Active Citizenship

Week 8: Reading Guide

We will also have as guest speakers two MIT faculty members familiar with the March 4 movement, the founding of the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the broader context of MIT in 1969: Aron Bernstein and Heather Lechtman. You can get a sense of the times from this MIT admissions video.  The older man appearing repeatedly throughout was Walter Rosenblith, who at the time held the important role of Chair of the Faculty. The film also includes Noam Chomsky, Shirley Ann Jackson (co-founder of the Black Students’ Union), math professor Alar Toomre bar-tending in 18.01, and more.

Week 12: Reading Guide

In this final week we will hear from a prominent MIT student activist of the 1980s and early 1990s, Steve Penn, who is now a physics professor at a liberal arts college. During all of MIT’s history there has probably never been a student more engaged in activism and protest. Four years after his PhD graduation, and ten years after Penn led the “Tent City” protests of MIT’s real estate development near Central Square, a writer in The Techappropriately described Penn as “a famous student activist.” We will end the class with a brief discussion of the contributions of another famous student activist, Rasheed Auguste (BS 2017, 8 and 22), and the final chapters of the books by Ben Barres and Jon Beckwith.

 

Final Paper (Course Version 20.005)

The student is expected to turn in a 10–15 page paper by the last class, in which the ethical and technical issues of a problem are analyzed. This project is a chance for you to explore in greater depth a subject in biological engineering of particular interest to you that has ethical implications. We are open to any subject that relates to bioengineering and ethics, but some possible general topics include exploring the ethics of Crispr/Cas-9, cloning, stem cell research, human testing, GMOs, or human-animal hybrids.

Weekly Writing Assignments

Each week starting the second week of class, students must answer each of the study questions in a paragraph or so in the body of an email.

Final Assignment

Directions:

  1. Identify a narrow policy issue of your choice (take a look at the materials provided for various case studies on the course website if you are having trouble picking a topic);
  2. Present an analysis of the policy issue;
  3. Identify alternative policies;
  4. Evaluate and analyze the policy you are studying using cost-benefit analysis, stakeholder analysis, data analysis, and / or analysis of inputs, outputs, and outcomes;
  5. Apply the correct type(s) of policy analysis to the alternatives;
  6. Present the results of your analysis and the give the best option based on your criteria; and
  7. Make suggestions for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the policy.

 

Assignment 3 - Observe a Public Meeting

Attend a public meeting in the Boston area, take careful notes on the event, and report back in a succinct, well-organized informational memo. Be sure to also collect any materials distributed at the event for reference. Your memo should describe the organization, discuss where its power originates, identify the purpose of the meeting, explain the structure of the deliberative process used to collect input, and discuss what, if any, outcome resulted.

Week 5: Reading Guide

Each week’s readings will be accompanied by a set of guiding questions. As you read the materials, take notes about key messages as well as questions you have. Class discussions will center around these.

Final Paper

The final paper must be between 4000 and 5000 words and should either address in greater depth one of the case studies explored in class or develop a different case defined by an activist, movement, or event involving science activism after 1945 anywhere around the world.

Final Communication Project

Media Option: Students who choose this option will create a pamphlet, lesson plan, wiki, blog or webpage in which they (a) introduce a moral question concerning food choices or food policy, (b) provide material that presents arguments on different sides of the issue, (c) outline the arguments on each side in their strongest (most plausible) form and (d) give a brief evaluation of the arguments and draws conclusions, where possible. (If a lesson plan, the product should also include an activity that will prompt reflection or discussion.) The product should also provide information about where to find more information on the topic.

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