Course syllabus for Gender and technology

Course syllabus adopted 2024-02-07 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameGenus och teknik
  • CodeITS067
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerMTS
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • ThemeMTS 7.5 c
  • DepartmentTECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 99133
  • Maximum participants60
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsNo

Credit distribution

0124 Oral examination 7.5 c
Grading: TH		 7.5 c

In programmes

Examiner

Go to coursepage (Opens in new tab)

Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level studies

Course specific prerequisites

No particular prerequisites are needed.

Aim

This course aims to describe and analyse gender relations in our contemporary society, particularly in connection to technology. It calls attention to the ways in which factors such as gender, gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, class and ability shape the development and use of technology, as well as how they are, in turn, shaped by it. It inquires whether technology and science reinforce or challenge existing gender norms and gender relations, or enable new ones. The course further offers gender theoretical perspectives on higher STEM education and the engineering profession, as well as on areas of application such as medical engineering, digitalization and the environment.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  • describe and critically analyse gender relations in connection to technology.
  • describe and reflect on the interplay between gender and technology from a historical perspective.
  • critically analyse technology from a gender perspective.
  • make suggestions on how gender theory can be applied to technology design and development.
  • critically reflect on how they can apply gender perspectives in their education and their profession.

Content

The course investigates gender relations in our society, with a special reference to technology. The main focus is gender and gender identity, but intersectional perspectives will also be discussed, including questions on how sexuality, ethnicity, class and ability influences our relations to technology. Starting from the notion that technology is not value neutral, we will use theories and examples from feminist science and technology studies (STS) as well as gender history in order to analyse how gender relations and technology interplay in society. Do science and technology strengthen existing gender norms and gender relations or do they provide new ones? Who has access to development and use of technology in different societal contexts, and what are the consequences of this power distribution? In addition to critical analysis and discussion, the course will also give the opportunity for the students to apply gender critical perspectives on the design and development of technology, while focusing on STEM education and professions. The course will draw upon examples of how gender and technology interface within different fields like healthcare and medical engineering, digitalization, and the environment.

Organisation

Lectures and seminars. The course is primary given in English. Some lecture might be given in Swedish.

Literature

Se course homepage.

Examination including compulsory elements

The students are graded through exercises during the entirety of the course, individually or in groups. The course ends with a final oral exam.

One or several of the exercises can be adapted to the specific study subject of each student's engineering program.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.