Political Science 345
Women and Politics
Professor Weir

Overview of Paper Assignment

The aim of this assignment is to strength your ability to frame a research problem in an area of women and politics or women and public policy and to analyze it in light of a well developed theoretical framework or approach. You have several options with regard to the sources of evidence you draw upon and the format of your paper. Options include:

  1. A traditional research paper with a focus on an issue, individual or policy problem. Relying primarily on academic sources and government documents, the paper would apply a model (or theory) to an issue related to some aspect of women’s experience (the contributions of a woman to some aspect of electoral politics or public life) or to a policy problem that impacts women (or certain women) in ways that may not be obvious.
  2. A paper based on interviews or alternative sources of evidence. This approach allows students to explore less traditional (some might say "feminist") methods for analyzing a policy, problem or contributions of a person. Special attention would be paid to alternative ways of knowing and understanding the contributions and experiences of the subject(s) to study.
  3. A paper that draws on work or volunteer experience as the primary

    4. source of evidence or the basis for gaining information about an issue or policy problem. This paper will also include some scholarly sources, but may draw upon agency policy documents and/or interviews as sources of knowledge. An example might be: "The impact of AIDS on women in Bellingham and Whatcom County."

  4. Some combination of the three – if you choice this option your proposal should be very clear about your approach.

All papers should be word-processed and spell checked. Please be sure to double-space, and use conventional margins and font size. Documentation should include citations and a bibliography. No particular style of documentation is required so long as you select one that is consistent, appropriate, and conventional. Papers should be 7-9 pages in length.

Due dates for paper: