Equality of access is an important ethical principle and we don't have it
when it comes to women and other minorities in computing.
It's not enough to have women and other minorities use the technology, but
it is important that they participate in its creation too.
Diversity is important, not only for ethical reasons but also for the good
of our society. Despite the downturn of the economy there appears to be a
shortage of software developers for example. Women may have the talent to
excel in such endeavor. In order to achieve diversity there ought to be an
increase of women and minorities in computer science, computing science
education, and the computing science professions. Although the factors
leading to the current imbalance lie outside the university arena, a lot
can be done to correct it within. To ensure greater diversity each
institution should aim to eliminate bias and encourage a broader scope of
students. Prior experience also tends to influence success in education
and usage. In most fields there is no great differential of experience, but in
computing boys and whites in general tend to be more experienced by the
time they arrive to college. We need therefore to encourage girls and
minorities to use computers earlier in life in addition to enhancing their
participation in undergraduate computing.
We will have an
overview of the women who have made it in computing from
Countess Ada Lovelace and
Grace Hopper
to others more modern like
Anita Borg, who founded Systers, the email forum for women in technology,
or
Ellen Spertus from Mills college
in CA. Another major aspect of the course will overview the reasons
of why there are so few
women in the field, and what can be done to remediate the situation.
This will serve as a vehicle for assignment/presentations in class whereas
each student chooses a famous woman and a topic and does the research and presentation in
class.
The discrimination that exists in the field; the glass ceiling, or is it
the sticky floor syndrom?
The history and travail of all women in science.--a guest.
The problem of biological clock vs tenure clock.
Why we don't have so many women in the
university level, teaching and even studying beyond the first few
years?--the shrinking pipeline.
What women like in general when using computers?
How does that differ from men?
What can be done to improve the situation?
Some resources for the course
Our textbooks:
Women and Computers by Frances Grundy; Publisher: Intellect, 1996
Unlocking the Clubhouse by Margolis & Fisher, recommended to buy
from Amazon.
Women in Computing, by Rachel Lander and Alison Adam; Publisher: Intellect, 1997
Eric Roberts' presentation on Expanding the Audience for Computer Science.
Cherchez la femme, president's message, by Leah Jamieson from
Purdue University, 1999.
5 factors for leaving,
by Leah again in the same IEEE Signal Processing magazine, 2000.
"The Print of the Hand" by David Alan Grier
from George Washington University, IEEE, 2006.
Sanders' 'Lifting the Barriers: 600 Strategies that Really Work to Increase
Girls' Participation in Science, Mathematics and Computers'.
Racial/Ethnic and Gender Differences in Science Achievement of Nine,
Thirteen and Seventeen-Year Old Students by Barbara Bruschi and Bernice Taylor
Anderson;
Examination of Computer Software in Relation to Gender Differentiation by
Netiva Caftori
Schiebinger, Londa: Nature's Body: Gender in the Making of Modern Science .
Predicting University Women's Participation in Mathematics and Science: A
Causal Model by Hilary Lips.
Achievement and Gender in Computer-Integrated Calculus by Mary Ann Conno.
Overcoming the Barriers: Technology Education as a Career Choice for Women
by Jim Flowers.
Find Your Wings: A Math/Science Exploration Project for Elementary School
Girls by Jill Marshall and Janet Buckingham.
Encouraging Girls to Pursue Careers in Science at a University Science Day
Camp by Marilee Benore Parsons, Linda E. Fisher and Judith E. Heady.
Mentoring Women Graduate Students: Experiences of the Coalition of Women
Graduate Students at the University of Minnesota, 1993-1995by Joy Frestedt.
Women in Science in India: Has Feminism Passed Them By? by Lalita Subrahmanyan;
Women's Confidence in Science: Problematic Notions Around Young Women's Career
and Life Choices by Anne-Marie Weidler Kubanek and Margaret Waller
Retaining Female Undergraduate Students in Engineering and Science by
Suzanne G. Brainard, Suzanne Laurich-McIntyre, and Linda Mobley;
Women in Mathematics: An Overview of their Treatment in History and
Beyond by Sharon Kunoff.
Implications of Feminist Critiques of Science for the Teaching of
Mathematics and Science by Bonnie Jean Shulman.
The Effect of Inquiry Activities on Elementary Students' Enjoyment, Ease and
Confidence in Doing Science: An Analysis by Sex and Race by Jane B. Kahle and Arta Damnjanovic;
From Hostile Exclusion to Friendly Inclusion: University of South Carolina
System Model Project for the Transformation of Science and Math .
How Engineering Education Shortchanges Women by Vivian Anderson.
Mentoring Female Engineering Students: A Model Program at the University
of Washington by Suzanne Brainard and Lynn Ailes-Sengers.
Emphasizing Gender Issues in the Undergraduate Preparation of Science
Teachers: Practicing What We Preach by Kate Scantlebury.
Students will be assigned weekly readings from books and articles.
They will answer some written questions
and will participate in class discussions of the readings.
Students will be encouraged to participate in online women networks
to research ways of interchanging ideas and support.
There will be a couple guest appearances in class for questionning and
discussions.
A team assignment may include visits and observations in schools and
computer labs.
The team will decide on a research study to be conducted outside of class and
results presented in class as a midterm project.
A final paper will be requested as a summary of most pertinent papers the
student has read, and field research done.
The paper will be presented by the student in class using a presentation
tool.
Weekly assignments include article reading, summary and feedback writing,
participation in women networks, and relating these activities to the class.
Midterm team research in or out of school. Presentation of research
findings in class using (Ppt) presentation tools, web page or Word document.
Final paper will be presented individually. It will be based on readings,
research, and personal thoughts.
Grading philosophy
Weekly assignments on readings and networks searches - 35%
Midterm research paper and team presentation - 25%
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
A Breakthrough For MIT -- And Science
Five years after conceding rampant sexism, MIT has a new president, Susan
Hockfield
Massachusetts Institute of Technology shocked academia five years ago
with a scathing report about how it had discriminated against female
scientists. Although many were world-class, the country's most
prestigious science university publicly confessed that its male-dominated
culture had marginalized them. Women were paid less, received fewer
resources, and were often treated as if they were "invisible," the report
concluded. Moreover, despite a flood of women earning PhDs, their share
of MIT's science faculty hadn't risen in more than a decade. In MIT's
entire history, no woman had ever headed a science department.
N. Caftori's mail
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