Topic outline

  • General

    Welcome to the CS-EV0007 Gender & Technology course!


    Teachers and course assistant

    Responsible teachers: Louna Hakkarainen (email adress: firstname.lastname@aalto.fi), Mariangela Pluchino, and Kaisa Karvinen

    Course Assistant: Ira Laihanen (email adress: firstname.lastname@aalto.fi)

    If you have any questions about course practicalities, you can create a new topic on the Discussion Forum below and ask your question there, so that others can see the info as well. You can also email course assistant Ira Laihanen, if you don't want to ask your question in public. If you have some broader question about the course, email Louna Hakkarainen.

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    Location

    Computer Science building, T4 - A140

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    Schedule

    On Mondays 15:15–18:00

    06.05.2024
    13.05.2024
    19.05.2024 Museum of Finnish Architecture & queer architecture walk (see info below)
    20.05.2024
    27.05.2024

    03.06.2024

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    Course description

    Learning outcomes
    Upon completion of the course, students are familiar with how feminism has shaped social studies of science, technology, and design. They will understand that technologies are not neutral, but shaped by diverse social factors including gender and will be able to critically evaluate promises and pitfalls of new technologies to diverse groups of people. 

    Content

    Gender and Technology course is a space for collaborative learning, where students can develop critical skills to examine science and technologies through a gender critical lens. During the course we will learn how gender and technologies intertwine, whether they be medical, social, communicational, architectural, larger infrastructures, or mundane everyday objects. We will be asking questions like: What role does technology play in embedding power relations? How are power relations embedded in technology itself? Why are machines and masculinity connected? What are the consequences of the marginalization of certain groups from the technological community? What kinds of emancipatory possibilities reside in our everyday technologies? 

    The course consists of theoretical and speculative parts. The theoretical part is based on a set of academic texts, manifestos, and video lectures from different decades. The themes of the course are explored in facilitated group discussions, individual assignments related to the readings, and a learning journal. The speculative part of the course encourages students to imagine alternative technological and gender orders through methods from e.g. storytelling, speculative design and design fiction. 

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    Safer space guidelines for the course

    Please, read the guidelines and discuss them with your group work team, and add comments, if needed!

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    In order to pass the course... 

    1. actively participate in the weekly learning sessions (max one absence) 
    2. read an article or watch an online lecture designated to your group before each class
    3. deliver a small assignment related to the readings/videos before each class
    4. participate actively in the group project and the meetings it requires
    5. reflect the course themes throughout the course and deliver a learning journal in the end (DL 10.6.)

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    Estimated workload

    • Lectures 14h
    • Museum visit 3h
    • Readings 40h
    • Pre-assignments 10h
    • Group assignment 40h 
    • Learning diary 20h
    • Other assignments 8h

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    Assessment criteria 

    Pass/fail based on active participation in lectures and completion of group assignment, other assignments and the learning diary.

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    Course materials

    The course materials are shared in MyCourses folders a week before the class where they are discussed.

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    19.5. museum visit 

    We will be visiting the Museum of Finnish Architecture on Sunday 19.5. 11:00–14:00. The visit includes a queer architecture walk by Kaura Rausaskoski. If the date doesn't suit you, the museum can be visited on your own time.

    Address: Kasarmikatu 24, 00130 Helsinki

    Arkkitehtuurimuseo



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      Discussion forum

      If you have any questions about course practicalities, you can create a new topic on the Discussion Forum below and ask your question there, so that others can see the info as well. You can also email course assistant Ira Laihanen, if you don't want to ask your question in public. If you have some broader question about the course, email Louna Hakkarainen.

      Email adresses: firstname.lastname@aalto.fi



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