And together we will try to determine what changes in the conditions of men s and women s lives might change the gender dynamics of politics. Much of the time we will address ourselves to the case closest to home, politics in the United States. But from time to time we will step away to other countries in order to gain a perspective on American experience. My hope is that the class will be rewarding for both men and women who seek a fuller understanding of how political power operates and what we can do to shape it in the direction of our ideals. This is not a lecture course .
Gender roles are something deeply embedded in each of our lives.
In fact, one of the reasons that political science has historically done a poor job of observing and explaining gender difference in political life may be that few of us are very self-conscious about how our gendered habits of behavior alter our chances of engaging in public life in a given fashion. Most of the time, one s gendered behaviors are a matter of course. For precisely that reason, it would be irresponsible of me to simply lecture my way through the term. In order to make this investigation of gender and politics meaningful, we must be more than usually observant and observant about the very attitudes and experiences that we take for granted in our own lives. Unless you are actively committed to making the issues we read about your own, I m afraid you may be less than satisfied by our common explorations.