Blog #7 by Scott
The last class discussions started with Julian explaining to us the importance of communicating with the right academic adviser. I like the fact that he pointed out that you can not always rely on an academic adviser to know their stuff as it pertains to you and he provided a good personal experience of exactly that. We then proceeded to do an exercise where we were given different colored stars and for a second, got a chance to feel what it might be like to hear feedback from the most important people in our lives on what it would be like to tell them that we were homosexual. I was fortunate to get a blue star, and because of that I felt much more comfortable and at ease with the people in my life. I would treat people with different orientations, such as sexual, just like the blue star people did, with tolerance, understanding, and respect that we are not all exactly the same, and we should not be disappointed in others because they are not like the “norm”. I felt for Alejandro because he had a star that represented the people in his life not accepting him for who he was. He said the people in his life would have definitely accepted him for whatever sexual orientation he was and that made him more aware and sad that the people closest to someones life could reject that person because they were different in some ways. I believe people are born to be different and for some people to gang up with the majority on a persons disposition is a real sign of weakness. My opinion is to be secure with yourself, no matter if it is popular or not, and do not judge other people.
The readings about gender in higher education showed that there is a big improvement in women attending colleges. It also pointed out a disparity with women not entering the STEM fields. But reading the study the author conducted with several women in the STEM field program it seemed that for the most part they were comfortable with their situation in a male dominated field of study. I personally see women doing great in these type of fields of study. I do not know if women are equally represented in the professional ranks, but they are well represented and on their way from what I experienced in my many STEM courses at Ventura College. I have seen an enormous improvement in the inclusion of women in STEM courses from when I first started college in 1981, to the present. I think people tend to follow stereotypes, but as the authors in the readings have pointed out, more and more women are stepping up to the challenge of entering the traditionally male dominated fields.
Do we acknowledge enough female heroes from the STEM fields?
Are we doing enough, at an early age of teaching, to break the stereotype of the male dominated science field?
Does the massive influence of the media portray men as the “gatekeepers” of the science and technology fields?
