IDS 400 - Diversity

Social Sciences

If you were researching Mae Jemison and the Endeavour through the social science lens, you would think about how this topic relates to or has impacted culture, society and humanity.  Consider the following questions that we might ask in thinking about the social science lens and how her joining NASA and completing mission STS-47 impacted the world.

• How has Jemison’s achievement been represented in media?
• How has the narrative around Mae Jemison’s space exploration differed from other astronauts? Other female astronauts?
• What social issues did Jemison champion and how has her influence affected them?

Suggested Databases

The list of databases below are examples of where you could search for primary and secondary sources on this topic. When we think about constructing some search strategies, we can start with keywords.

Including the keyword: Culture or society might not be very helpful, but searching “Mae Jemison” AND Media, would be. The results will be related to your topic and focused on the cultural aspects. Other searches might include:

• Jemison AND Representation AND Media
• “African American” AND (Astronaut OR Space Exploration)
• Jemison AND Healthcare Inequality