Gender and technology

Lectures: 1 session / week, 3 hours / session

This course investigates the relevance of gender, race, class and sexuality to technology, as well as considering the ways in which technology itself is implicated in the production of these same identity categories. Examining the contemporary and historical use of technology, the development of new technologies, and the cultural representation of technology, we will consider a wide range of questions, including: What role have women played in the development of technology, and how has technological change affected the roles of women and ideas of gender? How does technology offer possibilities for new social relations and how should we evaluate these possibilities? What are the social implications of technology and how is it understood and deployed in different cultural contexts? What is the relationship of embodiment to technology?

None

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to do the following:

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic Press, 2013. ISBN: 9788184771695. [Preview with Google Books]

Turkle, Sherry. Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. Basic Books, 2012. ISBN: 9780465031467.

Attendance and participation are critical to your success in this course. Each class session will focus on one or more topics and be accompanied by appropriate readings. Please be sure to read all assignments in advance, come to class on time and be prepared to discuss your reactions and ideas. Failure to attend will adversely affect your grade. Missing more than two weeks of class is grounds for failure in this course. Active participation in discussion in class is necessary to receive full credit.

They may focus on a single reading of your choice, or respond to another student's discussion question or reaction to a text.

Short critical response papers (2–4 pages each) will be due periodically during the semester. These essays are opportunities for you to reflect on a key concept through a close critical reading of one text, or a comparison of two. You may wish to pursue a theoretical question raised in our blog discussions or in class in more detail in your critical response papers.

The final research paper should be 12–15 pages in length, and is an opportunity to research and analyze a particular technological phenomenon or cultural representation of technology from a critical perspective with attention to gender, class, race, sexuality, and/or ability. The final will demonstrate your proficiency in applying concepts we have been studying to a topic of your choice relevant to gender and technology.

Please be sure that all assignments are word-processed, double-spaced documents in 12 point type of a conventional font. Make sure to include page numbers when quoting from source texts. WGS.115 assumes abilities in spelling, sentence construction, punctuation and other basic writing mechanics. If English is your second (or third, fourth) language and you need or would like additional help with English composition, please speak to me right away.

In order to receive a passing grade for this course, all assignments must be completed. Please talk to me in advance if you know you will have to miss class and/or need an extension on an assignment. It is preferable to negotiate an extension rather than be absent on a day a paper is due, as I will not accept late papers without prior notice.

First paper due

This is not a class meeting, however, students are required to post discussion questions related to the readings on the course website.

Guest Speaker: Mitali Thakor, Ph.D. student in MIT's History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology, & Society program, on technology and sex trafficking

Draft of final paper due

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