User:PatrickHardner/Evaluate an Article

Name of article I am reviewing: "Environmental Racism" (My goal is to write a wikipedia post related to CRT and science (historical scientific studies where clear elements of racism were present, environmental pollution related to low-socioeconomic housing, etc.).

Article: List of African American Women in STEM Fields
 * 1) Although everything in the article is relevant, I would argue that it is too long. It goes into extensive detail about minor topics related to environmental racism and, with this in mind, it might make it difficult for interested readers to find adequate information. However, the attention to detail is quite noticeable and it is clear that the authors have done their research. Therefore, I would argue that (so far) it is an adequate source (perhaps this will change), although the length is distracting.
 * 2) The information does not appear to be out of date, as there is an abundance of references within the last five-ten years. In addition to this, there are relevant notes from previous centuries about events which took place in relation. to environmental racism (ex: Environmental Justice Movement from the 1970s and 1980s).
 * 3) I would argue that this article supports the perspectives of underrepresented populations, specifically in different continents. With this in mind, it is clear that it recognizes equity gaps between different groups (whether that has to do with racism, indigenous lands, etc.). It provides many examples of "white flight" as well that are relevant to the topic.
 * 4) In terms of content, I believe there could be additional information on different countries. Although the article provides background information on non-US countries, there is still a particular emphasis on North America and Europe. I would be curious to learn more information about different continents. Even though they provide adequate information, I truly believe there is more to be learned. I would love to tie this to CRT for my project.
 * 5) Although the article appears neutral, I would argue that there are some clear biases present. However, this is to be expected in any works related to racism, as it is arguably difficult to adopt a neutral perspective when there are clearly issues present. However, the authors do a fair job in the sense that they do not attack anybody for the past - rather - they simply provide information for the readers to form their own opinions.
 * 6) As previously stated, since there are some biases I would argue that the perspective potentially overrepresents the perspective of those who are oppressed. However, I agree with their stance and I understand their reasoning, especially since this is an article about racism. I would be amazed if anybody (racist individuals) would voluntarily search for this specific article with the sole purpose of disagreeing.
 * 7) I checked three citations and all of them worked. The sources support the article's claims.
 * 8) Out of the facts I sampled, it is clear that there are proper references present. Therefore, plagiarism is not present in this article (based on the few that I sampled). The sources do not appear to be neutral overall, although I am sure that there are some present. The few I checked were relatively biased in the sense that they acknowledge racism (but yet again, why should they not?).
 * 9) The sources come from a diverse array of authors and publications (news articles, scientific articles, etc.).
 * 10) Since there are many sources cited, it is clear that there are conversations related to environmental racism. However, I would be curious to know why this is not as commonly heard as other issues related to racism. Perhaps I could research some news articles and interviews to learn more about this topic and the behind-the-scenes information.
 * 11) Although I enjoyed this article, Wikipedia noted that it might "require cleanup" due to the extensive length. I mentioned the length previously, and I agree with their comment. In relation to Wiki Projects, I did not see any information related to this classification.
 * 12) We have not discussed this topic in class; however, I truly believe that we would adopt similar perspectives to the authors. To elaborate, I believe all class members would agree that there are clear elements of environmental racism in societies. This, in turn, could ultimately be related to CRT after a brief history review.


 * This article provides a dynamic list of notable African American women with STEM-related careers. For each individual, there is a category for their field, active dates and notes that help readers gain a better understanding of their contributions to STEM. If there are pictures available, then there are photos attached to the individual, but this is not always the case apparently.
 * There does not appear to be any bias in this article based on what I have read. The list is in alphabetical order and it is clear that readers are simply interested in the women's contributions to STEM.
 * The references appear to be in order. After sampling a few of them, it is clear that they are indeed real and lead to real articles (both journal and media).
 * I would plan on utilizing this article to provide examples of minority women in science. I would place a special emphasis on where they attended school, in hopes of writing an article on Critical Race Theory and STEM Education.

Article: Racial Minorities in STEM Fields


 * This article opens with NSF (National Science Foundation) data which notes that women and racial minorities are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Appropriate citations are utilized for this, as there is a relevant link to the NSF page. There are also important notes related to racial bias, discrimination, lack of adequate preparation, etc. for minority students in academia, correctly suggesting that it is more difficult for women and minority students to receive jobs in STEM-related fields.
 * This article is formatted well and offers adequate structure for the reader. To elaborate, there are many different sections for different topics associated to academic racism. Although there appear to be many different topics covered within a smaller article, the different sections are arguably a "readable" length. In other words, the different sections offer concise summaries of different forms of racism in academia. One critique, if I must, would be to have greater detail in some of these sections - although I fear this would increase the complexity of the article and scare some readers away due to the potential length.
 * The citations and references appear to be in order for this article. There is also a long list of "see also" topics for interested readers. This is something I intend on utilizing for my Wikipedia article in this course, as there are many interesting and important topics that would be appropriate for me.
 * I believe this article will be incredibly useful for discussing discrimination in science education which, in turn, will allow my paper to be stronger. I plan on going into detail on the racial biases in science education programs and discussing how successful minority students endured the hardships to ultimately become scientists. I believe this article will work well with the one mentioned prior to this, since that one offers a list of successful African American women in STEM fields.

Draft / Outline for Article: "African Americans in STEM" (Potential Title)


 * Intro
 * Opening statement regarding the demographic imbalance of STEM careers
 * List notable African Americans with STEM-based careers
 * Brief statement related to reasons why there is a racial imbalance (hardships of degree attainment, discrimination throughout their lives, racism in STEM, etc)
 * Section on history or racism in STEM (discuss certain biological studies as well)
 * Section on demographic imbalance, briefly discuss potential reasons (will go into greater detail later)
 * Bias in STEM (should be large section)
 * Microaggressions and discrimination/racism
 * STEM Pipeline (difficulty for African Americans to pursue STEM-related degrees and receive jobs)
 * Additional sections
 * Conclusions based on combination of racism factors
 * Section on consequences of having few African Americans in STEM careers - future implications if nothing changes?

Although it is clear there are racial minorities in STEM fields, this article will focus on the demographic imbalance related to African Americans in STEM. The National Science Foundation provides data on racial minorities being underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers. There are many reasons for this imbalance, such as racial discrimination, racism, microaggressions, inadequate preparation for the STEM pipeline, etc.. Even though there are many obstacles preventing minorities from achieving careers in STEM, some scholars have successfully dodged the discrimination and ultimately achieved incredible accomplishments throughout their lives. Some of these notable African Americans in STEM include George Washington Carver, Mae Jemison, Vivien Thomas, Neil deGrasse Tyson, to name a few.

History