Teaching%20Mathematics%20and%20Gender%20at%20the%20University

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Teaching Mathematics and Gender at the University

• Andrea Blunck
• Department Mathematik
• Universität Hamburg

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Outline of the talk

• The courses I teach
• Aims
• Methods
• Some courses in detail

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The courses I teach

• My professorship
• Mathematics Gender Studies
• at the Department of Mathematics
• so far cooperation with the study program
  Gender Studies Hamburg (ending)

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The courses I teach

• I teach courses on
• mathematics
• mathematics and gender, for students of
• mathematics
• mathematics education
• gender studies

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The courses I teach

• Course of lectures Women in the history of
  mathematics
• Seminars on topics like Women in mathematics,
  Mathematics and gender, etc.
• Course Gender in MIN (mathematics, informatics,
  natural sciences), joint with Prof. Dr. Ingrid
  Schirmer (Dept. Informatics)

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Aims

• direct, obvious aims
• raise students awareness for gender and
  mathematics, women and mathematics, girls and
  mathematics
• make the contributions of women to mathematics
  visible
• present female role models
• motivate female students

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Aims

• more general aims
• help changing the image of mathematics
• initialize students reflection on mathematics
• help students get a personal relationship to
  mathematics
• motivate them to continue their studies

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The image of mathematics
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The image of mathematics
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The image of mathematics

• mathematics is
• many formulas to learn
• never changing
• not lively
• something for nerds and loners
• something for boys / men

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The image of mathematics

• mathematics is
• made by men and women
• creative
• lively
• teamwork
• with many different applications

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Methods

• more general
• look at mathematics from outside, from different
  points of view
• teach (in extra seminars, or integrated in
  ordinary mathematics courses) topics like
• interrelations between mathematics and society
• history of mathematics
• mathematics in other cultures

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Methods

• use methods that are activating and unusual for
  mathematics courses, like
• read and discuss texts
• discuss on controversial subjects
• work in small groups
• let students prepare sessions
• cooperate with students from other disciplines

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Some courses in detail

• Women in the history of mathematics
• Life and work of 12 women mathematicians
• Special view on the history of mathematics,
  history of women's education, history of science
  and of scientific institutions.

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Some courses in detail

• Women in the history of mathematics
• Hypatia (370 415)
• Emilie du Châtelet (1706 1749)
• Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718 1799)
• Sophie Germain (1776 1831)
• Mary Somerville (1780 1872)
• Ada Lovelace (1815 1852)
• Sofia Kovalevskaya (1850 1891)
• Christine Ladd-Franklin (1847 1930)
• Charlotte A. Scott (1858 1931)
• Grace Chisholm Young (1868 1944)
• Emmy Noether (1882 1935)
• Ruth Moufang (1905 1977)

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Some courses in detail

• Seminars
• Women in mathematics yesterday and today
• Gender and science an introduction (joint with
  Dr. Helene Götschel)
• Gender and mathematics
• Gender, mathematics, and technology

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Some courses in detail

• Seminar on Women and mathematics
• Topics
• What is mathematics?
• The (male) image of mathematics
• History of womens education
• History of mathematics education
• Gender-sensitive mathematics teaching
• Biographies of women mathematicians
• Gender studies and mathematics

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Some courses in detail

• Students feedback
• I liked
• that we discussed a lot and didnt only let the
  lecture wash over us
• participants from different subjects! So
  interesting discussions came up.

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Conclusion

• Teaching gender topics to students of mathematics
• gives the students
• a new view on their subject
• new motivation for their subject
• encourages female students
• helps changing the image of mathematics

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Thank you for your attention !!