Science Report

Pemwrez2009

General Studies 254: Gender and Science

Professors Anne Dalke and Elizabeth McCormack

Paper 4: Final Paper

 

Abstract: After having met with the two of you I did a lot of thinking about how I wanted my final paper to represent what I have taken from this past term, what I am passionate about, and how I would like to see the world of science—but more specifically, physics transition to becoming a more accessible and rewarding experience for those who struggle in the sciences though still have a passion.

For this assignment I have studied our syllabus as well as my old physics syllabi from high school and the syllabus online for the introductory physics course offered at Bryn Mawr.

For this assignment, I am going to try to write a paper on the three waves of feminism and argue which wave correlates most successfully with Karen Barad’s theories in her own approach to teaching quantum physics as well as some of her critiques of physics. Here’s the catch, I want to try to structure this so that it fits into the framework of a lab report—or the kind of lab report I used to turn in to my teachers in high school following the scientific method.

 

Introduction:

- Statement:

o In this experiment I plan on analyzing the texts by Karen Barad that we have read this term and examining her theories in conjunction with research on the three waves of feminism in order to best draw a conclusion based on which wave of feminism identifies Barad’s theories and critiques with the most accuracy.

- Hypothesis:

o Based solely on my own knowledge of the three waves of feminism, Karen Barad’s aggressive attitude towards certain forms of science and in her serious disdain for ideas like nature vs. culture (or the male which is considered the natural and the woman which is thought of the cultural) and her hostile rejection of traditional masculine systems of teaching physics, I would associate Barad the most with characteristics of the second wave.

Experiment:

- Materials:

o Barad, Karen. "Meeting the Universe Halfway: Realism and Social Constructivism Without Contradiction." Feminism, Science, and the Philosophy of Science. Ed. L.H. Nelson and J. Nelson. London: Kluwer Academic, 1996. 161-194.

o Barad, Karen. "A Feminist Approach to Teaching Quantum Physics." Teaching the Majority: Breaking the Gender Barrier in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering. Ed. Sue Rosser. New York: Teachers College Press, 1995. 43-75.

o Barad, Karen. "Scientific Literacy--> Agential Literacy= (Learning + Doing) Science Responsibly." Feminist Science Studies, ed. Mayberry et. al., 2001. 226-246.

o McIntosh, Peggy. "Interactive Phases of Curricular Revision: A Feminist Perspective." Working Paper #124. Wellesley College Center for Research on Women. 1983.

o Gender and Science Syllabus: /sci_cult/courses/genderscience/

o Trevor Day School 10th Grade Online Text Book: https://www.trevornet.org/tds/physics_guide/PG10/

o Trevor Day School 11th Grade Online Text Book: https://www.trevornet.org/tds/physics_guide/PG11/

- Procedure:

1) Read over all Barad articles, make sure you have a clear understanding

2) Read over Anne Dalke’s e-mails on the waves of feminism

3) Read the Peggy McIntosh pamphlet

4) Analyze what first wave, second wave, and third wave critiques on science would look like

5) Note the connections Barad has with each of the waves

Results:

- Raw Data:

First Wave Feminism

(Equality Feminism, Liberal Feminism)

Second Wave Feminism

(Difference Feminism, Marxist Feminism, Socialist Feminism, Radical Feminism, Cultural Feminism, Separatist Feminism, Lesbian Feminism, Psychoanalytic Feminism)

Third Wave Feminism

(Postmodern Feminism, Essentialist Feminism, Global Feminism)

- Marked as the first era of feminism during the ninetieth century and early twentieth century

- Focused on absolute rightsàsufferage

- Its main focus was on the inequalities between the sexes in political situations as well as in basic societal practices and roles—though they are more severe in that women’s freedoms were limited on a legislative level.

-

aimed at formal civic, economic & ed'l equality for women
also known as classic, Liberal Feminism
uses language of autonomy and self-improvement

key texts: Mary Wollstonecraft, John Stuart Mill, Margaret Fuller

also known as Equality Feminism-- the belief that men and women should be treated the same

in distinction from

Difference Feminism--the belief that men and women are fundamentally different, aka

- Marked by its boom in the 1960s

- Associates inequalities by practice and on a legislative level to be closely tied and impossible to be addressed separately

- Empowered women to embrace the political importance of their lives

- Looked to end discrimination and oppression on all levels

- Beginning in the early 1990s

- Came to be as the result of some of the backlash of second wave feminism

- Subverts common/essentialist perceptions of femininity

- Challenges the absolute nature of gender terms and categories

- Embraces the idea that being female has no single definition

Analysis:

- Processed Data:

Karen Barad

1st Wave 2nd Wave 3rd Wave

- knowledge should be connected to a social work

- use knowledge to encourage social responsibility

- knowledge of scientific models from the past and the current

- identify and solve problems

- acknowledging social responsibility

- learning to ask good/productive questions

- value curiosity

- part of purpose of education is to question assumptions

- participation

- accessibility

 

- allegiance with Bohr’s model of quantum physics because it rejects many traditional methods of studying physics

- we have effect on the world we live on so we must take responsibility

- against nature vs. culture

- hates ideas like physics for poets, kitchen physics, and conceptual physics because she sees them as dumbing down the sciences

- embraces the idea of framing physics with an emphasis on our interactions with the world in a constructive manner to the world

- we must own our perspectives/influences/interactions

- acknowledging social responsibility

- part of purpose of education is to question assumptions

- participation

- accessibility

 

- the human as an agent is most important

- notion that we do not necessarily have access to anything fully independent of ourselves

- Uncertainty Principle in Quantum physics should be called the “ambiguous” because it is assumed that the scientist is uncertain

- grapples with ideas of identity and identifying

- one cannot understand their responsibility to the world unless they are aware of their interactions with the world

- we must own our perspectives/influences/interactions

- knowledge of scientific models from the past and the current

- learning to ask good/productive questions

- value curiosity

- part of purpose of education is to question assumptions

- participation

- accessibility

 

 

In her essay Meeting the Universe Halfway, Karen Barad emphasizes her theory of agential realism. Agential realism is a view of the world as a whole rather than composed of separate norms and social spheres. According to Barad, agential realism is composed of both social agencies and what she identifies as “natural” agencies. These agencies are the products of our “intra-actions” with the world we live in. From her feminist critique of science Barad isolates her four largest concerns produced by science in its intra-actions with the world. Her first is that to the scientist and observer play an integral role in the way they interact with their environments. Because both positions possess agency in their experience with science and the knowledge that they are responsible for creating based on those experiences. Secondly, the observer is just as much an agent as the environment he or she is studying. Thirdly, there is no absolute understanding of reality as it exists without us, nor will we ever come to an understanding because it is impossible to experience the world without being there. Lastly, she emphasizes that we must create a discourse of the creation of knowledge which includes accountability and responsibility in that our physical actions can have physical repercussions.

 

These four critiques are composed of what seem to be a mixture of both first and second wave feminist ideals. The emphasis she put on taking responsibility is very second wave in that in order to make a difference and to approach learning what we do not already know we must acknowledge our place and agency in society and the same for what or who we are being compared to. In a different light simply acknowledging the importance of our role and potential in society (or in science) is a very first wave notion.

 

Another way Barad has shown traces of a second wave mentality is in her argument for more structural differences in actively teaching science. She is against the idea of creating classes to cater to students who feel as though they do not have this “math brain” or what she explains as “dumbing down the science” to attract interest. On page 240 of her essay, Scientific Literacy + Agential Literacy = (Learning + Doing) Science Responsibility she elaborates on her own ideas of how the sciences should be approached to make them more accessible.

 

The approach used is trans/disciplinary, and the readings are drawn from a range of literatures including anthropology, philosophy, history, sociology, feminist theory, cultural studies and physics. This approach is different from ones that merely attempt to place physics in its historical, philosophical, sociological or cultural “context” by adding tidbits from other disciplines (such as the history and philosophy of science) that seem appropriate to the topic at hand.”

 

Though, she is adamant in her interdisciplinary approach to the sciences and though it emphasizes teaching science in many ways and not buying into ideas of math brains or English brains her main focus which seems to permeate every aspect of her work is that of accessibility.

 

Accessibility is evident in all three waves of feminism and is the key to creating change. In shaping the sciences the attraction of such an interdisciplinary breath of study would allow for issues to be broken down as basic scientific elements that concern larger issues. This would ensure those looking for equal opportunity in their studies the security that their classes will not be dumbed down for them, as well as give people a broader perspective of the magnitude of scientific thinking.

 

 

 

 

Conclusion:

In conclusion it seems, that Barad’s ideas can not be placed in one wave or another. She attacks science in a similar way to how the waves of feminism build on each other. Realizing the importance of the issues and thereafter determining that accessibility plays an important role in finding people who will not be too intimidated to participation. With participation comes a sense of agency and self importance which leads to other changes, not just in the class room but maybe as how science is framed as an institution. Lastly, once we are able to advance more and more women into the sciences we may be able to reclaim spaces that were once exclusionary to us and build upon them as historically significant and could possible have a relevance in that time as well.