WS596 Science and Technology in Women's Lives San Diego State University Prof. Patricia Huckle Spring 1996-AH2112 email: huckle@mail.sdsu.edu . This new course explores the participation of women in science and the impact of science and technology on women's lives. We will address the following areas: … Where were women? Were they there? Historical exclusion and resistance … Intersections: Race, gender, class, as well as world views … Professional opportunities in the 1990s - issues for diverse women … Challenges to traditional science: Feminist perspectives … Women in action: U.S. and global ecofeminism … New technologies, old ideas - Who decides? Students should be able to: 1. Describe the role(s) of women in scientific fields in the U.S. and other parts of the world; and understand the contemporary structure of opportunities for women in science and technological fields. 2. Analyze factors affecting women's participation in western science from an historical perspective; examine critically a range of images of women/nature and alternative feminist views. 3. Understand feminist critiques of science and comprehend alternative strategies for thinking about science as it affects women's lives. 4. Develop a critical analysis of a public policy area in science which has consequences for women. Requirements: Each will be explained further in class. … (20%) Participation in discussions (class & electronic) and presentations. … (30%) Three short papers, critiques of readings. … (50%) Research paper (15-20 pages; a case study related to one aspect of the course; requires significant bibliographical research) Required Texts: (also articles in Reader) Whose Science? Whose Knowledge?, 1991. Sandra Harding, Cornell Univ. Press Feminism Confronts Technology, 1991. Judy Wajcman, Penn State U. Ecofeminism: Women, Animals, Nature. 1993. Greta Gaard,ed., Temple University Press. Future, Technology and Woman, 1981. SDSU Women's Studies Department (gift). Course Outline WS 596, SDSU Spring 1996 Week 1, Jan 31 Overview of the course, indicating the range of issues and voices to be heard. "Gender and Science," interview with Evelyn Fox Keller. "Future, Technology and Woman," 1981, conference proceedings will be distributed. Week 2, Feb.7: Historical exclusion of women in science; the creation of a male world. Read: "Out of the Past: Women and Nature," Carolyn Merchant, in proceedings; Reader: "A World Without Women," David F.Noble, Technology Review 95 (May/June 1992); "Teddy Bear Patriarchy..." pp 26-58, Primate Visions,1989, Donna Haraway, Routledge. "Women Inventing the Wheel," JoAllyn Archambault, proceedings. Speaker on using electronic resources. Week 3, Feb. 14 Making Women Visible. Contemporary women scientists, where are they? Distribution of women among sciences in government, business and academe. Opportunities and obstacles. Read: "Comparisons Across Cultures," Women in Science '94, Science, vol. 263, 11 March 1994. "U.S. Women in Science and Engineering, 1960-90," Journal of Higher Education, v66n2, Mar/Apr 1995. "A Lab of Her Own," M. Holloway, Scientific American, Nov. 1993, pp 94-103. Science, vol. 260, 16 April 1993, sections on "Women in Science." Guest Speaker: Margaret Benoit Short paper due week 3 - Schedule a conference, please. Week 4, Feb 21 Thinking about Science and Feminist Critiques.. Masculinist science challenged. Read: "Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective," ch 9 in Simians, Cyborgs and Women, 1991, Donna Haraway, Routledge. Also, "Feminist Critiques of Science and Technology," Chapter 1, Wajcman. Start Harding. Research topic due week 4 Week 5, Feb 28 Whose Science? Whose Knowledge? Harding Week 6, March 6. Women's Studies Colloquium, Sandra Harding (1-3 p.m.) followed by class session with Harding. Short paper due week 6 Week 7, March 13. Read Wajcman, Chapters 2, 3; Reader, "What's New About the 'New" Reproductive Technologies?" Renate Duelli Klein in Man-Made Woman: How New Reproductive Technologies Affect Women, by Gena Corea et al, Indiana Univ Press, 1987. "The Continuing Deficit of Women in India and the Impact of Amniocentesis, Madhu Kishwar," in Corea et al. Please schedule a conference with me to discuss your research Week 8, March 20 Read Wajcman, Chapters 4,5,6 Guest Speakers: women faculty in the sciences Week 9, March 27. Ecofeminism as new perspective. Read, "Living Interconnections with Animals and Nature," "Ecofeminism: Linking Theory and Practice," and "Dismantling Oppression: Analysis of the Connection Between Women and Animals," Chapters 1, 2, 3 in Gaard. April 1-6 Spring Recess Week 10, April 10 Ecofeminism continued. Read "Ecofeminism and the Politics of Reality," "Animal Rights and Feminist Theory," "The Feminist Traffic in Animals," in Gaard. Film: Thinking Green - Ecofeminists and the Greens. Short paper due week 10 Week 11, April 17 Rethinking Ecofeminism. "A Cross-Cultural Critique..." and "Ecofeminism and Native American Cultures," in Gaard. "Unruly women: Deconstructing Development Practices," Claudia Salazar, in The Knowledge Explosion. "Wasteland development and the Empowerment of Women: the SARTHI Experience," Madhu Sarin. SEEDS, #16, 1993 (pamphlet). Week 12, April 24 Summing up and Reflections on Science and Technology in Women's Lives. Week 13, May 1 - Research presentations Week 14, May 8 - Research presentations Week 15, May 15 - Research presentations Final papers due May 15 Short Assignments (3-5 typed pages each) 1. Due Week 3. How can you relate the historical understandings presented by David Noble and Carolyn Merchant to the current situation of women in the sciences. You are not expected to cover every aspect, but rather to think through how their analyses relate to the information presented. 2. Due Week 6. Analyze a central theme in Harding's book; what contradictions can you identify? what are the implications of that theme for the study of women and science? 3. Due Week 10. Technology and Ecofeminism - Compare and contrast three articles, linking them to your understanding of central issues for feminists regarding science and technology. Research paper: (15-20 pages, bibliography) You have a great deal of flexibility in selecting your topic for this paper. The most important aspect is that you consider seriously the implications of your subject for understanding the role of science and technology in women's lives. You may choose to explore further theoretical perspectives (i.e., Keller, Harding, Haraway, Bleir, Tuana and others); or you may select a specific area (such as the contributions of African-American women to science; or the impact of reproductive technology on women's lives; or a specific environmental concern). Again, my concern is that you become familiar in some depth with literature in this fast-growing area, and generate your own analysis of the issue or problem. You are expected to consult with me early and often. Patricia Huckle, San Diego State Univ., Women's Studies Dept.,San Diego CA 92182