Course Description:

In the run-up to the 2008 US Presidential election many issues arose, including the idea of a female vs. male US president and male vs. female political leaders. The debates which ensued showed that while we have made progress there are still issues to be addressed in the definition and creation of gender roles and identities. Cleopatra, Turia, Aspasia and Margaret Thatcher. A Pharaoh, noble Roman woman, hetaera and British Tory prime minister. These women had power and influence within their societies but a power and influence not common to all women in their eras. What dictates gender roles in society and how do societies conceive of the roles of men and women? We will explore gender roles as well as sexuality in both antiquity and the contemporary world and determine what made men and women so different, why were there male and female citizens in ancient Greece yet women could never vote? What does make a Margaret Thatcher or Cleopatra and why are some female roles acceptable but others are not (e.g. women in combat)? More broadly speaking, we will use History methodology to look at a particular global challenge: Understanding why the same gender dynamic replicates across cultures, systems, and epochs and what dictates gender identity and roles in both antique and contemporary societies.

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