Curricula

Activities & Experiences

Women in Science in the Movies

All Levels

Narrative
The availability of movies (or television) on video or DVD recording helps make this activity even more dynamic.
Students have an opportunity to become critical about role models of women in film, more sensitive to how women scientists are portrayed in mass media, and the use of the media is generally considered to be fun.

	Objectives Develop personal and educational empowerment skills for young women. Increase awareness of possible careers and career paths in the STEM professions. Enhance formative assessment skills so that young women and their mentors may continually identify learning strengths and hurdles. Materials Needed Access to the Internet and library for research Current movies portraying women in science on video or DVD (Volcano, etc., paper or transparencies to record group work) The Gender Chip

Guided Experience

This experience may be structured in any one of several different ways, including dividing an investigation into categories of strong and autonomous women scientists in the movies, and weak, male-dependent roles. It clearly involves aspects of media literacy and because certain scenes can be captured and replays, students and others can become familiar with both media portrayal and comparison and contrast with less fictionalized accounts. Students might themselves develop a set of questions that inform their investigation, such as: which women scientists appear to use scientific method to solve problems? Another variation—and there are many—might involve only examining true stories as they have appeared in movies. This activity can also be helpful in demystifying STEM careers as well as media representation of women, and there are ample opportunities for a very wide range of career choice examinations such as vulcanologists, astronomers, mathematicians, oceanographers, mining and other civil engineers, and archeologists. (It might be interesting and helpful to ask students why they chose their subject.) Students collect and write up information about scientists, and then display and share this information . Again, students would then find an opportunity to display and share their information in several possible venues such as "A Walk Through the Movies" or wall and art displays, or a collection bound into a book.