This course aims to introduce law theories of women's rights and their application in the international law and the Jordanian law.  This is obtained through studying different subjects, being exposed to the historical development of human rights in general and women's rights in particular, and comparing women's rights in the west with those of Arab and Jordanian women.  CEDAW agreement will also be analyzed along with the Jordanian reservations on it.  Analyzing women's status in the Jordanian legislations starting from the Jordanian Constitution through other constitutions like the punishment, court, election, civil, work, nationality, and social security laws will all be focused on.  Introducing women's status under these laws and offering suggestions as to improving any such status will also be highlighted.

The course aims to acquaint students with political realities of Arab women in general and Jordanian women in particular.  Also, it attempts to evaluate women's roles in official and public decision-making positions.  Obstacles hindering women from pursuing a more effective role in decision making along with means for overcoming any such obstacles are particularly stressed.   Empowering women in all fields, considering their crucial presence in development plans and strategies is emphasized.  The course sheds light on the official and non-official political participation of Arab and Jordanian women under globalization and the "new world system."

The course deals with the role of media and communication and their impact on conjuring stereotypical images of women.  It exposes the power that mass media and communication can exert on reinforcing the above images and /or diminishing them to enable women's empowerment in the different political, social and economic fields.  Raising consciousness as regards the roles that mass media and communication can play to improve women's status in light of globalization is also underscored.

The course is intended to introduce the concept of gender, its different implications, and its analytical tools along with the most important gender problems facing Jordanian women in particular and Arab women in general.  It seeks to analyze forms and reasons of gender roles inequalities.  This is attained by exposing feminist strategies aiming at equality, and by studying different phenomena from a comparative historical and cultural perspective.