Gender and Women's Studies 

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As a Center for Women in Technology (C.W.I.T.) Scholar, I was asked to take a series of gender and women's studies courses as a requirement for the program, in which I took an introductory course for gender and women's studies and women, gender, and information technology course. my understanding of how people are identified in the world was altered because I had been oblivious of the many challenges that individuals who identified with non-traditional genders faced. Furthermore, I didn’t realize how many aspects of our daily lives have been morphed to fit with societal standards and expectations just solely based on gender. I obtained a deeper understanding of the impacts these gender norms have made on women in their education as well as their career. Numerous of successful historic female inventors and engineers were introduced and their stories were shard. As I learned of these women’s challenges during their time allowed me to understand the importance of having a diverse group of people solving critical societal problems. These two courses have given me an interdisciplinary experience in understanding the significance of gender has on the engineers who are working on projects related to urban infrastructure and how women can bring a different perspective to the table for innovative solutions to pressing challenges faced by other women around the world.

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Gold Experience (~270 hours)

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As a woman in this field, I can relate my personal experience and provide additional input to approach these difficult problems. The discussions we have in the Gender and Women’s Studies courses have allowed me to understand the various challenges I may face in the industry but acquire the ability to understand obstacles others who may not identify with the same gender as their sex in this field. As an engineer, this will help me in seeking out ways to design or develop products that will accommodate the concerns of people not in the majority. In addition, the societal expectations and customs discussed in class have given me a realistic perspective of the sensitive topics that revolve around gender and women in this male dominated field. Prior to this experience, I was not as knowledgeable of the various scenarios I may face or the gender related obstacles that exist in my career path. However, this interdisciplinarity experience in combination with my personal experience has allowed me to see how I can be an asset to an engineering team and boosted my confidence for success in this field. Furthermore, my involvement in the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) program at U.M.B.C. has allowed me to become more informed of gender-related issues in the engineering field.   

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Learning Objectives:

• Perspectivism

• Realistic Vision

• Identify different disciplines that contribute to the solution of a complex problem.

• Describe and apply strategies for creating common ground between different disciplinary perspectives. 

• Descibe and apply bridging strategies that facilitate the conscious integration of different disciplines.