IDS 403 - Technology and Society

 Social Sciences

If you were researching the Endeavour and Mae Jemison 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 and the Endeavor's flight been represented in media?
• How has the narrative around Mae Jemison’s space exploration differed from other astronauts? Other female astronauts?
• How did Jemison's flight impact NASA and STEM opportunities for other women and people of color?
• Has technology created for or used on Endeavor changed life closer to home? How?

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 Endeavour AND Media, would be. The results will be related to your topic and focused on the cultural aspects. Other searches might include:

• Endeavour AND Representation AND Media
• “African American” AND (Astronaut OR Space Exploration)
• Jemison AND technology