This introductory course aims to raise awareness about the intricate relationship between gender and STEM, with a particular focus on technology. In this course students will gain an understanding of the benefits and challenges of diversity in science and technology, the complexities of intersectional inclusion, as well as the social and technical ramifications of exclusion within science and technology. We will discuss the status of highly politicized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in global companies and how the recent backlash can affect technology, both regarding usability and as a means of maintaining social stereotypes. As a crucial part of the course, we will also look at AI and explore gender biases built in their operation. As the course aims to make students reflect on their experiences in and attitudes towards technology within their studies, each class will be divided into two parts: first a theoretical introduction related to the topic of the week, then a case study, which students will reflect on and discuss in teams.
This is course built on Project-Based Learning. Therefore, throughout the semester students will work in teams to design and implement a project of their choice, focusing on an issue related to broad theme of the course. Students' intervention projects are meant to raise awareness to a specific issue of gender inequality in STEM -- whether it is the gender gap in drug testing, the ill-fitting lab equipment, the scarcity of women in computing education, gender bias in AI, or popularizing minority role models in STEM fields -- realized through designing posters, infographics, workshops, school visits, video interviews, cartoons, or social media campaigns.
- Teacher: Anna Szlavi