SJUS392:Socialjusticeissuesinengineeringcapstoneprojects

Spring2016

Instructor
Dr.DanielLacks,Dept.ofChemicalEngineering

OfficeHours:Anytimeeitherstopbyormakeanappointment

CourseMeetings,Credits
Eachteamhasweeklymeetingwithcourseinstructor.
Thisisa1creditcourse.

CourseDescription
Thissocialjusticecourseistakenalongsideadisciplinarycapstoneprojectcourse.Inthedisciplinary
capstoneprojectcourse,studentsworkinteamsonprojectsthatdevelopengineeringsolutionstohelp
thepoorandmarginalizedmembersofsociety.Theprojectsincludeinteractionswiththerelevant
communities,andaddressthesocial,political,economicandenvironmentalconstraintsonthesolutions
inadditiontothetechnicalengineeringaspects.Thesocialjusticecourseaddressestherootcausesand
contextsoftheissuesassociatedwiththeseprojects.Theseissuesarecoveredinweeklyreadings,and
discussedinblogpostsandinaweeklymeetingwithcourseinstructor.

Coursecorequisiteandpermissions
Thecourseisopentostudentsfromallmajors,subjecttopermissionfromcourseinstructor.Students
mustbeconcurrentlyenrolledintheirdepartmentscapstonecourse,andtheymusthavepermission
fromtheirdepartmentscapstoneinstructortousetheinterdisciplinaryprojecttowardstheir
departmentcapstonecourse.Eachstudentmustsatisfytherequirementsofhis/herhome
departmentscapstonecoursewhileworkingontheprojectwithteammatesfromotherdepartments.

ThecoursewilladdressthefollowingobjectivesoftheSocialJusticecurriculum:
Understandcompetingperspectivesconcerningdiversity,equality,fairnessandhumanrightsin
historicalandcontemporarylocalandglobalcontexts.
Learnhowculturalpractices,socialrelations,socialstructures(e.g.,theclasssystem)andinstitutions
(e.g.,education,religion,business,medicineandlaw),canreproduce,reduceoreliminate
inequalities.
Examinethedisparateconsequencesofthesocialandphysicalenvironmentandavailableresources
onhumandevelopmentandwellbeing.
Developskillstofacilitateadvocacyandleadershipofsocialchangefromdiversecommunity,
academic,andprofessionalperspectives.

Courseassignmentsandgrading
Shortassignments(70%).Therewillbe8shortassignmentsduringthesemester.
Finalpaper(30%).

Readingsandassignments
1.Pleaseread:(a)Mitchellarticle,sections:IntroductionandTraditionalvs.CriticalServiceLearning
(pages13);(b)Pompaarticle,sections:"AFragileCalculusandMutuality(pages23).Yourblog
entryshoulddescribewhatyoufeelisthemainpointoftheseauthors,andhowthismainpointrelates
toyourproject.Theentryshouldbe200300words.
T.D.Mitchell,Traditionalvs.CriticalServiceLearning:EngagingtheLiteraturetoDifferentiate
TwoModels,MichiganJournalofCommunityServiceLearning,14,5065(2008).
L.Pompa,Servicelearningascrucible:Reflectionsonimmersion,context,power,and
transformation,MichiganJournalofCommunityServiceLearning,9,6776(2002).

2.PleasereadthearticlebyLoue.InyourblogentrydescribewhatLouemeansbytheterms"cultural
competency"and"culturalhumility",whyshefeelsoneisbetterthantheother,andhowthisrelatesto
yourproject.Theentryshouldbe200300words.
S.Loue,Sandplaytherapy:Identity,diversity,andculturalhumility,J.SandplayTherapy21
(2012).

3.Thisreadingisrelatedtotheurbangardenproject.Pleasereadtheexcerptfrom"WhenaHeart
TurnsRockSolid"byCWRUsociologyprofessorTimBlack.ThisbooktracksthelivesofthreePuerto
Ricanbrothersthatgrowupinapoorneighborhoodandfaceissueswithgangs,drugs,prisons,etc.This
sectionofthebookdescribestheeffortsofonebrother,Julio,tobuyahome.Yourblogentryshould
addressthefollowing:(a)Whatdoeshomeownershipmeanintermsofintergenerationalmiddleclass
privilege,andwhatdoesthisrequireintermsofthehouseandtheneighborhood?(b)Describethe
difficultiesforpoorpeopletoownhomesintermsofmortgages,homesthatwillmaintainorrisein
value,andtheroleofadvicefromfamilymembers.(c)HowdoesJulioandClarasexperiencerelateto
theabove?Theblogentryshouldbe300400words.
T.Black,WhenaHeartTurnsRockSolid:TheLivesofThreePuertoRicanBrothersOnandOffthe
Streets(excerpts)

4.Pleasereadthefollowing:NunnsectionVI(PossibleChannelsofCausality),VII(Conclusion);Whatley
Conclusionsection;Rodneypages231234,320323,376382.Thesereadingsaddressthefactorsthat
haveledtothecurrentstateofunderdevelopmentinAfricai.e.,suchthatmostpeopleinAfricaare
livingwithoutelectricity,runningwater,automobiles,etc.Inparticular,fromabout1500tothemid
1800'stheslavetradedominatedtheAfricaneconomy.Thenrightafterthat,from1885toabout1960,
AfricawascontrolledascoloniesbyEurope.Sowhiletherestoftheworldunderwenttremendous
growthfrom15001960,Africawasrestrained.Inyourblogentrydescribehowtheslavetradecameto
dominatetheeconomyofAfricaandrelatethistoa'prisoner'sdilemma'(ifyoudon'tknowwhata
prisoner'sdilemmaisyoucangoogletofindout),howtheslavetradehasconsequencesthatcontinue
toaffectthingsnow(hintintermsoffractionationofpeoples),andhowtheEuropeancolonialismhurt
Africanprogress.Theentryshouldbe200300words.
W.Rodney,HowEuropeunderdevelopedAfrica(excerpts)
N.Nunn,ThelongtermeffectsofAfricasslavetrades,QuarterlyJ.Economics,139(2008)
W.C.Whatley,Gunsforslaves:The18thcenturyBritishslavetradeinAfrica,(working
paper,2008)

5.PleasereadthearticlebyDonaldson.InyourblogentrydescribeDonaldson'sargument,youropinion
aboutherargument,andhowthisargumentrelatestoyourproject.Theentryshouldbe200300words.
K.Donaldson,TheRealCostofFree,Ambidextrous,Spring(2010).

6.PleasereadthearticlesbyJosephandLewis,whichaddresstheissueof'paternalism',orfeelingthat
youknowbetterthanothersyouarewantingtohelp.Inyourblogentrydescribetheideasinthe
articles,andhowtheseideasrelatetoyourproject.Theentryshouldbe200300words.
M.Joseph,LetthePoorHaveFun,NewYorkTimes,Sept.16,2013.
J.C.Lewis,Productpaternalism,StanfordSocialInnovationReview(2013)

7.PleasereadthefollowingpartsofthearticlebyYunus:pg308314andTable3.Inyourblogentry
describewhatasocialbusinessis(Fig.1isveryuseful),theimportanceofchallengingconventional
wisdominregardtofightingpoverty(Table3isveryuseful),andhowtheseideasrelatetoyourproject.
Theentryshouldbe200300words.
M.Yunus,B.MoingeonandL.LehmannOrtegaBuildingsocialbusinessmodels:Lessonsfromthe
Grameenexperience,LongRangePlanning43,308(2010).

8.Pleasereadthearticle"HumanitarianChemicalEngineering"byHlaingetal.Inyourresponse,you
shouldaddress(a)Whatismeantbyabroaderviewofethics,andhowdoesitcontrastwiththenarrow
viewofethics;(b)Howdothebiogasandmangowasteprocessingprojectsrelatetoabroaderviewof
ethics;(c)howdoesyourprojectrelatetobothanarrowandbroadviewofethics.Yourresponseshould
be300400words.

Finalpaper
YourfinalpaperforSJUSE390shoulddiscussoneofthefollowinginthecontextofyourproject:
competingperspectivesconcerningdiversity,equality,fairnessandhumanrightsinhistorical
andcontemporarylocalandglobalcontexts.
howculturalpractices,socialrelations,socialstructures(e.g.,theclasssystem)andinstitutions
(e.g.,education,religion,business,medicineandlaw),canreproduce,reduceoreliminate
inequalities.
thedisparateconsequencesofthesocialandphysicalenvironmentandavailableresourceson
humandevelopmentandwellbeing.
skillstofacilitateadvocacyandleadershipofsocialchangefromdiversecommunity,academic,
andprofessionalperspectives.
Thepapershouldbe23pages,singlespaced.