PVCC offers “Women in Politics” class
The new 2013 spring semester will bring a change to PVCC and give students a better chance of learning about the role women play in politics. Connie Jorgensen, a political science professor, will teach a new class called “Women in Politics.”
Jorgensen had several reasons motivating her to teach the class. “If you look at the makeup of the U.S congress, it is only 16 percent women, but women make up 51 percent of the population. There is a disconnect,” she said.
Jorgensen questioned this imbalance by comparing the United States to other countries. “We still have not had a female president, and when you look at other countries like Great Britain, Israel and Liberia, who have all had female Prime Ministers, you wonder, ‘What is up with us?’”
Lindsay Rourke, a former PVCC student who currently attends Blue Ridge Community College, reacted very positively to the addition of this class to the PVCC catalog. “Women simply need to know more about politics, because men have always assumed positions of political authority. When Americans think of politicians, they automatically think of men, but women are just as capable of becoming politicians,” said Rourke.
Rourke also thinks that this class would help students to “learn about the rise of female politicians and the importance of having a female influence in the Capitol.”
According to Jorgensen, because of society’s political structure men tend to think about politics at an early age. There is a big difference between men and women in politics as “women tended to be in politics in a slightly later age…if you look at the public policy, what are the differences in the way women look at the public policy and men look at the public policy? This whole question of women in politics in the United States is so intriguing,” she added. Jorgensen said that it matters how early a woman decides to be a politician and run for office.
But, this class is not just for women. As Jorgensen said, “If you look at it, it is not only a women’s problem; it is a national problem and a human rights problem in many ways.” In this course, Jorgensen will be focusing on the United States, but said she will compare the United States to other countries, including Third World nations that have had women in politics for a long time.
She also referenced a list of the countries that have more women involved in their governments and politics. The Inter-Parliamentary Union’s website shows the percentages of women in legislation. Rwanda is the leading country with women at 56 percent of the people in legislation. The list includes more European countries that have much higher female rates compared to the U.S. The United States is the 80th country in this category.
Along with this class, Jorgensen announced a new seminar called “Elect-Her,” which is a “five hour seminar on February 9…[and] we will be having women elected officials coming to speak,” she said. This seminar also helps women at PVCC who may want to run for office learn how to plan a campaign. Jorgensen added that “developing elevator speeches [and] developing campaign strategies” are on the agenda to be discussed during the seminar. It is free to students who register early. “Students who are taking the ‘Women in Politics’ class are not required to attend this seminar, but it is an optional assignment to do so,” Jorgensen said.
“Women in Politics” is currently available for registration, and students interested in attending the “Elect-Her” seminar may contact Connie Jorgensen in the Main Building, room 108, or by email at cjorgensen@pvcc.edu. For more information about the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s statistics, visit ipu.org.
