Starting in fall quarter of 2020, Feminist Research Institute Associate Director Sarah McCullough and the rest of the Asking Different Questions research team launched a series of workshop sessions that train researchers how to integrate social justice values into their scholarship.

Attendance at the live virtual events (many of which you can still register to attend) exceeded 100 people in many cases, but we wanted to be sure to make the sessions available to people who might not have been able to attend, or who are just learning about the Asking Different Questions research project. You can find videos of all available sessions on FRI's YouTube channel.

In the session "Identifying Bias in Scientific Research and Training," we examined how the histories of exclusion in science become embedded into the field, including through the use of metaphors, languages, and scientific practices. How does a field’s choice of language and metaphor affect the scientific process? The language and metaphors used in a field, or even the instruments developed, can carry with it unintended biases and assumptions. These choices can impact public uptake of findings, influence applications of research, and foreclose potentially rich lines of inquiry.

Participants examined the language and metaphorical practices used in their own field to identify key signifiers that may be limiting the possibilities of scientific inquiry and learn how shifts to contrasting language and concepts have led to new scientific discoveries and produced more equity in the field.

The rest of the sessions are also available on YouTube, where new sessions will be uploaded as they become available.

Hierarchy and Accountability in Science

Identity and Belonging in Science

The Politics of Doing Science