The Women and Politics program focuses on the approaches, concepts, and methods of women's and gender studies as they apply to the study of politics. Through courses both inside and outside the Department of Political Science, students are challenged to consider the ways in which the theoretical prism of gender allows us to rethink traditional analyses of governing institutions, political processes, and theories of politics, thereby enriching the discipline of political science itself. More information on the history the program is available here: Graduate Students | RU Women & Politics
CURRICULUM
Formal Requirements
The program examines how gender relations structure the theory and practice of politics through a rigorous and diverse curriculum that includes the following requirements:
• A core course, entitled "Proseminar: Women and Politics" (790:587), is required of all students concentrating in this field and is recommended to other students as an introduction to the field of women and politics.
• Students electing Women and Politics as a major field must take four additional gender related courses - three offered by Political Science and one offered by Women’s and Gender Studies or another department.
• Students electing Women and Politics as a minor field must take two gender-related courses in addition to the Proseminar. Both courses must be selected from the Women & Politics courses offered by the Department of Political Science.
These requirements often mean that students can earn a Graduate Certificate in Women's and Gender Studies at Rutgers' top-ranked Department of Women's and Gender Studies, in conjunction with a graduate degree in Political Science here: Graduate Certificate (rutgers.edu)
Faculty
Nikol Alexander-Floyd (Political Theory, Public Law, REP)
Elena Gambino (Political Theory, REP)
Mona Lena Krook (Comparative Politics, International Relations)
Summer Lindsey (International Relations, Methods)
Yalidy Matos (American, REP)
Kira Sanbonmatsu (American Politics, REP)
Paru Shah (American Politics, REP)
Associated Faculty in other Departments or University Schools
Jocelyn Crowley (Bloustein School)
Women and Politics Courses General Courses:
790:608 Proseminar: Women and Politics
790:689 Advanced Topics in Women and Politics
790:667 Research Design for Dissertations in Women and Politics
790:696 Independent Study in Women and Politics American Politics
American Politics:
790:663 Gender and Public Policy
790:689 ADV TPCS WOMEN & POL
Special Topics:
790:689 Gender and American Politics
790:689 Gender, Race, and the American Party System
790:689 Black Women in Politics Comparative Politics
Comparative Politics:
790:519 Gender Equality, Women's Empowerment, and the United Nations (PhD/UNMA)
790:665 Gender and Comparative Politics International Relations
International Relations:
790:519 Gender Equality, Women's Empowerment, and the United Nations (PhD/UNMA)
790:635 Women, War, and Peace Political Theory
Political Theory:
790:591 Gender, Policy, and Political Theory
790:660 Intersectional Political Theories: Race, Gender, and Sexuality
Comprehensive Exams: The Women and Politics major exam consists of both written and oral components, while the minor exam consists of only a written component.
Written Exams: The written component is different for the major versus minor exams. Both majors and minors will sit a six-hour in-person exam. Majors will also submit a research design essay, written and submitted by 5 PM the day before the in-person exam.
The in-person major/minor exam will include a three-hour morning session and a three-hour afternoon session. The morning session will focus on major debates in feminist theory, while the afternoon session will focus on substantive contributions in feminist political science. Students will have a choice of questions in each section of the written exam. Students must answer one question in the morning session and one question in the afternoon session.
The research design essay (maximum length 15 pages, double-spaced) should outline a plan for investigating a significant question in the field of Women and Politics. The essay should:
- Identify a specific question or topic in need of research
- Explain how the study will make a significant contribution to knowledge, especially in relation to existing literature
- Describe the data, methods, and/or sources to be used and how it will be analyzed
- Discuss how the project incorporates insights from feminist theory and/or methodology
Oral Exams: The oral component of the major exam typically asks students to expand upon or justify answers from the written component. The oral exam may also touch upon adjacent topics in the field to those addressed in written responses.