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Women
& Politics Series
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(l-r)
Dr. Liz Smith, Department of Political Science at Furman and
Dr. Barbara Palmer |
Professor
Barbara Palmer
"Breaking
the Political Glass Ceiling: Women and Congressional Elections"
Monday, October 23, 2006 at 8 PM
Burgiss Theater in the University Center, Furman University
The
Riley Institute at Furman, in partnership with the Department of
Political Science, hosted Barbara Palmer, Assistant Professor at
American University's Department of Government, as part of the Riley
Institute's Women and Politics series. Palmer delivered an address
on "Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling: Women and Congressional
Elections" Monday, October 23, 2006 at 8 PM in Burgiss Theater
in the University Center. Over 200 student and community members
attended the event.
Palmer is an
expert on women and congressional elections. She is the co-author
of Breaking the Political Glass Ceiling, with Dennis Simon
of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The book explores how
incumbency and redistricting influence the success of women candidates.
One of the general themes is that over time, drawing districts to
protect incumbents has had the unintended consequence of helping
Democratic women get elected, while making it more difficult for
Republican women to win their primaries. In fact, out of 435 House
districts, over 150 are unlikely to ever elect a woman of either
party.
As a professor
at American University, Palmer has given invited talks to a wide
variety of groups across the country on the integration of women
into Congress and has published several articles in academic journals
such as the American Political Science Review and Gender
and Politics. She has taught courses on women & politics,
American politics, and public law. In the spring of 2005, she received
the Alice Paul Award for her commitment to women’s issues
and mentoring young women.
Palmer is also
the Political Director of WUFPAC, Women Under Forty Political Action
Committee, a nonpartisan organization that encourages young women
to get involved in politics and provides financial support to women
under forty years old who are running for Congress. WUFPAC has been
featured in CQ Weekly, Glamour Magazine, and on the PBS
show, To the Contrary.
Before coming to Washington, Palmer was an Assistant Professor at
Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She was a recipient of
the H.O.P.E. teaching award and was nominated twice for the Phi
Beta Kappa Perrine Prize, the highest teaching honor at SMU usually
given only to the most senior faculty. She received her Ph.D. in
Political Science in 1997 from the University of Minnesota.
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(l-r)
Palmer, Chandra Dillard and Judith Prince |
Palmer
and Dillard
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