| Title | Towards developing a feminist science curriculum: A transdisciplinary approach to feminist earth science |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2000 |
| Authors | Mayberry M, Welling L |
| Journal | Transformations |
| Volume | 11 |
| Pagination | 1 |
| Keywords | Course content and curriculum, Culture, Diversity Institute Literature Review, Feminism, Science, Women |
| Summary | Mayberry and Welling examine the lack of feminist critique in the study of science and suggest that newly developed science curriculum will help to overcome this deficiency. Several science classes were developed that examine how science affects politics and culture and how these same forces influence what aspects of science are researched and accepted. |
| Extended Summary | Mayberry and Welling argue that feminist analysis needs to be added to the study of science (and science to feminism studies). A feminist science curriculum does not just mean a focus on gender inequality. It is a view of science as a creation of particular cultures and not as an unbiased set of facts. When knowledge is viewed as created and not discovered, it becomes clear that this creation is most certainly influenced by the dominant group to the exclusion of other perspectives. The authors contend that science education often lacks any cultural perspective.As a first step to altering this paradigm, several courses were implemented into a university science curriculum. In particular, Earth Systems: A Feminist Approach was an introductory course designed for students from a variety of disciplines. The class first includes self reflection about water, where it comes from and why it is important.Expanding this idea to a geological context, the course examines how science and social hydrological practices interact. A combination of readings, videos, and discussions help students to view science practices not merely in the abstract but grounded in their socio-cultural influences.Mayberry and Welling argue that to fully achieve an integration of these practices into science education, courses need to be designed that 1) drop course specific content and embrace content from many different areas2) focus on how nature, science, culture, and scientific practices interact.3) let all students actively and critically examine methods of scientific investigation4) nurture greater understandings of how science is used from political, social, and economic perspectives5) help students create a conscious effort of applying learning to social actions. |
| Recommendations | The lack of feminist analysis in science should be addressed by integrating such subject matter into specific science courses. Students should have the opportunity to view knowledge as something created rather than discovered and view science in the context of how it affects society. |
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