WGS.S10 | Fall 2017 | Undergraduate

History of Women in Science and Engineering

Course Description

This course provides a basic overview of the history of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Students will learn about specific contributions of women across a variety of disciplines and will gain a broad perspective on how these contributions played a larger role in the advancement of …
This course provides a basic overview of the history of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Students will learn about specific contributions of women across a variety of disciplines and will gain a broad perspective on how these contributions played a larger role in the advancement of human knowledge and technological achievement. The class will also grapple with how both historic and modern biases within the STEM disciplines, as well as in representations of women and girls in media and popular culture, can affect outcomes in these areas.
Learning Resource Types
Presentation Assignments
Written Assignments
Instructor Insights
Chemistry equipment and a female African-American scientist are depicted in a Lego® set.
MIT Chemical Engineering professor, Dr. Paula T. Hammond, depicted as a Lego® figurine. Dr. Hammond’s work concerns the use of electrostatics to generate functional materials with highly controlled architecture. (Image by Maia Weinstock on flickr. License: CC BY-NC-SA.)