TEC154 2010S, Class 33: Feminist Perspectives

Overview:
* Catch-up 
  * From Bridges
  * From Biotech
* Feminist Perspectives
  * What is a feminist approach?
  * How do the authors define technology?
  * What are the authors' primary theses?
  * Open Discussion

Admin:
* Short reading for Monday will be distributed electronically.  
  No response needed.
* EC for Kluber's talk on Monday.
* EC for performance in gallery on Thursday.
* EC for ballet performances (check P'web for info)
* EC for Titular Head, but only if you applaud or boo the J&J movie
* EC for ISO cultural evening tonight
* EC for new jokes about Selah

Prestressed Concrete
* To make concrete stronger, we put in bars
* The bars help counteract the tension
* Because they are prestressed, they don't want to stretch as much
* More importantly, forces go in opposite directiosn 

Biotech
* Golden rice
  * Cultural issues, as well as the other issues
* Why doesn't the FDA require warning labels on GEO foods, given that
  Europeans do require such labels.
  * Pure speculation in our answers.
  * Corporate and farm lobby influence in the U.S. - General flaws in
    the U.S. governance structure
  * Question of responsibility - Who would have to legislate?
  * There are known organic options, so those who care already avoid
    possible GEO foods.
  * Less outcry from the general population - less popular demand in the
    US than abroad.
    * Big farming (the first "green revolution") is a U.S. invention,
      and we didn't pay attention
    * Because U.S. is a new country, we pay attention to short-term
      economic gains rather than long-term consequences
    * Americans have "faith" in corporate world and capitalist system
      * "Innocent until proven guilty"
    * Very different view of technology
* Can you tell us more about the tomatoes
  * No

Feminist Approaches
* Look at the way that gender informs things (e.g., technological advancement)
  * Inclusion of women in the field; how women have added to the field
  * Also masculinity: How does "maleness" inform our understanding of the
    the thing
  * Consider the effects of a "paternalistic" viewpoint (whether it's
    obvious as part of the development of an idea, what impact it has
    if it's present)
  * Consider oppression
  * Ideally, opens the "gate" to other social considerations of technologies
    (e.g., race, class, culture, ....)
* What distinguishes these approaches from other approaches?
  * Feminist approaches tend to reveal hidden assumptions (e.g., that
    technology is masculine, or has strong masculine characteristics;
    that what is appropriate technology for the man is appropriate for
    all people)
  * Looks at who is benefiting most from a technology (as Winner suggests
    that we should do)
  * Lets us question assumptions
* The authors claim particular views of masculinity and feminity.  Are
  these primarily American/Western views, or are they broader?
* The authors note that men suffered from the gendering of technology
  in the past, do they still do so?
  * Yes, football players were still reluctant to wear protective gear
    for fear of feeling like a "sissy"
  * Stereotypes about people who have trouble with technology
    * Is this more ageist than gendered
* On p. 195, Rothschild  maintains that technology is a social construct.
  What does she mean?
  * Just as gender is a social construct, ...
  * The gendering of technology is a social construct - how you interpret
    technology, what you include as technology and what you don't include
    as technology
    * Household appliances in the 1950's might not have been considered technology
    * Expect something like this question on the final: What is something that might have been considered if we were less masculine in our view of technology and why?