Bringing responsible research into engineering ethics: Responsible research in appropriate technology

Graduate Research and Education for Appropriate Technology: Inspiring Direct Engagement and Agency (GREAT IDEA) promotes interdisciplinary graduate thesis research in Appropriate Technology (AT) and has initiated research to determine attitudes of BSE (business, science, and engineering) faculty and students toward AT. The new course, Responsible Research in Appropriate Technology, has been created through this grant to identify ethical and social issues that arise in AT research. This paper will outline briefly the AT movement, present key ethical and social issues in AT research and discuss how a new course, “Responsible Research in Appropriate Technology,” presents these issues to graduate students. The concluding section will summarize assessment results from the first course offering in the fall semester of 2013.