UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Dept. of Women Studies

Autumn 2000, Tu & Th 1:30 — 3:20 p.m.; Savery 245

Dr. Angela B. Ginorio Office hours: Th 10 a.m. — 12 p.m. or by appointment

Padelford B-110P 685-2238

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:

*become critical assessors and users of technology

This is a reading/discussion course. There are four major requirements:

There are two required and three optional textbook for this course. In addition, there will be a reader prepared by the instructor. Additional readings for this class will be selected from books and from other sources identified by the instructor and/or the students responsible for that day’s presentation.

There will also be expenses associated with securing copies of the readings and photocopying materials related to your presentation that are to be distributed to the students. If needed, materials may be placed in reserve in OUGL.

The Tentative Schedule in page 3 presents the dates of our classes and the topics that can be covered. On the first day of classes students will select from among topics on the topics of life cycle or life activities. Each student will select one of the topics for her/his discussion session. (**If there is a topic of interest to you that is not listed, please bring up for discussion–it may be possible to include it.) Groups of students can work together on any one topic. If there are more topics than students, students may choose to do a second presentation as a final project.

The written products that will result from all the above:

1. discussion:

a. list of readings to address the topic [due one* week before the discussion] e-

b. list of questions to guide the discussion [due one* week before the discussion] e-

c. 2 page summary of the discussion [due one week after the discussion]

2. class participation:

a. three brief e- reports on readings - main point of readings, your reaction to the reading [due no later than the morning of day reading is to be discussed] e-

3. article reports focused on socially defined identities:

a. brief report (approx. one typewritten page) that details how the effects of technology are mediated by socially defined identities [the first one due one week after the class in which the first topic of the series you chose has been covered, others due one week after the last discussion of the series]

4. project:

a. no more than 1 page statement of what the project will be [due Tu 17 October]

b. final report on the project [due no later than 5 p.m. of day when final was scheduled]

Timeliness and presentation of materials are important. (*The lead time for turning in lists of readings and questions may be increased to accommodate students due to disability. ) Materials marked by e- at the end can be submitted through e-mail, the rest 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. Except for extreme circumstances, no grade of incomplete will be granted.

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 the accommodations you might need for class.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE - To be finalized on second class meeting

Tu 26 Overview [Be ready to make a preliminary choice of topic for presentation.]

Th 28 Gender and other socially defined identities

Personal experiences and media images of technology ABG

[Instructor will make final assignment of topic for presentation.]

[Be ready to make a preliminary choice of socially defined identity.]

Tu 3 Definitions of technology ABG

[Instructor will make final assignment of socially defined identity.]

Democracy, feminism, and environmentalism in the informational society

Th 5 Expectations of technology ABG

Tu 10 Conceptualization and design of technology ABG

Th 12 Production and manufacture of technology ABG

Tu 17 Access and use of technology ABG

[Written proposal for the final project due.]

Th 19 Intended and unintended consequences of technology ABG

Tu 24 Life cycle: reproduction, pregnancy and birth

[Instructor will return proposal for final project with comments.]

Th 26 TBA ABG at MIT

Tu 31 Life cycle: sustenance and health

Th 2 Life cycle: body-based identities

Tu 7 Life cycle: sustenance and illness, death

Th 9 Life activities: education

Tu 14 Life activities: work (industrial, agricultural, office, home based)

Th 16 Life activities: leisure

Tu 21 Life activities: information

Tu 28 Life activities: communication

Th 30 Conclusions ABG

Tu 5 Projects reports everyone

Each student will lead a class discussion on one of the topics in "life cycle" or "life activities" series. If people work in teams, agreement about grading must be reached by the time that the proposal for the discussion is submitted. Through readings selected and questions asked, discussions are expected to address:

Because many students have never led a discussion, I will detail all the steps under four headings: preparation, mechanics in preparation for the discussion, discussion, summary of the discussion. Keep in mind the evaluation form of the discussion as you prepare each of the steps below.

PREPARATION

1. Selecting a topic. It is likely that some topics will be selected by more than one person. In that case you can choose to form a team or to switch to another topic. If there are more topics than there are students, the formation of teams might require those students to work together for more than one presentation.

2. Consult with the instructor about the approach you want to take and the readings that you want to include in your discussion. The student(s) will select at least one reading to be a core reading (to be read by all students) and one or two supplemental articles.

[NOTE: If you borrow materials from the instructor: Materials that you assign for your discussion must be returned a week before the discussion. All materials must be returned by the last day of classes. If material is not returned, course requirements will be considered as incomplete.]

3. Reading as much as possible. First, consider materials cited in the textbook list--these may lead you to other references. Next, do a computer search and ask the instructor for suggestions. Materials addressing the concerns of lesbians, women of color, women with disabilities, women from other cultures or countries, and others who have been traditionally excluded from consideration or whose concerns have been ignored should be included. If materials are not found their absence should become a focus for the discussion.

4. Selecting the readings. The core reading(s) should be selected because of centrality to the issue and to the approach that you want to pursue, it should serve to frame your discussion and questions. The supplemental readings should be selected because they clarify, expand, challenge, etc. the core reading(s). Keep in mind the bulleted list in the first paragraph of this section.

At least one reading should not be received from the instructor. Popular journals can be used to illustrate issues, but except in exceptional cases should not be chosen as the main sources of information. Videos or other audio-visual aids are appropriate, speak to the instructor about how to use and obtain these.

5. Preparing the list of readings. The list of readings should be prepared in American Psychological Association style (see examples distributed by the instructor) or consult the manual in the reference section of OUGL. If the title of the reading is not self-explanatory, it will help the students understand your choice of it if you describe the content of each reading in a brief phrase.

6. Preparing a set of questions to direct the discussion. These questions will flow from the readings and the approach you have selected. Ask the questions in such a way that they build on each other, you can go from the broad to the detailed or vice versa. Questions should address the goals presented at the beginning of this syllabus, and they should provide ties among the readings.

Be sure to ask at least one question about each reading. In addition to questions about each reading you can encourage discussions by asking students to compare their readings--specially if the readings provide alternative explanations or different examples. You can also ask questions that relate the readings in this topic back to previous readings or topics.

In addition, some general questions that are pertinent to all topics are:

•Who benefits by the current state of affairs?

•Would a given statement/"fact" about an individual or group mean the same if we change her/his gender? Or the race? Or the class? Or the sexual orientation? Or any of the other sdis?

•Does this feel/sound right to me? Does it fit with my experience?

7. Answering the questions for the discussion will help you organize your presentation and can serve as the basis for the summary of your presentation due a week after the presentation. If the answers to your questions do not reflect the points you want to make you may not be asking the right questions.

MECHANICS IN PREPARATION FOR THE DISCUSSION

2. Print a copy of the whole list of readings and of the questions for each student. Print a copy for the instructor. [If ALL students are using e-mail this can be done by e-mail.]

3. Print a copy for the instructor of each article that you assign that you did not obtain from the instructor. Return to the instructor the same copies that were lent to you.

THE PRESENTATION

1. Introduce the topic. Each class should be started by an introduction of the topic and an explanation for the approach chosen in discussing it. A rationale should be provided for the choice of the readings. This introduction should take not more than one-third of the class time. When opening the class for discussion, the questions that were previously distributed should guide the discussion.

[NOTE: You should anticipate having no more than 60 minutes for each discussion. (IF you need more, discuss with instructor ahead of time.]

2. Facilitate all students’ participation. Be sure to have questions that address each of the readings and to pay attention to all students’ contributions. If someone has not participated you may want to be particularly encouraging of their participation.

3. Format of the presentation. While readings and questions are essential, you are free to format the discussion in any way you feel is most effective. The use of film or video or poetry, the inclusion of guest speakers, role playing, debates, or any other activity that increases class participation is appropriate, as is breaking up the class into small discussion groups, etc.

THE SUMMARY OF THE DISCUSSION

A week after the presentation you must turn in a two-page summary of the discussion, attach to this summary a copy of the reading list and questions that guided your presentation as well as any handouts or copies of overheads that you used. This summary should that makes reference to the articles, the questions and their answers, and to important points made during the discussion. In addition, you will mention and discuss any sdis that were mentioned in your readings and discussion. [See section on sdis for more information.]

[NOTE: If you work as a team, while the presentation is joint, the summary is individual.]

Fifteen of the 25 points of your grade for the presentation will be based on criteria I will distribute, including choice of readings, your organization, thoroughness, keeping track of the discussion, and so forth. The remaining ten points will be allocated to your summary.

Class participation refers to your

• participation in class discussions,

• participation in any e- discussions or exchanges,
• reports on articles to be submitted electronically.

Your class participation should follow from the readings and the questions that frame the readings. You are expected to read all the core reading(s) assigned and at least one supplementary reading. Participation that is grounded on the readings--whether reporting on them or critically assessing them against other knowledge your have or your own experiences, and participation that reflects on aspects of the social dimensions will be considered of a high quality. Thoughtful responses to others’ comments, reflections from your own experiences, sharing of materials that you have observed on TV or read in the paper are also forms of class participation, but participation that consists only of these forms is not sufficient.

You will select a topic for which you will report your reactions to the articles assigned for that day. After reading all articles you will offer your reactions (by e-mail) noting any arguments or statements that seem particularly interesting to you, relevant to any on-class discussions or other readings or other parts of your life.

Your grade for participation in class discussions will be based on an assessment based on both the quality (using the criteria listed in the second paragraph of this section) and quantity of your in-class participation. If you find active class participation very difficult but want to stay in this class we might explore other alternatives. You need to consult with me immediately about this issue.

I require everyone in this class to use e-mail regularly. Minimally the e-mail will be used to forward non-required information that is pertinent to the class. Optimally, if everyone has access to e-mail, we may use it to forward required materials and continue through e-mail discussions that begin in class.

Because technology does not occur in a vacuum, in this class we will be concerned with socially defined identities (e.g., age, race, class, sexual orientation, etc.) that are constructed and enforced by each culture or group--see list of socially defined identities. You can choose to do this by working on topics related to "life cycle" or "life experiences."

You will choose a social dimension from the list offered. Ideally, each dimension will be chosen by at least one student. You will do this for the readings under "Life Cycle" OR "Life Activities." Beginning with the first class discussion marked "Life cycle" OR "Life Activities" it will be your responsibility to note any information that is offered in your readings or in the discussion about this category in relation to technology. For example, you may choose the category of "age." If your socially defined identity category is age you may want to ask "What difference does it make that the user of technology is young? Or old? If you’re looking at it from the production or access perspective, what difference does it make if access to technology is denied to a young person? An old person?

Each student will pursue a special project--group projects are possible. The project offers another opportunity to deepen your knowledge and understanding about a topic in this course.

The following are examples of special projects, offered to give you some idea of the range of projects that are possible:

*analysis of textbooks used in a technology department for the presentation of gendered, racialized, classed, etc. people

*survey of peers about some aspect related to technology (This requires Human Subjects approand teachers h school girlsn om al; therefore you must start with this project *immediately*)

*designing a teaching unit on a technological topic that reflects concerns discussed in this course

*designing a web page on a topic related to this class

*media related content analysis

*traditional paper (This assumes a 12-15 pages paper based on at least ten bibliographic sources--of these at least five could not have been used as readings for the class. This paper cannot be used (or have been used) for a different class without significant changes or addtions AND permission of instructor.)

*your own idea of a special project

Projects using instructors’ data bases or related to instructors’ projects

*content analysis of oral histories of women scientists on their uses or attitudes toward technology

*work on a grant proposal to increase technology access to rural youth

Topics for special project must be chosen with approval from the instructor. A written proposal (no longer than 3-4 paragraphs) must be submitted no later than Tu 17 October to be approved by the next week. In that proposal you must specify what is your goal in doing this project and how it ties to the goals of the class. The special project is due the last day of classes, any text submitted must be typed.

If people work in teams, agreement about grading must be reached at the time that the proposal for the project is submitted. In grading your final project, these are the factors I consider:

1. a clear thesis or purpose for your project

2. report on materials is accurate, the format is appropriate to the task

3. cover the issues thoroughly--if a traditional paper, the literature review is thorough

4. presentation fulfills the thesis/purpose and arrives at conclusions that can be deduced from the materials presented

5. creative and/or critical approach to the question or the issues

6. appropriate and complete references in APA style