Mathematics, Society and Culture

Description

This course examines the ways in which mathematical sciences shape and are shaped by the societies in which they are learned and produced. The course draws on approaches from social sciences such as sociology and gender studies to examine topics including: Mathematical sciences as gatekeepers: how learning and credentials in mathematical sciences open and close doors, and for whom? Perceptions and stereotypes: what do mathematics and mathematical ‘ability’ come to mean in different social contexts? What are the relationships between mathematical sciences and identities such as gender, ethnicity, and social class? How do some people and professions, but not others, come to be perceived as ‘mathematical’? Mathematical sciences knowledge and colonisation: how have some bodies of knowledge, and not others, come to be seen as legitimately 'mathematical' or 'scientific'?