Dept. of Women Studies
Women 488:
Women and/in Science
Autumn 2003, Tu & Th
Dr. Angela B. Ginorio Office
hours: Wed
Women Studies Padelford B-110P 685-2238 e-mail: ginorio@
Course Description and Goals
Through the study of the experiences of women
scientists we will explore science in ways which illuminate science¡¯s meaning
as both a method of inquiry and as a profession while also expanding our knowledge
about women scientists. In this
exploration we will have three tools: biographies of women scientists, the
feminist critiques of science, and the psycho-social concept of socially
defined identities.
This
course requires active participation in all aspects of the class, from class
discussion to self- and peer-evaluation.
The goals for this class are to actively:
*learn information about the experiences of women
and/in science
*become familiar with the power and limits of the
feminist critiques of science
*apply these critiques to the profession, culture,
and methods of science in the
*critically examine how socially defined identities
affect scientists¡¯ lives
*gain in-depth knowledge about one or two areas of
women and/in science (presentation and the final project)
Required textbooks:
Bertsch McGrayne,
Harding,
Sandra (1991). Whose science? Whose knowledge? Thinking from women¡¯s
lives.
Mayberry, Maralee, Subramaniam,
Banu & Weasel, Lisa H. (2001). Feminist science studies: A new
generation.
Rosser, Sue (Ed.) (Spring/Summer 2000). Building Inclusive Science:
Connecting Women¡¯s Studies and Women in Science and Engineering (Special
issue of Women¡¯s Studies Quarterly, XXVIII (1 & 2).)
Schiebinger, Londa (1999). Has feminism changed science?
In
reference:
Ambrose, Susan A., Dunkle, Kristin L.,
Lazarus, Barbara B., Nair, Indira, & Harkus, Deborah H.
(1997). Journeys
of women in science and engineering:
No universal constants.
Other required reading for this class may be selected from
other sources identified by the instructor and/or the students responsible for
that day¡¯s presentation. The class
will decide how best to make available the extra readings. Course Requirements
It
is assumed that you come to this class with some introductory knowledge about
feminism and about science.
1. leading/facilitating a class discussion,
(25% of final grade, partly by peer evaluation)
2. participating
in class discussion, (25% of final grade, partly by self evaluation)
3. reading biographies of women scientist and
writing reports based on them and on your own life experiences (25% of final
grade), and
4. doing a final
project (25% of final grade).
In addition, all students
are required to use e-mail.
Written products
At
the end of the course, students will have the following written products (plus
personal goals, [due Thu 16 October]):
1. discussion:
a. list of questions to guide the discussion [due one* week
before the discussion]
b.
2 page summary of the discussion [due one week after the discussion]
2. class
participation:
a.
an evaluation of each discussion [due
by the class after each discussion]
b.
self-evaluation of class participation [due
day of final exam]
3. biography reports:
a. brief reports (no more than 500 words each) based on the biographies you have chosen on the topics indicated in the schedule. At least two biographies are from the Bertsch McGrayne book, at least one other from the Ambrose book [due on days indicated]
b.
two autobiographical reports
(no more than 500 words each).
[first due Thu 6 November,
second due on day assigned for the final exam]
4. project:
a. no more than
1 page statement of what your final project will be [due Thu 16 October]
b. final report
on the project [due last day of
classes]
*The
lead time for turning in lists of readings and questions may be increased to
accommodate students¡¯ needs.
Timeliness
and presentation of materials are important. You will lose 10 percent of your grade
for turning materials later than the end of class of the assigned day, and 5
percent for each subsequent day that the materials are late. Some materials (questions for
presentations, project proposal) can be submitted through e-mail. Peer evaluations of each discussion
should be submitted through the class web-page. The rest of the materials must be
submitted in hard-copy. If
people work in teams, agreement about grading must be reached at the time that
the proposal for either the discussion or the project is submitted.
______________________________________________________________________________
If you would like to request
academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled Student
Services, 448 Schmitz Hall by calling 543-8924 (V/TDD). If you have a letter from Disabled
Student Services, indicating that you have a disability that requires academic
accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss this and
other accommodations
that you might need for class.
TENTATIVE
SCHEDULE
The
syllabus presents the dates of our classes and the topics that will be
covered. If in examining
these topics in the first day of classes there is an area of interest to you
that is not covered, we can discuss how to incorporate it in the syllabus. Each student is expected to lead a
class discussion. Students can
choose a topic from among those topics dealing with the 2nd or 3rd
feminist critique of science. Each
student will select one of the topics for her/his discussion session. In
[brackets] information indicates material or work due on that date.
List
of readings indicates book & chapters assigned. Books are identified by their first
authors. If pages follow the
chapter this indicates that not all pages in the chapter are
assigned. Additional readings may
be assigned by instructor or by discussion leaders.
Tu 30 Overview of course, syllabus. Students¡¯ view of science and scientists
Th 1 Public¡¯s
view of science and scientist [Bring examples of views of science from media]
Frameworks: Overview of
science, feminist critiques, socially defined identities
[Be ready to make a
preliminary choice of topic for presentation.]
Tu 7 Frameworks:
Science as methods, culture, profession à body of knowledge [Bring
examples of definitions of science, its methods, or culture from academic or
professional sources]
Th 9 Frameworks:
Feminist critiques [Instructor will make final assignment of topic for
presentation.]
[Be ready to make an
appointment to see the instructor regarding your presentation]
Tu 14
Frameworks: Socially defined identities: The invisible/hypervisible,
marked/unmarked
[Choose one woman from
Ambrose (reserve), link to SACNAS, or some other source]
Th 16 Frameworks: Socially defined identities: Feminists in
science, scientists in women studies
[Written proposal for the
final project due, your own goals for course]
Tu 21 1st
feminist critique: Elimination of women¡¯s contributions to & absence of
women in science
Th 23 2nd
feminist critique: Gender in the content of biology, medicine
Tu 28 2nd
feminist critique: Gender in the content of primatology,
anthropology,
physics, & math
[1st
autobiographical report due: your perceptions of science and feminism up to
this point]
Th 30 3rd
feminist critique: Gender in science education in k-12
Tu 4 3rd
feminist critique: Gender in science education in college & graduate school
Th 6 3rd
feminist critique: Gender in the professions: Academia & industry
[1st biographical
report due: selected women¡¯s experiences with education]
Th 13 3rd
feminist critique: Gender in the practice & culture of science:
All-encompassing
[2nd biographical
report due: selected women¡¯s experiences with the profession]
Tu 18 3rd
feminist critique: Gender in the practice & culture of science: Competition
& recognition
Th 20
3rd feminist critique: Gender in the practice & culture of
science: Labs, field, and politics
[3rd biographical
report due: selected women¡¯s experiences with the practice/culture]
Tu 25 4th
feminist critique: Gender in the methods of science (empiricists & standpoint
theorists)
Tu 2 Feminism
and science: Tensions and possibilities
Th 4 Feminists
in science, scientists in women studies: Building two-way streets
Tu 9 The
feminist and the scientist: Tensions and possibilities [Final project due]
2nd autobiographical report on own (present or anticipated)
relationship to science and feminism]