Back to results

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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

Abstract

dc:description

"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."

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph.D.
Level thesis:degree_level
Dissertation
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Communication
Grantor
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Year dc:date
2015

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Conefrey, Theresa Catherine
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Treichler, Paula A.

Subjects

dc:subject × 1

Rights

Language dc:language
eng

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Identifier
(MiAaPQ)AAI9812564
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/87555

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Base URL
www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Conefrey, Theresa Catherine. Discourse in Science Communities: Issues of Language, Authority, and Gender in a Life Sciences Laboratory. Dissertation thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2142/87555