The Scientist in Science Fiction

Step 2 - Activities

Check the role of women and female scientists in the films.

• Do the films of the 50s and 60s mirror the reality of female scientists in these times?
• Female scientists of course existed, but how was their representation in the world of science.
• What were the chances of women becoming scientists in those times, and what are the chances today?

And do not miss the film:
“Attack of the 50ft woman”, 1993, colour, remake of the 50s B-Movie, 85 min, director: Christopher Guest. An alien encounter with a passing UFO has given Nancy, the female star of the film, extraordinary power. When she is enraged she can grow to a height of 50 feet and take revenge at her husband and other persons who have done her wrong. She kidnaps her husband in the UFO and tries to re-educate him from macho to educated partner. The film is an excellent way to start a teaching unit about feminist consciousness, the role of women in those films and why UFOs are necessary to get things started.