EWS 425

Discussion Guidelines for Weeks 1 and 2

How would you define technology? What are the purposes of technology

What are the distinctions between science and technology? How are science

and technology related?

Identify the historical periods during which human technologies have developed. Identify the developments associated with each historical period.

Identify the areas and the technologies that permeate everyday life.

What are the distinctions between “sex” and “gender?”

What is “gender socialization?” How are gender roles passed on to children? How are gender expectations conveyed to boys as opposed to girls in the area of education?

How are females and males socialized into their gender roles? Identify the "double standard" that is applied to women and men in terms of values that are applicable to each sex. Stanley proposes that in all cultures women lack freedom in three areas. What are these three areas and how does this affect women's ability to access equal power?

How do inventive capability, inventive motive and inventive achievement relate to women and men in terms of technology? (See Introduction to Mothers and Daughters of Invention)

What are the reasons for the following:

“If women have at least equal inventive capacity with men, and were in the early days of human economic development probably the premiere technologists by virtue of their larger areas of work, why then, are there so few women inventors?” Is this question correctly posed?

What historically have been the criteria for “significance” with regard to technological advancements? How can we redefine significance?