Throughout history, women have made groundbreaking contributions to science, medicine, mathematics, engineering and technology, yet many of their achievements have been overlooked or credited to others. This engaging course explores more than 3,000 years of scientific innovation, from the world's earliest known chemist in ancient Mesopotamia to pioneers of computing, medicine, physics and space exploration. Through fascinating stories and historical evidence, participants will discover how these women helped shape the modern world while reflecting on how history remembers (and sometimes forgets) scientific achievement.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face to face
• Online

COURSE RESOURCES

• Rossiter, Margaret W. (1993). The Matthew Matilda Effect in Science.
• Adams, Beverley. The World's First Computer Programmer: The Extraordinary Life of Ada Lovelace.
• Additional online resources and further reading will be provided in the course handout.

COURSE OUTLINE

• Introduction to women in science and the Matilda Effect
• Ancient pioneers: Mesopotamia and Classical Greece
• Medicine and learning in the medieval world
• Science during the Enlightenment
• Innovation during the nineteenth century
• Twentieth-century breakthroughs in medicine, physics, computing and space exploration
• How history remembers and forgets scientific achievement
• Questions and discussions throughout the course

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Identify significant women who contributed to science and innovation across different historical periods
• Describe the social, cultural and institutional barriers that affected women's participation in scientific fields
• Explain the concept of the Matilda Effect and recognise different forms of historical erasure
• Discuss how scientific discoveries have sometimes been credited to others despite women's contributions
• Reflect critically on how history records scientific achievement and whose stories become part of the historical record.