Women in War and Peace

In this class we will reconsider central themes of political science from a gendered perspective. For instance, security and representation can have very different meanings when gender is factored into our understandings. This course is designed to give you the tools to analyze the diversity of women’s conditions globally in democracies, during wartime and in post-conflict societies. We will explore commonalities as well as differences across cultures with respect to citizenship and the position of women.\ud \ud War is often studied as a power struggle between states, but what happens when we consider the particular ways that women have been impacted by conflict? What role does gender play in the analysis of war and peacekeeping? We will examine human trafficking in the United States to better understand gender, power and economics in our own backyard. Other questions we will explore will include: How have women been agents in building and rebuilding societies? How have women contributed to political change across the globe? What role do political institutions play in promoting or inhibiting women’s participation in politics? How has religion affected the pursuit of women’s rights