Instructions:
In Maria Winkelmann and the Berlin Academy of Sciences, author Londa Schiebinger describes one womans unsuccessful struggle to be recognized for her scientific achievements. Despite her accomplishments, she was denied a prestigious position within the Academy of Sciences. However, not all the members believed that she should be excluded. In fact, some even believed that womens contributions to scientific production were so important that membership should be opened to women without reservation (as long as they were qualified to be members).
Imagine that it is 1716 and you recently became a member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. At a social function following a lecture, you met Maria Winkelmann and later became her friend. Winkelmann amazed you with the depth of her astronomical knowledge. Befriending her and her daughters opened your eyes to the important contributions women made to science. You were outraged when you learned that the Academys Council had refused to appoint her to the position of Assistant Astronomer years before. You saw that the years she spent searching for a permanent scientific position and constantly being denied one because of her gender meant years of lost productivity. And, of course, you were even further outraged when the Academys Council asked her to leave the Academy in 1717, mainly because she was too outspoken for her gender.
Since excluding women and this one in particular seems like a waste of scientific talent, you write a letter to the director of the Academy explaining why you believe that it should admit women as members and appoint qualified women such as Winkleman to important posts such as Assistant Astronomer. Describe Winklemanns specific achievements and explain how women have made contributions to science over the preceding centuries, even if their names are unknown and their work unrecognized. Make sure that you strongly express your belief that excluding women impedes the ability of the Academy to improve its standing within the scientific community, since many individuals who could make important contributions are excluded simply because of their gender.
But remember the director is a busy man and you want to make sure that he gives your letter proper attention. That means that you must try to express your thoughts succinctly in 800 words or less.
THUS, your assignmentis imagine that you are a member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences and write a letter of no more than 800 words to the director of the Academy, describing the following:
Womens varied contributions to science over the centuries (including their unseen work)
Maria Winkelmanns very specific contributions to astronomical knowledge
Maria Winkelmanns life trajectory, which illustrates how her brain power was wasted through her exclusion from high-ranking positions within the scientific community
Your 600-800-word letter to the Director will be assessed primarily on how effectively and comprehensively you draw from the readings to make your points. Specifically, this means that:
You must give specific examples.
You should use the phrase for example to elaborate on a point at least once.
You should use concrete details from the two articles.
You should use as many examples from the two chapters as possible.
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