Engineering and Society: Working Towards Social Justice, Part III: Windows on Society

Abstract

Engineers work in an increasingly complex entanglement of ideas, people, cultures, technology, systems and environments. Today, decisions made by engineers often have serious implications for not only their clients but for society as a whole and the natural world. Such decisions may potentially influence cultures, ways of living, as well as alter ecosystems which are in delicate balance. In order to make appropriate decisions and to co-create ideas and innovations within and among the complex networks of communities which currently exist and are be shaped by our decisions, we need to regain our place as professionals, to realise the significance of our work and to take responsibility in a much deeper sense. Engineers must develop the 'ability to respond' to emerging needs of all people, across all cultures.To do this requires insights and knowledge which are at present largely within the domain of the social and political sciences but which needs to be shared with our students in ways which are meaningful and relevant to engineering. This book attempts to do just that. In Part 1 Baillie introduces ideas associated with the ways in which engineers relate to the communities in which they work. Drawing on scholarship from science and technology studies, globalisation and development studies, as well as work in science communication and dialogue, this introductory text sets the scene for an engineering community which engages with the public. In Part 2 Catalano frames the thinking processes necessary to create ethical and just decisions in engineering, to understand the implications of our current decision making processes and think about ways in which we might adapt these to become more socially just in the future. In Part 3 Baillie and Catalano have provided case studies of everyday issues such as water, garbage and alarm clocks, to help us consider how we might see through the lenses of our new knowledge from Parts 1 and 2 and apply this to our every day existence as engineers.

Seven Pillars of Survivability: Appropriate Technology with a Human Face

“…The social aspect is interpreted as intermediate ( Fig. 1) because of its dual natures (Baillie and Catalano, 2009a;Catalano and Baillie, 2009;Baillie and Catalano, 2009b). On the one side, the social aspect can be understood as tangible in that both its independent conditions and its correlation with the other aspects can be assessed clearly in numeric formulations, for example for beneficial analysis that is closely connected with technical and/or economic issues.…”

Work in progress — Project-Based Service Learning in engineering: Investigating partner relationships

“…Much recent research on PBSL in engineering has tended to focus on students, including studies of learning outcomes [10] and development of assessment instruments [1]. There has also been some discussion of ethical concerns regarding community involvement in choosing, implementing, and sustaining service-oriented engineering projects [11,12], but there remains a lack of systematic research on how partners perceive their roles, motivations, and challenges.…”

Board 74: Using Machine Tools to Analyze Changes in Students’ Ethical Thinking

“…More recent scholarship has emphasized the importance of working from a perspective of empathy [6] [7], following a care ethic [3] [4] [5], and being socially aware and responsible. Research in the engineering education literature has addressed effective content for classroom instruction [1], how students learn ethics [16] [17], and demonstrations of how ethics can be learned and practiced in real-world contexts [18].…”

“…Achieving these goals requires "a broad education that incorporates a range of technical and social science and humanities knowledge," "an appreciation for other cultures," and "more ethical treatment of those who are different." It is now becoming more widely acknowledged that engineering decisions require a sense of social justice, fairness, and equality from a global perspective [18] [20] [21]. Responsible and well-designed engineering projects, according to Baillie [20] are sensitive to the economic, social, and political factors at local and global levels.…”