• DOI:10.5250/FRONJWOMESTUD.38.1.0100
• Corpus ID: 152248924

Feminists Increasing Public Understandings of Science: A Feminist Approach to Developing Critical Science Literacy Skills

@article{Giordano2017FeministsIP,
  title={Feminists Increasing Public Understandings of Science: A Feminist Approach to Developing Critical Science Literacy Skills},
  author={Sara Giordano},
  journal={Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies},
  year={2017},
  volume={38},
  pages={100 - 123}
}

• S. Giordano
• Published 12 April 2017
• Education
• Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies

Creating a more scientifi cally literate public in the United States has been a national goal for at least several decades. However, how this should be done has continued to be an area for intense research. Th ere have only been small improvements despite the sustained goal of “science for all.”1 What is oft en missing as a question for analysis is: why should we increase science literacy?2 In mainstream discourse the implicit reason appears to be nationalistic in that we do not want to fall behind other countries. Th e logic continues that a scientifi cally advanced and literate public signals “progress” and “development.” In contrast, most feminist scholars begin with the assumption that the how and why are always connected. As such, feminists have argued for increasing scientifi c literacy to further social justice goals through situated, ethically engaged science education.3 However, there have been few concrete examples of how to incorporate scientifi c literacy in feminist education. In this essay, I provide examples of how linking feminist pedagogy with feminist science studies can be implemented in the classroom.