WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
BIOLOGY/ WOMEN'S STUDIES 307
Class meets T-TH 11-12:15 108 Curtiss
Course Description: This course will examine issues relevant to women in science and engineering from a variety of perspectives. The interrelationships of women and science and engineering are examined from historical, statistical, sociological, philosophical, and biological perspectives. Factors contributing to underrepresentation, feminist critiques of science, and examination of strategies for career success will also be discussed. This course meets the U.S. Diversity requirement. The course will consist of a combination of lectures, small group discussions, panel discussions including invited speakers, and student presentations. Success in the course is highly dependent on both preparation and participation.
Reading Materials: Reading materials for the course are posted on the ISU Library Reserve website: http://www.lib.iastate.edu.proxy.lib.iastate.edu:2048/courselist-standard/24202
Please read the articles and complete homework assignments prior to attending class. We will spend many of the course periods discussing articles, so it is imperative that students read articles PRIOR to class.
Research Projects: Each student will complete both a term paper and a biography of a woman in science and engineering. Both of these research projects will include the following components: 1) development of an annotated bibliography, 2) writing of the paper, and 3) an oral presentation of the project to the class. Research topics for term papers and biographies will be approved by Dr. Debinski prior to initiation of the project.
Aug. 23 Introductions, course expectations, groups, and grading.
The Pipeline Concept. Networking Activity.
Theme 1: History and Background Information and The Numbers
Aug. 25 A History of Women’s Education.
Meet with your group and familiarize yourself with the group process.
Discuss in your group: Sadker, M. and D. Sadker. 1994. Through the Back Door: the History of Women’s Education. Chapter 2 in Failing at Fairness. Touchstone, New York.
*Hand in answers to discussion questions regarding the Sadkers’ article.
Aug. 30 Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering.
Assess the status of women in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) your field or a field of your choosing. Write an essay on the status and be prepared to present a summary to your group. Include graphics.
The following website is the main reference source of numbers available for women in the U.S.: The National Science Foundation (NSF) report entitled Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2009. This report may be viewed on the internet at: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/
The Association of Women in Science (AWIS) provides various summaries that may also be helpful: http://www.awis.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=22
Read More Women in Science by Jo Hadelsman et al. 2005 Science 309:1190-1191
Present your assignment to the group and then hand it in to your instructor.
Report a summary of the groups’ assessments to the class as a whole at the end of the period.
*Written assignment on the status of women in your field due
Sept. 1 Numbers of Women in Science and Engineering at Iowa State.
Assess the status of women or minorities at ISU (undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, or staff) using the ISU Fact Book found here and linking to information on students or faculty and Staff: http://www.ir.iastate.edu/factbk.html Write an essay on the status and be prepared to present a summary to your group. Include graphics.
Spend class time in your group discussing the handouts showing the STEM statistics at ISU. Be prepared to present to the class as a whole the main conclusions from this data. Also compare your conclusions to those you found in the previous assignment.
What does your group find to be the most significant statistic from the ISU data?
*Turn in your report.
Theme 2: Diversity and Culture in STEM
Sept. 6 Discussion of Research Projects and Diversity, culture, science and engineering. Minority women in U.S.
Write an essay reviewing the status of minority women in a STEM field. The NSF reports may be useful just as they were in our previous discussions of the status of women in general.
Speculate as to why so few minority women in STEM fields.
*Present the assignment on the status of minority women to your group and also hand it in.
Sept. 8 Women in Science and Engineering Archives tour and searching strategies with Tanya Zanish-Belcher, WISE archivist.
Meet at Room 403 in the Parks Library.
Sept 13 Diversity, culture, science and engineering. Disabled scientists.
Present a short biography of a scientist or engineer (female or male) from the United States who is considered to be disabled. Discuss special issues or concerns that these people face in their lives and careers. Relate these issues to the numbers of women in STEM fields.
*Present the biographical assignment to your group and also hand it in to your instructor.
Sept 15 Surprises across the cultural divide. Women scientists in other countries.
As background reading everyone will be given the following article: Marcia Barinaga. 1994. Surprises across the cultural divide. Science. 263: 1468-1472.
Assignment: Present a short report on how women scientists are doing in another country. This could include numbers, if you can find them, or it may emphasize special areas of concern. This material is difficult to find (and often non-existent) so you may have to do quite a bit of searching.
*Present the assignment on status of women scientists in other countries to your group and also hand it in to your instructor.
*Also develop, as a group, a set of questions for the panel of international women scientists who will be coming to our next class.
Sept. 20 Diversity, culture, science and engineering.
Panel of International Women Scientists and Engineers
*Turn in term paper topic and annotated bibliography.
Theme 3: Understanding Gender Schemas, Gender Differences, and their Implications
Sept. 22 Gender Schemas. In class activity (no assignment due). We will view and discuss a tutorial introducing the concept of gender schemas developed by Virginia Valian.
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/gendertutorial/
Valian, V. 2000. Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women. The MIT Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Chapter 1
Sept. 27 Being Evaluated. Read and discuss in your group:
Wenneras, C. and A. Wold. 2001. Nepotism and sexism in peer-review. In M. Lederman and I. Bartsch (eds.) The Gender and Science Reader, Routledge, London.
*Turn in answers to the discussion questions about the Wenneras and Wold article.
Sept. 29 Gender differences. Feminists who critique science and their critiques.
Part one. Develop a short biography of the woman to present. (Photographs are always a nice addition).
Part two. Present a summary of her philosophy or approach. For example with Sue Rosser you would try and explain what she means by female friendly science.
Read S. V. Rosser. 1992. Are there feminist methodologies appropriate for the natural science and do they make a difference? Women's Studies International Forum 15:535-550
*Present the assignment on feminists and their critiques to your group and also hand it in to your instructor.
Oct. 4* Term Paper Presentations. Turn in Term Paper
Oct. 6 Term Paper Presentations.
Oct. 11 Term Paper Presentations.
Oct. 13 Term Paper Presentations.
Theme 4: Current Climate for Women and Programs to Improve Climate
Oct. 18 Climate for women in the engineering workplace.
Read and discuss with your group: Frehill, L. M. 1997. Subtle Sexism in Engineering. pp 117-135 in Subtle Sexism: Current Practices and Prospects for Change. Sage. Newbury park, CA.
Byko, M. 2005. Challenges and opportunities for women in science and engineering. Journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society. 57: 12-15.
* Hand in answers to the discussion questions on the Frehill or Byko article.
Oct. 20 Climate for women in the Science workplace.
Baker, Beth. 2011. Having a life in Science. Bioscience 61(6):429-433.
*Hand in answers to the discussion questions on the Baker article.
Oct. 25 Library Research Day for Bibliography project
*Turn in Biographical Paper Topic and Annotated Bibliography to Dr. Debinski by 5 p.m. on Oct. 26th.
Oct. 27 Actions to improve the climate for women in STEM. Panel of SWE, PWSE, ADVANCE Grant
Read Settles, I.H., L. M. Cortina, J. Malley, and A. J. Stewart. 2006. The Climate for Women in Academic Science: The, Good, the Bad, and the Changeable. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 30: 47–58.
*Hand in answers to the discussion questions on the climate for women in academia article.
Theme 5: Family and Career
Nov. 1 Family and Career.
Williams, Joan. 2000. Unbending Gender. Why Family and Work Conflict and What to Do About It. Oxford Univ. Press. Chapter 1.
Read and discuss with your group the material found on the following website:
http://www.mothersandmore.org/
*Hand in answers/responses to the questions provided relating to the information on the websites regarding family and career.
Nov. 3 Family and Career.
Mason, M.A. and M. Goulden. 2004. Marriage and Baby Blues: Redefining Gender Equity in the Academy. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 596: 86-103.
Develop several questions for the Juggling Family and Career Panel in your group.
*Turn in Biographical Paper
Nov. 8 Juggling Family and Career Panel.
Theme 6: Strategies for Success
Nov. 10 Women, Work and the Academy – Strategies for Success
Wylie, A, J. R. Jakobsen, and G. Fosado. 2007. Women, Work and the Academy: Strategies for responding to post-civil rights era gender discrimination. Barnard Center for Research on Women.
*Present the assignment on Women, Work and the Academy to your group and also hand it in to your instructor.
Nov. 15 Improving the Culture of Work Environments – The Reader’s Theater approach
Nov .17 Developing Professional Skills
CareerWISE (www.asu.edu/careerwise), at Arizona State University, provides free online professional coaching and support to women STEM graduate students. Visit the site prior to class and we will discuss components of the coaching.
Nov. 29 Biographical Presentations
Dec. 1 Biographical Presentations
Dec. 6 Biographical Presentations
Dec. 8 Biographical Presentations
Dec. 15 Final Exam date. Turn in your final essay by noon to Dr. Debinski (249 Bessey Hall). More information will be provided regarding this essay later in class.
Grading Point Breakdown
|
Assignment |
Points |
Due Date |
|
Term Paper Topic and Annotated Bibliography |
20 |
Sept. 20 |
|
Term Paper |
50 |
Oct. 4 |
|
Term Paper Presentation |
30 |
Oct. 4-13 |
|
Biographical Paper Topic & Annotated Bibliography |
20 |
Oct. 26 |
|
Biographical Paper |
50 |
Nov. 3 |
|
Biographical Paper Presentation |
30 |
Nov. 29-Dec. 8 |
|
Class Participation |
75 |
|
|
Final Exam essay due |
25 |
Dec. 15th due by noon |
|
Written assignments |
7 at 10 points = 70 pts. |
See Syllabus for due date. Choose 7 out of 13 possible written assignments.
|
|
Total points = 370 |
|