Living and Learning: Women and Management in Public Service

Abstract

Reflecting on their experience team teaching an innovative course on Women and Management in the Public Service, the authors conclude that their multidisciplinary approaches of economics, sociology, and management and their commitment to action provide important lessons for teaching and curriculum development in public affairs education. Their paper describes the course content, its instructional modes, and the literature that the authors found most helpful. The paper explores three dimensions to achieving integration between disciplines and between theory and praxis. The disciplinary lenses enhanced student understanding of the problems of women; an explicit model linked personal, organizational, and societal spheres, emphasizing their complex interrelationships; class discussions and a written “Agenda for Action” allowed participants to express their voices and to learn through reflection. The authors stress the broader lessons for public affairs education from listening to each other and to their students and from integrating living and learning.