Course description:
This course examines the status of women in science through an exploration of the lives, times, and works of women scientists, past and present. We will describe and analyze the historical and contemporary barriers to women's full participation in science, engineering, and mathematics (SEM). First individually, and then collectively, we will come up with a plan for the future which would improve the quality of life for women (and men) as scientists and increase the number of women in science.
Goals:
· to become acquainted with women in SEM in history.
· to become acquainted with the experiences of younger, active women in SEM, including other students.
· to become acquainted with the names and achievements of some older, but living women in SEM.
· to study the social phenomena which have led to the small numbers of women in SEM and technology professions.
· to become involved in a project which raises the consciousness of the community about women in SEM.
· to explore "sex differences" research comparing math ability in boys and girls.
· to develop discussion skills in sharing insights, listening, questioning and exploring new ideas and questions.
· to develop skills in writing, reasoning and research.
· to learn to constructively critique the writing of others and apply these skills to one's own writing.
· to utilize computer technologies for information resources, class discussion, and information sharing.
Readings:
McGrayne, Sharon Bertsch. Women in science: Their lives, struggles and momentous discoveries.
Assignment 1
Essay on science/engineering/math and me. Write a 2-3 page SEM autobiography describing your relationship to and feeling about science and mathematics. Here are some questions you might address in your essay: How have your feelings about the relationship to SEM changed in your life? What has shaped your attitudes toward SEM? Is your image of a scientist now different from the one you had in high school? What persons and/or events encouraged or discouraged you in your ability in SEM? What is it that attracts you (repels you) to SEM? Who are your role models? Describe an experience in which someone communicated to you as a girl in SEM. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Assignment 2
On p. xii of A hand up, at the end of the preface, there is a list of references. Each group of three will be assigned one of these references. In 1-2 pages, for your particular reference, do the following:
1. Quote the sentence(s) in the preface that cite(s) the reference.
2. Find the reference in the library. Explain how you found it and where you found it.
3. Briefly summarize what the article, report, chapter, or study is about. If the citation occurs as part of a larger work, explain what the entire book or study is about.
4. In your summary, consider some or all of the following questions: What question(s) do(es) the author(s) attempt to answer? What information do(es) the author(s) collect? For what purpose(s) are the questions posed and/or information collected? Who do you think the intended audience is for work?
5. Write one question of your own that you think could be answered by reading this text.
Assignment 3: Your autobiography in relation to feminism/s.
Feminism is considered a historically specific social movement and a process of making sense of the world. You will be given a handout of some pages from Amazons, bluestockings and crones: A feminist dictionary. Look up the following terms and compare: feminism, womanism, black feminism, lesbian feminism, women's liberation, women's lib, women's studies, Third World, Third World woman, androcenrism.
1. What other words would you like to look up in this dictionary? Make a list of at least five words.
2. What does "feminism" (or "womanism" or "feminisms" or your term) mean to you (a) in your own life and (b) in your view of society?
3. Compare your current meaning with the range of definitions quoted in Amazons, bluestockings and crones: A feminism dictionary.
4. What and/or who has influenced your view of feminism? Be as specific as possible.
Assignment 4
Below you will find a list of some readings about women in science. The list is far from exhaustive, and you are encouraged to look for others.
1. Look up at least five sources. Write a brief paragraph about each reference: where and/or how you found it; summarize the content; the audience the book is intended for; etc.
2. Based on your perusal of the five or more sources, choose five women in science who interest you. Explain why you chose each woman.
3. List the major achievements, lifespan, field and one "factoid" about each of these women. For each woman you choose, indicate how many of the sources you consulted included information about her.
Readings:
Abir-Am, Phina, et al., eds. 1987. Uneasy careers and intimate lives; Women in science, 1787-1979. Rutgerts University Press.
Alic, Margaret. 1986. Hypathia's heritage: A history of women in science from antiquity to the late nineteenth century. Beacon Press.
Brush, Stephen G. 1991. Women in science and engineering. American Scientist, 79, 404-419.
A celebration of women in science (cover story). 1991. Discover, 12: 8, 10-33+.
Haas, Violet B., and Carolyn Perucci, eds. 1984. Women in the scientific and engineering professions. University of Michigan Press.
Kaas-Simon, G., and Patricia Farnes, eds. 1990. Women of science: Righting the record. Indiana University Press.
Keller, Evelyn Fox. 1983. A feeling for the organism: The life and work of Barbara McClintock. W. H. Freeman.
McGrayne. 1993. Noble prize women of science.
Montgomery, Sy. 1991. Walking with the great apes: Jane Goodall, Diane Fossey, Birute Galdikas. Houghton Miffin.
Mozans, H.J. 1991. Women in science. University of Notre Dame Press.
Rossiters, Margaret. 1982. Women scientists in America: Struggles and strategies to 1949. John Hopkins University Press.
Sayre, Anne. Rosalind Franklin and DNA. Norton, 1975.
Assignment 5: Biography of a Woman Scientist
Choose a woman scientist whose life and/or work interests you. This is to be a research paper, fully referenced with footnotes and bibliographic references, using a consistent reference style. Below are some questions to consider in the paper. You do not need to address all of these, nor are you limited to considering these questions only.
Why did you choose this person? What obstacles did this woman face? Where these obstacles in her way because she was a woman? How did this woman deal (or not deal) with gender discrimination if she faced any? What stereotypes of a scientist and a woman does this woman violate? What stereotypes does she fit into? Discuss the background of the position of women in society during your scientist's lifetime. Was this woman instrumental in stimulating change of the status of women in science? Did this woman experience any conflicts in balancing career and family? What was the significance of your scientist's scientific work? Do you think that being a woman affected the work she did (or didn't) do? If so, how?
Assignment 5a
This is a creative writing assignment. Choose one of the three options below. The purpose of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to explore and express feelings that may have arisen as a result of discussions and readings in this class.
1. Write a poem about a particular woman in SEM. Include details about the woman's life and/or her work in your poem.
2. Write a monologue, to be spoken by a particular woman in SEM. You need to include details that place her in a definite time and place, and give authenticity to her speech. Think about who the audience for this monologue is. You may want to write this as a diary (Charlotte Perkins, The yellow wallpaper), or as a performance piece.
3. Write a biography of an imaginary woman in SEM in the future. Envision the status and situation of woman in science at some future time and place your character in that context. Address some of the issues that we have discussed for women in SEM today and in the past. You may want to emulate the utopian or apocalyptic science fiction genres, or strike a balance in between. (Margaret Atwood. Handmaiden's tale; Marge Piercy. He, she, it)
Assignment 6: Final project
Choose one of the three projects listed below. In this assignment, you are invited to respond to the kind of knowledge gained in this course.
1. Based on your readings and discussions in this class, write an essay responding to the following questions: Can women ever make up 50% of the scientific community? How? What effect would this have on the future of science? Explain how this class has helped shape your understanding of these questions, and refer directly to the readings and class discussions to support your claims and opinions.
2. Write an article, editorial or essay for The Bates Student summarizing the current status of women in science. Advocate some actions that should be taken to change this situation. Use statistics, tables, and charts from our texts, or other resources, to back up your claims. Some issues you may want to consider are the climate for women in SEM, the number of women faculty in the sciences (locally and/or nationally), and recruitment and retention of women in SEM.
3. Create a brochure to raise awareness and increase knowledge about women in SEM. Decide who your audience will be: junior high school girls, entering first year students at Bates, parents of high school students, the school board in your town, etc. Make the purpose(s) of your brochure clear. You may want to educate, encourage, organize, change opinions, or some combination of these. You can include pictures and graphics to make the brochure attractive. Be sure and document any statistics you quote.
