Profile

Karen O'Connor

Distinguished Professor
SPA: Government

  • Additional Positions at AU

    Founder, Women & Politics Institute
    Women’s Field Hockey Faculty Advisor
    Honors 101 Faculty Advisor
  • Born in Buffalo, NY, Professor O’Connor received her undergraduate, doctoral, and juris doctoral degrees from SUNY Buffalo. She then taught political science for seventeen years at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. In 1995, Professor O’Connor moved to Washington and has taught at American ever since. Her husband also works with the university and at the United Nations, and her daughter Meghan is the women’s lacrosse coach at the Catholic University of America. O’Connor and her husband both enjoy teaching and having their students over to their house, located just behind campus, for dinner. She also enjoys long walks on the beach.

  • Degrees

    J.D. State University of New York, Buffalo
    Ph.D. State University of New York, Buffalo
    B.A. State University of New York, Buffalo

  • Favorite Spot on Campus:

    Ward South

    Book Currently Reading:

    Pink or Blue

    Languages Spoken:

    English

  • OFFICE

  • SPA - Government
  • Ward - 214

  • CONTACT INFO

  • (202) 885-6237
  • Send email Profile UserID

  • MEDIA RELATIONS

  • To request an interview
    please call AU Media Relations
    at 202-885-5950 or
    submit an interview request form.

Teaching

  • Fall 2009

    • GOVT-296 Selected Topics:Non-Recurring: Intro to Women and Politics
    • Description

  • Spring 2010

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Selected Publications

  • American Government: Roots and Reform, 10th Ed. Longman, 2008.
  • Gendering American Politics: Perspectives from the Literature, Longman, 2006.
  • Women, Politics and American Society, 4th Ed. Longman, 2004.
  • Women and Congress: Running, Winning, and Ruling, Haworth, 2002.
  • No Neutral Ground: Abortion Politics in an Age of Absolutes, Westview Press, 1996.
    • Numerous refereed journal articles, monographs, and book chapters

     

    Professional Presentations

    • Numerous presentations for the American Political Science Association and Southern Political Science Association
    • Numerous Presentations for the Women’s Caucus for Political Science, and the National Social Science Association
    • Panelist, Gender, Power, and the Presidency, Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 60, 2008.

    Media Appearances

    • Quoted in USA Today, New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Financial Times, Boston Globe, etc.
    • Appearance on C-SPAN, 2008.
    • Quoted in People Weekly and TIME magazines

    Congressional Testimony

    • The Scope and Myths of Roe v. Wade, U.S. House Judiciary Committee, 2006.
    • The Consequences of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, 2005.

    Work In Progress

    • SAGE Handbook on Women and Leadership, two-volume series
    • Official book on Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign

    Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

    • Joan Fiss Bishop Award for Contributions to the Advancement of Women in Public Administration, 2007
    • Honors Faculty Member of the Year, 2007
    • Faculty Research Award, 2006-2008
    • Manning J. Dauer Jr. Award, Southern Political Science Association, 2007
    • Jonathan N. Helfat Distinguished Professor of Political Science, 2006
    • Distinguished Professor of Government, 2006
    • Marion Irish Award for Best Paper on Women and Politics, 2005
    • Nardin Academy Hall of Fame, 2004
    • Scholar/Teacher of the Year ( American University and School of Public Affairs), 2002
    • Outstanding Woman of Achievement, Midwest Women’s Caucus for Political Science, 2002

    Grants and Sponsored Research

    • Middle Eastern Peace Initiative, 2008
    • Open World Program for Russian Women Leaders, 2002-2007
    • Sloan Foundation, Work/Life/Law Project
    • NEW Leadership DC Program, 2003
    • Kellogg Foundation, 2001
    • Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission

    Films/Documentaries

    • Twenty-Four Little Words: The Story of the Equal Rights Amendment, 2008.

    Executive Experience

    • President, National Capital Area Political Science Association, 2000-2001
    • President, Southern Political Science Association, 1999-2000
    • President, Women’s Caucus for Political Science, 1990-1991

    CURRICULUM VITAE

    Download (PDF)

    AU Expert

    Area of Expertise: American politics, Supreme Court, women and politics and public policy, abortion politics  

    Additional Information: Karen O'Connor is the founder and director of American University's Women & Politics Institute, a nonpartisan resource for students, academics, and political leaders. The institute, established in 2000, advances the study and discussion of women in the political and policy arenas through workshops, seminars, college-level course work, and internships. She specializes in women and the law and teaches the classes Women, the Law, and Litigating for Social Change; Women, Politics, and Public Policy; Women and Congress; and Politics and Policy of Reproductive Rights. O'Connor has written or coauthored 20 books, including Women and Congress: Running, Winning and Ruling; American Government: Roots and Reform; American Government: Continuity and Change (with Larry Sabato); and Women, Politics, and American Society. She is the past president of the Women's Caucus for Area Political Science; the Southern Political Science Association; the National Capital Area Political Science Association; and the Women in Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association. She is also a member of various editorial boards, including that of Law & Policy. She edited the scholarly journal Women & Politics from 1999 to 2003. She has served as a former counsel challenging the constitutionality of the Hyde Ammendment. In 2005, she testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the consequence of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton and in 2006 before the House of Representatives' Committee on the Judiciary on the Scope and Myths of Roe v. Wade. During the 2006–2007 academic year, she taught a class in which students produced a full-length documentary on the Equal Rights Amendment, including interviews with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Eleanor Smeal, Phyllis Schlafly, Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), and others.

    Media Relations
    To request an interview please call AU Media Relations at 202-885-5950 or submit an interview request form.

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