My Experience As A Computer Science Student Essay

Women are obtaining more then half of the bachelor degrees earned in America but that has not limited the earning and abilities of the working class man. Phyllis Rosser’s, Too Many Women in College? (2005) is used to expose the still continuing gender issues in higher education. It exposes the issue that yes, there are more women then men in undergrad and master’s programs but men are still outnumbering women in doctoral programs as well as higher paying fields of study (engineering, computer science, business). Still regardless of education women will still face the income gap. Comparing Lee’s and Shaw’s conclusion to the study by Investing in Futures Public Higher Education in America, Women in Higher Education both sources have come to the conclusion that women make up over half of students enrolled in undergrad and their is an uneven representation of women in math and science based degree programs. Janet Lee’s and Susan M. Shaw’s, Women’s Voices Feminist Visions Classic and Contemporary Readings is an accredited and well developed source that highlights the development of women’s

10). However, mass unemployment, such as in Britain in the 1980s, becomes a public issue where a ‘structure of opportunities collapse’ and a range of solutions from political and economic institutions are required (Mills 1959, p. 10). Furthermore, Mills (1959) argues that public issues often explain what someone might consider to be a personal trouble, therefore, stating that people need the “sociological imagination” to realise that their personal troubles are embedded in public issues (p.10).

The reason why I took this course was because I felt like technology has definitely influenced this world on a larger scale than previously imagined. If you look in our ordinary lives, you will see products of technology and computing. Everyday objects like iPhones, calculators, even cars are being born out of programming and computing. The scale of this mass technological improvement is also a reason why I am taking AP computer science. If you think about it, just a century ago computing was just an idea, having machines complete everyday tasks. Now if you fast forward to our time, right now, once massive computers have shrunk down

Ullman puts her argument within the context of computer science, particularly in the field of computer programming. She notes that, in the deep and technical aspects of computer programming, women are “nearly alone, outsiders in a culture that [is] sometimes boyishly puerile, sometimes rigorously hierarchical, occasionally friendly and welcoming” (Ullman 728). In other words, Ullman observes that there is a stark disparity between men and women as far as actual employment in computer programming is concerned. For Ullman, the disparity extends to other

Eileen P, the author of “What really keeps women out of tech” has experienced diversity in her life, while she was studying for physics. She claims that women do not suit for science and math, also they are not compatible for computer science. Girls in high school do not choose computer science as a class and they avoid it. From Pollack’s point of view this, actions are caused because girls thoughts about it is that they do not fit in those subjects. In her essay, Pollack expresses that according to Dr. Cheryan a classroom with pink decorations and nature posters, attracts females higher than room filled with Star Wars poster. It does not finish only with this, cultural reasons; especially stereotypes influence females’ decision on learning science, math and physic. The bias idea of girls should be feminine has been in the minds of people through centuries. In addition, men would not agree with a room full of girlish posters and objects. They would gradually lose interest and shift the major or job. Basically, Eileen focuses on discrimination in majors’ and why it happens through her

Although the recent upward trends in the number of women in STEM fields are promising, they are not truly due to decreasing cultural stereotypes. Women receiving graduate degrees in engineering increased by 2 percent from 2000 to 2008, but this trend is not as hopeful as it may seem (Giges). This increase was mainly evident in communal fields like environmental or biomedical engineering (Giges). This is further evidence of the impact of cultural stereotypes and their influence on women’s career paths. Society’s expectation of women is that they serve as caring motherly figures and community-centered careers adhere

Sociologists have extensively studied the gender gap within the STEM field, while most theorists focus on gender socialization to explain this phenomenon, recently there has been a push to emphasize a more intersectional approach. As stated earlier gender socialization is “ the process of learning the social expectations and attitudes associated with one’s sex” (Chegg). It is built into our culture and it shapes how our society acts. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a prominent writer who is now seen as a sociologist, who focused in on traditional gender roles and the effect they have on society. Her work Women and Economics looks at how women’s roles in society are not seen as valuable or economically beneficial to society. She states, “Economic progress, however is almost exclusively masculine” (Gilman 1898: 200). As well as stating, “ The male human being is thousands of years in advance of the female in economic status” (Gilman 1898: 200). These quotes show that men are and have been superior to women in an economic stance. Gilman also touched on the idea that, “the labor now performed by the men could not be performed by the women without generations of effort and adaptation” (Gilman 1898: 200). Meaning that even if women were to take over men’s jobs, they would need a lot of time and change to achieve the productivity that men can achieve. This all stems from the ideas that women are not to be working in male dominated jobs, they should be cooking and cleaning. These

This means public issues can cause private troubles; whilst private troubles can also shape public issues and in turn manipulate society as a whole. To clarify the idea of the relationship between ‘private troubles’ and ‘public issues’, Mills (1978, p. 15) gives the example of unemployment. In this example, Mills (1978, p. 15) states that when only a single man in a large city population is unemployed it is a ‘private trouble’ and consequently we as observers look at the individual’s characteristics, skills and immediate opportunities to see the cause of his unemployment. However, if in contrast the situation was flipped where instead a significantly large proportion of the city’s population was unemployed, it then becomes a ‘public issue’ (Mills 1978, p. 15). This of which requires consideration of economic and political institutions of society, as well as the personal situations and characteristics of the individuals involved to find a solution for the issue at hand (Mills 1978, p. 15). Similar to Mills’ example of unemployment is a ‘private trouble’ experienced in my personal

While this bill undoubtedly aligned with the mission and purpose of women’s colleges, there remains an unbalanced amount of representation of women in STEM programs and careers. “Globally, women remain particularly behind in participation at elite institutions and in traditional ‘male’ fields of study including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM” (Renn, 2014, p. 3). While the very existence of women’s colleges asserts their right to belong within realms of higher education, the work towards equity and inclusion must take place in all facets of life. “Even where women outnumber men in undergraduate enrollments and enjoy full access to higher education, women’s institutions act symbolically to remind society that in many other domains of public and private life, gender equality remains elusive” (Renn, 2014, p. 125).

There were times in elementary school when teachers had to pick me up from my chair to give another student a chance to use the school computer. When I first laid eyes on a computer I was amazed at all the things that it could accomplish but I never really delved the aspects of it. This changed when I took my AP Computer Science course during my junior year, taking the class helped develop my passion for the computer. Taking this course helped me to explore other areas of the computer that I didn’t know existed, because I wanted to learn more about the world of computers I decided to join the cyber security team and the robotics team at my school. By joining the cybersecurity team I was able to augment my knowledge on computers in general,

The stated prerogative is to introduce slow yet lasting change and to integrate more women and people of color within the STEM field; however, the plan for change, and the reason for its perceived need to be slow is nowhere addressed; , suggesting that it is rather the reluctance of men to relinquish control and allow feminization of the field (Tepperman and Curtis, 2012). Reports of these initiatives claim to be struggling struggle in attracting and keeping women within the STEM field. Yet by shifting the blame on women, the inaction taken by scientific institutions to reform the patriarchal ideals dominating the scientific realm is justified (Tepperman and Curtis, 2012). In addition, the economic paradigm that western society is built around is one that necessitates inequality to function. The Neoliberal welfare is instrumental in constructing gender

In “The Sociological Imagination”, C. Wright Mills describes troubles as more personal problems that may be resolved by the one person they are affecting. Conversely, issues are seen as evidence of a widespread systematic error. He gives an example of employment, citing one unemployed citizen in a city of employed workers as having a trouble, or a personal flaw that prevents him from getting work. In the line of this example, a city where 25% of the citizens are unemployed has an issue preventing that 25% from working. Accordingly, people who are more individualistically inclined may be more prone to having troubles because they believe they are a product of their own effort. They do not believe that they could incur a problem at the fault

Throughout our lives we encounter numerous personal troubles, no matter big ones or trivial ones. However, one may seldom relate their problems in a sociological level rather often try to ascribe the blame to their personal wrongs. In this essay I would introduce the topic of sociological imagination coined by sociologist C. Wright Mills, describing how personal matters have all sorts of interwoven relationships with social issues. It is also important to realize that there are distinctions between “personal troubles” and “public issues” despite their relationship. To be successful survivors in our society, one must have the insight and sensibility to analyze how their personal troubles can be viewed to a broader extent. Because it is believed that the individuals’ life and the history of society cannot be understood by not understanding the relation between the two (Mills 1959).

Mills’ description of the distinctions and connections between private troubles and public issues explains the way in which they can have an effect on a society. According to Mills, personal troubles ‘occur within the character of the individual and within the range of his immediate relations with others’ (1959: 8). It is distinctly private and exists within oneself together with areas of social life that the

Moreover, Mills distinguish the difference between personal troubles and social issues. Personal troubles are personal challenge caused by greater social factors. For instance, when you have a lack of motivation to work. Further, social issues are challenges caused by greater social factors. For example, you got laid off from a job due to a financial crisis. Mills mentioned that many personal troubles have not become social issues yet because individuals do not treat their situations in a context of a social world. Thus, they blame themselves of not doing