The Georgetown Summer Institute in Gender, Identity, & Global Policymaking is a 10-week, 12-credit, in-person undergraduate program. The Institute will take place from Monday, June 3 to Friday, August 9, 2024.
Course Schedule
INAF 2160: Strategies for Gender Justice (3 credits)
Prof. Karine Lepillez
In this course, students will examine the formal and informal structures and rules that influence gender justice efforts across domestic and international institutions. Students will become familiar with feminist institutionalism theories and frameworks for analyzing changes in gender equality policies and outcomes. They will use this theoretical understanding to frame a case study of gender justice policy change (success or failure) as tied to the efforts of a local gender justice advocacy coalition. This course will be valuable for students seeking to understand the logic of progress on gender equality and how to further transformational change through institutions across the foreign policy and development sectors.
Course meets July 8 – August 9, Tue. & Fri., 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
IPOL 3319: Gender, International Security, and Foreign Policy (3 credits)
Prof. S. Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana
Over the last two decades, research has demonstrated how gendered identities and power structures are central to the processes of international security and foreign policy. International organizations such as the United Nations through a series of landmark UN Security Council Resolutions have emphasized the importance of women’s empowerment to peace and prosperity. This course will examine theoretical and practical aspects of gender-sensitive approaches to all aspects of foreign policy, including international security, peacebuilding, and development, through readings, classroom discussions, exercises, videos and films, and guest speakers, among others. Students will explore contemporary debates in the field and critically engage concepts like masculinity, femininity, human security, and militarization and apply them to frameworks pertaining to foreign policy. Through several different case studies, students will develop a deeper understanding of how gender norms, roles, identities, and assumptions shape foreign policy dynamics. The course will also cover pioneering international legal tools such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and recent approaches such as Feminist Foreign Policy to examine their impacts on gendered power dynamics in international security.
Course meets June 3 – July 5, Mon. – Thu., 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
INAF 2164: Leadership, Gender, and Politics: A Global Perspective (3 credits)
Prof. Rita Stephan
What does it mean to be a global leader? When we think of politics, we think of authority, influence, and power. Gender is inseparable from these concepts and their impacts on politics. 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 political 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. Looking through a gender lens at global models of leadership, students will explore how gender and power intersect in international politics. Students will gain a nuanced understanding of what it means to be a global leader, and particularly the importance of gender and identity.
Course meets June 3 – August 9, Mon. & Wed., 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
INAF 2161: Bridging Theory & Practice (3 credits)
Prof. Robert U. Nagel
The Bridging Theory and Practice Course will meet at least once per week. Students will interact with and hear from invited guests from the DC policy and practice community. In addition, students will visit off-campus locations to meet policymakers and practitioners including the United States Institute of Peace and the Department of State. Throughout the Bridging Theory and Practice course students will acquire and practice public speaking skills through presenting their research findings to policymakers and practitioners.
Course meets June 3 – August 9, Thursdays, 12:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Program Participation
You must participate in all scheduled Institute programming. You may not partially participate in the Institute. Any outside commitments you may have—including but not limited to summer internships—cannot conflict with either class meetings or experiential components. Students who wish to take one of the courses à la carte may do so through the Georgetown School of Continuing Studies, space permitting.
If you’ve already taken one of the courses for this Institute, please reach out to Summer Institute in Gender, Identity, & Global Policymaking Institute Director, Robert Nagel at rn538@georgetown.edu with your specific questions regarding courses and participation.