University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Discourse in Science Communities: Issues of Language, Authority, and Gender in a Life Sciences Laboratory

Conefrey, Theresa Catherine

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Description

Title
Discourse in Science Communities: Issues of Language, Authority, and Gender in a Life Sciences Laboratory
Author(s)
Conefrey, Theresa Catherine
Issue Date
1997
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Treichler, Paula A.
Department of Study
Communication
Discipline
Communication
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Psychology, Industrial
Language
eng
Abstract
"Using ethnographic and discourse analytic methods, I present a detailed analysis of the discourse patterns in a life sciences laboratory group at a large research university. I show how language accomplishes the work of indexing and constituting social constraints, of maintaining or undermining the hierarchical power dynamics of the laboratory, of shaping members' presentation of self, and of modeling social and professional skills required to ""do science."" Despite the widespread conviction among scientists that ""the mind has no sex,"" my study details how gender marks many routine interactions in the lab, including an emphasis on competition, a reinforcement of sex-role stereotypes, and a conversational style that is in several respects more compatible with men's than women's forms of talk."
Graduation Semester
1997
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/87555

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