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Undergrad: MechanicalEngineering 08 (CityUniversity of New York)

Masters: MechanicalEngineering 10 (Queens

University)

PhD: Sociology 20??(Somewhere Warm)

Veteran of Engineers WithoutBorders USA (Honduras)

Veteran of Earth Institute andUNDP (Uganda)

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Part I: Importance of Engineering in SocialJustice

Part II: Identifying Our Mindsets

Part III: Challenging Our Mindsets for SocialJustice

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Social Justice Work is work that we do in

the interest of securing human rights, anequitable distribution of resources, ahealthy planet and a space for the human

spirit tothrive.Innosanto Nagara

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Community health and environmental justice

Economic justice

Education (Tuition Fees)

Housing/gentrification (Community Housing)

Immigrant rights (Systemic Discrimination)

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and two spirit

Police monitoring/community protection

Prison crisis

Reparations

Women and gender

Workers rights

Youth

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TECHNOLOGY SHAPES SOCIETY

FOR GOOD AND BADSOCIETY SHAPES TECHNOLOGYFOR GOOD AND BAD

Marginalize: exclusion of certain individuals orgroups from meaningful participation in society.Causes: lack of economic resources, knowledge,

political rights and capacity, recognitionand power

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Biosphere

Ecosystem B

Ecosystem C

Ecosystem A

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Ecosy

Ecosystem ASociety Artifact A

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Artifact AWTF

?!ct A

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Ethnic strife in Punjabregion

Hazardous chemicals Made storing seeds

impossible Favored farmers and

industrialists with capital

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Discouraged storage of food and grain Allowed for those who can afford it to get

access Led to famine Directly linked to the death of millions across

India and Africa

Discouraged storage of grain Favored urban elite + colonial

masters Led to widespread famine Devastated farming

communities that had lasted

for 1000s of years

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Have you or your friends ever gotten in a fightresulting from a misunderstanding in a textmessage/ email/online social utility?

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Ursula Franklin: Even the introduction of a

dishwasher into a familys life changes theircommunication and time patterns, theirexpectations and the ways in which thefamily works together. (p102)

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5/03/2010 Public stewards or hired guns?: An inquiry into engineering education 25

Queens University, 2009

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5/03/2010 Public stewards or hired guns?: An inquiry into engineering education 26

Queens contributed to: Awareness ofpolitical and social issues

Queens University, 2009

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5/03/2010 Public stewards or hired guns?: An inquiry into engineering education 28

Queens contributed to: Appreciation of otherraces, cultures and religions

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Here ComesDemocracy!

Finally!!!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=32008198&id=51304160http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=32008198&id=51304160http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=32008198&id=51304160http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=32008198&id=51304160

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A positivist mindset often relates to two otherperspectives that are commonly held in

engineering: reductionism and technologicaldeterminism.

Reductionism is the notion that phenomena

(or problems) can be broken down intosmaller components for analysis and that

analysis of the components can fully explainthe system as a whole.

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Technological determinism holds that

technology develops on its own in a self-propelling fashion (i.e., without regard tosocial forces) and that its innovations, in

turn, impact society and drive political,cultural, and economic developments.

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Write 3-5 page single spaced essay on howyou would challenge one or more

engineering mindset. You will be graded onpertinent research, insightfulness, andcritical thinking. You should apply yourchallenging methodology on a previousengineering assignment (preferably fromthis class).

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If we got this far without anyone askingquestions, I was very authoritarian.

If nobody has questions now, I probablybored you to death. In case you dont have questions and if we

have time, I have a nice music clip for

Immortal Technique (up next).

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