Dissertation Defense - Mina Tari
How Asian Women’s Intersecting Identities Impact Experiences in Introductory Computing Courses
Women of color face severe marginalization in computing fields. Asian women however, face a double bind as they are perceived as overrepresented in computing. When considering gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic class, it becomes clear Asian women have varying experiences and representation within computing. Since the computing field has lacked an intersectional, critical lens, I will address these knowledge gaps by drawing from a theoretical foundation of feminist theory, critical race theory, postcolonialism, and Indigenous theory. This analysis will reveal a holistic understanding Asian women’s experiences and the inclusionary and exclusionary factors they face in computing education. I will build on my initial work to better understand how Asian women’s identities and context of the university change the salience of race for Asian women. Additionally, I triangulate their perspectives with undergraduate teaching assistants, to understand how these roles are seen as more relatable because of near-peer status, and personalities more impactful than any shared identity characteristic.
Supervisory Committee
Chair: Hala Annabi, Associate Professor, Information School, University of Washington
GSR: Eve Riskin, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Washington
Member: Amy Ko, Professor, Information School, University of Washington
Member: Anna Lauren Hoffmann, Assistant Professor, Information School, University of Washington