Course Syllabus
Gender, Science and Technology
WMNST 382
Hannah Evans
Spring 2016
Mondays, 7-9:40pm; Wednesdays, 4-6:40pm
SH 109; AL 102
Office: AL 336
Office hours: Mondays, 5-6 pm; Wednesdays, 2-3pm and by appointment
Phone: 619-594-6460
E-mail: hevans@rohan.sdsu.edu
Course Description:
This course is an introduction to feminist science studies with a particular focus on
participatory possibilities for engaging with scientific knowledge production. We will
explore questions such as – What is science? Who gets to participate in science? What is
the relationship between nature, culture and science? How have, can, and should feminists
engage with science? In this course we will cover topics such as gender, race, sexuality, the
environment, and the media. Readings will be from theoretical and activist perspectives.
We will read and analyze primary science articles, as well as science news from the NY
Times and other popular media.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Identify scientific claims in popular discourse
 Critically analyze and evaluate scientific claims
 Explain the role of metaphor and analogy in science
 Locate, read and analyze primary articles published in scientific journals
 Identify and analyze feminist critiques of scientific objectivity
 Identify models for more participatory scientific practices
 Explain multiple theories of the relationship between culture and science
Required Texts:
Harding, Sandra. 2006. Science and Social Inequality: Feminist and Postcolonial Issues.
Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
(You must bring this book to class on days when chapters from it are assigned.)
Hubbard, Ruth and Elijah Wald. 1999. Exploding the Gene Myth. Boston: Beacon Press.
(You must bring this book to class on days when chapters from it are assigned.)
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* Additional readings will be posted on Blackboard (BB). You must print out the readings
and bring them to class on the date indicated or bring a copy on your laptop.
General Education:
Courses that fulfill the 9-unit requirement for Explorations in General Education
take the goals and skills of GE Foundations courses to a more advanced level. Your three
upper division courses in Explorations will provide greater interdisciplinary, more complex
and in-depth theory, deeper investigation of local problems, and wider awareness of global
challenges. More extensive reading, written analysis involving complex comparisons, welldeveloped arguments, considerable bibliography, and use of technology are appropriate in
many Explorations courses.
This is an Explorations course in Natural Sciences. Completing this course will help
you learn to do the following with greater depth: 1) explain basic concepts and theories of
the natural sciences; 2) use logic and scientific methods to analyze the natural world and
solve problems; 3) argue from multiple perspectives about issues in natural science that have
personal and global relevance; 4) use technology in laboratory and field situations to
connect concepts and theories with real-world phenomena.
Students with disabilities:
Students with disabilities should contact me to discuss specific accommodations. If
you have a disability and would like to register with disability services you can contact them
at Student Disability Services at 619-594-6473 (Calpulli Center, Third Floor, Suite 3101).
Major and Minor in Women's Studies:
Thinking about a Major or Minor in Women's Studies? The program offers exciting
courses, is committed to women's issues and social justice and is adaptable to your interests
and concerns. Women's Studies is not impacted! For more information please contact the
Undergraduate Advisor, Dr. Irene Lara, at ilara@mail.sdsu.edu, Arts and Letters 353, 5947151.
Grading:
Attendance will be taken at each class session. If you miss more than 2 sessions your
final grade will be negatively affected and you may receive an F if you miss too many
classes. Attendance is not optional; it is required! If you have a legitimate reason for
missing additional class sessions please discuss this with me as soon as possible. If you are
planning to miss classes for sports teams or religious reasons you must give me a list of dates
during the first week of class. Lateness or leaving early from class will also negatively affect
your final grade. You are expected to be at class on time and stay until the end.
Participation 10% (participating in class discussions, participating in group activities,
participating on blackboard discussion boards)
Attendance (both physical “showing up” and presence) is crucial. About “good”
class participation: “Good” class participation does not necessarily mean talking the most.
There are many ways to promote dialogue in class, including asking questions, noticing if
others are silent and making space for those voices, allowing silences just to “be” for a few
moments (often silence is not emptiness but rather intense thinking), talking to each other
and not just to the instructor, reminding yourself that the goal is not to be “right,” but to
collaboratively work through issues and problems.
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You are expected to come to class sessions with discussion questions from the
readings, interesting articles and on-line blog postings about science and participate in group
activities. You may also participate by commenting on discussion boards on blackboard.
Reading assessment: discussion questions 10%
You will hand in one comment or discussion question about one or more of the
assigned readings for the day at the beginning of class. These assignments will be used as an
assessment of your reading and will also be how we take attendance for the day. If you do
not have a question, you are responsible for handing in a sheet of paper with your name to
ensure your attendance is taken for the day.
Introductory Essay 5% (due January 27th)
In this 1-2 page essay, you will share what you know about the topic of Gender,
Science and Technology and how you came to know it (previous coursework, media,
independent reading, experience with science, etc.) Be sure to make clear how you
currently define “race,” “gender,” “sexuality,” “science,” and “feminism.” Also include a
paragraph reflecting on your strengths and weaknesses as a student and as a writer.
End-of-Semester Final Thoughts Essay 5% (due April 27th)
In this 1-2 page essay you should re-read your introductory essay and reconsider
your views and reflect on the course. You should answer the following: what is the most
important thing you have learned this semester?; have any of your definitions changed and
if so, how?; who were your favorite authors and why?; which authors would you replace
and why?
Blackboard Journal 25%
You will use this on-line journal to reflect on science news articles and science blogs.
The journal will be kept on-line on Blackboard. You should include a link to the primary
material on which you are reflecting. You should cite course readings, films or lectures in
your reflection. You must post at least five (5) entries before March 16th at midnight. This
means that you should be posting an article about every other week. By the end of the
semester, you must have at least eight (8) entries. You will use one of these journal entries
as a starting place for your final project. You also must comment on other students’
postings. You must have the same number of comments (5 before March 16th, 8 by the end
of the semester). You will be graded based on the substance and relevance of your
reflections and comments. Further guidelines will be explained in class.
You must present one of your articles during the semester. This will count as 5% of
your overall grade. During the first two weeks of class, you will sign up to present on one
week during the semester. It is your responsibility to remember to sign-up, contact other
members of your group to prepare your presentation, and remember which day you are
presenting.
Reading Response Papers 30%
You will write 3 short (2 page) response papers engaging the readings over the course
of the term. You will receive writing prompts at least one week before responses are due on
February 17th, March 23th, and April 20th. You may complete the optional credit
assignment below as an alternative to the third reading response paper.
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Final Project 15% (turn-in hard copy during exam period in classroom Wednesday, May 11th
10:30am-12:30pm)
For your final project, you will choose an original science article that is referenced in
the popular press to critique using readings from the class as well as outside sources. You
should be able to clearly explain the scientists’ claims and also identify what assumptions
are embedded in the scientists’ work.
More detailed guidelines for the final project will be distributed towards the end of
October.
Optional Credit for Women's Studies Community Events and Meetings:
The Women's Studies Department encourages students to explore the connections
between theory and activism by offering students the option to fulfill a percentage of their
course requirements through participation in colloquia, student organizations, and/or
community events relevant to Women's Studies. Students who choose this option will
attend at least two meetings or events that highlight issues of significance for
feminism/feminist theory, and provide a written reflection on each event, which may
include (with the approval of the instructor): departmental colloquia or brown bag lunches,
meetings of student organizations, and/or lectures or events sponsored by other
departments or organizations in the broader San Diego/Tijuana communities. This
opportunity may be chosen as an alternative to the third reading response paper. It will be worth
10% of the final grade (5% for each event and reflection). If you are selecting this option for
more than one Women's Studies classes per semester, you must attend different events and
write different reflections for each class. Turning in the same paper for credit in more than
one class is considered cheating.
If you are choosing to do this assignment please let me know ahead of time so that I
can approve the events. For example, you may choose to attend events related to the
Common Experience book, Silent Spring.
A note on laptops, cellphones and other distractions
You may only use your laptops in class if you are using it to pull up readings. That
means that you may only use it during times that we are actively going over a reading.
Bring a notebook and a pen to take notes. If you are using your laptop at other times or are
looking at websites, games or other work instead of the readings, you will no longer be
permitted to bring your laptop to class and must instead print out all readings. Do not use
your cellphones in class. I will ask you to leave the class and it will count as an absence.
My policy is the same on other electronic distractions.
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Schedule of Readings
Week 1: Introductions
Wednesday, January 20th
Course Introduction
Week 2: Introduction (cont’d)/Women as Scientists
Wednesday, January 27th (Introductory Essay due: bring hard copy to class)
Banu Subramaniam. “Moored Metamorphoses: A Retrospective Essay on Feminist Science
Studies.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, Volume 34, Number 4 (2009).
951-980. (BB)
Sands, Aimee. “Never Meant to Survive, A Black Woman’s Journey: An Interview with
Evelyn Hammonds.” Women, science, and technology: a reader in feminist science studies.
New York: Routledge, 2008. 31-39. (BB)
Beoku-Betts, Josephine. “African Women Pursuing Graduate Studies in the Sciences:
Racism, Gender Bias, and Third World Marginality.” NWSA Journal: Special Issue:
Regendering Science Fields. 16:1 (2004). 116-135. (BB)
Week 3: Women as scientists (cont’d)/Women as research subjects
Wednesday, February 3rd
Barres, Ben. “Does Gender Matter.” Nature. Vol 442: July 13 2006.(BB)
Gill, Martha. “‘Science, it's a girl thing!’ says EU Commission, holding lipstick and bunsen
burner.” New Statesman. June 2012 (online):
http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/martha-gill/2012/06/science-its-girl-thing-says-eucommission-holding-lipstick-and-bunsen-burn
Ad on youtube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g032MPrSjFA
Epstein, Steven. “Histories of the Human Subject.” Inclusion: The Politics of Difference in
Medical Research. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. 30-52. (BB)
Washington, Harriet. “Introduction: The American Janus of Medicine and Race.” Medical
Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial
Times to the Present. New York: First Anchor Books, 2008. 1-22. (BB)
Website: www.cwpe.org (Committee on Women, Population and Environment)
Week 4: Studying scientists and their practice
Wednesday, February 10th (Reading Response #1 due before class)
Film (in class): Asking Different Questions: Women and Science, 51 min
Cohn, Carol. “Sex and Death in The Rational World of Defense Intellectuals” Signs: Journal
of Women in Culture and Society. 12 (Summer 1987). 687-718. (BB)
Exploding the Gene Myth, Chapter 1, pg 1-12.
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Science and Social Inequality, Introduction, pg. 1-13.
Week 5: Science and Social Inequality
Wednesday, February 17th
Science and Social Inequality, Chapter 1: Thinking About Race and Science, pg. 17-30.
Guthman, J. (2006). Embodying neoliberalism: economy, culture, and the politics of fat.
Environment and Planning D: Society and Space. 14(3), 427-448.
Willey, Angela and Sara Giordano. “‘Why Do Voles Fall in Love?’: Sexual Dimorphism
and Monogamy Gene Research.” Gender and the Science of Difference. New Jersey:
Rutgers University Press, 2011. 108-125. (BB)
Week 6: Feminist Approaches to Science
Wednesday, February 24th
Harding, Sandra. “After Absolute Neutrality: Expanding ‘Science.’” Feminist Science Studies:
A New Generation. New York: Routledge, 2001. 291-304. (BB)
Haraway, Donna. “Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the
Privilege of Partial Perspectives.” Feminist Studies. 14, 3 (Autumn 1988). 575-599.
Week 7: Constructing differences: race, gender, sex, sexuality and disability
Wednesday, March 2nd
Preves, Sharon. “Chapter 1: Beyond Pink and Blue.” Intersex and Identity: The Contested Self.
New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2003. 1-23. (BB)
Ordover, Nancy. Selections from American Eugenics: Race, Queer Anatomy, and the Science of
Nationalism. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2003. 59-87. (BB)
Exploding the Gene Myth, pg. 93-98.
Week 8: Constructing differences (cont’d)
Wednesday, March 9th
Film: Race: Power of an Illlusion (Episode 1)
Roberts, Dorothy. “The Invention of Race.” Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big
Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-first Century. New York: The New Press, 2011. 3-25. (BB)
Exploding the Gene Myth, Chapter 2, pg. pg.13-22
Roberts, Dorothy. “Separating Racial Science from Racism.” Fatal Invention: How Science,
Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-first Century. New York: The New Press,
2011. 26-54. (BB)
Haslanger, Sally. “A Social Constructionist Analysis of Race.” Revisiting race in a genomic
age. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 56-69. (BB)
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Hing, Julianne. “The Dubious, Dangerous Science of Race Lives On, Says Scholar.”
Colorlines (online). Sept 23, 2011.
http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/09/dorothy_roberts_fatal_invention.html
Website:
www.racesci.org
Optional:
Gravlee, Clarence C. “How Race Becomes Biology: Embodiment of Social Inequality.”
American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 139 (2009). 47-57. (BB)
Week 9: Constructing differences (cont’d)
Wednesday, March 16th (at least 5 science journal entries posted by today)
Working on Final Projects
*You will work on choosing your final project topic in class. Bring your laptops or print out some of
your popular news items from your science journal.
*Library session in LA-76. You will find your primary science articles during the session. ***Please
bring a laptop with you if possible.
Week 10: Resisting medical “fixes”
Wednesday, March 23rd (Reading response #2 due before class)
Film (in class): Ophelian, Annelise. Diagnosing Difference. San Francisco: Floating Ophelia
Productions, 2009. 64 min.
Week 11: NO CLASS – Spring Break
Wednesday, March 30th
Week 12: Feminist Approaches to Nature and the Environment
Wednesday, April 6th
Film (in-class): Ecofeminism NOW, Greta Gaard
Cronon, W. 1999. The Trouble with Wilderness. In W. Cronon (Ed). Uncommon Ground:
Toward Reinventing Nature (pp. 69-90) New York: WW Norton.
link: http://www.williamcronon.net/writing/Trouble_with_Wilderness_Main.html
Braun, B. (1997). Buried Epistemologies: The Politics of Nature in (Post)colonial British
Columbia. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 87(1), pp. 3-31. (BB)
Week 13: Guest speaker: Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy, Department of American Indian
Studies
Wednesday, April 13th
Week 14: Democratizing science
Wednesday, April 20th
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Weasel, Lisa. “Laboratories Without Walls: The Science Shop as a Model for Feminist
Community Science in Action.” Feminist Science Studies: A New Generation. New
York: Routledge, 2001. 305-320. (BB)
Wallerstein, Nina and Bonnie Duran. “The theoretical, historical, and practice roots of
CBPR” Community-based participatory research for health: From process to outcomes. San
Francisco: John Wiley and Sons, 2008. 25-39. (BB)
Science and Social Inequality, Ch. 4, pg. 66-80
Week 15: Special topic: Gender and the media
Wednesday, April 27th (Reading response #3 due before class)
Film: Missrepresentation (excerpts, 60 min)
Article: Chittal, Nisha. (2015). “How Social Media is Changing the Feminist Movement”
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/how-social-media-changing-the-feminist-movement
Article: Haglage, Abby. (2015). “Female Viagra ‘Is Bad Science’”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/20/female-viagra-is-badscience.html
Article: Noriega, Margarita. (2015). “Does an Engineer Look Like This? Yes.”
http://www.vox.com/2015/8/5/9099719/does-an-engineer-look-like-this-yes
Discussing Final Projects – Come prepared with questions about your final projects!
Week 16: Is a feminist science possible?
Wednesday, May 4th (End-of-semester final thoughts essay due: bring hard copy to class)
Roy, Deboleena. “Feminist Theory in Science: Working Toward a Practical
Transformation.” Hypatia. 19.1 (2004). 255-279. (BB)
Optional: Longino, Helen. “Can There Be A Feminist Science?”, Hypatia Special Issue:
Feminism and Science, Part 1. 2.3 (1987). 51–64. (BB)
Wrap-Up class
Final Project due Wednesday, May 11th
---------Cheating and plagiarism:
Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses. You are plagiarizing or cheating if you:

For written work, copy anything from a book, article or website and add or paste it
into your paper without using quotation marks and/or without providing the full
reference for the quotation, including page number
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
For written work, summarize / paraphrase in your own words ideas you got from a
book, article, or the web without providing the full reference for the source (including
page number in the humanities)

For an oral presentation, copy anything from a book, article, or website and present
it orally as if it were your own words. You must summarize and paraphrase in your
own words, and bring a list of references in case the professor asks to see it

Use visuals or graphs you got from a book, article, or website without providing the
full reference for the picture or table

Recycle a paper you wrote for another class

Turn in the same (or a very similar paper) for two classes

Purchase or otherwise obtain a paper and turn it in as your own work

Copy off of a classmate

Use technology or smuggle in documents to obtain or check information in an exam
situation
In a research paper, it is always better to include too many references than not enough.
When in doubt, always err on the side of caution. If you have too many references it might
make your professor smile; if you don’t have enough you might be suspected of plagiarism.
If you have any question or uncertainty about what is or is not cheating, it is your
responsibility to ask your instructor.
Consequences of cheating and plagiarism
Consequences are at the instructor’s and the Judicial Procedures Office’s discretion.
Instructors are mandated by the CSU system to report the offense to the Judicial Procedures
Office. Consequences may include any of the following:

failing the assignment

failing the class

warning

probation

suspension

expulsion
For more detailed information, read the chapter on plagiarism in the MLA Handbook for
Writers of Research Papers (6th edition, 2003); visit the following website
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml and talk to your professors
before turning in your paper or doing your oral presentation if anything remains unclear.
The University of Indiana has very helpful writing hints for students, including some on
how to cite sources. Please visit http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml for more
information.
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