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GIST
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Welcome to "GIST": A Course about Gender, Information, Science and Technology, offered in Spring 2011 @ Bryn Mawr College. This is an interestingly different kind of place for writing, and may take some getting used to. The first thing to keep in mind is that this is not a place for "formal writing" or "finished thoughts." It's a place for thoughts-in-progress, for what you're thinking (whether you know it or not) on your way to what you think next. Imagine that you're not worrying about "writing" but instead that you're just talking to some people you've met. This is a "conversation" place, a place to find out what you're thinking yourself, and what other people are thinking, so you can help them think and they can help you think. The idea is that your "thoughts in progress" can help others with their thinking, and theirs can help you with yours.
We're glad you're here, and hope you'll come both to enjoy and value our shared imagining of the future evolution of ourselves as individuals and of our gendered, scientific, technological world. Feel free to comment on any post below, or to POST YOUR THOUGHTS HERE....
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Thoughts on Categories and Labels
While in our small discussion groups on Wednesday, my group and I discussed the categories of gay and straight sexualities. Like the other groups in the class, we decided that while these categories had many negative impacts on society that in a way they were still necessary. Without them, how could we build a sense of self and identity. We talked about how the categories encourage the idea of a hierarchy in which one sexuality was better than the other, or viewed as the norm, but it would difficult and perhaps impossible to get rid of them completely.
![kgould's picture kgould's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-228.jpg)
I have a friend...
...that wants to raise her children as gender-neutral. Rather than assign them gender from birth, she wants to allow them to develop on their own and make their own decisions regarding their identity.
We approached her plan with skepticism--the same level of skepticism we saw in class when the same course of action was suggested for us. Would that really make a difference?
Because it's not entirely about an individual's upbringing. It's also about the culture we live in. A child is going to be as much influenced by the society and social environment around them as they are influenced by how they are raised by their parents.
It almost seems like gender has become a dirty word.
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Future of Diversity?
I was intrigued during our class discussion about how almost all of the groups decided to keep the often polarized categories about biology and sexuality even though almost everybody agreed that these categories were flawed. Despite their flaws, I dont think a utopian society where these categories will be eliminated would be a good thing. Overall, it raises the question: what is the best way to accept diversity? Do we ignore it or do we embrace and celebrate it.
Our discussion reminded me of a Newsweek article, "Is Your Baby Racist."
![J.Yoo's picture J.Yoo's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-854.png)
Labels and Scales.
In the Trangendered vs. Cisgender group, we discussed the problems labels created, but also how they have helped recognize these problems. Humans are geared towards classifying things: it's how we learn and understand. Label-less things are lumped into a group with other label-less things, most of which are generally overlooked. So, if we chuck the Transgender label, although we might be able to tone down some discrimination, the issue would get tossed into the "Work on it Later' pile. Haraway says she would rather be, "A Cyborg than a Goddess," but if that goddess knows exactly who she is and what label she has collected, it doesn't look half bad to me.
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Categories
I've been thinking about our discussion on categories. There were arguments supporting both sides of what to do with categories. Most of the class seemed to be on the side of keeping these categories, however there was still some discussion on 'how' we could get rid of the categories. What occurred to me, however, is that we can't get rid of categories. Our nervous system is based on pattern formation. On a purely biological level we work by making categories. I was discussing this with my group and that is partly why we argued for keeping categories. We couldn't get rid of them even if we wanted to, it's in our nature.
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Categorization and the brain...
Categorization. This is a concept we looked at in class, and seems to be the topic of many of these posts. I was in the transgender/cisgender group, and I have to admit, I'm still confused. I really don't know what the point of those categories are and if they are needed. I don't know if anyone can provide a solid "this-is-it" answer, and it seems as though our class couldn't come up with one particular solution, either.
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Education is not the answer.
After thinking about our conversation in class and reading some of my peers comments online about how to deal with categorization- I've had a slight change in heart.
![Hilary_Brashear's picture Hilary_Brashear's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-863.jpg)
Some Thoughts on Identity and Public Policies
This is partially a response to leammirella’s post “Identity Strip Poker” and to our discussion of how labels can be valuable because they can be a tool with which to assert and define our individuality. We mentioned that a possible downside to a utopian society without labels or categories would be the inability to identify ourselves. However the more I think about this utopia world I suspect that if labels are no longer necessary then the need for the conception of identity would no longer be necessary. Not all cultures place such a strong emphasis on the individual and individual identity. In fact the conception of the individual we think of today is a product of modern thought.
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Gender Diversity in the Classroom
Since Wednesday’s discussion I have been thinking about the subject of gender diversity particularly within the context of education. Over the summer I worked at a camp. One of the younger children was gender diverse and often not treated like the other kids. The counselors were rather split on their opinions. Some counselors felt that because the child was so young it was the parents’ responsibility to instill a sense of standard gender expression while others thought it was great that a kid so young was able to express himself without the parents or any other influences attempting to condition the gender norms into his self-expression.
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Some ideas about gender and sexuality categorization
The discussion about categorization between groups with different sexual orientations was very interesting. After discussing Haraway's reading, everyone seemed to agree with her idea that categorization causes lots of problems and it is better to break the barrier between groups that are categorized differently. However, it was little surprising that almost every group came up with the same conclusion that we need the categorization for practical purposes. Personally, as a person who was born and raised in an extremely homophobic society, Korea, I find the discussions about gender and sexual categorizations extremly interesting. In Korea, categorization does not even exist because they are not acknowledged as a part of society.
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changing thinking
From the discussions we have had so far, I can’t really get a good feeling about the category abolition argument. It seems like every ‘solution’ is too easy to shoot down, especially with the all-encompassing ‘Well how are you going to implement it?’ Any modification to an existing system is going to cause public outcry or be difficult to physically apply and even creates new polarizing categories (those in favor and those against.)
In class I said something about not going for the ‘extremes’ of the argument, but after thinking about it, this is garbage- we already live in that kind of society, based on class systems that have probably caused irreparable damage and make total acceptance impossible. The gray area here still applies polarizing categories in some way.
![rubikscube's picture rubikscube's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-870.jpg)
gender neutral
When searching for contemporary examples of gender diversity, I came across an article about Norrie May-Welby, the first person in the world to officially have a non-specified gender. http://current.com/news/92329547_meet-the-worlds-first-legally-genderless-person.htm
![tangerines's picture tangerines's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-831.gif)
Conquering Discrimination with Education
Our discussion in class on Wednesday displayed a general discomfort with gender & sexual binaries, yet there was no single, effective plan of action presented. To be honest I don't think there is one way to solve the problems presented by these binaries. It is impossible to encourage every member of our society to be on board with a new ways of thinking about gender and sexuality. Even if one found a way to do it, there would still be many people who refused to embrace this new world of blurred boundaries. However, I do believe that education is vital. Perhaps humans require labels to make sense of the world, perhaps labels are evil and only serve to divide us; either way I think it is too radical to attempt to eradicate them altogether.
![leamirella's picture leamirella's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-855.jpg)
Identity Strip Poker
I'm going to start off my saying that the term 'identity strip poker' was coined by my theatre professor. Although it was in a slightly different context, I think that it comes in handy explaining the things that I will highlight in this post.
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Class Notes 2/2/2011 Ideas Into Action
Day5
Since MissArcher posted very thoroughly first I will add my notes in bullet form to give main ideas.
-Begin by going over posts about control; raise the question of whether man or machine is in control of a cyborg relationship and the possibilities of controlling other people
-Split up into pre-designated groups to discuss binary categories. Each group has 15 minutes to discus the uses,damages, and possible future of the categories. Group must then decide if they would keep the categories or change them. If they change the categories then Anne asks how they would implement this change in the world today.
Group 1 Masculine and Feminine Genders
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Class Notes from Day 5: Ideas to Actions
Day Five
Classroom: we’re stuck here, so we will cope.
Our celebrations and resistances of Haraway and Clark’s boundary blurring:
Let’s pay attention to these other points of view. Concerns about control, machines vs humans, humans vs other humans through machines…conflicting views about our connections with machines. Still questioning if we are intrinsically technological or if that’s something we could, or should separate from. Does technology change us? Physically?
Group presentations of discussion:
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introducing the Book
After class today, Liz and I went to a faculty meeting, where one of the items of business was the Tri-co Digital Humanities initiative. Conversation was kicked off w/ this l'il video, Introducing the Book, which I thought you all might enjoy as much as the faculty did. It highlights --and spoofs--some of the conversation we've been having, perhaps especially Cara's observation that in rejecting one kind of technology we are always clinging to another, more familiar one.
![Apocalipsis's picture Apocalipsis's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-836.jpg)
Roughgarden Reading Notes
Just in case, I figured I'd post my reading notes on Roughgarden if any of us should need them.
Joan Roughgarden. Introduction and Part One: "Animal Rainbows." Evolution's Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004. 1-181
Introduction
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Day 4 1/31/11 GIST Class Summary
Notes for DAY 4: GIST 1/31/11 Class Summary
On week when posting class notes, we don’t have to post additionally.
Also when mentioning peer comments in our posts, Include usernames.
Activity: