Women's Studies / Sociology 4107 -
WOMEN AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE
Professor: Ellen Balka
Course Description:
This advanced seminar will provide an interdisciplinary survey of the effects of technology on women's lives. Topics will include: the historical development of domestic technology; changes in workplace technology and their impact on women; assessing technologies from a feminist perspective; the design of technological systems; new reproductive technologies; information technologies; and developments in architecture and design. The course will combine seminar discussions of readings with in-class exercises. No prior knowledge of the social impacts of technology is required.
Required readings:
- Aaron, J.E. (1994). Little Brown Essentials Handbook. Little Brown & Co.: Toronto.
- Cockburn, C. & Ormrod, S. (1993). Gender and technology in the making. London: Sage.
- Wajcman, Judy. (1991). Feminism confronts technology. Pennsylvania University Press: University Park.
Assignments:
Ungraded paper proposal 3%
Weekly writing (9 weeks) 27%
Seminar participation 10%
Mid-term exam 25%
Final Project or Paper 35%
*Weekly writing should contain student's critical reflections on the readings.
**Students will have the option of doing a final project (e.g., inventing or modifying an existing technology to better accommodate women's needs), writing a research paper, or assessing a technology.
This course can be used for credit towards either a Sociology major or minor, or a Women's Studies minor.
Women's Studies / Sociology 4107:
Women and Technological Change
Winter, 1996
Mondays, 2:00- 5:00, Women's Studies Seminar Room
Professor: Ellen Balka Office Hours: Monday, 12:00-2:00
Office: Science Building, Room 4079 Monday,5:00-6:00
Phone: 737-2515 and by appointment
Week 1 Jan. 15 Introduction and Overview of the course
Theories about Science and Technology
2 Jan. 22 Gender, Science and Technology: An Overview
Appropriate Technology
Keller, L.S. (1992). Discovering and doing: Science and
technology, an introduction. In G. Kirkup and L.S. Keller
(Eds.). Inventing women: Science, technoogy and gender. (21
pages) Reserve
Hacker, S. (1989) Pleasure, power and technology: Some tales of
gender, engineering and the cooperative workplace. Unwin Hyman:
London. Chapter 2 Reserve. (16 pages) (Handout)
Wajcman, Chapter 1 (26 pages)
Recomended: Gill, R. And Grint, K. (1995). Introduction. In R.
Gill and K. Grint (Eds.). The gender-technology relation:
Contemporary theory and research. Taylor and Frances: London.
Reserve. (28 pages).
In class exercise: Deciding if a technology is appropriate.
3 Jan. 29 Feminist Critiques of Technology & Technology Assessment
Cockburn and Ormrod, Introduction and Chapter 1 (40 pages).
Bush, C.G. (1983) Women and the assessment of technology: To
think, to be, to unthink, to be. In J. Rothschild, (Ed.). Machina
ex dea: Feminist presepectives on technology. Pergamon: New York.
Reserve (20 pages)
In class exercise: Technology Assessment.
4 Feb. 5 Power, Pleasure and Engineering
(women's participation in developing technology)
Wajcman, Chapter 6 (25 pages)
Ungraded Term Project Proposal Due
In class exercise: Appliance dismantling.
Please bring small, broken appliances to class
5 Feb. 12 Case Study 1: Work and Technology-the making of microwaves
Cockburn and Ormrod, Chapter 2 and 3 (57 pages)
In class exercise: Students will describe cooperative
reorganization of workplace.
6 Feb. 19 Case Study 2: Work and Technology-traditional women's work
Wajcman, Chapter 2 (27 pages)
Messing, K. (1995). Chicken or egg: Biological differences and
the sexual division of labour. In K. Messing, B. Neis & L.
Dumais (Eds.). Invisible: Issues in women's occupational health.
Reserve (23 pages)
In class exercise:Students will specify improvements to
workplace technology.
7 26 In Class Midterm Exam
Case Study 3: The Built Environment
Wajcman, Chapter 5 (26 pages)
In class exercise: Students will describe modifications to a
university building that will better accommodate women.
8 Mar. 4 SEMESTER BREAK- NO CLASS
9 Mar. 11 Case Study 4: Household Technology
Wajcman, Chapter 4 (29 pages)
Cockburn and Ormrod, Chapters 4 and 5 (57 pages).
In class exercise: In groups, students will describe
improvements to household technologies of their choice.
10 Mar. 18 Case Study 5: New Reproductive Technologies
Wajcman, Chapter 3 (27 pages)
Menzies, H. (1994). The social construction of reproductive
technologies and of choice. In G. Basen, M. Eichler and A.
Lippman (Eds.). Misconceptions: The social construction of
choice and the new reproductive and genetic technologies.
Voageur Press: Prescott, Ontario. Reserve. (15 pages).
Messing, K. & Ouellette. (1994). A prevention oriented approach
to reproductive problems: Identifyng environmental effects. In
G. Basen, M. Eichler and A. Lippman (Eds.). Misconceptions: The
social construction of choice and the new reproductive and
genetic technologies Voageur Press: Prescott, Ontario. .
Reserve. (7 pages).
Strongly recomended:
Cox, S. (1991). Mapping feminist dissent on new reproductive
technologies. Unpublished Master's Thesis, Sociology Dept.,
Simon Fraser University. Chapters. 4 & 5 Reserve (33 pages)
In class movie: Making Perfect Babies
11 Mar. 25 Case Study 6: Computer Networks and Communications
Kirkup, G. (1992). The social construction of computers: Hammers
or harpsichords? In G. Kirkup and L.S. Keller (Eds.). Inventing
women: Science, technoogy and gender. (21 pages) Reserve.
Benston, M.L. (1989). Feminism and system design: Questions of
control. In W. Tomm, (Ed.). The effects of feminist approaches
on research methodologies. Calgary Institute for the Humanities:
Calgary. Reserve (19 pages).
In class exercise: Students will specify criteria to be used in
a provincial women's computer network.
12 April 1 New Directions: Participatory Technology
Cockburn and Ormrod, Chapter 6 (24 pages).
Benston, M. (1986). Questioning authority: Feminism and
scientific expertise. Resources for feminist research, 15(3),
71-73. Reserve (3 pages)
Wise, A. (1985). Forward. In Collective Design/Projects (Eds.).
Very nice work if you can get it: The socially useful production
debate. Spokesman: Nottingham. Reserve. (19 pages).
In class exercise: Students will use participatory methods to
re-invent a technology.
13 April 8 Wrap-up
In class exercise: Students will present 5-10 minute
descriptions of their term projects.
Women's Studies / Sociology 4107: Women and Technological
Change
Winter, 1996
Information about Assignments and Grading
Assignments:
Ungraded Final Project Proposal 3%
Weekly writing 27%
Seminar participation 10%
Mid-term exam 25%
Final Project or Paper 35%
Ungraded Research Proposal Due Week 4: Feb. 5
Rationale:
Although this is an ungraded assignment, in some senses it is the most important assignment of the semester. It is included for the following reasons. 1) to get you to decide on a research topic early in the term; 2) to inform me about your research interests; 3) to begin a dialogue between you and I about your topic, which will both allow me to give you feedback and helpful hints early on, and protect you (I won't say at the end of the semester "I didn't know you were doing x"). This assignment is mandatory.
Requirements:
Fill out the FINAL PROJECT/PAPER PROPOSAL SHEET handed out in class and turn it in on time.
Midterm Exam Week 7: February 26
You will be given an in class midterm exam, that may include some definitions, essay questions and possibly a few multiple guess questions (though the later will be a minimal portion of the exam). You will be permitted to review your texts and class notes during the exam. However, if you come to class poorly prepared for the exam and spend lots of time looking at your notes, you will have inadequate time to finish your exam.
Weekly writing Beginning of class weeks
2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10 and 11:
Each week you should write no more than 2 handwritten or 1 typed page (double spaced). You should reflect on the readings assigned for that week (let me know what you thought of them), recount any interesting experiences you had with technology over the week, or random thoughts you had on the subject of women and technology (though these should not be used as a substitute for critical comments on the readings). The idea here is to let me know you've read the assigned material, and let me know what you think about it and how you are applying it. Weekly writing will be graded on the basis of a) coverage of assigned readings; b) analysis of readings and other events recorded in journals. For each weekly writing, students will receive either no credit (for late work or work lacking evidence of preparation), 1 point (below average), 2 points (adequate) or 3 points (above average).
Final Project or Paper Exam week: April 15
Deliver to Women's Studies Office by 5:00
p.m.
With prior approval from me, students can work in pairs or groups to complete their final assignment.
If you choose to do a research paper, it should have an introduction that ends by telling me how your paper is laid out, and what you will cover. The next section should review relevant literature, and discuss how it is or is not relevant to your topic. You should be arguing a point to me throughout your paper, and you should refer to published articles and books, as well as your own thoughts, in convincing me of your point. Your paper should end with a conclusion that discusses the implications of what you found. You should reference all material (both direct quotes and material paraphrased), and include a bibliography. You may want to consult a book on essay writing, such as Sheridan Baker's The Practical Stylist for tips on essay writing.
If you choose to invent or modify an existing technology, your paper should begin by describing why you chose to invent or modify the technology you did. What need will it fill? Who might it benefit? The second section should describe the technology. This can be accompanied by drawings or a model, or anything else you think would be appropriate. In describing your invention or modification, you should discuss materials your technology will use, how it might be marketed, distributed and advertised. How will you transport it to the marketplace? Who is likely to consume it? How much will it cost? What, if any materials or other products will your production of that technology depend upon? Are there other similar technologies you will have to compete with? Why is your technology better that what exists?
If you choose to do a technology assessment, you should begin by identifying the technology you have chosen, and indicate which of the three technology assessment methodologies presented in class you chose to use and why you chose it. Next, you should follow the steps in the technology assessment method you chose, providing detail where appropriate.
Late papers will only be accepted under exceptional circumstances, with documentation.
Class Participation Ongoing
The first part of class participation is being in class. The second part is contributing to class discussion and exercises. The third part has to do with describing to the class the content of your final project, at the end of the semester.
Grading
Students are expected to follow conventions of grammar when writing their assignments, and should refer to Little Brown Essentials Handbook if they have any questions about grammar and punctuation. Assignments will be corrected according to editing marks found on the inside cover of the handbook. All assignments will be marked according to the following criteria (reproduced from p. 59 of the 1995-1996 Memorial University Calendar):
"A" (80-100%) indicates EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE with clear evidence of
- a comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter and principles treated in the course
- a high degree of originality and independence of thought
- a superior ability to organize and analyze ideas and
- an outstanding ability to communicate.
"B" (65-75%) indicates GOOD PERFORMANCE with evidence of
- a substantial knowledge of the subject matter
- a moderate degree of originality and independence of thought
- a good ability to organize and analyze ideas and
- an ability to communicate clearly and fluently.
"C" (55-60%) indicates SATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE with evidence of
- an acceptable grasp of the subject matter
- some ability to organize and analyze ideas and
- ability to communicate adequately.
"D" (50%) indicates MINIMALLY ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE with evidence of
- rudimentary knowledge of the subject matter
- some evidence that organizational and analytic skills have been developed, but with significant weaknesses in some areas, and
- significant weaknesses in the ability to communicate.
"F" (below 50%) indicates FAILING PERFORMANCE with evidence of
- an adequate knowledge of the subject matte
- failure to complete required work
- inability to organize and analyze ideas and
- inability to communicate,
or failure to complete required work.
Students are advised to familiarize themselves with the section of the Memorial University Calendar (1995-1996) titled 'Academic Offenses' on p. 60. In particular, students should note that it is considered an academic offense to submit work for one course which has been or is being submitted for another course without express permission to do so (Calendar, p. 60). In addition, academic offenses include submitting someone else's paper as your own, and not properly crediting sources in essays. If you have any questions about how to properly cite the work of others in your essays, you should speak to either your professor or teaching assistant prior to handing in your assignment.