Many of us have a sense of unease and conflict about engineering education at present. We see the methods and knowledge that we teach our students go to serve corporation and industries that support an unjust economic system. Marginalised communities lack investment, the climate is worsening. The UN has stated that business-as-usual practices are insufficient. Yet the pace of change in the sector is slow, and the values of the sector seem to hold us back from making the radical changes needed.
This retreat will make a space for us to reimagine engineering education. We’ll explore constructing engineering identities that prioritise humanity and the environment. We’ll look at what parts of our curriculum practices could be harming our own and our students connection to the human race and the earth. We’ll share pedagogies can open students’ and our own eyes to systemic interconnections, and ways to bring an appreciation of this into our teaching practice.
How do we educate engineers in a world of systemic oppression? How do we equip ourselves for the work needed to centre justice?
Many of us have a sense of unease and conflict about engineering education at present. We see the methods and knowledge that we teach our students go to serve corporation and industries that support an unjust economic system. Marginalised communities lack investment, the climate is worsening. The UN has stated that business-as-usual practices are insufficient. Yet the pace of change in the sector is slow, and the values of the sector seem to hold us back from making the radical changes needed.
We could externalise the problem and wait for regulation to force us to catch up. Or we could be brave, take ownership and drive the change needed ourselves.
This retreat will make a space for us to reimagine engineering education. We’ll explore constructing engineering identities that prioritise humanity and the environment. We’ll look at what parts of our curriculum practices could be harming our own and our students connection to the human race and the earth. We’ll share pedagogies that can open students’ and our own eyes to systemic interconnections, and ways to bring an appreciation of this into our teaching practice.
Location: Penmaen Community Hiall, Penmaen, Gower (near Three Cliffs Bay)
Timing: Friday 1pm to Sunday 12pm
Cost: The event is free, but accommodation is not provided.
Professor Baillie served as Chair of Engineering Education at the University of Western Australia and her main research interests are Engineering and Social Justice within Engineering Education as well as through her practical development work in the network organisation she runs with Eric Feinblatt, ‘Waste for Life’, which creates poverty reducing solutions to environmental problems. Caroline launched the Engineering, Social Justice and Peace network in 2004 with the first conference held at Queen’s University in Canada.
Dr Paul Kadetz is a Senior Lecturer in the Institute for Global Health and Development at Queen Margaret University in Scotland and an Honorary Fellow of the Centre for China Health at University College London. Paul completed his doctorate in International Development at The University of Oxford and works across the areas of Global and International Health, Medical Anthropology, and Sustainable Development. He has designed and directed global and public health undergraduate and graduate programs in The Netherlands, China, Rwanda, the UK, and the US, and clinically is a registered nurse, an adult nurse practitioner, and an acupuncturist. His research and scholarship have concerned antimicrobial resistance; post-disaster recovery and resilience; the impact of foreign aid on local healthcare; the impact of global health policies on local health; the anthropology of safety; and healthcare challenges in China, The Philippines, Guatemala, and Madagascar.
Cost: The event is free, but accommodation is not provided.
Booking any accommodation in Gower or Swansea will be suitable if you have your own transport to the venue. Camping is recommended!
The following accommodation options as we can arrange transport between these venues. We’ve prepared a range of accommodation that hopefully suits different budgets. Please contact Patricia for information p.a.xavier@swansea.ac.uk or 07801 698760:
-Beds available in 4-bed bunkroom – £25 per night (you have to be fairly small for this option, beds are 5cm shorter than usual)
Option 2: Parkmill Chalet, Parkmill now booked
Option 3: Three Cliffs AirBnB. (walking distance from the venue). Room only. Book through Patricia
1 double bed – £100 per night
Bed in a twin room – £50 per night each
Option 4: Dolphin Hotel, Swansea http://www.dolphin-sa1.com/(breakfast included, please contact the hotel directly to book pre-reserved rooms, mentioning ESJP Swansea when booking). 30 minute journey to venue, transport will be provided both ways.
