Course Syllabus
Women, Agency and Sexual Safety: Advocating for the New Science (or Putting Women’s Bodies at the Center of Science
DAAS 328\WS 328 #1 Fall 2018
Tuesday, Thursday 2:30-4:00 pm, 1460 Mason Hall
Instructor: Nesha Z. Haniff
Office 4666 Haven Hall Tel. 763-4520
Office Hours: Wed. 11-12 noon or by appointment
E mail nzh@umich.edu
This course will examine the problems of the current technologies designed by scientists to enable women to have control over their sexual and reproductive health. The science to enable the prevention of STI, HIV, and pregnancy has now returned to condom use as the main method. This exposes the troubling nature of the scientific projects which have developed technologies of disease and pregnancy prevention for women. They have essentially separated out women’s bodies from women’s agency. The convoluted and unfriendly design of the female condom and its expense does not promote women’s autonomy. The pill does not prevent HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections. It is the condom in the end which is now being promoted for women’s protection. The deep contradiction of this ancient male method at this moment is that women must negotiate condom use with men, thus putting their sexual safety in men’s hands.
These problematic technologies are a direct result of women’s ideas and voices being excluded at the very concept of the scientific project. This is also related to the exclusion of women as thinkers of science and as scientists. A great deal of time will be spent on this exclusion of women this semester. The new technologies being developed will be examined e.g. heart disease, drug prescriptions, cervical protection, Alzheimer and women’s inclusion in scientific studies. These technologies have emerged because of the lack of truly female centered technologies which now force scientists to re-examine the limits of a science which did not put women’s bodies at the center of science. For example one important research question has been the limited study of the vagina only as a vehicle for sexual intercourse and childbirth not as an entity in its own right beyond these functions. It is this gap in the science of the female body that must impact greatly the development of new technologies for women. This is a critical question when one puts women’s bodies at the center of science. To do this, is to develop technologies that will not only facilitate women’s physical health but also facilitate women’s agency.
This course takes a transnational perspective on the purpose, development, and utilization of different kinds of preventative technologies for ensuring women's health and well being. Feminist critiques and analyses of the role of these technologies in Africa, U.S., and global contexts are central to the course. In advocating for Women, their agency and sexual safety, a new science is necessary and the advocacy of this new science is urgent.
Course Requirements
Grades will be based on a combination of attendance, active participation, and course assignments as follows:
Attendance and Participation 30%
Paper One due: October 9th. 8 pages, 25%
Paper two due: December 4th. 8 pages, 25%
Class presentation: 20%
Expectations
All students are expected to attend class and actively participate. Each student is granted one unexcused absence without penalty. Active participation involves coming to class having read and critically engaged in the material. Here is a breakdown of the grading system
Grades
Attendance and Participation (30%)
Attendance- If you don’t come to class you cannot participate nor can you be aware of the level of discussion in the class and the issues raised and analyzed which may have an impact on your own thinking and written work. Attendance also affects information given in the class about scheduling, readings, changes in information and analyses given by the instructor.
Participation means the following:
Speaking- to speak continuously or frequently is not the only measure of participation. Is your speech informed by the readings, is your speech respectful of others, is it considerate, is its impact to silence others or is it simply to speak. These are some of the criteria in evaluating participation. Be prepared to share your viewpoints, challenge assumptions, and ask important questions. Just talking does not qualify as active participation.
Group Presentation (20%)
This component of the class requires that you participate in a group presentation. The purpose is to examine what is taught about women and how that information is presented. Is this information presented in a way that generates a science and a knowledge that puts women’s bodies at the center of science. Does this information facilitate women’s agency, and sexual safety? In addition students may want to speak to practitioners in the health fields and discuss with them what they were taught about women’s bodies and to current medical and nursing students about the kind of information they are taught. Working in a group requires responsibility and participation. It requires that work is shared equitably and that the ideas of others be heard. It is possible that one person’s presentation in a group might be better than another’s. Even though the effort might be that of a group it is possible for individuals to separate themselves. However if the content is weak then just the presentation alone will not suffice. Each person in the group will be judged on the basis of attempts at interviews , research and information, critical analyses and of course the strength of their presentation. A power point must be a part of every presentation..
Paper Assignment (two papers 25% each due on October 9th. and December 4th.)
Two papers are due. They must be well written. Papers sloppily presented or written or turned in late without an accepted excuse will be graded down. Papers which present information without analysis and thinking are unlikely to be favorably viewed. Papers that do not regurgitate information, that reflect on the meaning of the information, that apply the information to the problem discussed, that brings ideas to the table, that demonstrate insight and reflection are likely to be graded favorably.
Finally my grading style is not objective. It is a myth that grades are objectively decided. I do not have equivalencies for grades -that doing three particular things will give you an A and three other things will give you a B. The information you have been provided with represent what I like, what I value. You can always meet with me to discuss your papers or any issues you have concerning your work and the class.
My goal is to provide you with:
1.Material that will give you new information on the topic of the class, but also to provide material that will make you think and most importantly, to make you act.
2.This cannot be done by just reading alone and coming to class. You must learn to analyze, to challenge ideas and to critically think.
3.I seek in this class, for you to be engaged in a dialogue that is based on education that is problem posing. The problem is how will you impact the way science and scientists study women’s bodies and their development of solutions for women’s ailments that will foster women’s agency and sexual safety. Some of the issues raised during the course may be controversial or difficult to discuss. With this in mind, it is important that we respect and listen to each other with open minds.
Readings
Although there is a great deal of research going on in this area, the readings for this class will be a combination of four texts, and and texts from journals and websites.
What Science is missing when women are missing
https://www.slideshare.net/ElsevierConnect/from-ideas-to-markets
Sex, Hormones, and Alzheimer's Disease
Killing the Black Body: Race reproduction and the Meaning of Liberty by Dorothy Roberts
The Gender of Science by Janet Kourany
The Savvy Woman Patient, How and Why Your Sex Matters to your Health by Jennifer Wider and Phyllis Greenberger
Zena Stein: HIV Prevention: The Need for Methods Women Can Use
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/reprint/80/4/460http://books.nap.\edu/catalog.php?record_id=10028
Executive Summary
Every cell has a sex p. 28-44
http://gender-summit.com/images/From_Ideas_to_Markets-the_Gender_Factor.pdf
http://www.marieclaire.com/health-fitness/a26741/doctors-treat-women-like-men/
http://www.nap.edu/read/2304/chapter/2#25
Executive Report Women and Health research Ethical and Legal Issues of including women in Clinical Studies Vol 1 Anna C. Mastroianni, Ruth Faden, and Daniel Federman (eds.) Div. of health Sciences Policy, Institute of Medicine, National Academy Press Washington D.C. 1994
Sex-Specific Reporting of Scientific Research: A Workshop Summary Theresa M. Wizeman, Rapporteur; Institute of Medicine
*** file:///C:/Users/Nesha%20Z.%20Haniff/Downloads/13307%20(1).pdf
Why Medical Research Often Ignores Women by Rich Barlow BU Today, 3/28/14
https://www.bu.edu/today/2014/why-medical-research-often-ignores-women/
Gender bias in research: how does it affect evidence based medicine?(editorial)
Journal Of The Royal Society Of Medicine Volume 100 January 2007
http://jrs.sagepub.com/content/100/1/2.full.pdf+html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4262757/
Gender Bias in Clinical Research, Pharmaceutical Marketing and the Prescription of Drugs, Elisa Chillet Rosell in Global Health Action. V. 7,2014
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4262757/
Effectiveness and safety of tenofovir gel
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/329/5996/1168.full.pdf
Microbicide Success: new Opportunities for women Zena Stein and Ida Susser
Susser and Stein reading ALQ-Mujeres_Adelante_October_2010.pdf p.38-55
Drug concentrations after topical and oral antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis: implications for HIV prevention in women
http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/science/article/pii/S0140673611608787
Not drinking the PrEp Kool-Aid
Not Drinking the PrEP Kool-aid.pdf
http://www.global-campaign.org/clientfiles/LSHTM-Condom.pdf
Are People Using Condoms? Current Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia and the Implications for Microbicides by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine \
Diaphragm and Lubricant Gel for Prevention of HIV acquisition in Southern African Women: A Randomized Control Trial by Nancy Padian
http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/science/article/pii/S0140673607609507
Hormonal contraceptive use and risk of HIV-1 transmission: a prospective cohort analysis presentation
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3266951/
Use of Hormonal contraception among women at high risk of HIV Infection
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6124a4.htm?s_cid=mm6124a4
http://www.guttmacher.org/media/resources/hormonal-contraceptives-HIV.pdf
Policy Implications for a New NIH Agenda
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sex-matters-drugs-can-affect-sexes-differently/
https://www.ted.com/talks/paula_johnson_his_and_hers_healthcare#t-917605
Your phone is trying to control your life
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sex-matters-drugs-can-affect-sexes-differently/
https://www.wired.com/story/why-men-dont-believe-the-data-on-gender-bias-in-science/
https://bsd.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13293-016-0099-1
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13293-018-0185-7
Sex bias in basic and preclinical age related hearing loss
Tuesday September 4th.
Orientation and introduction
Thursday Sept. 6th.
What Science is missing when women are missing
From Ideas to markets: The gender factor
htttps://genderinsite.net/sites/default/files/fromideastomarkets-130228152406-phpapp02.pdf
https://www.wired.com/story/why-men-dont-believe-the-data-on-gender-bias-in-science/
Thursday Sept. 11th.
http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10028
Every cell has a sex p. 28-44
http://ycci.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=13321
Every cell has a sex: X and Y and the future of health care
Thursday Sept. 13th.
Why Women’s Health can’t Wait
https://www.ted.com/talks/paula_johnson_his_and_hers_healthcare#t-917605 Your phone is trying to control your life
Tuesday Sept. 18th.
The Gender of Science by Janet Kourany
Women in the Origins of Modern Science by Londa Schiebinger P. 8-33
Women of Third World Descent in the Sciences by Sandra Harding 34-38
Thursday Sept. 20th.
The Gender of Science by Janet Kourany
Women in Science: Half In, Half Out by Vivian Gornick p.39-60
How Can a Little Girl Like You Teach a Great big Class of Men? The Chairman said, and Other Adventures of A woman in Science by Naomi Weisstein p. 60-65
Tuesday Sept. 25th.
The Gender of Science by Janet Kourany
The Anomaly of A woman in Physics by Evelyn Fox Keller p. 66-74
Women Join the Ranks of Science but Remain Invisible at the Top by Natalie Angler p. 75-85
Thursday Sept.27th.
The Gender of Science by Janet Kourany
What kind of Enterprise is Science p. 87-97
Patriarchy Scientists and Nuclear Wars by Brian Easlea p.98-111
Culturally Inclusive Chemistry by Catherine Hurt Middlecamp p.112-124
Tuesday Oct. 2nd.
The Gender of Science by Janet Kourani
A world of Difference by Evelyn Fox Keller p.125-135
Have Only Men Evolved by Ruth Hubbard p. 153-170
Thursday Oct. 4th
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13293-018-0185-7
Sex bias in basic and preclinical age related hearing loss
Forward to p.6
Chapter Five Autoimmunity p. 43- 76
Tuesday Oct. 9th.
The Gender of Science by Janet Kourany
The importance of feminist critique for contemporary cell biology by Athena Beldecos et alp. 192-202
The Savvy Woman Patient
Chapter 6, Bone and Muscle Health P. 77- 100
Thursday Oct. 11th.
No Class Fall break
paper Due
Thursday October 18th.
The Gender of Science by Janet Kourany
The Engendering of Archaeology by Alison Wylie p. 203-217
Feminist Challenges to psychology by Sue Wilkinson p. 218-227
Androcentric Bias in Clinical Research by Sue Rosser p. 228-237
Man-made Medicine and Women’s Health by Nancy krieger and Elizabeth Free. p. 237-245
Tuesday October 23rd.
mammography- Long ride for a Short slide?
Effect of Three Decades of Screening Mammography on Breast-Cancer Incidence
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1206809?query=featured_home&#t=articleResults
Take carcinoma out of DCIS and ease off treatment
Take carcinoma out of DCIS and ease off
Thursday Oct. 25th.
The Savvy Woman Patient
Chapter 11 Heart Disease p.189 -214
Representation of Women in Randomized Clinical Trials of
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
representation of women in randomized clinical trials.pdf
Tuesday October 30th.
The savvy woman Patient Chapter Eight, Cancer, Breast cancer p.108 -156
http://connection.asco.org/discussion/controversies-management-ductal-carcinoma-situ
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/dark-side-breast-cancer-unawareness-month
Thursday November 1st.
https://bsd.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13293-016-0099-1
Gender Bias in Clinical Research
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4262757/
Tuesday Nov.6th.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/magazine/black-mothers-babies-death-maternal-mortality.html
Thursday November 8th.
Understanding racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK24685/
understanding
Pain Perception in Women Across the Menstrual Cycle Phases
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oBPi1AHrMYRXz42wlw8ZuX-DDaMwuewPSOhUd0gpE8c/edit
Different Brain Activation Patterns to Pain and Pain-related Unpleasantness during the Menstrual Cycle
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13V5-nc4ocAnD5cXyo8CuKhkobCxdDDqVC0nd0W3uixk/edit
Modulation of Pain by Estrogens
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JssmSvSfMJqWrPoXMZ-R1mFk37qS_WGK7I0re9wRyqk/edit
Thursday November 15th.
The Girl Who Cried Pain
Tuesday November 20- Thanksgiving
Tuesday November 27th.
Thursday November 29th
Class Presentations
Tuesday December 4th. Final paper
Class Presentations
Thursday December 7th.
Class presentations
Tuesday December 11th. Last day of Class
final paper due
https://www.wired.com/story/meet-the-woman-who-rocked-particle-physicsthree-times/
Course Summary:
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