Gender and Political Representation
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| POLI3121 | Politics and International Relations | 3 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- POLI3121
- School
- Politics and International Relations
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
What does it mean to be represented in politics? This module uses gender as a prism through which to view intersectional debates on political representation. We ask what women’s representation is, what it looks like in political institutions, how gender norms shape access to and participation in political institutions, why women's representation matters for policy outcomes, how it impacts on social movements and voting behaviour, and how it matters in global governance. Our approach is broadly comparative, focussing on theories and case examples from both high-income countries in the Global North and low- and middle-income countries in the Global South. Our wide selection of countries also allows us to consider what role women’s participation can have in quality of governance and democracy. We recognize that global norm diffusion is key to boosting women’s representation, from gender quotas and gender mainstreaming in the UN's Beijing Platform for Action to the gender equality provisions in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, and our discussions will also be of interest to students of international relations. The module engages with diverse perspectives and methodologies and will enable students to develop transferable skills in analytical literacy that can be applied across the social sciences. By the end of the module, students should have a solid baseline for understanding the role that gender plays in political representation and how it shapes political life. They should also be comfortable using analytical reasoning to propose policy changes that can enhance the quality of representation.
Target Students
Available to Final Year UG students in the School of Politics and International Relations on single and joint honours plans. Also available to Final Year UG students on the Philosophy, Politics and Economics plan, and incoming exchange students based in the School of Politics and International Relations.
Classes
This module is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars.
Assessment
- 37% Report: 1500 word report
- 62% Coursework: 2500 word essay
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
Develop an awareness and understanding of major themes, debates, and issues in the field of gender and political representation; develop knowledge of the status of gender and political representation in local, national, regional and international political systems; develop an understanding of the links between academic, policy-related and practitioner debates in the field of gender and political representation; become familiar with a range of mechanisms used to improve gender and political representation and their relevance and effectiveness in different contexts; develop the ability to use different analytical tools, approaches, and sources to analyse evidence and perspectives on gender and political representation.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
• Key theories, concepts, debates and perspectives in the study of gender and political representation in local, national, regional and global arenas, with an eye to acknowledging the effects of different institutional contexts and processes.
• How gender affects political representation in different political systems and in different social, economic, historical and cultural contexts.
• Key policies, strategies, and mechanisms that have been developed over time by different institutional actors and events to improve gender equality in political representation.
Intellectual and transferrable skills
• Gather, organise and deploy evidence from a range of secondary and some primary sources.
• Identify, investigate, analyse and advocate solutions to problems.
• Develop a reasoned argument, synthesise relevant information and exercise critical judgement.
• Reflect on own-learning and make constructive use of feedback.
• Communicate ideas effectively and fluently in writing for both academic and practitioner audiences.
• Demonstrate initiative, independent work and time management abilities.
Digital capabilities
• Use communication and information technologies for the retrieval, analysis and presentation of information.
• Evaluate digital information in terms of its provenance, relevance, value and credibility.
• Access and gather data from online practitioner resources in the field of gender and political representation.
• Participate in and benefit from digital learning opportunities and access key resources online using virtual learning technology and other portals.
• Participate in digital assessment and receive digital feedback.
• Manage own time and tasks, attention and motivation to learn in digital settings.
Conveners
- Dr Carole Spary