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FemTech Wiki

website·Indexed 30 days ago

https://femtech-wiki.netlify.app/

A knowledge base exploring marginalized histories and alternative perspectives in computing. It features the 'First Threads' artifact and the 'Carrier Bag Theory of Computing,' focusing on feminist ethics of care, intersectional computing, and the sociopolitical analysis of computing as a discipline.

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What's inside FemTech Wiki

  1. Overview of global Computer Science undergraduate degree structures

    Computer Science undergraduate programs vary significantly in naming and degree type (B.Sc., B.A., or Bachelor of Computing), reflecting the discipline's interdisciplinary nature. Common core focuses across global institutions include:

    • Technical Foundations: Strong emphasis on mathematics, probability, algorithms, databases, networks, and software engineering to ensure graduates can adapt as technologies change.
    • Interdisciplinary Flexibility: Many programs (e.g., Carnegie Mellon, Harvard) encourage combining computing with minors or concentrations in humanities, science, medicine, law, or business.
    • Practical Application: A shift toward project-oriented courses and the development of cutting-edge applications in AI, machine learning, and social media to meet employer demands.
    • Societal Impact: Programs frequently highlight that computing skills are highly marketable and that the discipline profoundly influences almost every aspect of modern society and economy.

  2. Overview of the Carrier Bag Theory of Computing

    The Carrier Bag Theory of Computing is a conceptual lens and metaphor derived from Ursula LeGuin's 'Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction' and Elizabeth Fisher's 'The Carrier Bag Theory of Evolution.' It advocates for a 'minor trajectory' of computing that diverges from the mainstream canon of grand inventions and applications at scale. Instead, it focuses on material concerns, the vernacular, and a shift in practice from engineering toward composition with diverse knowledges. Key focus areas include materiality, embodiment, the mundane, and pedagogical re-orientations rooted in ethics of care and the value of the commons.

  3. Overview of Forum InformatikerInnen für Frieden und gesellschaftliche Verantwortung e.V. (FIfF)

    Founded in 1984, the Forum Computer Scientists for Peace and Social Responsibility (FIfF) is an association of critical experts in information technology. It was established to oppose the development of automated and computerized warfare (specifically resisting the NATO Double-Track Decision) and promotes the use of ICT as a means of international understanding and social responsibility.

  4. Overview of the Carrier Bag Theory of Computing

    The Carrier Bag Theory of Computing is a conceptual lens and metaphor designed to shift the discipline of computing away from 'killer stories' (grand inventions and scale-driven applications) toward a 'minor computing' trajectory. It emphasizes material concerns, situated contexts, and the mundane aspects of technology. Rather than treating computing as a purely mathematical or engineering discipline, it views it as a collection of diverse knowledges, approaches, and expertise. The framework advocates for a reconfiguration toward 'ethico-onto-epistem-ology,' integrating ethics, ontology, and epistemology into the production of computing knowledge.

  5. Explore Masakhane for African NLP research

    Masakhane is a grassroots organization dedicated to strengthening and spurring Natural Language Processing (NLP) research for and by Africans. It aims to address the underrepresentation of African languages in technology and combat the effects of colonialism on language preservation and integration.
    https://www.masakhane.io/

  6. Apply the concept of Semiotisation and Zeichenhaut

    For any physical matter or concept to become an object of computation, it must undergo a process of 'semiotisation.' This is described by the term 'Zeichenhaut' (skin made of signs), suggesting that objects must develop a semiotic 'skin' to be processed by a computer. The full path to computation involves three steps:

    1. Semiotisation: Creating the sign-based representation (the 'skin').
    2. Formalisation: Translating signs into formal structures.
    3. Algorithmisation: Creating the rules for processing those structures.

  8. Understanding Gestaltungswissenschaft in the context of Informatics

    Gestaltungswissenschaft is described as a science of shaping, steering, and form-giving. When applied to Informatics, it shifts the focus from mere implementation and innovation toward a practice of composing that requires attentiveness, responsibility, plurality, trust, and respect. It involves the ability to integrate diverse elements including ideas, materials, technologies, timings, situations, people, and cultures.

  9. Concept of Intersectional Computing in HCI

    In Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), 'intersectional computing' is a proposed approach to computing that honors the overlapping intersections of gender, race, class, and disability. It aims to address the historical erasure of marginalized groups—such as Black women in early computing—and challenges the dominant narratives that overlook the contributions of those who shaped and cared for technology outside of traditional 'pioneer' stories.

  10. Understand the role of the computing scholar as an interpreter

    Computing scholars act as interpreters between computing and society. This role involves a responsibility for the technologies developed and the facilitation of communication between humans, technologies, and their environments. This 'caregiving' approach extends beyond user-centric design to include actively listening to 'full stories,' communicating underlying computing concepts to users, and allowing for non-technological solutions.

  11. Integrate social dimensions into Computer Science via Semiotics

    A semiotic approach argues that computers process data, and only through human activity and work do these signs acquire meaning (semantics) and become information. By recognizing that computers are semiotic machines rather than just objective information-processing tools, computer science can integrate social discourse—including the effects of gender relations and social conditions—directly into the discipline rather than treating 'the social' as a separate or hyphenated field (e.g., socio-informatics).

  12. Understand the relationship between Informatics education and discipline identity

    The 'self-conception' of Informatics is bidirectionally linked to its educational methods. How the discipline is taught influences how it is perceived by scholars, students, and the public, and conversely, the conceptual understanding of the field informs the development of its curricula. Tracing the history of Informatics education provides a map of how the subject has understood itself over time.