73378 - GENERE E CULTURE DELLA SCIENZA

Course contents

 

This course provides an introduction to the topic of interactions between science and society, through the lens of gender studies.

A quote by 1965 Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman (1918-1988) addressing school teachers will serve as a uniting thread throughout the course: “What science is, is not what the philosophers have said it is […] As a matter of fact, I can also define science another way: Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts” (What is Science?1969).

After introducing the concept of gender, history and studies of science and technology (STS), we explore in more depth and across time relationships between women and men in the world of education and research, both within and beyond science and technology.

The period under examination ranges from the case of Laura Bassi (1711-1778), the first female faculty member in the world with a paid academic position, to today’s cutting-edge laboratories.

We will see that, although gender studies have contributed to unlocking new areas of research – such as gendered medicine and genetics – contemporary women in science still have more difficulty than their male colleagues in gaining recognition for their work.

Lessons will start on 24 September:

Wednesday 9:15-11:00 (room A, via Centotrecento, 18)

Thursday 11:15-13:00 (room A, via Centotrecento, 18)

Friday: 9:15-11:00 (room D, via Centotrecento, 18)

Readings/Bibliography

Bachelor in Phylosophy (12 credits; 60H).

The following program is the same for attending and non attending students, including students of the Erasmus program.

1. David F. Noble, Un mondo senza donne. La cultura maschile della Chiesa e la scienza occidentale, Bollati Boringhieri, 1994. Studiare le parti Prima (pp. 9-60) e Terza (pp. 205-352).

2. Marta Cavazza, Laura Bassi. Donne, genere e scienza nell’Italia del Settecento, Milano, Edizioni Bibliografica, 2020.

3. P. Govoni, Che cos’è la storia della scienza, Roma, Carocci, 2019 [new and enlarged ed.].

4. Films, Texts and PowerPoints posted (during the course) on the e-learning platform.

Bachelor in Expert in Social and Cultural Education (8 credits; 48 H).

The following program is the same for attending and non attending students, including students of the Erasmus program.

1. Paula Findlen, La Maestra di Bologna: Laura Bassi, una donna del Settecento in cattedra, in Le eredi di Laura Bassi. Docenti e ricercatrici in Italia tra età moderna e presente, a cura di M. Cavazza, P. Govoni e T. Pironi, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2014, pp. 63-95 [available on the teaching platform].

2. P. Govoni, Che cos’è la storia della scienza, Roma, Carocci, 2019 [new and enlarged ed.].

3. L’avventura del progetto IRRESISTIBLE. Insegnanti, studenti ed esperti a confronto su temi di ricerca d’avanguardia e aspetti della Ricerca e Innovazione Responsabile, a cura di M. Venturi, Bononia University Press, Bologna, 2018 [available on the teaching platform].

4. Films, Texts and PowerPoints posted (during the course) on the e-learning platform.

Teaching methods

Inquiry-based learning. An active participation is highly recommended.

Lectures will be alternated by one or two field trips.

1. To encourage the personal work and the discussion, those who attend can deepen - individually or in groups of two - a topic related to the course. With this work up to 3 points can be achieved.

2. At the end of the course, students who attended the lessons will be able to take a written pre-exam on class discussions and on the field experiences (up to a maximum of 3 points).

Assessment methods

Oral exam: this consists of three questions, stemming from a freely chosen topic.

Students will be tested on their knowledge of the course’s bibliography, as well as on their ability to reason in a logical, concise and personal way. The accuracy and precision of the student’s way of expression will also be taken in consideration.

For further information, please consult at Regolamento didattico.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint; e-learning tools; science museums.

Office hours

See the website of Paola Govoni