Class name: “Women in War and Peace”
Taught by: Associate Professor of Political Science Susanna Wing
Here’s what Wing has to say about her course:
This course explores power and security through the lens of gender. We investigate the roles that women play during wartime and analyze the influence of gender and sexuality on elections, political campaigns and policy-making in times of peace. I want students to see that we live in a world of gendered institutions and to be able to identify those institutions and how they impact our daily lives. The class is always changing in order to be able to discuss themes as they relate to relatively recent events such as the 2016 U.S. presidential election—and 2020—or the #metoo movement. Students begin to see the enduring nature of gendered institutions and their influence on our lives.
Political science is a very popular field of study. I designed this class to offer students the chance to see the central themes of political science from a very different perspective. Everything we discuss relates to the world around them. Making these connections is vital, and fun.
This is the only intermediate level course in the department that focuses on gender and sexuality. Students in the class have often had other political science classes, so they understand the key ideas of the discipline, but they have rarely had the opportunity to think about political science through the lens of gender. In the course of the semester, I can see the transformation in the students when their faces brighten and they seem to be thinking “Aha, now it makes sense!”
See what other courses the Department of Political Science is offering this semester.
Photo: Speaker of U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi led a U.S. congressional delegation to Ghana from July 28 -31, 2019, to commemorate the “Year of Return.” Photo by Archibald Sackey and Courage Ahiati/U.S. Embassy.
Cool Classes is a recurring series on the Haverblog that highlights interesting, unusual, and unique courses that enrich the Haverford College experience.