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Technical Writing · Exposition & Argumentation · Non-fiction Creative Essays · Grammar and Usage of Standard English · The Structure of English · Analysis of Shakespeare
Analysis of Literary Language · Advanced Professional Papers · The History of the English Language · First Internship: Tutoring in a Writing Workshop · Second Internship: Advanced Instruction: Tutoring Writing
Visual Literacy Seminar (A First Course in Methodology) · Language in Society (A Third Course in Methodology) · The Writer's Guild
UMBC'S Conservative Newspaper: "The Retriever's Right Eye" · UMBC'S University Newspaper: "The Retriever Weekly" · Introduction to Journalism · Feature Writing
Science Writing Paper 1 · Science Writing Paper 2 · Science Writing Paper 3 · Science Writing Paper 4
Observation Journal · The Status Quo of Science: A Presentation
Weekly Responses to Reading Assignments and Rebuttal to Peer Responses
Consider the ways language and images are used in reference to technology.Is the language gendered? In pairs, work together to answer #1/Suggested Writing Projects, at the bottom of page 281. This is an in-class writing sample and should be 1-3 pages in length.
The language of technology is heavily biased towards the male gender. Most technology has historically come from military applications which has been and will most likely remain a male dominated field, otherwise known as the “Good O’ Boys Network.”
Cases in point, in the electronics field all cables ends are described as male and female. When one makes a purchase at say Radio Shack you had better know which gender you need because if you ask for a RCA jack, the person there is going to ask you do you need male or female.
What I had found interesting working in the automotive field, I once had to work with a female counterperson over the phone. I had to pull a set of brake pads and bring them to the phone because she was having an application problem. I had to describe the pads to her and the distinguishing feature she was looking for was a teat. When I got on the phone with her, she knew what feature she was looking for or not looking for and of course it was the teat. Now because it was a woman on the phone I became tongue tied in attempting to describe the distinguishing feature. She cam back to me and said, “It’s got a tit on it, right? You can say it, it doesn’t bother me. After all if it was one of the guy’s on the line what would you call it? A tit right? Besides, I’m the one who’s got them and if I’m not offended, then why should you be?” This was probably one of the strangest gender discussions I ever had with someone I never met, did not know and would never hear from again. She was right though, if it had been a man on the phone the description would have been straight forward, “the pad has a tit on it right?”
“Thus it is evident that, in the supposed world of science, emotion and temperament may play a role in our selection of the mental tools with which we choose to investigate mature.” (Loren Eiseley, 143, Mackenzie) By assumption, the belief is male wrote this without looking at the author. The word choices of “emotion,” “temperament,” and “may” are more likely to be feminine. Emotion similar to feelings and women are more auditory about emotions while men cover their emotions. Temperament similar to ________ May being neither yes or no, neither left or right. It is not a definitive word and is not assertive.
“Man’s memory erodes away in a short span of a lifetime.” (Loren Eiseley, 142, Mackenzie) Loren refers to all humanity, not just men. When I was about to write this I almost fell into the same trap of using the word “mankind” which is still a masculine reference and humanity being gender neutral. Considering Loren was a man and also considering the time he lived such language is not unusual. Today, however most people seem to be trying to refrain from using gender defining language.
“Invention often seems to be the mother of necessity” (George Brown , 275, Mackenzie)
Darwin’s book is entitled “The Dissent of Man,” again, this shows a bias toward referring to all people as “man.” He could have said “people,” but because of the male domination of his times and the vernacular of the day, man was chosen as the word for males and females.
“The traditional Christian physician views war as properly a moral issue: if men become good, and model themselves after the prince of peace, they will live in peace” (Weinberg, 73). Here, the masculine overtones are very obvious.
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