Michele l. swers - Georgetown University

MICHELE L. SWERS
Department of Government
Georgetown University
37 th and O Streets, NW
Washington, DC 20057
(202) 687-2980
e-mail: mls47@georgetown.edu
EDUCATION
Harvard University, Ph.D. in Political Science, June 2000
Dissertation Title: “From the Year of the Woman to the Republican Ascendancy:
Evaluating the Policy Impact of Women in Congress”
Advisors: Theda Skocpol (chair), Sidney Verba, John Aldrich
Harvard University, Master of Arts in Political Science, June 1997
General Examination Major Field: American Politics, with focus field in
American Political Development. Minor Fields: Comparative Politics and
Political Theory.
The Johns Hopkins University, Master of Arts in Teaching, May 1993
The Johns Hopkins University, Bachelor of Arts with General Honors, January 1993
Major: Political Science. Minor: Psychology.
HONORS AND GRANTS
• Center for Democracy and the Third Sector Faculty Research Fellowship
Competitive fellowship awarded by Georgetown University Center for Democracy
and the Third Sector for research leave Fall 2006.
• Competitive Grant-in-Aid Competitive grant awarded by Georgetown University
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for research Fall 2005.
• Summer Academic Grant Competitive grant awarded by Georgetown University
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for research 2005.
• Summer Academic Grant Competitive grant awarded by Georgetown University
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for research 2004.
• Marian Irish Award. Given to the best paper on Women and Politics presented at
the 2001 annual meeting of the Southern Political Science Association. November
2002.
• Honorable Mention E.E. Schattschneider Award Runner Up for the best
dissertation in American government September 2002.
• Carl Albert Dissertation Award. Given to the best doctoral dissertation in the area
of legislative studies by the Legislative Studies Section of the American Political
Science Association. September 2001.
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• P.J. Fett Award. Given to the best paper on Congress and the Presidency presented
at the 2000 annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association. April 2001.
• Faculty Development Grant. Mary Washington College for research. Summer 2001.
• The Sumner Prize. The most prestigious of three dissertation prizes awarded by the
Department of Government at Harvard University. The prize recognizes the best
dissertation from the legal, political, historical, economic, social, or ethnic approach.
June 2000.
• Sophonisba Breckenridge Award. Given to the best paper on Women and Politics
presented at the 1999 annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association.
April 2000.
• Mellon Dissertation Research Grant. Summer/Fall 1998.
• Harvard University Certificate of Distinction in Teaching. For excellence in
teaching based upon student evaluations above a 4.50 on a 5 point scale. Fall 1997.
• Radcliffe Fellowship Recipient. 1996-97.
• Phi Beta Kappa
RESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS
American Politics, Congress, Women and Politics, Representation Issues, Political
Parties, Party Leadership, and Interest Groups.
PUBLICATIONS
Books
Swers, Michele L. 2013. Women in the Club: Gender and Policy Making in the Senate.
Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Dolan, Julie, Melissa Deckman, and Michele Swers. 2010. Women and Politics: Paths
to Power and Political Influence. 2 nd Edition Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall. (First edition published in 2007)
Swers, Michele L. 2002. The Difference Women Make: The Policy
Impact of Women in Congress. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Excerpts from this book appears in the Lanahan Readings in the American Polity, 4 th
Edition,2007 and 5 th Edition 2011 Eds. Ann Gostyn Serow and Everett C. Ladd
Baltimore: Lanahan Publishers, Inc.
And Kollman, Ken. 2012. Readings in American Politics: Analysis and Perspectives 2 nd
Edition New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Journal Articles
Swers, Michele L. and Christine C. Kim. Forthcoming. “Replacing Sandra Day
O’Connor: Gender and the Politics of Supreme Court Nominations.” Journal of Women,
Politics & Policy
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Reingold, Beth and Michele L. Swers. 2011. “An Endogenous Approach to Women’s
Interests: When Interests are Interesting in and of Themselves.” Politics & Gender 7:429-
435.
Swers, Michele L. 2007. “Building a Legislative Reputation on National Security: The
Impact of Stereotypes Related to Gender and Military Experience.” Legislative
Studies Quarterly 32: 559-596.
Swers, Michele L. 2005. “Connecting Descriptive and Substantive Representation: An
Analysis of Sex Differences in Cosponsorship Activity in the House of
Representatives.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 30: 407-33.
Swers, Michele L. 2004. “Whatever Happened to the Year of the Woman:
Lessons from the 1992 and 2002 Elections.” Japanese Journal of the
International Society for Gender Studies. 2: 7-31.
Van Assendelft, Laura, Wendy Gunther-Canada, Julie Dolan, Barbara Palmer, Michele
Swers. 2003. “Political Science in a Different Voice: Women Faculty
Perspectives on the Status of Women in Political Science Departments in the
South.” PS: Political Science and Politics 36 (2): 311-315.
Swers, Michele L. 2002. “Research on Women in Legislatures: What Have
We Learned and Where are We Going?” Women & Politics 23 (1/2): 167-185.
Swers, Michele L. 2001. “Congressional Women: An Examination of Their Impact on
Policy and Institutions.” Published as part of a Japanese and American Women’s
Symposium in PS: Political Science and Politics 34 (2): 217-220.
Swers, Michele L. 1998. “Are Congresswomen More Likely to Vote for Women’s
Issue Bills Than Their Male Colleagues?” Legislative Studies Quarterly 23: 435-
448.
This article is reprinted in O’Connor, Karen; Sarah Brewer, and Michael Fisher.
2005. Gendering American Politics: Perspectives from the Literature New York:
Longman.
Chapters in Edited Volumes
Swers, Michele and Stella Rouse. 2011. “Descriptive Representation:
Understanding the Impact of Identity on Substantive Representation of Group
Interests.” In Oxford Handbook of Congress. Eds. Eric Schickler and Frances Lee
New York: Oxford University Press.
Swers, Michele. 2009. “Gender Differences as the Basis For a Refoundation of the
Social Sciences: The Political Integration of Women: Explaining Women’s Slow
Advancement into Political Office.” In The Future of Political Science: 100
Perspectives Eds. Gary King, Kay Lehman Schlozman, and Norman H. Nie New
York: Routledge.
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Swers, Michele. 2008. “Policy Leadership Beyond ‘Women’s’ Issues.” In
Legislative Women: Getting Elected, Getting Ahead. Ed. Beth Reingold.
Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.
Swers, Michele and Carin Larson. 2005. “Women and Congress: Do They Act
as Advocates for Women’s Issues.” In Women and Elective Office: Past, Present,
and Future, 2 nd Edition. Eds. Sue Thomas and Clyde Wilcox. New York:
Oxford University Press. p. 110-128.
Swers, Michele L. 2005. “Descriptive Representation in the United States: A Case of
Institutional and Cultural Resistance.” In Women and Parliamentary
Representation Around the World, ed. Manon Tremblay. Montreal: Remuemenage.
p. 437-455.
Swers, Michele L. 2003. “Transforming the Agenda? Analyzing Gender
Differences in Women’s Issue Bill Sponsorship.” In Women Transforming
Congress, ed. Cindy Simon Rosenthal. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
p. 260-283. (A summary of this article appears in a special report by the Institute
for Women’s Policy Research, October 2000.)
Swers, Michele L. 2002. “Research on Women in Legislatures: What Have We Learned,
Where Are We Going?” In Women & Congress: Running, Winning, and Ruling,
ed. Karen O’Connor. West Hazleton, PA: Haworth Press. p.167-185.
The above article also appears in Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa-Rey. 2004. Women’s
Lives: Multicultural Perspectives, 3 rd Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Swers, Michele L. 2001. “Are Congresswomen More Likely to Vote for Women’s
Issue Bills Than Their Male Colleagues?” In American Politics: Cases and
Readings, 2 nd Edition, ed. Karen O’Connor. New York: Longman Publishing
Group. p. 159-165.
Skocpol, Theda with the assistance of Marshall Ganz, Ziad Munson, Michele Swers,
Bayliss Camp, and Jennifer Oser. 1999. “How Americans Became Civic.” In
Civic Engagement in American Democracy, ed. Theda Skocpol and Morris
Fiorina. Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution Press and New York: Russell
Sage Foundation. p.27-80.
Other Publications
Swers, Michele L. 2011. Book Review of Ainsworth, Scott H. and Thad E. Hall.
Abortion Politics in Congress: Strategic Incrementalism and Policy Change. The
American Review of Politics 32 (Fall 2011/Winter 2012) p, 373-376.
Swers, Michele L. January 2004. “Whatever Happened to the Year of the Woman:
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Lessons from the 1992 and 2002 Elections.” An Open Boundaries Workshop:
Women and Politics in Comparative Perspective. PS: Online E-Symposium.
www.apsanet.org/Jan04/
An abstract of this paper was published in PS: Political Science & Politics 24: 61.
January 2004
Works in Progress
Swers, Michele L. “Unpacking Women’s Issues: Gender and Policymaking on Health
Care, Education, and Women’s Health in the U.S. Senate.”
Swers, Michele L. “Pursuing Women’s Interests in Partisan Times: Explaining Gender
Differences in Legislative Activity on Health, Education, and Women’s Health
Issues.”
Bratton, Kate, Stella Rouse and Michele Swers. “Gender and Cosponsorship: A Social
Network Analysis.”
Swers, Michele L. “Do Republican Men and Women Have Different Support
Coalitions?: An Analysis of Donors and PACs Supporting Republican
Candidates.”
SELECTED ACADEMIC PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS
“Unpacking Women’s Issues: Gender and Policymaking on Health Care, Education, and
Women’s Health in the U.S. Senate.” Paper Presented at the Midwest Political
Science Association Conference April 2011. An earlier version of this paper was
presented at the conference on Identity, Gender and Representation: Empirical
Analysis of Representation of Women's Interests at Texas A&M February 2012.
“Making Policy in the New Senate Club: Gender Differences in Legislating on Women’s
Issues in the U.S. Senate.” Paper Presented at the Midwest Political Science
Association Conference April 2011.
“Replacing Sandra Day O’Connor: Gender and the Politics of Supreme Court
Nominations” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political
Science Association August 2010. An earlier version of this paper was presented
at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 2009.
“Gender and Lower Court Confirmation Politics” Paper presented at the
Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 2010.
“Can She Protect Us?: Women and Defense Policy in the Post 9/11 World.” Paper
presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 2007.
“Providing for the Common Defense: Gender, Military Experience, and Defense Policy
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Participation in the U.S. Senate.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the
American Political Science Association September 2006.
“Providing for the Common Defense: An Analysis of the Impact of Stereotypes Related
to Gender and Military Experience on Defense Policymaking in the U.S. Senate”
Paper presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April
2006. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Annual Meeting of the
American Political Science Association, September 2005.
“Making Policy in the New Senate Club: Gender Differences in Legislative Activity on
Women’s and Defense Issues” Paper presented at the Midwest Political Science
Association Conference, April 2005.
“Legislative Entrepreneurship and Women's Issues: An Analysis of Members’ Bill
Sponsorship and Cosponsorship Agendas.” Paper presented at the Annual
Meeting of the American Political Science Association, September 2004. An
earlier version of this paper was presented at the Midwest Political Science
Association Conference, April 2004.
“Whatever Happened to the Year of the Woman?: Lessons from the 1992 and 2002
Elections.” Paper presented at the Japanese-American Women’s Symposium,
Conference sponsored by the American Political Science Association and the
Women’s Studies Department of the University of Delaware. The first portion of
this conference was held at the University of Delaware. The second portion of the
conference consisted of a short course at the Annual Meeting of the American
Political Science Association Conference entitled, “Women, Politics, Public
Policy: Comparative Perspectives.” August-September 2003.
“Connecting Descriptive and Substantive Representation: An Analysis of Sex
Differences in Cosponsorship Activity in the House of Representatives.” Paper
presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 2003.
An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Annual Meeting of the
American Political Science Association Conference, September 2002.
“Building Coalitions for Women’s Issues: An Analysis of Cosponsorship in the 103 rd and
104 th Congresses.” Paper presented at the Midwest Political Science Association
Conference, April 2002.
An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Southern Political Science
Association Conference in November 2001 and won the Marian Irish Award for
the best paper on Women and Politics. The paper was also nominated for the
Southern Political Science Association’s Pi Sigma Alpha Award for the best
paper presented at the conference.
“Fighting for Women’s Issues on the House Floor: An Analysis of Floor Amending
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Behavior in the 103 rd and 104 th Congresses.” Paper presented at the Annual
Meeting of the American Political Science Association Conference, September
2001.
An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Southern Political Science
Association Conference, November 2000. It was nominated for the Marian Irish
Award for the best paper on Women and Politics presented at the 2000 Southern
Political Science Association Conference.
“Research on Women and Congress: What Have We Learned and Where are We
Going?” Paper presented at the Workshop on Women and Politics in
Comparative Perspective, a conference organized by the American Political
Science Association and the Institute for Women and Politics at American
University, which brought together American and Japanese women and politics
scholars. August 2000.
“The Policy Impact of Women in Congress.” Paper presented at the Women
Transforming Congress Conference at the Carl Albert Congressional Research
and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma. April 2000.
“Show Horses vs. Work Horses, Working Behind the Scenes for Women’s Issues: An
Analysis of Gender Differences in Committee Behavior.” Paper presented at the
Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, September 2000.
An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Midwest Political Science
Association Conference, April 2000. This paper received the Patrick J. Fett
Award for the best paper on the scientific study of Congress and the Presidency
presented at the 2000 Midwest Political Science Association Conference.
“Placing Women's Issues on the National Agenda: An Analysis of Gender Differences in
Women's Issue Bill Sponsorship for the 103rd and 104th Congresses.” Paper
presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association,
September 1999.
An earlier version of this paper were presented at the Midwest Political Science
Association Conference, April 1999. This paper won the Sophonisba
Breckenridge Award for the best paper on Women and Politics presented at the
1999 Midwest Political Science Association Conference.
Invited Presentations
“Women and the 2012 Elections.” Wesleyan Fall Symposium on Gender and Election
2012. October 2012.
“Unpacking Women’s Issues: Gender and Policymaking on Health Care, Education, and
Women’s Health in the U.S. Senate.” D.C. Area American Politics Workshop
June 2012
“Unpacking Women’s Issues: Gender and Policymaking on Health Care, Education, and
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Women’s Health in the U.S. Senate.” Presented at Conference on Identity, Gender
and Representation: Empirical Analysis of Representation of Women's Interests
Texas A&M February 2012.
“Replacing Sandra Day O’Connor: Gender and the Politics of Supreme Court
Nominations” American Government Speaker Series Georgetown University
November 2011
“Nancy Pelosi: Power, Performance, and Impact” Roundtable Panelist Annual
Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association April 2010.
“The Meaning and Measurement of Women’s Interests” Roundtable Panelist Annual
Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association April 2010.
“Post 2008: The Future of Women in the Democratic and Republican Parties”
Roundtable Panelist Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science
Association April 2009.
“Women in Congress” Lecture at Women and Politics Institute American University”
May 2007
“Women in Congress: Paths to Political Power and Influence” Lecture at Ohio State John
Glenn School of Public Policy April 2007.
“Paths to Power: Analyzing the Careers of Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton” Roundtable
Chair and Panelist Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association
April 2007.
“Author Meets Critics: McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal’s Polarized America” Roundtable
Panelist Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association April
2007.
“Building a Reputation on National Security: The Impact of Stereotypes Related to
Gender and Military Experience” Lecture to Georgetown University Center for
Democracy and Civil Society February 2007.
“Security Moms, Nancy Pelosi, and Hillary Clinton: Understanding Women’s Evolving
Role in American Politics” Lecture At Georgetown University Parents Weekend.
October 2006.
“Women in Congress: Do They Make a Difference?” Lecture at the Women and Politics
Institute of American University, May 2006.
“The Difference Women Make: The Policy Impact of Women in Congress”, Lecture to
Georgetown University American Studies Program. September 2004.
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“The Status and Role of Women in American Politics” Lecture at the Summer Institute
for Undergraduate Student Leaders Sponsored by the State Department, Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Middle Eastern Partnership Institute
of Georgetown University. July 2004, July 2006, July 2007.
Roundtable on “How to Get Your Book Published”. Midwest Political
Science Association Conference. April 2004.
“The Difference Women Make: The Policy Impact of Women in Congress”, Lecture at
Georgetown University Parents Weekend. October 2003.
Roundtable on “The Women’s Movement and Electoral Politics”. Annual Meeting of
the American Political Science Association Conference. September 2003.
“The Difference Women Make: The Policy Impact of Women in Congress”,
Georgetown University Women Authors Series, Georgetown University Women's
Center, April 2003.
“Implications of Current Women and Politics Research for the 2002 Elections” Panel at
Women and Politics Institute of American University. October 2002.
“Teaching Political Science After September 11” Roundtable at the Annual Meeting of
the National Capital Area Political Science Association. May 2002
“From the Year of the Woman to the Republican Ascendancy: Evaluating the Policy
Impact of Women in Congress.” As winner of the 2001 Carl Albert Dissertation
Award given by the Legislative Studies Section of the American Political Science
Association, I gave a presentation to the Carl Albert Congressional Research and
Studies Center, University of Oklahoma, April 2002.
“Gender Differences in Legislative Priorities: An Analysis of Bill Sponsorship.”
Paper presented at the George Washington University Research Series, January
2000.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Academic and Teaching Positions
Associate Professor, Department of Government, Georgetown University, 2007-Present.
Assistant Professor, Department of Government, Georgetown University, 2002-
2007.
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and International Affairs, Mary
Washington College, 2000-2002.
Teaching Fellow, Department of Government, Harvard University, Fall 1997-Spring
1998. Earned a Certificate of Distinction in Teaching for Fall course entitled,
Constitutional Democracy in America.
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Social Studies Teacher, Lawrence High School, Cedarhurst, NY, Sept. 1993-June 1995.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Editorial Boards and Committee Service
Editorial Board Member Politics & Gender, journal published by Cambridge University
Press. 2003-2007; 2010-Present
Editorial Board Member Congress & the Presidency, journal published by American
University’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies. 2007-2010.
Ad Hoc Committee on Workable Solutions to Advancing Women in the Discipline,
American Political Science Association, Committee Member 2011-2012.
Alan Rosenthal Award Committee Chair Selects best book or article on legislative studies
by a junior scholar for the American Political Science Association Legislative Studies
Section 2009-2010
Emerging Scholars Award Committee American Political Science Association Political
Organization and Parties Section 2008-2009.
Outstanding Professional Achievement Award Committee for the Midwest Political
Science Association Women’s Caucus 2008-2009.
Marian Irish Committee for Best Paper on Women and Politics Southern Political
Science Association 2008-2009.
Outstanding Professional Achievement Award Committee Chair for the Midwest
Political Science Association Women’s Caucus 2007-2008.
Section Chair Women and Politics for Midwest Political Science Association Conference
select and coordinate papers for presentation at the conference 2006-2007.
Jewell-Loewenburg Award Committee for the Best Article published in Legislative
Studies Quarterly, Legislative Studies Section of the American Political Science
Association, 2004-2005.
Marian Irish Award Committee for the Best Paper on Women and Politics, Southern
Political Science Association 2004-2005.
Best Dissertation Committee Women and Politics Research Section 2003-2004.
Member Committee on the Status of Women, Southern Political Science Association
2001-Present.
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Conference Panels Chaired and Reviewer for Journals and University Presses
Discussant “Campaign Politics and Competition” Sponsored by the Women and Politics
Section Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association April 2011.
Panel Chair and Panelist “Paths to Power: Analyzing the Careers of Nancy Pelosi and
Hillary Clinton” Roundtable Co-Sponsored by the Program Chairs and the Women and
Politics Section at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association
April 2007.
Discussant “Winning Elections in the United States” Annual Meeting of the Institute for
Women’s Policy Research June 20-23 2005.
Panel Chair “Gender and Elections” Co-Sponsored by the Elections and Voting Behavior
Section and the Women and Politics Section at the Annual Meeting of the American
Political Science Association, September 2-5, 2004.
Panel Chair “Women in Congress” Co-sponsored by Legislative Studies Section and
Women and Politics Section at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science
Association, August 28-31, 2003
Panel Chair “Gender and the Path to the State Legislature” Sponsored by the Women and
Politics Section, at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 15-18,
2004
Reviewer for Journal of Politics, American Journal of Political Science, American
Politics Research, Women & Politics, Political Research Quarterly, Politics & Gender,
Sex Roles, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Journal of Women, Politics, & Policy, and
American Political Science Review
Reviewer for University of Chicago Press, University of Michigan Press, and Oxford
University Press.
Georgetown University Service
Department of Government Open Search Committee, Member 2012-2013
Tenure Committee Chair 2012-2013
American Politics Field Chair 2008-2010, 2011-2012
Graduate School Standing Committee on Academic Integrity Member 2008-2011
Planning and Budget Committee 2008-2009
Search Committee Junior Faculty American Politics Position 2007-2008.
Graduate Admissions Committee Spring 2006 and Spring 2007
Search Committee for Visiting Assistant Professor in American Government Spring 2007
Deputy Director of Undergraduate Studies. 2004-2005
Member Junior Faculty Search Committee and Walsh Chair Associate Professor Search
Committee Fall 2003-Spring 2004
PhD Thesis Committee Member Vivian Roza Received 2010
PhD Thesis Committee Member Beth Stark PhD Received Fall 2006
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PhD Thesis Committee Member Jennifer Lucas University of Maryland PhD Received
Fall 2006
PhD Thesis Committee Member for Keiko Ono, PhD received December 2005.
Second reader on undergraduate honors thesis committees Spring 2004, Spring 2006,
Spring 2012
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Member of the American Political Science Association (APSA), APSA Legislative
Studies Section, APSA Elections, Public Opinion and Voting Behavior Section, and
APSA Women and Politics Research Section. Also a member of the Midwest Political
Science Association and the Southern Political Science Association and their associated
Women’s Caucuses.
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