Technology and Gender in East Asia Course Analysis - Coursework Example

Technology and Gender in East Asia Technology and Gender in East Asia Each individual has an equal and similar chance toachieve their goals and targets in any field regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. 3rd year Instructor: [Name] [Office, e-mail, phone] Office Hours: [normal school hours] I. Rationale: The course is aimed at integrating the concept of gender and sexual studies into the wider context of science and technology in the school curriculum. This is a course design for the gender and sexual studies part of the field of science, technology, medicine and gender in East Asia and integrates the concepts of gender into the larger field of study. II. Course Aims and Outcomes: Aims To help the students understand their role in the society through understanding other people’s culture To help the students understand the role of gender in East Asia and how it differs to other cultures To illustrate the role of students in gender and sexual studies in the larger community To conceptualize the difference between the past and present practices in Central Asia in terms of gender roles To highlight the patriarchal system in most of the Central Asian communities and their implications on equality and fairness for all To help the students understand the role that gender roles play in technological advancement To show how technological advancements can be improved when equality is enhanced at all levels Specific Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, students will: Be able to give the general differences and similarities between gender and its role in their society and in East Asia Highlight the flaws and the benefits of the gender roles as defined by the Asian communities as opposed to their own society Identify how gender and sexuality has hindered or aided the development of science and technology in East Asia Understand the gender roles in their professional careers Integrate the gender and sexuality studies as a part of their larger learning field or course Understand the differences between the past and present gender roles and how it has changed the field of science, technology and medicine Understand the role of gender and equality in technological advancements Understand the different beliefs of the patriarchal system and the inequities involved that made it inefficient thereby hindering the countries in reaching their potential III. Format and Procedures: As per the school timetable the class will be two lessons that will have an aggregate of three hours. Students are expected to follow the school regulations and codes of ethics at all times during lessons. Every student is expected to observe punctuality in attendance and also in handing in assignments as this is paramount to this course. Following all the instructions as I have spelled out in either the assignments or in term papers is also important in order to do well in this course. Attendance is also a MUST and every student is expected to observe this without fail. As stipulated in the institution’s policy every student is expected to observe and maintain a high level of diligence while attending the classes. The course requires a lot of research and students are encouraged to work in groups to conduct the stipulated research and make the best inferences from the research conducted. Students are also encouraged to enjoy the learning experience and link the studies to their daily activities and situations to maximize on the learning objectives of this course. IV. My Assumptions It is my belief that the students are well versed with the technological advancements that have been propagated by East Asia in the recent past. East Asia is leading in the amounts of products manufactured per year and therefore they are able to boost their economies accordingly. Am also assuming that every person has gone through the pre-requisite units before taking up this unit and therefore you are all well-versed with the background information and skills to pursue and take the unit. Research is an essential part of this course and I am assuming that all of you have learnt the research methods and are equipped with the skills to conduct a conclusive research on this course. I will facilitate the learning and give you ample knowledge on the unit so that you can take up and conduct the research on your own since I believe the best learning method is through involving the students in the learning process thereby making it more student oriented. V. Course Readings: Acar, F., & Güneş-Ayata, A. (2010). Gender and identity construction: Women of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Turkey. Leiden: Brill. Baden, S., Green, C., & University of Sussex. (2004). Gender and education in Asia and the Pacific. Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. Bray, F. (2013). Technology, gender and history in imperial China: Great transformations reconsidered. London: Routledge. Top of Form Edwards, L. P., & Roces, M. (2010). Women in Asia: Tradition, modernity, and globalisation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Bottom of Form Momsen, J. H. (2004). Gender and development. London: Routledge Ng, C. (2007). Technology and gender: Womens work in Asia. Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia: Womens Studies Unit, UPM & Malaysian Social Science Association. Olivetti, C., Albanesi, S., & National Bureau of Economic Research. (2007). Gender Roles and Technological Progress. Cambridge, Mass: National Bureau of Economic Research Omvedt, G., Kelkar, G., & Asian Institute of Technology. (1995). Gender and technology: Emerging visions from Asia. Bangkok, Thailand: Gender and Development Studies Center, School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology. Overholt, C. (2008). Gender roles in development projects: A case book. West Hartford, Conn.: Kumarian Press. Top of Form Santaemilia, J., & Bou, P. (2008). Gender and sexual identities in transition: International perspectives. Newcastle, England: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.Bottom of Form Sen, A. K., UNCTAD., & UN. International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women. (2005). Women, technology and sexual divisions: Study. Geneva: UN. Stahl, B. (2007). Issues and trends in technology and human interaction. Hershey: Idea Group Pub. Annotated Bibliography Acar, F., & Güneş-Ayata, A. (2010). Gender and identity construction: Women of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Turkey. Leiden: Brill. The book by Acar and Gunes is highlights the plight of women in their quest to discover their rightful position in the society. The writer takes the reader through the different challenges women from different parts of Asia have had to endure in the past to find their place due to the patriarchal system of governance. The writer contemplates the hardships and struggles that the Asian communities take through the women and how hard it is for the women to get decent education and contribute to the development and realization of their dreams in the society in which they grow up in. the writer therefore discusses some of the ways the women from different parts of Asia have had to reinvent themselves to be competitive in a male dominated society especially in the technical fields. This book is important to the class readings as it lays a background for the students to learn the subject matter and attain a basis for the arguments raised in the other readings. It also offers the students an insight of the different cultures and traditions among the Asian communities. The struggle and plight of the women to have their own identity and pursue their dreams acts as an eye-opener for the students as they look to analyze the gender roles in technological advancements in East Asia. Baden, S., Green, C., & University of Sussex. (2004). Gender and education in Asia and the Pacific. Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex Baden et al conducted a research on gender and education in Asia and the Pacific in an attempt to compare it with other systems and analyze the shortcomings or benefits of the systems. The Asian system in particular that was employed and adapted from the communist system had interesting features as it was highly influenced by the culture and beliefs of the people. The Asians were found to believe in giving the boy child a priority when giving education opportunities to their children. Although the government did not have a strict regulation against this policy the research found that it was as a result of family cultural beliefs and practices where the male child was given the chance so that they could help their families. The book is therefore essential in this unit since it offers an educational perspective of the reasons behinds the gap in technological advancements between the genders that is the male and the female. The two take different roles in this respect and only recently have the two been working at the same level in terms of numbers especially in the technology sector. The women were not much involved since they lacked the technological knowhow and capability that could only be gained from the school system. The book helps the students in understanding the different dynamics of the Asian culture and their influence on technology and gender. Bray, F. (2013). Technology, gender and history in imperial China: Great transformations reconsidered. London: Routledge Bray examines the transformation of China as a nation to become one of the superpowers in the world. The writer examines the role that technology and gender have played in the development and advancement of the country to one of the largest global economies in the world. Although the writer recognizes that there are other many factors that have led to the development of the Chinese economy one of them being the cheap labor he looks at technology and gender as being contributing factors to the great transformation. In the book the writer takes one through the different periods of Chinese history and the impacts that the periods have had to the development of China as a major economy. Gender is also assessed historically with the writer looking at the steps the country has taken to mainstream their equality rights and ensure that the two genders are treated equally. Technology however, is the main subject of the book as he looks at how far China has come to become a powerhouse through matching the developed countries in every aspect and their mass production. This book is important to the students as it helps in gaining a perspective of the development stages that East Asia have had to go through before developing their economies and marching the other developed economies. The book is also important as it looks at the role of gender in the transformation of one of the world’s largest economies a factor that applies to all the other countries in East Asia. The book also exemplifies the role that gender had to play in technology and gives a perspective and history of the technological development in China. Edwards, L. P., & Roces, M. (2010). Women in Asia: Tradition, modernity, and globalisation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Edward and Roces conducted a research to examine the transformations that have occurred in the Asian Women from the past to the present. In their research they look at the historical perspective where they highlight the plight of the women in the past and their gender roles that were in favor of the men in the society. The writers further assess the present generation where the women are being given a chance to be involved and to push for their dreams as the men and how that has affected modernity in the Asian community. The book illustrates the differences in gender roles in the past and the present and how that has influenced globalization among the Asian communities into becoming developed economies. The book is important in understanding the core principles of the unit as it highlights how the society and the Asian countries have gained with the introduction of improved gender roles especially for women. It is therefore important as it assesses the influence of not only technology but also gender in developing the Asian countries. Momsen, J. H. (2004). Gender and development. London: Routledge This book by Momsen is a reading that highlights the importance of gender in developing an economy. The book highlights the different developed economies and their gender and equality rules thereby illustrating the importance of gender and equality principles to an economy. Momsen has highlighted all the individual traits that an economy acquires once they involve the different genders equally in their economy. This book is important in this unit since it helps in highlighting the importance of gender studies in an economy while also compounding the difference between the working methods for a country and those that do not. Ng, C. (2007). Technology and gender: Womens work in Asia. Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia: Womens Studies Unit, UPM & Malaysian Social Science Association. The book integrates the concept of technology and gender and how the two have helped in transforming East Asia. The writer however focuses mainly on Women’s work in the technological setting and their contributions towards the technological advancement in the East Asian countries. This book is very important in this unit as it involves the two pertinent issues that are addressed in the unit that is technology and gender. The writer looks at the contributions of women to technological advancement in Malaysia which is one of the leading countries in technological advancements in the world and is therefore crucial in developing the students’ ability to associate technological advancement with both genders. Olivetti, C., Albanesi, S., & National Bureau of Economic Research. (2007). Gender Roles and Technological Progress. Cambridge, Mass: National Bureau of Economic Research Olivetti et al, uses the data collected from the National Bureau of Economic Research to show the gender roles in the technological process and in improving the technology. The research conducted by the researchers to assess the role of different genders in improving the technological capability reveals that they are equally important and if there is a group that supersedes the other it is by a very small margin. The information collected from this research is important to the unit for comparison purposes. It is important to compare between different countries and different types of research conducted in different countries to highlight the reliability and credibility of the information given by other researchers. The book therefore offers another view into the same topic and although it does not necessarily give the information on East Asia it gives a point of reference that can be used for comparison that is important for integrating different concepts to the students. Omvedt, G., Kelkar, G., & Asian Institute of Technology. (1995). Gender and technology: Emerging visions from Asia. Bangkok, Thailand: Gender and Development Studies Center, School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology. Omvedt et al have also researched gender and its influence on technology in Asia where the economic growth and development seems to be thriving at an increasing rate. The two aspects were examined for their contribution to the state of economic advancement and found to be equivocal to the present state of affairs in the East Asian countries. In particular the influence of gender on technology was measured and found that there was an increase in the level of development after the countries had streamlined gender aspects in the countries. This book is also a core subject and is important in understanding the functional concepts of gender studies towards achieving development and economic growth in a country. It is therefore essential in the teaching and learning of this unit and will be an essential source of material in this unit. Overholt, C. (2008). Gender roles in development projects: A case book. West Hartford, Conn.: Kumarian Press. Overholt has a list of some of the cases of gender roles and how they have influenced and impacted the development projects that are listed. In the case book Overholt lists the different scenarios and the different steps taken and how they influence the development projects in the long-run. It is through these development projects and cases that the students can have an image of the true account of the importance of devising similar gender roles to each individual who has the will and capability to perform the tasks assigned. The cases offer practical examples for the different perspectives and information learnt in class and can therefore apply the same in their professional careers. Santaemilia, J., & Bou, P. (2008). Gender identities in transition: International perspectives. Newcastle, England: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.Bottom of Form This book gives the global trends that are affecting the present day cultures and assesses the international perspectives to assess the difference between different regions and countries all over the world. The writer uses the different economic conditions and technological levels to illustrate the different gender identities that different people all over the world have. The paper illustrates how identities have affected the level of development for countries that have not taken up their gender identities and challenged the oppressive patriarchal systems in their regions. This book is also essential in studying this unit as the different economic, political and social situations in the world exhibit how developed or otherwise the gender roles and identities are in every region. In addition the book highlights the technological advancements in every region comparing it to the gender roles in the region. Sen, A. K., UNCTAD., & UN. International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women. (2005). Women, technology and sexual divisions: Study. Geneva: UN. The study conducted in this institute was meant to measure the level of technological advancements that the women had been exposed to and were willing to pursue in their countries of origin. The study gave revealing evidence of the differences between women from countries with good gender roles and technology and those that did not have the same. Women are said to have the same capability as men in terms of technological capability. The research conducted in the training institute for women is also important to the unit since it helps in showing the capability and technological knowhow that women manifest. Stahl, B. (2007). Issues and trends in technology and human interaction. Hershey: Idea Group Pub. The book by Stahl gives the interaction between humans and their trends and issues in technology that they manifest. The book highlights the comparisons and differences between the men and women in terms of their technological capabilities and how the two can work together to improve the technological aspects in their economy. The book is important in this unit since it shows how well the two groups can work in unison to produce better and more technology. It is important in showing the gender roles that give rise to development. VI. Assignment Handouts Students are expected to go through the readings stated above and come up with their own analysis to highlight the aspects and information that they have taken from the books and papers as listed above. The students should also conduct further research in the same topic and especially in East Asia where they are expected to highlight the main points that have led to the drastic growth and development of the countries technologically. They should also address the problem of gender roles in the society and how it has influenced the development of the countries. By the end of the unit students are required to write a term paper that discusses the benefits of involving all the people in the development and technological programs that a country wishes to advance. The students should hand in the term paper topic to the department before they start to work on the paper so that it can be approved first. The term paper should be 2000 words +/-10% and any more or less words will attract a penalty. The term paper will be presented in class and each student should prepare a power point presentation of less than 15minutes that should highlight the main points from their term papers for the class to be on the same page. The students are also required to form groups of ten where they will write a research paper of a topic involving gender and its impact on technology focusing on a country either in the developed or developing countries. The research paper topic should be presented beforehand and approved before the students start working on their paper. The research paper should consist of a literature review chapter and the data collected should be well analyzed. These are the main factors that the students need to take extra care of otherwise the research paper should take the basic form. The research should be double spaced, times new roman font and a 1inch margin on both sides of the paper. The research paper should be 5500 words +/-10% and I ask the students to be keen in this aspect as it may attract some penalties if students do not adhere as per the set guidelines. All the assignments should be handed in at the assigned date failure to which the student qualifies for an automatic fail. The normal school policy on plagiarism and cheating for a paper apply since the papers are meant to improve your skills in the subject and make the students understand the content. VII Readings and topics for each week Week one topic: Gender roles in development in East Asia Momsen, J. H. (2004). Gender and development. London: Routledge Overholt, C. (2008). Gender roles in development projects: A case book. West Hartford, Conn.: Kumarian Press. Week two topic: gender and identity construction in East Asia and its comparison to thee world Acar, F., & Güneş-Ayata, A. (2010). Gender and identity construction: Women of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Turkey. Leiden: Brill. Santaemilia, J., & Bou, P. (2008). Gender and sexual identities in transition: International perspectives. Newcastle, England: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.Bottom of Form Week three topic: gender and technological changes in East Asia through history Bray, F. (2013). Technology, gender and history in imperial China: Great transformations reconsidered. London: Routledge. Edwards, L. P., & Roces, M. (2010). Women in Asia: Tradition, modernity, and globalisation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Bottom of Form Week four topic: the role of women in technological change in East Asia Ng, C. (2007). Technology and gender: Womens work in Asia. Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia: Womens Studies Unit, UPM & Malaysian Social Science Association. Olivetti, C., Albanesi, S., & National Bureau of Economic Research. (2007). Gender Roles and Technological Progress. Cambridge, Mass: National Bureau of Economic Research Week five: research conducted by institutions on gender roles and technological advancement to be compared with the information learnt in class Omvedt, G., Kelkar, G., & Asian Institute of Technology. (1995). Gender and technology: Emerging visions from Asia. Bangkok, Thailand: Gender and Development Studies Center, School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology. Top of Form Sen, A. K., UNCTAD., & UN. International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women. (2005). Women, technology and sexual divisions: Study. Geneva: UN. Week six: relationship between gender and technology and other fields Baden, S., Green, C., & University of Sussex. (2004). Gender and education in Asia and the Pacific. Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. Top of Form Stahl, B. (2007). Issues and trends in technology and human interaction. Hershey: Idea Group Pub. Read More