Publication Type: Session Paper
Abstract: In 2005, when Harvard president Lawrence Summers’ remarked that the “intrinsic aptitude” of females, along with their refusal to make the necessary sacrifices, explained the disparity of young women pursuing scientific careers, his comments inflamed already intense media and political fields. While Summers has since been deposed (to be replaced by a woman), and his position discredited in the media, the fact is that statements like his represent contemporary patriarchal assumptions about gender in the sciences that proliferate across popular culture. In an attempt to consider the symbolic context in which young women come to understand what it means to their futures pursue a particular career path, this study examines mass media discourse about “girls and science” that have dominated media discussions over the past five years. A selection of key texts from popular news media are analyzed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Universities worldwide stem from a common model. Even in India and China, which have their own powerful indigenous traditions of advanced learning, modern universities are Western in origin. Strikingly similar patterns of organization and activity are seen throughout the world in areas of faculty research, teaching, administration, and the assessment of student learning. These patterns are driven largely by Western conceptions of academic quality and socio-economic concerns, usually over-riding non-western cultural values. Within the context of globalization and the war on terrorism, recognizing the political and social implications of Western dominance in the academic world allows us to better understand (and work to overcome) existing inequities in the global knowledge network that may contribute to the hostile perspectives of non-Westerners toward ideas of democracy, academic freedom, separation of church and state, and religious pluralism, among many others.

Publication Type: Invited Paper
Abstract: No abstract available.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The paper examines the initial, formative decade of Robert K. Merton's career, from 1931, when he entered the new doctoral program in sociology at Harvard, until 1939, when he left to become chair of sociology at Tulane. Drawing on archival sources, as well as professional literature, the paper sketches Merton's development, with particular attention to his early publications and with some consideration also of his teaching. The discussion delineates the rich interdisciplinary context of social science at Harvard, and considers ways in which local intellectual networks and scientific paradigms may have shaped Merton's emerging perspective. The paper concludes that Merton's "forgotten decade" is of prime importance for understanding his overall career and his place in the history of the social sciences.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Comparative analysis of the careers of the Harvard Law School JD class of 2000 collected pursuant to the Harvard Law School Career Study and the national sample of lawyers participating in the After the JD study.