WikiWhat?
OCADU is joining the likes of Yale University and Pennsylvania State University by offering a new course that requires students to not just use Wikipedia – but also contribute, edit, and (hopefully) help transform it. And it’s the kind of course York needs.
This semester, OCADU is participating in a new online course called Dialogues on Feminism and Technology. It offers a collaborative format in which students, scholars, and creatives teach each other in a free-flowing educational landscape. From here they can openly share and discuss feminist issues in a digital context. Co-operative learning is encouraged in the course, which is designed by FemTechNet – a network of academics and artists focusing on the intersection of feminism and technology.
The course is particularly notable because the first assignment for students is to edit or create a Wikipedia article about a woman who has contributed to science and technology. By expanding the female presence on Wikipedia, the course looks to alter skewed perceptions of women in technological settings. Even on Wikipedia, there is a statistical imbalance as females make up only 13 per cent of its community of contributors.
Courses and programs like this are an effort to change this gender imbalance in technology. The course is offered at Ivy League schools and colleges in the United States and some international institutions. OCADU’s educational experimentation with this course should not be written off because it is an art school. It deserves applause, and other Canadian universities should look to this former college for inspiration when approaching new methods of learning. An online course like Dialogues on Feminism in Technology could be a welcome addition to an education in gender studies.
“The collaborative nature of this course and its focus on digital feminist issues is an experimental leap that could lead to permanence in gender studies programs.”
York has extensive resources for gender and feminist education. The Centre for Feminist Research and the School of Gender, Feminist, and Women’s Studies are integral institutions, but the available courses for York students do not include a section dedicated to current networking and media technologies. I do not doubt that relevant courses in the program mention these technologies, but OCADU’s new class is a stimulating education opportunity that York’s School of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies should also adopt.
It disposes of the orthodox singular scholar who diffuses information onto 300-some students. This course invites a dialogue between active participants to engage in an exchange of ideas. The collaborative nature of this course and its focus on digital feminist issues is an experimental leap that could lead to permanence in gender studies programs.
Toronto schools are ideal to host this kind of digital feminist discussion because of the city’s burgeoning groups like Girls Learning Code and Girls in Tech that advocate female presence in technology and co-operative learning. These groups are accessible to anyone looking to learn more.
And for those looking for more information about this course’s concerns should attend the public panel discussion at OCADU on September 27. The free event will host Canadian and American scholars and artists discussing the course and the broader implications of feminism meeting digital technology.
Tess Reid
Graphics & Comics Editor
