Janet Martin’s research focuses on American politics, including the presidency and Congress. She has published groundbreaking work on the American presidency and women, and her book, The Presidency and Women: Promise, Performance, and Illusion won the 2004 Richard E. Neustadt Award. Her most recent book is The Gendered Executive: A Comparative Analysis of Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Chief Executives. She is also the author or co-editor of Lessons from the Hill: The Legislative Journey of an Education Program, The Other Elites: Women, Politics, and Power in the Executive Branch, and the Instructor’s Manual for a Delicate Balance: An Essential Introduction to American Government.
Her current project investigates human rights and women’s rights in conjunction with US Presidents and their administrations. One of the questions she is exploring is whether equating women’s rights with human rights would be more effective in advancing the role and concerns of women, both in the United States and around the world. She draws upon an original data base of U.S. Secretaries of State since 1993—which have included three women, Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton, and Condoleezza Rice— to analyze the evolution of the United States’ approach towards human rights. Her research has a focus on US Presidents, but also examines a Congressional response or leadership in this area drawing upon qualitative archival resources and other databases.
She invites student participation in her research, especially those familiar with textual analysis and text mining software such as NVivo, as well as archival materials, and/or familiarity with the US Congress and Bowdoin‘s on-line databases. Part of her research involves creating and maintaining a data base of speeches and statements by Secretaries of State to allow her to pose research questions about the stance of the United States toward human rights, and how these protections relate to other issues, such as environmental policy and climate change.
Students interested in this opportunity may apply for a summer fellowship through the Student Fellowships and Research office. You can find information on applying for a summer fellowship. Also, to learn more please contact Professor Martin at jmartin@bowdoin.edu.
