Leadership, Gender Int'l Pol

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

Politicians seek to be elected, appointed, or promoted to leadership positions to change the world or gain fame. Recent trends have emphasized servant and authentic leadership to inspire honesty and service. But at least 65% of Americans believe politicians run for office to serve their interests instead. What does it mean to be a global leader? And what traits must one possess? When we think of politics, we think of authority, influence, and power. Social movements teach us that power is manifested differently in contentious politics than in conventional politics. For instance, movements like # MeToo and #BLM transcended national boundaries as they resonated with people across many cultures. Likewise, social media gave a platform for the youth to express their voice and counter the dominant narrative of governments and traditional media. At the intersection of leadership and politics is gender. In this course, we look at the role of gender in effective leadership beyond the question of women’s presence or absence. Instead, we ask, how does identity politics influence the mainstream? Throughout the course, students will develop their perspectives on leadership, gender, and politics by analyzing how local, national, and international leaders use their gender, perception of self, power, and network to govern, allocate resources, and mitigate crises. Students will evaluate gender norms from global perspectives to examine how our automatic thought process can be disrupted or reinforced. Students will also explore how gender and power intersect in international politics looking through a gender lens at global models of leadership.