73378 - GENERE E CULTURE DELLA SCIENZA

Course contents

Science-society interactions
Exploring through Women's History, Gender Studies, and Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Studies

This course introduces the interactions between science and society, focusing on understanding the social processes that construct scientific, technological, and medical knowledge. We will explore these phenomena from various perspectives, adopting an interdisciplinary approach that integrates women's history, gender studies (with an intersectional focus tracing back to the 19th century), and natural sciences.

We will examine the intersection of social, cultural, and scientific issues through the lens of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) studies.

Our objective with STS knowledge will be practical rather than theoretical: STS can provide valuable tools for navigating a reality (digital and otherwise) where the culture of science is the foundational social structure. This reality is shaped by the persistence of a patriarchal culture that, more in some countries than others, tends to confine women to caregiving and educational professions (crucial yet often undervalued and underpaid) and exclude them from technical-scientific professions: the most lucrative fields, directly connected to economic, political, and military power.

Our perspective on promoting relationships between women, minorities, and science aims at fostering inclusive and sustainable social innovation, starting with education and research.

Our guiding questions will be: How can we maintain a skeptical yet informed relationship with science and technology, avoiding both blind faith and outright rejection? How can we educate ourselves and others to continually question while promoting equality and inclusion?

The goal is to understand what it means to assert that science is both a culture and a social practice. We will draw on the perspectives of sociologist writers like Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) and science communicators like Richard Feynman (1918-1988). Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist in 1965 and a controversial contributor to the Manhattan Project, told school teachers: "From science, you must learn to doubt the experts. Indeed, one could define science as the belief in the ignorance of experts" (Feynman, 1969). This course proposes to adopt such an image of science.

Following a brief introduction to interdisciplinary tools in the first weeks, we will delve into the history of gender relations in educational, professional, and research contexts over the past three centuries. We will highlight the non-linear and non-progressive trends of women's presence in scientific, educational, and professional fields. We will begin by examining the exceptional presence of some women in institutional science in 18th-century Bologna: a unique success in Europe at the time. This success was temporary, as shown by the Bilancio di genere of the University of Bologna, which will be our starting point.

By combining introductory theoretical considerations with historical and sociological investigation, we will explore the construction of scientific facts over the past two centuries in Western history, understanding them as 'temporarily true,' as Feynman described, such as the long-held 'scientific fact' of women's 'inferiority.'

The final weeks of the course will be dedicated to group work discussions.

Classes begin on September 17th according to the schedule at the provided link.

VERY IMPORTANT

In case of cough, cold, sore throat, or other symptoms (even mild), anyone attending the classes (for this or other courses) is kindly requested to wear an FFP2 mask or higher. Thank you!

Readings/Bibliography

Recommended reading for everyone, mandatory for those who do NOT attend classes:

P. Govoni, M.G. Belcastro, A. Bonoli, G. Guerzoni, Ripensare l'Antropocene. Oltre natura e cultura, Carocci, Roma, 2024.

The volume offers, in the first chapter, an example of how to pragmatically apply studies on science, technology, and society (STS) to the questions of what science is and how it functions in relation to socio-environmental issues crucial for the survival of our (in)civilizations. Women's and gender studies are another tool used in the book, where the contributions of women to environmental efforts—both past and present—are highlighted. It discusses the evolutionary history of humanity and the misogynistic biases that have influenced anthropology until recent times, and considers the role of intergenerational and gender relations in supporting our resilience. The volume is the result of interdisciplinary work conducted by the authors in dialogue with a couple of thousand students—from the fields of biology, philosophy, engineering, and education at the University of Bologna—who are given a voice in the book.

Bachelor in Phylosophy (12 credits).

1. Richard Feynman, Sta scherzando, Mr. Feynman! Vita e avventure di uno scienziato curioso, Zanichelli, Bologna, 2007.

3. On your choice: Massimo Mazzotti, Maria Gaetana Agnesi e il suo mondo. Una vita tra scienza e carità, Roma, Carocci, 2019 (1° ed. Baltimore, 2007), or Rebecca Messabarger, La signora anatomista. Vita e opere di Anna Morandi Manzolini, Bologna, il Mulino, 2020 (1° ed. Chicago 2010).

4. PowerPoint slides of the lessons, short articles, and essays will be uploaded to the platform or made available via provided links, including:B. Latour, La scienza in azione. Introduzione alla sociologia della scienza, Edizioni di Comunità, Torino, 1998, pp. 3-23; D. F. Noble, Un mondo senza donne. La cultura maschile della Chiesa e la scienza occidentale, Bollati Boringhieri, 1994, pp. 9-60 e pp. 205-352; profile of Laura Bassi, here.

N.B.: Students enrolled in the master's courses at the Department of Education Sciences who choose the Philosophy course (12 credits) may – if they wish – opt for points 1-4 of the Social and Cultural Educator program (see below), to which they will add point 2 of the Philosophy program.

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

1. Richard Feynman, Sta scherzando, Mr. Feynman! Vita e avventure di uno scienziato curioso, Zanichelli, Bologna, 2007.

2. 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].

3. Nastassja Cipriani, Edwige Pezzulli, Oltre Marie. Prospettive di genere nella scienza, Morlupo, le plurali, 2023. Texts and PowerPoints posted (during the course) on the e-learning platform.

4. PowerPoint slides of the lessons, short articles, and essays will be uploaded to the platform or made available via provided links, including:B. Latour, La scienza in azione. Introduzione alla sociologia della scienza, Edizioni di Comunità, Torino, 1998, pp. 3-23; Introduction (pp. 9-36), and essays by Cavalli, Leonelli and Tomasetto (pp. 142-174), in Eredi di Laura Bassi. Docenti e ricercatrici in Italia tra età moderna e presente, eds. M. Cavazza et al., Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2014; profile of Laura Bassi, here.

Teaching methods

This course is part of the Digital Innovative Teaching (DDI) program. Various materials and documents will be uploaded to the Virtual platform (Bibliography item 5). Lectures will be recorded and made available remotely via a Virtuale link. Those listening to the lectures at a later moment will be able to post questions and comments via the forum (Virtuale) or by email (p.govoni@unibo.it).

We will use several of the tools Virtuale offers: in addition to the forum, there is also an assignments section (called “compiti”) where students will be able to upload short texts (optional) on the extra activities organized as part of the course (these activities will be discussed during the first few classes).

Planned extra activities:
– (October 2) we will discuss the history of women in Jewish culture together with Professor Monica Miniati, author of an important book on this subject.

– (October 31), we will meet at the Museum of Industrial Heritage. We will participate in activities introduced by Dr. Miriam Masini and Annalisa Bugini, who are responsible for the museum's Educational Services and Collections Enhancement. Miriam Masini will discuss education and development in Bologna from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, the role of women in local entrepreneurial activities, and the museum's initiatives for schools and teachers. Following this, Annalisa Bugini, a physicist specializing in science communication and education, will lead a workshop for us.

– (November 8), visit to the Palazzo Poggi Museum to investigate figures who will be discussed in class: Laura Bassi, Anna Morandi Manzolini, Clotilde Tambroni and Maria Dalle Donne.

- (November 13) with Martina Grinello, a PhD candidate in the Philosophy, Science, Cognition, and Semiotics program (UniBo), we will discuss the construction and communication of knowledge in museums and science centers.

– (date to be determined), Passing the baton: speeches by recent graduates (in the Philosophy and Social and Cultural Educator programs) to discuss how they approach their final thesis.

Classes will be organized through dialogue with attending students. To foster processes of self-assessment and collaboration, attending students invited to present in class – alone or, ideally, in groups of two or three, preferably made up of students enrolled in different degree programs – on a topic related to teaching.

With the help of the lecturer, this activity aims to: improve students’ enjoyment of study based on collaboration (not competition) with others; train participants in navigating sources by knowing how to choose among sources in order to construct a suitable basic bibliography; teach how to correctly write an abstract of up to one page with bibliography/synography (mandatory for those doing the in-class report); show how to prepare a PowerPoint presentation; and help students manage their emotions when giving oral presentations. These activities are worth up to 5 points; detailed information about them will be provided in class and guidelines will be uploaded to Virtuale.
Students will be able to write short reports (to be uploaded to Virtuale by the end of the course) on the results and presentations provided by visiting expert(s). These reports will contribute additional points to the final grade.

At least 7 days before the end of class, attending students may (if they wish) upload a paper to the platform regarding NOT the exam syllabus but the topics discussed in class and presented by the small groups in their in-depth classroom discussions. This assignment is also worth up to 5 points.

Those unable to attend classes will focus on studying the texts specified in the bibliography and on the platform. There are no programmatic differences between attending and non-attending students, nor for Erasmus students. As outlined above, recordings of the lectures will be made available to all non-attending students.

Assessment methods

Every year, I organize six exam sessions: one in September (before the start of classes); one in December (at the end of the courses); two between January and February (during the teaching break); one in late spring; and two in the summer session.

The exam is oral and consists of three questions, starting 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.

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders are entitled to special adjustments according to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact teachers or Department staff, but make an appointment with the Service. The Service will then determine what adjustments are specifically appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit here

Teaching tools

PowerPoint; e-learning tools; science museums.

Office hours

See the website of Paola Govoni