Courtney Cleveland, Class of 2020
Millsaps College Honors Student
Spring 2019 Honors Project | STEM and Social Deviance: An Analysis of Race and Gender Relationships in the Undergraduate Science Classroom
American primary institutions are based on notions of hierarchy, and higher education (e.g., undergraduate and graduate) is no different. Contextualized through a variety of social processes, the educational experience is a central site in which the reproduction of social inequality persists. While many power structures circulate in schools, this project focuses directly on issues of race and gender in the undergraduate science classroom. For example, Johnson states, “...that teachers offer minimal encouragement, praise, attention, and even criticism to African American girls,” (2016, p. 158).
With that being said, my central research question includes: How does race and gender affect the undergraduate science classroom? From this overarching question, several other sub questions are revealed: (a) How does this hierarchy and treatment of women of color affect them in the long run? How does it affect their career trajectory, STEM disciplines, and personal identities?
The motivation for my research is multifaceted. This research is of both personal and professional interest. As somebody who has experienced the racialized and gendered hierarchy of classroom spaces firsthand I chose to research the interactions in the science classroom to better understand their enduring impacts. The other motivation for research originates from scholarly research, societal concern, and the success of women of color in the STEM fields. Through this research project, I hope to find answers to these questions.
American primary institutions are based on notions of hierarchy, and higher education (e.g., undergraduate and graduate) is no different. Contextualized through a variety of social processes, the educational experience is a central site in which the reproduction of social inequality persists. While many power structures circulate in schools, this project focuses directly on issues of race and gender in the undergraduate science classroom. For example, Johnson states, “...that teachers offer minimal encouragement, praise, attention, and even criticism to African American girls,” (2016, p. 158).
With that being said, my central research question includes: How does race and gender affect the undergraduate science classroom? From this overarching question, several other sub questions are revealed: (a) How does this hierarchy and treatment of women of color affect them in the long run? How does it affect their career trajectory, STEM disciplines, and personal identities?
The motivation for my research is multifaceted. This research is of both personal and professional interest. As somebody who has experienced the racialized and gendered hierarchy of classroom spaces firsthand I chose to research the interactions in the science classroom to better understand their enduring impacts. The other motivation for research originates from scholarly research, societal concern, and the success of women of color in the STEM fields. Through this research project, I hope to find answers to these questions.