| Name: | Khanjan Mehta
Director, Humanitarian Engineering & Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) Program |
| Email: | krm209@psu.edu |
| Office: | 213U Hammond Building |
| Phone: | (814) 863 4426 |
| Office Hours: | By Appointment |
| Website | For course admin: https://angel.psu.edu |
Meeting Times
| Day(s) | Time | Location | |
| ENGR | Thursday | 6:00 – 9:00 pm | 306 Hammond |
Course Description:
The HESE Reflection and Research Dissemination course provides students an opportunity to reflect and build upon their experiences following the EDSGN 454 class involving travel to the partnering community to advance their HESE venture. There are three intertwined themes. One theme explores the ethical intricacies of conducting research and advancing entrepreneurial ventures in developing communities. The grassroots diplomacy theme delves into the complicated and delicate challenges of working in developing communities in a harmonious and effective manner. The research dissemination theme provides students with just-in-time information and skill-sets necessary for developing their research manuscripts into refereed publications.
Post-travel reflection on ethical issues: This theme explores the ethical intricacies of conducting research and advancing entrepreneurial ventures in the context of developing communities. The ethics-related discussions help students reflect on their experience and develop a mindset where they want to make better ethical decisions because they are emotionally engaged and can effectively assess the implications of their actions.
Grassroots Diplomacy: During their field experience, HESE students interact with diverse parties including local communities, non-governmental organizations, governmental and UN agencies, religious organizations, political groups, bureaucrats, local industry, US corporations, tourists, etc. Students observe and experience ego and community tensions and dynamics. They might get asked for grease payments or be propositioned for dowry. They might experience conflict or observe other groups, or their own group, compromise the core concept of self-determination. Workshops in the grassroots diplomacy theme delve into the complicated and delicate challenges of working in developing communities in a harmonious and effective manner to catalyze social change with their technology-based ventures.
Research Dissemination: HESE students are engaged in an IRB-approved research study related to their venture, for which they gather data during the summer field experience. This workshop series provides students with just-in-time information and skill-sets necessary for developing their research manuscripts. The workshops lower the barriers to the scholarly dissemination of their work. Sharing designs, business/implementation strategies, and lessons learned is extremely important for the praxis of HESE worldwide. For example, published designs for low-cost greenhouse can help people in many world regions. A paper on the non-technical challenges to the growth of the small-scale wind power industry in Kenya can serve as a starting point for a windmill venture.
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Reflect on and further develop informed, objective perspectives and judgments regarding the praxis of research and entrepreneurship in the developing community context.
2. Understand the influence of differing cultural value systems on relationships of humans with each other and with the living world.
3. Given a specific real-world situation, identify the most salient facts, stakeholders, consequences, duties, virtues/underlying values, and relationships.
4. Evaluate the various possible solutions and determine the most appropriate solution for that situation.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the legal, ethical, and social responsibilities towards various partners engaged in HESE ventures.
6. Develop informed, objective perspectives and judgments regarding the motivations and incentives to find mutually acceptable solutions to a common challenge.
7. Develop the skills to articulate ideas in a non-confrontational, non-controversial and polite manner.
8. Demonstrate practical skills in helping resolve misunderstandings and disputes through everyday diplomacy and conflict resolution techniques.
9. Describe the peer-review and publication processes including the various conventions and norms.
10. Describe why, when and how to acknowledge source(s) of information in research publications.
11. Collaborate effectively with peers to develop scholarly manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications.
Course Structure
The class will meet once a week for a three-hour period. The time will be devoted equally to the three tracks. The first hour of class will be devoted to the research dissemination track and will consist of seminars and workshops that are directly relevant to developing the research projects into publishable manuscripts. The other two hours will alternate between the ethics reflection and grassroots diplomacy tracks. Before coming to class, students are required to review a pre-class learning module and complete the assigned quizzes and exercises. The modules include key concepts and definitions, essential papers and video clips, as well as short case studies. These materials will introduce the reflection/discussion topic(s) and present a specific problem. The students will be given 1-3 questions that they need to deliberate on, and develop a response to. Class time will be utilized for a group discussion on the topic. Students will write a weekly blog post on the case – the methodology for which will be provided. Student teams will have to meet with the instructor outside class times on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to discuss the research manuscript.
Level of Effort:
The average student in the class will be expected to devote about 8 hours/week for this course including the scheduled class time. Attendance at every session is required. This class relies heavily on the interaction between the students and instructor(s). It is critical for students come to all classes well-prepared and ready to contribute to the discussion.
Grading: Students are required to attend class EVERY week and actively participate by asking appropriate questions and sharing perspectives and experiences. The final grades for this class will be based on the following criteria:
A. Learning module responses (14 total responses): 28%
B. Weekly blog – reflection on the ethical issues and: 42%
grassroots diplomacy strategies (14 posts total)
C. Research Dissemination
a. Quiz (25 multiple choice questions) 10%
b. Manuscript development 20%
TOTAL 100%
Weekly Blog – Students will write a weekly blog from the first day of class until the end of the semester. Students will analyze a case for the ethics reflection track or develop the strategy for the grassroots diplomacy track every week. A structured methodology for case analysis as well as the grading rubric will be provided. The blog post should be submitted electronically by 2359 hrs on Sunday via blogs.psu.edu. A weekly blog entry should be at least 750 words in length.
Academic Integrity
The Pennsylvania State University places a very high value on academic integrity. Violations are not tolerated. Academic integrity is one of Penn State’s four principles to which all students must abide. Any violation of academic integrity will receive academic and possible disciplinary sanctions, including the possible awarding of an XF grade which is recorded on the transcript and states that failure of the course was due to an act of academic dishonesty. All acts of academic dishonesty are recorded so repeat offenders can be sanctioned accordingly. More information on academic integrity can be found at: http://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/47-00.html – 49-20
Disability Policy
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. If you have a disability-related need for reasonable academic adjustments in this course, contact the Office for Disability Services (ODS) at 814-863-1807 (V/TTY). For further information regarding ODS, please visit the Office for Disability Services Web site at http://equity.psu.edu/ods/.
In order to receive consideration for course accommodations, you must contact ODS and provide documentation (guidelines: http://equity.psu.edu/ods/guidelines/documentation-guidelines). If the documentation supports the need for academic adjustments, ODS will provide a letter identifying appropriate academic adjustments. Please share this letter and discuss the adjustments with your instructor as early in the course as possible. You must contact ODS and request academic adjustment letters at the beginning of each semester.