EXCO Syllabus: Critical Approaches to the study of science Experimental College - Oberlin College OH - USA Spring 1992 Coordinators: Moeketsi Mosola and Alexis Zybach-Sadki Contact: M. Mosola/OCMR1832/Oberlin OH 44074 SMM1613@OBERLIN (Bitnet) The course is designed to introduce students to several interrelated critical issues in the natural and social sciences, and to show their absolute relevance to the learning, practice, and teaching of science. The goal includes developing a common language to talk about ways in which science is essentially political (i.e., that it means to do politics) and that it is produced by historical social relations. Through readings of Black, `third world', and feminist critiques, discussion, and analysis of science `texts' (e.g., the journal Science, course texts used at Oberlin, etc.) the course addresses many issues which are rarely formally discussed in the science classroom itself, even though they are crucial to understanding twentieth-century western science. Readings are multi-disciplinary, and cover a wide range of topics and `disciplines,' but an emphasis will be placed on interrogating the relationships between various disciplines. In addition, students in the class are encouraged to add or substitute specific readings of interest to the class. Work A. Two journal entries (of two pages each) will be handed in the second and sixth class of the semester. The journal entries will discuss emerging issues from the class or any other context, and they may be hand-written or typed (double-spaced). Completion of the journals by the due date is necessary to receive credit for the course. B. Individual/group project: Each student will choose a topic of particular interest to research starting the fourth week of class. On the tenth week of class, students will hand in a one-page project proposal including a title. At this point the class, will also decide if we want to hold a forum open to the campus to present work we have been discussing. This will involve publicity, a little planning, and getting in touch with professors and others.This part should be unusually fun. It will happen two classes after project proposals are due. C. Facilitation: The coordinators will facilitate the discussion for the first two or three classes, after which students in the course will sign up to prepare and facilitate discussion. This will include full responsibility for all the readings, as well as bringing food and drink of some kind to the class. Students will sign up at the beginning of the first class to facilitate. D. Reading: Each student will be responsible for summarizing and presenting to the class one of the assigned readings, in addition to having read all of them. If the reading load is too heavy, we can talk about it. All readings will be placed on reserve in Kettering Science library. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 am-11 pm, Sat 8 am-6 pm, Sun 1 pm-11 pm. E. Other responsibilities: The class will maintain the bulletin boards in Kettering Science library, placing photocopies of readings for science students to read. In addition, the class will be encouraged to find new, inventive ways of talking to science students about our work. Attendance Up to two excused absences (with prior notification) will be tolerated, but as everyone in the class will have hectic schedules being `too busy' is simply not an excuse. More than two absences means no credit. Being more than 15 minutes late counts as an absence. Nevertheless, everyone is expected to be ON TIME for class to start and run smoothly. 1. Introduction Discussion: What is science? Handout: Six false beliefs about feminism and science. Reading: Gill, Dawn and Les Levidow (eds). Introduction and Chapter 1. in Anti-racist science teaching. London: Free Associated Books 1987. Harding, Sandra. Common histories, common destinies. in Whose Science? Whose Knowledge? Cornell: Cornell University Press 1988. Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein or the modern Prometheus, pp. 31-52. Chicago: University of Chicago Press 1982. 2. Theories Discussion: What's the point of theory? Journal #1 due. Reading: Reid, Inez Smith. Science, politics, and race, pp. 99-124. in Harding, Sandra and Jean F. O'Barr (eds). Sex and scientific inquiry. Chicago: University of Chicago Press 1987. Harding, Sandra. Strong Objectivity. in Whose Science? Whose Knowledge? Cornell: Cornell University Press 1988. Harding, Sandra. Why "Physics" is a bad model for physics, pp. 77-104 in Whose Science? Whose Knowledge? Cornell: Cornell University Press 1988. 3. Feminist responses to androcentric science, part one Discussion: How do we talk about the relationship between race and sex? Reading: Haraway, Donna. Chapter 3: Sex, Mind, and Profit. in Simians, Cyborgs, and Women. hooks, bell. Race and sex in America. in Z Magazine. The changing ideology of mothering (Notes from Kum-Kum Bhavnani's class to be discussed in class) 4. Feminist responses to androcentric science, part two Discussion: What are the alternatives to androcentrism? Guest lecturer: Ekem Merchant (SIC) Reading: Biology and Gender Study Group. The importance of feminist critique for contemporary cell biology, pp.172-187. in Tuana, Nancy (ed). Feminism and Science. Bloomington: Indiana University Press 1989. Boston women's health collective. Chapter 24: Women and the medical system. The New Our Bodies, Ourselves. Chaff, Sandra. Images of female medical students at the turn of the century, pp. 41-46. in Harding, Sandra (ed.) Sex and Scientific Inquiry. Chicago: University of Chicago Press 1987. 5. Formations of Social reproduction, part one Discussion: What is social reproduction? Reading: Davis, Susan E. (ed.) Women Under Attack: Victories, backlash, and the fight for reproductive freedom. Committee for abortion rights and against sterilization abuse. New York: South End Press 1979. Hartmann, Betsy. Population control as foreign policy. in Covert Action Information Bulletin No. 39 (Winter 1991-92). 6. Formations of social reproduction, part two Journal #2 due. Discussion: What is the history of the Human Genome Project? Reading: Review Haraway, Donna. Chapter 3: Sex, Mind, and Profit. in Simians, Cyborgs, and Women. Casalino, Larry. Decoding the Human Genome Project: An interview with Evelyn Fox Keller, pp. 111-128. in Socialist Review, vol.21, no. 2 (April-June 1991). Clarke, Adele. Genetic Disorders, Social Orders, pp. 171-176. in Socialist Review, vol.21, no. 2 (April-June 1991). 7. Decentering eurocentric science, part one Discussion: What is eurocentrism? Reading: Joseph, George. Foundations of eurocentrism in Mathematics. Race & Class 28(3), 1987. Joseph, George et. al. Eurocentrism in the social sciences. Race & Class 31(4), 1990. 8. Decentering eurocentric science, part two Discussion: What is epistemology? Reading: Salam, Abus. Islam and science, pp. 1-20. Unpublished paper. Bernal, Martin. Introduction. Black Athena: The Afro-asiatic roots of civilization. Narayan, Uma. The project of feminist epistemology: perspectives froma nonwestern feminist, pp. 256-269. in Gender/Body/Knowledge: Feminist reconstructions of being and knowing. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press 1989. 9. Challenging capitalist science, part one Discussion: What's capitalism got to do with it? Reading: Gill, Dawn and Les Levidow (eds). The Bhopal Disaster, pp. 270-294. in Anti-racist science teaching. London: Free Associated Books 1987. Haraway, Donna. A cyborg manifesto: Science, technology, and socialist feminist in the late twentieth century, pp 149-181. in Simians, Cyborgs, and Women. Sivanandan, A. New circuits of imperialism. Race & Class 30(4), 1989. 10. Challenging capitalist science, part two Project proposal due. Discussion: What is neoclassical economics? Reading: Albert, Michael. Neoclassical economics: science or silliness? in Z Magazine, November 1989. Center for popular economics. Mink Coats Don't Trickle Down: The economic attack on women and people of color. Boston: South End Press 1988. Fuentes, Annette, and Barbara Ehrenreich. Women in the global factory. Boston: South End Press 1989. 11. Activist and community responses to the AIDS crisis Discussion: How do we talk about HIV? Reading: Sabatier, Renee. Blaming others: Prejudice, race and worldwide AIDS, pp. 1-18. Washington: Panos Institute 1988. Patton, Cindy. What `science' knows about AIDS: Formations of AIDS knowledges, pp. 51-77. in Patton, Cincy. Inventing AIDS. New York: Routledge 1990. Patton, Cindy. Inventing African AIDS, pp. 77-98. in Patton, Cincy. Inventing AIDS. New York: Routledge 1990. Patton, Cindy and Kelly, Janis. Making it: A woman's guide to sex in the age of AIDS. Spanish translation by Papusa Molina. Firebrand Sparks Pamphlet #2. Ithaca: Firebrand Books 1988. Turshen, Meredeth. Does USAID aid people with AIDS in Africa? in Covert Action Information Bulletin (CAIB) No. 39 (Winter 1991-92). Epstein, Steve. Democratic science: AIDS activism and the contested construction of knowledge, pp. 35-61. in Socialist Review, vol.21, no. 2 (April-June 1991). 12. The science department as a site for struggle: OPEN FORUM in Kettering about critical science issues Reading: Carrier, Samuel. Maintaining America's scientific productivity: the necessity of the liberal arts college. Offices of the Provost and Institutional Research: Oberlin 1987. 13. Conclusion and evaluation This syllabus was developed during the first semester that the course was taught, and used in the second semester.