A Plow For Peasant Farmers (Texas A&M University Engineering Ethics Cases )

There is a pressing need for a device to assist third-world peasant farmers in cultivating their small plots of land. None of the plows currently available adequately fill this need. This case involves the design of a plow that fits these specifications.

Most of the other cases in this series are actual cases in which issues of engineering professionalism and ethics have arisen. By contrast, this is a design project. The focus here is not on a moral evaluation of the actions of particular engineers, but rather on identifying and intelligently addressing the value issues that arise in an engineering design project. The case helps students to see that the introduction of new technology can have profound implications for a community. Therefore, it raises question of engineer's responsibility for the social consequences of their work.

A Plow For Peasant Farmers Case (opens in new window) maintained by the Texas A&M University.

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