project, Grades, Schedule). 

2. Read the Introduction to The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World.  What happened to progress?  Americans tend to have an optimistic view of the world (e.g., things are always getting better, a cure for cancer is just around the corner, no need to worry about climate change, it’ll sort itself out.)  But, in her introduction to The Atlas, Joni Seager argues that there have been some positive changes in women’s status and well-being worldwide BUT ALSO retrenchment.  Come to class prepared to discuss one factor she singles out in her introduction responsible for either progress or back-sliding in women’s well-being over the past generation (30 years or so).  

3.  Browse Part 1 of The Atlas.  Come to class prepared to discuss the regional patterns do you discern.  What do you think is causing these patterns?  

 4.  What country would you like to research this term for your Course Project (see list in GR Project description)? Bring your rank-order list of your top 3 countries to choose from for your GR Project to class on Thursday, September 7.  I will sort you into groups using your preferences.

5.  Introducing the Experiential Learning Component of the Course

1.  Questions to Guide Your Reading:  Why should anyone be concerned about the representation of women in public office?  What does the proportion of women serving in a country’s national legislature tell us about a particular country’s beliefs about gender?  Globally, what is the average proportion of women serving in national legislatures?  What is the proportion in the US?  In the country or countries you are most interested in?

2.  Browse “Power” (in Part 7) in The Atlas.  Read Chapters 1 and 3 in Women, Politics and Power (henceforth, Paxton and Hughes) for class on Tuesday, September 12.

3.   Examine data presented in Paxton and Hughes pp. 18-20 and be able to enumerate the main determinants of gender power disparities they highlight in the text pp. 21-30 for class on Tuesday, September 12. What explanations do they give about why women are under-represented in politics?  Do you think it’s important for women to be well-represented in politics?  Why?

4.  Start researching the status of women in the country you have chosen for your GR Project. 

Meet at Foley Library September 19 and 21 for hand-on researching tutorial with Dr. B and time for group work.

Tips: Use the data (and refer to their sources) found in our texts and others suggested on the Course Research Guide.  Search for books, academic journal articles, news stories by reputable journalistic sources and, lastly, REPUTABLE internet sources (e.g. sites hosted by think tanks, research centers, NGOs, academics, etc) that have good insights into your country and region. Is your region and country a leader or laggard when it comes to women’s representation and participation in politics?  Why?  Why should we care whether women in your country participate in the political process and are represented among the country’s ruling elites?    

5.  Tuesday, September 26 Introduction to Regime Types

Browse these Lecture Note Links:

Introduction to Gender Regime

1. Tuesday, October 24 GR Presentation Example: China

Read Chapter 4 “Explaining the Political Representation of Women – Culture” in Paxton and Hughes and these sections in The Atlas of Women:  Households; Marriage and Divorce; Domestic Violence; Rape; Murder; Literacy, School, Higher Education, Property, Poverty and Debt.

Questions to Guide Your Reading:  How do cultural and religious beliefs shape women’s status, in general across societies and in particular in the country you’ve chosen to study?  How much power do women in your country exert in the family, in the “private” sphere?   How is this measured across countries?  How well educated are they compared to women in other countries (use categories and indices used in The Atlas)?  How physically safe are women in your country?  What are the main forms and sources of violence they encounter? 

Thursday, October 26 (Islamic World presentation - think about cultural influence, shaping of Gender Regime in Saudi Arabia, Egypt AND intersections with Economy and Political Regime)

2. Continue researching the lives of women in your country. What religion predominates and how has it affected gender roles, the gender division of labor, women’s workforce participation, women’s involvement in politics in your country?  How many children do they tend to have?   Begin thinking in terms of “public” vs. “private” sphere.

3. In class, small group discussion (with others in your GR Group) Describe religion and culture in your country and how it has shaped beliefs about gender; women and men’s public and private roles and responsibilities in your country, the gender division of labor and family life).   

4. Getting active in experiential learning project. Participant observation.  Interviewing.

Module Five: Pulling it all together

Reflecting and Sharing on our Experiential Learning

Due Dates for Reflection Papers:  @class time

October 24, October 31, November 14, November 28

Due Date for Experiential Learning Activity Log: November 30

Completing and Sharing Your Research

1. Read the chapters on your region and on international factors in Paxton and Hughes.

2.  Compile your Power Point Presentation on your Country’s Gender Regime using information you’ve accumulated over the course.

3. Fill in Gender Regime Table – ONE ROW ONLY – the one that you feel best describes your country. Make this the last slide (before your endnotes) in your presentation. **See me to get guidance on this!!!

4. Presentations 

Thursday, October 20 Islamic World    

Tuesday, October 31 Caribbean

Thursday, November 2 Mexico-Central America

Tuesday, November 7 Russia

Thursday, November 9 Ukraine

Tuesday, November 14 in-class reflective essay:  what have you gleaned from the Gender Regime presentations?  How do they demonstrate the power and salience of gender as a category that structures human activity?  How are ideas about what it is to be a man or a woman shaping the economies and politics of the countries or regions presented?  

Tuesday, November 21 Finish/Discuss Sonita

[Thursday, November 23 - Thanksgiving]

Tuesday, November 28 South Asia

Thursday, November 30 Southeast Asia

Tuesday, December 5 Africa

Thursday, December 7 Last Class - review; pulling things together

5. Browse the Atlas with the trends you have discovered through the presentations in mind; compare what you've taken away from the presentations with the regional patterns revealed throughout the atlas.  Thinking globally now, where and what kind of progress has been made toward improving women's status worldwide?  Where has women's status being eroded or is it most under threat?  Why?  What can we do to reverse negative trends and encourage positive ones? 

6.  Final Reflective and Integrative Essay - integrating experiential learning with course materials. Prompts will be provided.