Engineering social justice education (ESJ) is an
emerging core subject in engineering education (EE)and
profession. However, several EE institutions are yet to
incorporate social justice (SJ) into engineering courses, leading
to strong advocacy for EE review of programmes. This paradigm
shift is align with ESJ revised curricula to increase the power of
engineering knowledge integrated with SJ, which explicitly
harnessed in serving vulnerable society, thereby addressing
injustices and inequalities; hence the crux of this paper. This
paper was guided by Nancy Fraser’s theory of SJ that elucidates
that a more equitable distribution of resources is interrelated with
equal recognition of different identities/groups within a society.
This theory looks at how individuals are prevented from
participating as equals by denying them of available resources to
do so. This paper takes a broad look at the impact of integrating
SJ in EE in Africa, while examining the extent EE has addressed
numerous inequalities and, exploring how engineering
practitioners can work towards a more just and equitable society.
The significance of SJ in EE in the 21st century were discussed
among others. Thus, to address social justice in EE,
collaboration amongst educational sector and engineering
industrialists are central in building and revising EE curriculum
inclusive of SJ themes to consolidate engineering professional
ethics. This will transform the way educators think about ESJ
through creating or converting existing core curriculum courses
to attract, retain, and motivate engineering students to become
professionals to enact SJ in engineering field.
“Drugs, Alcohol, Joblessness, and Lifestyle”: Engineering Students’ Perceptions of Homelessness and Implications for Social Justice Education
