Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Leadership Skills Intensive Seminar at the Women & Politics Institute

From May 11 to May 15, Professor Jessica Waters taught an intensive seminar for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, Women and Politics: Leadership Skills. The course examined the scholarly literature regarding why women don't run for elected office and the barriers they face when they do run, as well as providing hands-on training in the leadership skills necessary to succeed in the political world.

The week was action packed, and we were thrilled to welcome 18 outside experts to discuss everything from the realities of campaign work to the nuts and bolts of lobbying and legal advocacy. A few of the week's highlights included:

* Recent veterans from the 2008 campaign shared their war stories with the class;
* Ambassador Connie Morella led a candid discussion about making the decision to run for office;
* The class traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with Senate staffers and veteran lobbyists; and
* W&P's own Julia Piscitelli conducted a media training workshop.


The class culminated in students putting their newly honed advocacy skills to the test by presenting legal oral arguments and engaging in debates about hot button public policy issues, such as whether states can make the HPV vaccine mandatory for female students.

Written by Professor Jessica Waters