Engineering and Social Justice: Research and Education of (In)commensurable Fields of Practice

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This project, supported by the Ethics Education in Science and Engineering Cross-NSF program, investigates the relationship between engineering and social justice. Given the global challenges of the 21st century, engineering educators are implementing innovative ways to prepare tomorrow's engineers--including programs and courses in community service, sustainable development, and humanitarian engineering. That engineering students might be enacting various forms of social justice in these programs and courses raises important questions. How are engineering students interpreting social justice? How do those interpretations intersect with their education as engineers? What might engineering and social justice have in common? In which ways have these two fields of practice aligned, clashed, or interfaced in recent US history? How and why should relevant dimensions of social justice be effectively taught and disseminated throughout engineering curricula? The main goal of this project is to research these questions and develop educational resources aimed at relevant connections between engineering and social justice, allowing for various interpretations of social justice. To achieve this goal, the project researches historical and ethical connections between engineers and social justice. Furthermore, given the surge in university programs related to community service and humanitarian engineering, the project contributes by developing relevant instructional case studies. The project will also result in a book about Engineering and Social Justice with chapters exploring the social-justice dimensions of engineering during the New Deal, radical and non-radical engineers in the 1960s, engineers of appropriate technology, engineers of sustainable development, and engineering to help. Primary project partners and audiences include engineering faculty and students, engineers in organizations actively pursuing social-justice goals, and a growing network of engineering educators interested in social justice issues. This project stands to have a broad impact by increasing recruitment and retention among US engineering students, particularly women and underrepresented groups, as students become more concerned with the social relevance of their careers.