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Sandra Harding, Standpoint, & Science, the First Project in the Womenâ•Žs Studies

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Sandra Harding, Standpoint, & Science, the First Project in the Womenâ•Žs Studies Women’s STUDIES IN THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGICAL PRODUCTION Thinking from Women’s Lives: Sandra Harding, Standpoint, & Science, the first project in the Women’s Studies Media Initiative, debuts December 3 by Loran Marsan In one sense all feminist work uses n the winter quarter of 2006, Professor Under the advisement of Professor Hammer Rhonda Hammer approached me with and with the support of Professor Chris- standpoint; it all starts from an idea for creating media that would tine Littleton, Chair of Women’s Studies, I the lives of women. Iat once enhance the women’s studies created the first video project for the Initia- classroom and archive visual material about tive. “Thinking from Women’s Lives: Sandra That’s what makes famous and important feminists on the Harding, Standpoint, & Science” is an educa- it feminist. UCLA campus. The first subject would be tional video designed for the undergraduate Sandra Harding, a professor in the UCLA women’s studies classroom and particularly - Sandra Harding Graduate School of Education and Informa- for introductory courses. This video frames Thinking from Women’s Lives: tion Sciences and a pioneer of standpoint standpoint epistemology with broader con- Sandra Harding, Standpoint, and Science, epistemology and science studies. Over the nections to multiple feminist concepts making a video by Loran Marsan last year and a half, both the proposed video it not only a portrayal of Sandra Harding’s and the Women’s Studies Media Initiative, work but an informative introduction to a program designed to train women’s studies the field of women’s studies as well. Featur- graduate students in video production and ing interviews with and a lecture by Sandra encourage future projects that would benefit Harding, this video gives an overview of how undergraduates in women’s studies courses, Standpoint Theory came about, its history and have come to fruition. applications, its relation to science, and how it NOV07 11 CSupdateW is still useful today. Says Professor Hammer of logical means. Though the next project has yet Media Initiative. “Thinking from Women’s the project, “‘Thinking from Women’s Lives’” to be determined, this initiative has already Lives” and the Women’s Studies Media Initia- is a first-class documentary that manages to interested many women’s studies graduate stu- tive further this crucial feminist goal as well. not only capture Sandra Harding’s special dents, who are now thinking about including F Loran Marsan is a doctoral student in charisma but also clearly explain some of her video components in their own research in an Women’s Studies. Her research interests include ground-breaking theoretical work in a com- effort to broaden the meaning and accessibil- critical film theory, queer theory, and postcolonial prehensive and entertaining fashion. Indeed, ity of feminist research. studies, as well as film production. I believe that this video will be an important “To do research that’s for women is to make pedagogical resource for both graduate and women subjects of history and knowledge,” Sandra Harding is a Professor undergraduate students, as well as other mem- says Professor Harding. Interviewing her of Social Sciences and Compar- bers of the academic community.” The video was an amazing experience. I was immedi- ative Education in the UCLA will premiere Monday, December 3, at 3 pm in ately captivated by her charisma and ability Graduate School of Education the YRL presentation room. to explain not only complex feminist theory and Information Sciences. Her The Women’s Studies Media Initiative–cre- and her own work within it but also concepts teaching and research interests ated by Professor Hammer and myself with about the philosophy of science and the field involve feminist and postcolonial theory, episte- the support of Professor Littleton–will have of science studies. It was hard not to simply mology, research methodology, and the philosophy a two-fold benefit within the student popula- revere her as “one of the rock stars of femi- of science. Over the course of her career, Harding tion. Graduate students will gain and utilize nist theory,” as fellow graduate student Saru has produced a substantial body of published work video production skills to create educational Matambanadzo says in the video. In the in- including Is Science Multicultural?: Postco- videos for use in the undergraduate classroom. terviews, she was gracious and open and very lonialisms, Feminisms, and Epistemologies Multimedia presentations in the form of video concerned that other theorists be credited in (1998), and Science and Social Inequality: will broaden the resources available to under- the collaborative theoretical venture that be- Feminist and Postcolonial Issues (Race and graduate students in the pursuit of enhancing came Standpoint Theory. At Harding’s behest, Gender in Science) (2006). Harding was direc- their education. Graduate students will be the contributions of others were included, tor of the Center for the Study of Women from able to convey their research experience via making the finished video more versatile as an 1996 to 1999, and she coedited Signs: Journal of multimedia, and undergraduate students will educational tool. In keeping with her charge Women in Culture and Society with Kath- have an audio/visual learning experience that “to do research that’s for women,” Harding erine Norberg, an Associate Professor in the connects materials through dynamic techno- fully supported both my video work and the Department of History, from 2000 to 2005. NOV07 12 CSupdateW.
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