Readings

The readings for this week are:

Diversity

1. Google finally discloses its diversity record, and it's not good

   • Why Isn’t the Tech Industry Doing Better on Diversity? It’s Google's and Facebook’s Fault

   • Apple Makes Slight Progress on Diversity While Its Rivals Are Making Practically None

2. Diversity Imbalance

   • The Unsettling Truth About The Tech Sector's Meritocracy Myth

   • Silicon Valley writer: The show's lack of diversity is accurate

3. Why Prejudice Alone Doesn't Explain the Gender Gap in Science

   • Why the STEM gender gap is overblown

   • Here’s Why There Ought to Be a Cap on Women Studying Science and Maths

4. Boys' Math Scores Hit Highs and Lows

   • Girls feel less 'smart' than boys by age 6, research says

   • When Women Stopped Coding

5. Oracle sued by Labor Department for paying white men more

   • U.S. regulators accuse Palantir of bias against Asians

   • Leaked Apple emails reveal employees' complaints about sexist, toxic work environment

Women

1. Girls Who Code: The Real Reason Women Only Earn 18% of CS Degrees

   • Why Do So Many Women Who Study Engineering Leave the Field?

   • A new survey explains one big reason there are so few women in technology

2. Masculine culture responsible for keeping women out of computer science, engineering

   • "I had so many advantages, and I barely made it": Pinterest engineer on Silicon Valley sexism

   • Programming is Forgetting: Toward a New Hacker Ethic

3. Nerdy Strutting: How to Put Women Off the Tech Industry

   • Most computer science majors in the U.S. are men. Not so at Harvey Mudd

   • Steps Teachers Can Take to Keep Girls and Minorities in Computer Science Education

Minorities

1. Why Doesn't Silicon Valley Hire Black Coders?

   • "Silicon Valley is hostile to diversity," says Slack Director of Engineering Leslie Miley

   • Slack Engineering Director: Google should do “blind assessments” for hiring

   • Racial and gender gaps in computer science learning: New Google-Gallup research

2. Racial Fault Lines in Silicon Valley

   • The Other Side of Diversity

   • On Being a Black Man

   • I’m a Latino in Tech, and I Think the ‘Diversity’ Discussion Is Utterly Broken

Codes of Conduct

1. The Code of Conduct

   • Open Code of Conduct

   • Django Code of Conduct

2. Closing a door

   • Linus Torvalds defends his right to shame Linux kernel developers

   • Code of Conflict

3. An anonymous response to dangerous FOSS Codes of Conduct

   • Why the Open Code of Conduct Isn't for Me

   • Hackers in Revolt After SJWs Attempt to Impose Politically Correct ‘Code of Conduct’ on Ruby Community

4. An update regarding keynote changes.

   • Why I won't be speaking at conferences with Douglas Crockford anymore.

   • In Defense of Douglas Crawford

Questions

Please write a response to one of the following questions:

1. From the readings and in your opinion, is the lack of diversity a problem in the technology industry or is the gender gap overblown? Is it something that needs to be addressed or is it just a (possibly unfortunate) reality?

   • If you believe it is a problem, then what are some obstacles faced by women and minorities? Why do these challenges exist and how could the technology industry (or society in general) work to remove these barriers and encourage more participation from women and minorities?

   • If you don't believe it is a problem, then why do you think there is this recent focus on diversity? Is it fair that there are programs targeted to women and certain minorities, but not other groups? How would you address claims of privilege?

2. From the readings and in your opinion, are Codes of Conduct necessary for technology companies, organizations, and communities? Do they serve a valid purpose or are they just another form of political correctness?

   • What do you make of some of the Codes of Conduct above? What jumps out at you as reasonable and what seems unreasonable?

   • What do you make of the recent Douglas Crockford situation? Is his removal from the Nodevember conference justified? Would you attend or support an event with a speaker that may or may not make you feel uncomfortable or have opposing views?

Feedback

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the course, please provide your feedback at the end of your response.