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Teaching Engineering for Human Rights: Lessons Learned from a case study-based undergraduate class

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Conference

2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Minneapolis, MN

Publication Date

August 23, 2022

Start Date

June 26, 2022

End Date

June 29, 2022

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics Division: Approaches to Ethics Education (Part 3, Nature and Environment)

Page Count

12

DOI

10.18260/1-2--41593

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/41593

Download Count

845

Paper Authors

biography

Davis Chacon-Hurtado

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Davis Chacon Hurtado, Ph.D., is an assistant research professor at UConn. He co-directs the Engineering for Human Rights Initiative, which is a collaboration between UConn’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research, School of Engineering, and Human Rights Institute to promote and advance interdisciplinary research in engineering with a clear focus on societal outcomes. Davis is working with several faculty at UConn to develop research and curriculum at the intersection of human rights and engineering. Davis completed his Ph.D. in Transportation and Infrastructure Systems at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, in 2018. His research interests include transportation equity, environmental justice, and economic resilience. He grew up in Cusco, Perú, where he obtained his B.S. in civil engineering at the University of San Antonio Abad of Cusco. He also earned an MSCE degree from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.

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Sandra Sirota University of Connecticut

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Shareen Hertel University of Connecticut

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Abstract

Engineering and technological developments are at the core of societal change, influencing and being influenced by society's cultural, political, economic, and socio-technical context. However, traditional engineering education tends not to equip future engineers with the critical thinking and tools necessary for interpreting their obligations in relation to codes of professional ethics and the duty to hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. Ongoing environmental and societal challenges (ranging from social inequality to the climate crisis) urgently require the development of an engineering workforce that can perform successfully in a multicultural and globalized world. This paper shares the pedagogy and lessons learned from implementing an undergraduate course at the University of Connecticut based on a Human Rights-Based Approach to Engineering called "Engineering for Human Rights."

Chacon-Hurtado, D., & Sirota, S., & Hertel, S. (2022, August), Teaching Engineering for Human Rights: Lessons Learned from a case study-based undergraduate class Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41593

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