L597: Gender and Computerization

(Topics in Library and Information Science)

Semester: Spring 2002
Time: T 1-3:45 p.m.
Place: Library Room 001

Instructor: Dr. Susan Herring
Office: Library 005 B
Phone: 856-4919 (voice mail)
Email: herring@indiana.edu

Required Readings:
Photocopied articles to be put on reserve in the SLIS library.

Recommended texts:
Cherny, L. & E. Weise, eds. (1996), wired_women. Seattle: Seal Press.
Harcourt, W., ed. (1999) women@internet: Creating New Cultures in Cyberspace. London: Zed Books.

  1. Background
    Technology, with its associations with engineering, has traditionally been a mostly male preserve. Information and communication technology (ICT) continues this tradition. More men than women study computer science; design, implement, and administer computer networks; and - until very recently - use the Internet. Yet as computerization spreads globally, pervading every aspect of human existence from medicine to education to grocery shopping, the gendered nature of ICT takes on ever increasing social and practical importance. Democratic societies have an interest in ensuring equitable access to all of their members to the potential benefits of computing, in order to maximize the productive potential of the population as a whole. At the same time, female users may have different experiences, needs and perspectives than male users, such that when it comes to ICT design and use, "one size" may not necessarily "fit all".

    This course explores the history and mechanisms of - and alternatives to - traditional male control of computer technology, with special focus on information and communication technologies such as the Internet and the World Wide Web. Basic questions to be addressed include: How did computers come to be associated with male interests, such that even females tend to see them as better suited to boys and men? How is this association maintained (or challenged) now that computers have become widely accessible and easy to use? What would computers and computer networks look like if they were designed by women? How can more females be encouraged to acquire technical skills and enter computing-related professions? Seeking answers to these questions will not only broaden your social and historical perspective on ICT, but will help you to understand males' and females' experience with computer technology, with its attendant implications for ICT design, education, business, and policy.

  2. Course description
    This course explores the relationship between information communication technology (ICT) and the gender of the people who design, use, administer, and make policy concerning computer systems and computer networks such as the Internet. It seeks to understand why the people who traditionally predominate in those roles are male, by examining historical, social, cultural, and educational practice. We then consider changes that are currently taking place - for example, the widespread popularization and commercialization of the Internet - and their implications for gender and work, globalization, and computer interface design. Finally, we turn to alternative scenarios in which females exercise equal or greater influence than males on computer technology, and consider what interventions are available to encourage more women and girls to seek training for and enter computing-related professions.

  3. Course objectives
    After successfully completing this course, students should have an understanding of the role of gender as a social force in shaping computer technology. They should have a balanced and nuanced appreciation of what (and under what circumstances) gender differences in ICT exist, why they exist, and what, practically, can be done to help bring about more gender-equitable outcomes.

  4. Student requirements
    All students are expected to do the assigned readings before class each week. Students will take reading notes for each article, to be turned in but not graded except by a check mark to indicate that the notes were completed. The reading notes should be 1-2 paragraphs long, and should include a concise (1-2 sentence) summary of the main points of the article, along with the student's reactions to it in the form of comments and/or questions

    There will be several observation reports during the semester in which students collect and present data related to gender and computerization based on first-hand observation. The reports should be 2-3 typed pages long, and may include appendices listing the instances observed.

    The major requirement for the course is a research paper on some aspect of gender and computerization, due at the end of the semester. The paper should be in the range of 4500-7000 words long, not counting appendices, and should follow the formal conventions for a publishable-quality journal article, including footnotes and citations of scholarly work in APA (American Psychological Association) style.

    In the last week of class, each student will present an oral presentation (10-15 minutes, depending on the number of students enrolled) of his or her term paper research to the rest of the class.

  5. Student evaluation
    The final grade for students enrolled in the course will be calculated as follows:
    Reading notes and participation: 30%
    Observation reports 20%
    Oral presentation 15%
    Term paper 35%
    Total:
    		 100%

  6. Course schedule
    (subject to revision)

    Week 1:
    [Instructor attending Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (http://www.hicss.org). Class will not meet.]

    Attend Brenda Laurel's presentation at IUB on January 14th. (Time and place TBA.)

    Week 2:
    Historical contributions of women to technology. Women as users, women as inventors.

    Read:
    1. Davies, M. (1988). "Women clerical workers and the typewriter: The writing machine." In C. Kramarae (Ed.), Technology and Women's Voices: Keeping in Touch (pp.29-40). New York: Routledge.
    2. Rakow, L. (1988). "Women and the telephone: The gendering of a communication technology." In C. Kramarae (Ed.), Technology and Women's Voices: Keeping in Touch (pp.207-228). New York: Routledge.
    3. Gürer, D. (1995). "Pioneering women in computer science." Communications of the ACM 38(1), 45-54.
    4. Klawe, M. & N. Leveson (1995). "Women in computing: Where are we now?" Communications of the ACM 38(1), 29-35.

    Week 3:
    Computational reticence: Are women less interested in computers? Attitudes towards computers.

    Read:
    1. Turkle, S. (1988). "Computational reticence: Why women fear the intimate machine." In C. Kramarae (Ed.), Technology and Women's Voices, 41-61.
    2. Badagliacco, J. (1990). "Gender and race differences in computing attitudes and experiences." Social Science Computer Review 8(1), 42-63.
    3. Kramer, P. & S. Lehman (1990). "Mismeasuring women: A critique of research on computer avoidance." Signs 16(1), 158-172.
    4. Ray, C. M., C. Sormunen, & T. M. Harris (1999). "Men's and women's attitudes toward computer technology: A comparison." Office Systems Research Journal 17(1), Spring. http://www.nyu.edu/education/alt/beprogram/osrajournal/ray.PDF

    Week 4:
    The cultural construction of computers as masculine. Values and beliefs embedded in scientific and popular discourses about computing.

    1st Observation Report: Photocopy 10-15 advertisements from current magazines showing computers and humans, and describe how females and males are portrayed. OR: Do the same for 10-15 current cartoons showing computers and humans.

    Read:
    1. Edwards, P. (1990). "The army and the microworld: Computers and the politics of gender identity." (pp.102-127).
    2. Michaleson, G. (1994). "Women and men in computer cartoons 1946-1982." In A. Adam et al. (Eds.), Women, Work and Computerization.
    3. Ware, M. & M. F. Stuck (1985). "Sex-role messages vis-à-vis microcomputer use: A look at the pictures." Sex Roles 13(3/4), 205-214.
    4. Borsook, P. (1996). "The memoirs of a token: An aging Berkeley feminist examines Wired." In L. Cherny & E. Weise (Eds.), wired_women (pp.24-41). Seattle: Seal Press.

    Week 5: Male perspectives on computing. Hacker culture, geeks, and nerds.
    Guest lecture: John Paolillo, SLIS

    Read:
    1. Hacker, S. (1990). "The culture of engineering." In S. Hacker, D. Smith, & S. Turner (Eds.), Doing it the Hard Way: Investigating Gender and Technology (pp. 111-112). London: Unwin Hyman.
    2. Turkle, S. (1984). "Hackers: Loving the machine for itself." In The Second Self. New York: Simon and Schuster.
    3. Kendall, L. (1999). " 'The nerd within': Mass media and the negotiation of identity among computer-using males." The Journal of Men's Studies 7(3), 353-369.
    4. Hapnes, T. & K. Sørensen (1995). "Competition and collaboration in male shaping of computing: A study of a Norwegian hacker culture." In K. Grint & R. Gill (Eds.), The Gender-Technology Relation: Contemporary Theory and Research (pp.174-191). Taylor & Francis.

    Week 6: Computer-mediated communication on the Internet (Part I). Potential and struggle.

    Read:
    1. Light, J. (1995). "The digital landscape: New space for women?" Gender, Play and Culture 2(2), 133-146.
    2. Herring, S. (1993). "Gender and democracy in computer-mediated communication." Electronic Journal of Communication 3(2). http://www.cios.org/www/ejc/v3n293.htm
    3. Camp, L. Jean. (1996). "We are geeks, and we are not guys: The systers mailing list." In L. Cherny and E. R. Weise (Eds.),Wired_Women: Gender and New Realities in Cyberspace (pp.114-125). Seattle: Seal Press.
    4. Dibell, J. (1993). "A rape in cyberspace." The Village Voice, Dec. 21, 36-42. http://www.levity.com/julian/bungle.html
    5. Spertus, E. (1996). "Social and technical means for fighting on-line harassment." http://www.mit.edu/people/ellens/Gender/glc

    Week 7: Computer-mediated communication on the Internet (Part II). Gender, identity, and sexuality.
    Read:
    1. Bruckman, A. (1993). "Gender swapping on the Internet."
    ftp://ftp.media.mit.edu/pub/asb/papers/gender-swapping.txt
    2. McRae, S. (1996). "Coming apart at the seams: Sex, text and the virtual body." In L. Cherny and E. Weise (Eds.), Wired_Women (pp.242-263). Seattle: Seal Press.
    3. Egan, J. (2000). "Out in cyberspace." The New York Times Magazine, Dec. 10
    4. Hall, K. (1996). "Cyberfeminism." In S. Herring(ed.), Computer-Mediated Communication: Linguistic, Social and Cross-Cultural Perspectives.

    Week 8: Gender on the World Wide Web. Visual representations of females and males online. Internet pornography.
    Guest lecture: Blaise Cronin, SLIS

    2nd Observation Report: Find 10-15 commercial websites which display images of humans (photographs and/or graphics), and describe how females and males are portrayed. OR: Go to a graphical chat environment and describe the avatars in use.

    Read:
    1. Blair, K. & P. Takayoshi (1999). "Mapping the terrain of feminist cyberscapes." In K. Blair & P. Takayoshi (Eds.), Feminist Cyberscapes: Mapping Gendered Academic Spaces (pp.1-18). Stamford, Connecticut: Ablex.
    2. Kibby, M. (1997). "Babes on the Web: Sex, identity and the home page." http://www.newcastle.edu.au/department/so/babes.htm
    3. Brown, J. (2000). "What happened to the Women's Web?" Salon, August 25. http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/08/25/womens_web/
    4. Rich, F. (2001). "Naked capitalists: There's no business like porn business." The New York Times, May 20. http://www.bettydodson.com/nakedcapitalists.htm
    5. Birsch, D. (1996). "Sexually explicit materials and the Internet." CMC Magazine, January 1. http://www.december.com/cmc/mag/1996/jan/birsch.html

    Week 9: Globalization of ICT.
    Read: (Choose any four)
    1. Inayatullah, S. & I. Milojevic (1999). "Exclusion and communication in the information era: From silences to global conversation." In women@internet, ed. by W. Harcourt.
    2. Tandon, N. (1999). "Global business, national politics, community planning: Are women building the linkages?" (focuses on Africa.) In women@internet, ed. by W. Harcourt.
    3. Alloo, F. (1999). "Information technology and cyberculture: The case of Zanzibar." In women@internet, ed. by W. Harcourt.
    4. Lennie, J. et al. (1999). "Empowering on-line conversations: A pioneering Australian project to link rural and urban women." In women@internet, ed. by W. Harcourt.
    5. Wheeler, D. (2001). "Women, Islam, and the Internet: Findings in Kuwait." In Culture, Technology, Communication: Towards an Intercultural Global Village, C. Ess (ed.), pp.158-182.
    6. Makrakis, V. (1992). "Cross-cultural comparison of gender differences in attitude towards computers in Japan and Sweden." Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 36/4 dec. 275-287.

    Week 10: Computers and work. ICT-intensive professions. Telework.
    Guest lecture: Manju Ahuja, Kelley School of Business

    Read:
    1. Iacono, S. & R. Kling (1984). "Office routine: The automated pink collar." IEEE Spectrum, 73-76.
    2. Lie, M. (1995). "Technology and masculinity: The case of the computer." The European Journal of Women's Studies 2: 379-394.
    3. Harris, R. (1995/6). "Service undermined by technology: An examination of gender relations, economics and ideology." Progressive Librarian 10/11. http://libr.org/PL/10-11/Harris.html
    4. Calabrese, A. (1994). "Home-based telework and the politics of private woman and public man: A critical appraisal." In U. Gattiker (Ed.), Women and Technology (pp.161-199). New York: Walter de Gruyter.

    Week 11: System design and human-computer interaction. Can machines be gendered?
    Read:
    1. Benston, M. (1989). "Feminism and system design: Questions of control." In The Effects of Feminist Approaches on Research Methodologies, W. Tomm (ed.), pp.205-223. Calgary: Wilfred Laurier
    University Press.
    2. McDonough, J. P. (1999). "Designer selves: Construction of technologically mediated identity within graphical, multiuser virtual environments." Journal of the American Society for Information Science 50 (10), 855-869.
    3. Eisenberg, A. (2000). "Mars and Venus, on the Net: Gender stereotypes prevail." The New York Times, October 12. http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/12/technology/12VOIC.html
    4. Herring, S. et al. (2002). "Designing for community: The effects of gender representation in videos on a Web site." Proceedings of the 35th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Los Alamitos: IEEE Press.
    5. Honey et al. (1991). "Girls and design." Transformations 2(2), 77.

    Week 12: Computer games. Socialization into computer use. Gender stereotypes and stereotype breakers.
    Guest lecture: Elena Bertozzi, Telecommunications

    3rd Observation Report: Go to a store where computer-related toys and games are sold and describe all of the products targeted at children. OR: Go to a video arcade and describe the themes and graphics of each game.

    Read:
    1. Kiesler, S. & L. Sproull (1985). "Pool halls, chips, and war games: Women in the culture of computing." Psychology of Women Quarterly 9, 451-462.
    2. Gorriz, C. & C. Medina (2000). "Engaging girls with computers through software games." Communications of the ACM, January 43(1), 42-49.
    3. Subramanyam, K. & P. Greenfield (1998). "Computer games for girls: What makes them play?" In J. Cassell & H. Jenkins (Eds.), From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games (pp. 46-71). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
    4. Inkpen, K., K.S. Booth, M. Klawe, & R. Upitis (1995). "Playing together beats playing apart, especially for girls." Proceedings of Computer Support for Collaborative Learning '95 (CSCL). http://taz.cs.ubc.ca/egems/home.html

    Week 13: Environmental and educational factors. Experiences of girls and boys with computing. Experiences of female students in computer science.
    Guest lecture: Beth Plale, Computer Science

    Read:
    1. Krendl et al. (1989). "Children and computers: Do sex-related differences persist?" Journal of Communication 39(3), 85-93.
    2. Shashaani, L. (1994). "Socioeconomic status, parents' sex role stereotypes, and the gender gap in computing." Journal of Research on Computing in Education 26(4), 433-451.
    3. Evard, Michele (1996). "So please stop, thank you: Girls online." In L. Cherny & E. Weise (Eds.), wired_women (pp.188-204).
    4. Spertus, E. (1991). "Why are there so few female computer scientists?" ftp://ftp.ai.mit.edu/people/ellens/

    Week 14: What can be done to close the gap? Feminist imaginings; practical interventions.
    Read:
    1. Haraway, D. (1991). "A cyborg manifesto: Science, technology, and socialist feminism in the late twentieth century." In Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature (pp.149-181). New York: Routledge.
    2. Plant, S. (1995). "Babes in the Net." New Statesman & Society 8(337), 28.
    3. Hesse-Biber, S. & M. Kesler Gilbert (1994). "Closing the technological gender gap." Teaching Sociology 22, 19-31.
    4. Clarke (1992). "Strategies for involving girls in computer science." In C. Martin & E. Murchie-Beyma (Eds.), Search for Gender Free Paradigms for Computer Science Education (pp.71-86). Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
    5. Shade, L. (1998). "A gendered perspective on access to the information infrastructure." The Information Society 14, 33-44.

    Week 15: Oral presentations.

    Week 16: Term papers due