Global Development Engineering And Its Discontents: An Interdisciplinary Project Based Course

Recent discussion in engineering has focused on the importance of preparing students for a global future, but rarely do we examine the profession’s role in globalization with a critical eye. An interdisciplinary project-based course and upper-level engineering elective, open to students in a variety of disciplines, seeks to initiate critical study of the technological, cultural, and policy aspects of international development. Rather than working from a common base of introductory knowledge, this course requires students to share sophisticated knowledge in their discipline with others from different backgrounds. Developed through a collaboration between an engineering professor and a sociology student/alumna, and taught by the engineering professor in the spring semester of 2003 and 2004, the course wrestles directly with the differences in perspective that create gulfs in understanding between social scientists and engineers, and between development workers and intended beneficiaries of development projects. Students grapple early on in the course with the promises and limitations of technology for development, with the meanings of capitalism, colonialism, and globalization, and with the implications of engaging in development work from places of privilege. Case studies in appropriate technology highlight the importance of communication, leveling power relationships, anticipating the social impacts of technology, and meaningful involvement of end users in technology development. Cases address topics including water quantity and quality, food production and preparation, and energy. Through class discussion and short assignments students analyze the role of technological, economic, cultural, and governmental factors in helping or hindering the success of development projects. Two design projects were developed that allow multidisciplinary teams to construct prototypes (of a slow-sand water filter and a child’s crutch) using hand tools and scavenged objects. Students experience in a very real way how technical, economic and social considerations are inextricably linked in design. We are working to establish meaningful two-way relationships with communities both locally and abroad in hopes of creating a community-based project connected to the course. We discuss some of the concerns that have arisen to date and the ethical guidelines we believe are necessary for appropriate community collaborations. P ge 943.1 Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Introduction and Background The phenomenon of globalization has been recognized within engineering education as a new business need, and (perhaps not often enough) as a professional or social responsibility concern. The Accreditation Board on Engineering and Technology (ABET) included in its Criteria 2000 “the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context. 1 ” A recent trend in engineering education involves project-based courses in global development, often connected with projects overseas. 2,3 Smith College’s Picker Engineering Program has created a course in engineering and global development that is truly interdisciplinary, drawing students from the social sciences and engineering. In doing so, the course incorporates a critical view of globalization and global development engineering. The course was offered in spring 2003 with an enrollment of 9 students and in spring 2004 with an enrollment of 12. Course objectives include enabling students to: • Design and build technology systems for use in developing countries • Apply knowledge of what constitutes appropriate technology to design • Critically analyze issues related to the use of technology in developing countries • Demonstrate an understanding of the limitations of technology in addressing problems of development. The course begins with an introduction to issues in global development, based primarily in the social science literature. Students are introduced to the ideas of appropriate technology and critiques of that approach. Through a number of case studies, students explore what it means to implement appropriate technology in trying to address problems in global development, including the pitfalls, promises, and limitations of this approach. Two projects were developed to accompany the course without connection to a community. However, a connection was established with a local economic development agency in an urban Puerto Rican community, so students in the spring of 2004 have the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a real community situation, which is preferable to learning with a ready-made project. Background in Development and Appropriate Technology Students begin with two very short readings that are packed with thought-provoking material for lively discussion. The first three pages of Arundhati Roy’s nonfiction work Power Politics 4 gives students an initial exposure to an Indian woman’s view of globalization. Juxtaposed with a piece entitled “Kofi Anan’s Astonishing Facts” from the New York Times 5 , students are immediately confronted with the enormous global inequities and the wastefulness of developed country consumers. Discussion helps students work through a variety of responses typical of those in power positions – defensiveness, guilt, denial, anger, an earnest yet sometimes patronizing desire to change the situation, etc. Students read two histories of development – one policy oriented 6 , explaining concepts such as structural adjustment, and an Afro-centric sociological critique of colonialism by Walter Rodney. 7 To understand Rodney, whose perspective is distinctly Marxist, students also tackle an excerpt of Max Weber’s Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 8 , to see why many in the world critique capitalism as an economic system. While this can be threatening to some, we believe it is vitally important that students engage the dialogue about globalization directly, which necessarily involves understanding arguments based on critiques of global capitalism. P ge 943.2 Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering This is a first introduction for most students in the course to these readings, so they are kept short with extensive time for discussion. After reviewing development efforts from these perspectives, it is natural to examine more deeply what has caused the failure of development projects. We supplement the answers given by Rodney and Agunga with that of Hammer 9 , an anthropologist who focuses on explanations rooted in a lack of attention to culture, power, and communication. At this point students write a short essay (2-3 pages) on one of two topics: whether or not aid should be given by developed nations to developing nations, or a reflection on pitfalls to avoid in their project based on why projects have failed in the past. Students examine the role of technology in society through readings by Langdon Winner 10 and Richard Sclove. 11 Students learn about the tendency for engineers to find higher-tech solutions to problems, to over-design, without any social impact consideration. They read Kammen and Dove’s piece 12 on “the virtues of mundane science” that discusses the academic biases that prevent important breakthroughs in low-tech solutions to problems of poverty and environment around the world. Through these and previous readings, students begin to understand some of the reasons for development efforts that have been disastrous for local communities economically, socially, or culturally. Students are then introduced to the phenomenon of appropriate technology, both in its historical form and its resurgence with an entrepreneurial twist, driven largely by western engineers. Students read articles by proponents and critics of appropriate technology, 13,14,15 and wrestle directly with the question of whether western engineers, and even western-trained engineers, have a role to play in the developing world – and in what ways that role may necessarily be problematic due to (inter alia) present global inequities and the history of colonialism that contributed to their establishment. At this point students write a second essay on the role of U.S. trained engineers in developing countries, the role of technology in development, and their role in the setting of the class project. Again, this is a short reflection intended to help students make the connections between the classroom and the field work. Most class work is directed toward the project and its deliverables, discussed below. Students examine a number of case studies in appropriate and inappropriate uses of technology in developing countries, focused around the themes of water, food, and energy. Two short projects over the course of the semester were designed to challenge students to apply their knowledge to design. However, these projects (discussed below) have been put aside in order to engage students in a real-world and local community-based design project. Case Studies Throughout the course, students examine numerous case studies that highlight both the successes and failures of engineering in global development.