UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON    Winter 2004

Women Studies 485 /Physics 451

Issues for ethnic minorities and women in science and engineering

Course Home Page

SCHEDULE"A" denotes the first hour (1:30-2:20) and "B" the second hour (2:30-3:20) for each class period.  The schedule is organized around the three parts of the course: Historical and Current Status, Climate Issues and Succesful Interventions and Policy Issues and Agenda for Action .  Speakers in underlined italics  are confirmed; those in italics only are tentative.

  Student Presentation Schedule

Jan 3
A. Introductions and Goals.  Definitions.
B.  Logistics and Assignments.   Proper referencing.  Using the web appropriately.
Jan 5
A.  Historical Overview -- Women
B.  Historital Overview -- Minorities
[Choose Presentation Dates and Topics]  
reading assignment
Jan 10 Stories of Individual Scientists -- their lives and contributions -- Women and Ethnic Minorities
reading assignment
Jan 12
A.  Current status in academia -- Nelson Surveys
B.  How to acquire, read, analyze statistical data.
reading assignment
Jan 17
A.  Current status at UW ADVANCE departments.  Guest: Sheila Edwards-Lange
B.  Discuss Assignments

reading assignment

Jan 19

A.  Statistics of high school math and science
B.  Minority students transitioning from high school to college to careers
reading assignment
Jan 24 A. History of UW's women and ethnic minorities in Science & Engineering since 1970
B.  Discussion of Statistics Reports
[Statistics Report Due]
reading assignment
Jan 26
Changes in a Lifetime (Guest: Irene Peden)
[Choose intervention program for UW Intervention Report]
reading assignments
Jan 31
Introduction to Climate and how to measure it
UW  Leadership, Community, and Values Initiative (LCVI), MIT Report, Harvard President Address, and the responses to them.
reading assignments
Feb 2
Panel on Successful Programs at UW.  ADVANCE , WISE, GO-MAP, Pre-MAP, etc.
reading assignments
Feb 7
A.  •Student Presentation:  Climate at K-12 Level
B.  •Student Presentation:  Interventions K-12 Level
reading assignments
[Project and Policy Memo Proposals Due]
Feb 9
Academic Climate for Minorities and Impact of administrative interventions:  Guest: Warren Buck
reading assignments
Feb 14 A.  Women in National Labs
B.  Role of Professional Societies
 Guest: TBA
reading assignments
[UW Intervention Report Due]
Feb 16
A.  International Climate; Industrial Climate
B.  •Student Presentation:  Role models and stereotypes
reading assignments
Feb 21 A.  Introduction to Policy.
B.  Previous policy memos.
reading assignments
[Personal Reflection Due]
Feb 23
Morella, BEST reports:  Policy and Best Practices.

reading assignments

Feb 28
A. •Student Presentation:  Testing and Standards in K-12 OR College/Graduate (SAT/GRE)
B.  •Student Presentation:  National Equity Laws (FMLA, Nepotism, Title IX)
[First Draft Policy Memo Due]
reading assignments
Mar 2
Guest:  Maresi Narad
Policy and its influence on status and climate
reading assignments
Mar 7
Guest:  Helen Remick -- examples of UW/State/National policies, how they were implemented, and what was their impact.

reading assignments
Mar 9
Discussion of current policy memos
Final Summary and Discussion
reading assignments
March 13
Final Paper Due
Final Policy Memo Due


Each student is expected to lead a class presentation. Students will choose a topic from among those topics marked by bullets (•), or a related topic to be approved by the instructors. Each student will select one of the topics for her/his presentation session. Depending on the size of the class, students may work in groups for these presentations.  Choices of presentation topics will be made in class Thursday, Jan 5.